A Slice Of Life

Chapter 51

Before being dropped off at home, Helga has her sister stop by Green Meats. With her task completed, she felt like a celebratory dinner was in order. The few cooking lessons she's been getting from Olga have built up her confidence and she's decided to try a new recipe completely on her own. Leaving Phillip in the car with his Aunt, she heads into the butcher shop. As she opens the door it sets off the bell that heralds in her arrival. Stepping out from the back of the shop, Patty gives a big smile as she sees who her latest customer is.

Even though the butcher shop is just down the street from the boarding house, it's been a while since Helga has seen Patty. She looks her up and down now, noticing the baby bump that wasn't there at the Labor Day party she and Harold threw last September. Looking at her face Helga notices the rosy glow of expectant motherhood and actually misses being pregnant. She wonders where in the world that thought has come from, and has to give her head a good shake to get rid of any ideas that may be trying to take root in the back of her mind.

With her head cleared, she greets her friend. "Patty! It's so good to see you. Look at you, you look great."

Patty comes around the counter to hug her friend. "So do you. It sure didn't take you long to get your figure back."

Helga looks down at herself. "Well, it's got to be all the energy it takes looking after a little one, that plus all those boarding house stairs, who needs a gym. But, seriously, you're looking great. How far along are you now?"

"Five months and counting! Oh, hey, before I forget, Harold and I have something for Phillip."

Running up the stairs to the apartment that sits above the butcher shop, Patty disappears, leaving Helga to peruse the meat counter. She printed out a recipe for stuffed pork chops earlier in the day and spies two very likely candidates as they stare back at her from behind the glass display case. After a few moments she hears footsteps, followed by Patty's voice.

"Here," Patty says, holding a small, wrapped box out to Helga. "We wanted to give you something to celebrate Phillip's first Christmas."

Helga is touched as she accepts the gift and opens it. Inside the box is a brightly painted ornament. It's of a rocking horse that has the words "Baby's First Christmas", along with Phillip's name and the current year's date written across it. Helga is touched at their friend's thoughtfulness and gives Patty a big hug.

"Oh, Patty, I love it. Its Phillip's first Christmas present. I can't wait to show Arnold. Thank you so much!"

With a bit of a blush Patty hugs her back. "Oh it's nothing, just something we saw and thought it'd make a nice keepsake. Now, what can I get for you today? A nice roast perhaps?"

Remembering the last time she tried to cook a "nice roast", Helga grimaces to herself and shakes her head.

"No, actually I've got my eye on two of your thick cut pork chops over here."

Helga points out the two she's been eying and once they are wrapped up and paid for she says her good-byes and heads back to Olga's car.

"Do you have everything you need, Baby Sister?" Olga asks, and with a nod of Helga's head they head back to the boarding house.


xxxxx

Saying her good-byes to Olga, Helga walks up the front steps and notices a package that has been left by the front door. Picking up the small box, she unlocks the door and heads inside. She notices that it's addressed to Phillip and is from Phoebe. She's anxious to see what it is but decides to wait until after she's picked up Arnold from work before opening it. She leaves it on the entryway table as she heads upstairs to nurse Phillip and put him down for his nap.

She sits rocking her baby as he greedily nurses and she thinks about how her body reacted upon seeing a pregnant Patty. After all the problems she and Arnold had to deal with towards the latter part of her pregnancy she's amazed that the thought of having a second child so soon would even enter her mind. She wonders if all of Arnold's teasing about having a house full of children was actually starting to have an effect on her. Once again she pushes the thought away and decides that there's no way in hell she's going to mention it to him.

Once Phillip is down she checks the clock and sees that there's just enough time to get the pork chops started before she has to leave and pick up Arnold from work. If she times it right she can leave them in the oven to cook while she heads for the school.

Checking the recipe she gathers the ingredients and starts making the stuffing. This time she has made sure to leave enough time to brown the chops before putting them in the oven. There was no way she was going to make that mistake twice. Once the stuffing is done she sets about trying to cut a pocket into the side of the pork chops, which isn't as easy as it sounds. Not being very adept with a knife, she's a bit off center when slicing through the meat but figures it probably won't matter.

Shoving as much of the filling as she can into the pockets she's made she attempts to close them up with toothpicks without losing too much of the mix. Placing them in the old cast iron skillet that was handed down to her by Gertie, she starts to brown them. She's finding it difficult to turn them without losing the stuffing and is starting to get frustrated. Not realizing just how hot cast iron can get, she turns her back on them to start peeling some potatoes and after a few minutes realizes that something is beginning to burn. With wide eyes she turns to the stove and catches the pork chops just before they reach the point of no return.

Removing them from the hot skillet, she puts them into a small roasting pan and goes to put them in the oven to bake. When she opens the oven door she realizes that, like with the roast, she's forgotten to preheat it. Not having time to wait for it to preheat she turns it on and hopes for the best. With the potatoes cut and ready to be boiled for mashing, she leaves them on the stove so she can start them after she picks up Arnold.

Looking at the clock on the wall she sees that she's late and needs to get to the school. Hating to wake Phillip, she picks him up as carefully as she can and places him in his carrier. Snapping it into the base she takes off.


xxxxx

Arnold waits patiently in the parking lot of the high school, wondering what could be keeping Helga. It's not like her to be late without calling and he's just beginning to get worried when he sees her car pulling into the lot. Relieved, he picks up his briefcase and waves her down. As he gets in the car and leans in to give her a kiss, he picks up the scent of burned meat in her hair. His mind goes back to the last time he's smelled that familiar smell and does his best to stifle a laugh. The smile, however, is not so easy to hide. Helga gives him a suspicious look.

"What's got you grinning from ear to ear?" She asks.

"What? Nothing, can't I just be happy to see my wife after a long day?"

Not believing him, she turns her eyes back towards the parking lot. "Mmm-hmm. Anyway, how was your day?"

"Oh, it was fine. How was yours? What did you do today?"

She skips over her little covert mission from earlier and jumps to lunch with Olga. "Ohh, not much, had lunch with my sister. Oh, I stopped at Green Meat's and saw Patty. Do you realize that she's already five months pregnant?"

"Wow, that's gone by fast. How are they doing?"

"Really good. She gave Phillip an early Christmas gift, it's an adorable ornament."

"Aw, well, that was nice of them. So, you stopped at the butcher shop. So I take it you've had another cooking lesson?"

"Nope, this time I'm on my own. Stuffed pork chops. They're cooking right now and should be ready when we get home."

Outwardly Arnold gives her a big smile, but he can't help but wonder just what it is that will be waiting for them when they get home.


xxxxx

As they enter the boarding house the first thing that hits them is the smell of roasting meat. Happy that Helga hasn't burned the house down while they were away, Arnold carries Phillip upstairs with him as he changes out of his work clothes. He notices his gym bag sitting on the bed and peeks inside to find it filled with fresh clothes. He smiles at Helga's thoughtfulness as he puts it on a chair along with his briefcase. After he's changed into more comfortable clothing he takes Little Phil out of his carrier and lays him on the bed. Stretching out next to him he plays with his son, mimicking Phillip's gurgling and cooing while downstairs Helga checks on their dinner.

Putting the potatoes on to boil, she peeks into the oven and checks on the pork chops. Pulling them out she sticks a meat thermometer into the first one to find it still way below the cooked mark for pork. She blames that fact on not giving the oven enough time to preheat and raises the temperature, swearing this time to keep a closer watch on things. She makes a salad then decides to join Arnold upstairs.

Grabbing the ornament from Patty and the box from Phoebe she enters the bedroom to see Arnold sound asleep next to his son who lays next to him, still cooing and blowing bubbles.

"Some babysitter." She says as she sits next to the two and hits Arnold in the stomach with her pillow.

"Hey! What was that for?" Arnold says as he's jolted awake.

"THAT, is for sleeping on the job, and THIS," she proceeds to hit him in the face this time, "is for looking so damn cute while you do it!"

He grabs the pillow from her. "Oh yeah?" He says as he starts to aim for her head. As the pillow connects with the top of her head it elicits a scream from a scared Phillip. They both look at each other before turning to their son.

Helga picks Phillip up, holding him to her chest as she sticks her tongue out at Arnold. "Oh Philly Boy, did daddy scare you?"

"What?" Arnold yells, "Me? You're the one that started it."

Helga gives him a giggle as she calms their son. "Oh, hey, I brought up the ornament from Patty and Harold, and the package from Phoebe. Open it up, I'm dying to know what it is."

Arnold takes the small package and carefully opens it. Inside is a beautiful silver bell, the type one would imagine adorning Santa's sleigh. It's a good 2 ½ inches in diameter and is engraved in a delicate script. Just like the rocking horse, it has the words "Baby's First Christmas" written on it, along with Phillip's name and the year. They compare the two ornaments and can't help but to giggle.

"Well, at least we'll never forget Phillip's first Christmas." Arnold jokes.

Helga holds Phillip close to her chest, her cheek resting on his head as she watches Arnold's face. She can see the love in his eyes as he looks at his son and she can't help but wonder how he'd feel to have a daughter. Someone to be referred to as "Daddy's Little Girl." Again she catches herself in her daydream and gives her head a quick shake. Arnold notices this and is about to say something when the smell of burned meat makes its way up the stairs. Catching the scent at the same time, Helga lets out a slight gasp as she shoves Phillip into Arnold's arms.

"The Pork Chops!" She yells as she runs out the door, leaving Arnold to hold Phillip as the child starts screaming once again.


xxxxx

Running to the stove Helga notices that more than half the water has boiled out of the pot that holds the potatoes. Turning the gas off under the burner, she then swings open the oven door. Pulling out the pork chops she is relieved to find that most of the burned smell is actually coming from the stuffing that has fallen out of the pork chops, and not the chops themselves. Placing them on top of the stove she turns her attention back to the over boiled potatoes. Draining the soggy mess the best she can, she adds a little butter and a touch of milk and mashes them up. They don't mound very well and she hopes they at least taste okay.

Eventually Arnold comes walking downstairs with a semi-placated Phillip in his arms. Setting the baby swing up in the kitchen, he places Phillip in it so they can watch him while they eat. Walking over to the stove, he looks at the runny potatoes and overcooked meat. It warms his heart to see Helga trying so hard and makes a promise to eat it all no matter what it tastes like.

Placing two salads on the table, Helga serves up their dinner and sits across from Arnold. She looks at her dinner and takes a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." She says as she cuts into her meat.

Stabbing the cut piece with her fork, she holds it up to her face and examines it. It's a little on the dry side but at least it's hot all the way through. Arnold watches her as she places the bite in her mouth. It takes a bit of chewing, but it goes down without a problem. "I think we're okay." She says as she cuts another piece.

Taking his que from Helga, Arnold digs into his meal, relieved that it actually tastes okay.

"So," He says through a mouth full of pork, "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"I was thinking, since Philip has two ornaments of his own now, we should go get a tree. Peterson Farms has extended their days of operation for the holidays. Maybe we could go visit Stinky and Lila and get a tree while we're there."

Arnold thinks about it for a moment and nods his head. "That's a good idea, plus, they haven't seen Phillip since he was born. Okay, let's do it. We can make a day of it."

"Excellent, I'll call Lila later and let her know we're coming." Helga says as she saws through her pork chop.


xxxxx

Later that night Helga stretches out on the couch in the family room and gives Phoebe a call to thank her for Phillip's ornament. It rings a few times before Phoebe finally picks it up.

Phoebe sounds distracted as she answers the phone. "Hello?" She says almost more as a question than a statement.

"Hey Pheebs, it's Helga."

"Oh, Helga, hi. How's it going?"

"Everything's great here. We got Phillip's ornament today, it's beautiful, thank you."

"It got there already? That was quick. I'm glad you like it. I saw it and had to get it for Phillip, his first ornament."

"Yeah, his very first. So how's school going? You looking forward to break?"

"Yes, I am! After Gerald's visit at Thanksgiving I was considering signing up for a winter class, but after thinking about it I decided I was going to need a break."

"Sooo, have you decided where you're going to be staying when you come?"

"I'm still thinking my parent's house will be the best place. I've just started talking to Gerald again and I don't want to rush things."

"You know, Phoebe, Gerald's reall…"

"I know what you're going to say, Helga. I know how sorry he is, and I know he won't try anything like that again. But I also know how I get around him and if I stay with him I know I won't be able to resist him and I don't want to rush into anything until I'm absolutely ready."

"I guess I can understand that. God forbid I ever try to resist Arnold." She gives a little chuckle before getting serious again. "Just do what's best for you. Plus, if your parents start driving you too crazy, you can always stay here."

It's Phoebe's time to chuckle now. "Okay, Helga, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have a huge test coming up and I really need to get back to studying."

"Okay, Pheebs. It was good hearing your voice."

"Yeah, same here. Give that baby and husband of yours big kisses for me. I'll see you soon."

Hanging up, Helga is sad over how much she misses her friend, but excited to be seeing her soon. Making her way upstairs she checks on Phillip before quietly walking into the bedroom. The moon shines through the window casting its glow on Arnold's face. She crawls into bed and watches him sleep for a bit, lightly tracing his features with her finger. She thinks about the two times today when her mind strayed over to the idea of having another baby and wonders where that came from. She knows how happy Arnold would be to become a father again, but now? If she got pregnant now their kids would only be 12 months apart. "That's crazy, right?" She asks herself. Still nursing, and now being on the pill again, she figures it must be hormones that are making her think such crazy thoughts. "But then again, Arnold would certainly be happy." Naw, she tells herself, that's crazy talk.

She shimmies down under the covers, working her way into Arnold's arms. He stirs a bit, reaching out to grab her and pull her close to him. Holding her arms over his, she snuggles back into him and closes her eyes, falling into a contented sleep.