Chapter 19

Arnold woke up Sunday morning with his head still spinning from all that had happened a couple nights before. When he had decided to read part of his essay to Helga, it was in part because Gerald recommended making the moment more romantic. But the second he'd entered The Grind coffee shop, he knew how perfect it would be to read his words on stage to her- even if he didn't know how she'd react to them.

He'd hoped that she would return his feelings. What he never expected was that she'd turn around and tell him that she'd had feelings for him ever since the day they'd met in preschool. He'd heard of people having childhood sweethearts, but he never thought he'd have one himself.

He could still remember the day Rhonda had brought her paper fortune teller to class in fourth grade and told everyone who they'd marry. He remembered how devastated he'd been to learn that he would marry Helga, unable to imagine a life where the two of them could be happy together.

Back then, all he'd felt was Helga's frustration and anger with him. Sometimes he defended her petty actions toward him more out of faith that there is good in everyone than because he'd actually experienced her true intentions. But then there were other times he did experience her kindness and thoughtfulness, in real life and in his dreams.

He remembered dreaming about him and Helga being married after Rhonda's fortune teller predicted it, and how at the end of the dream he confronted Helga and said there was no way she was that cold or unfeeling. She had been apologetic, and kind, and for just a moment before he'd woken up, he'd felt her walls come down to hint at her true feelings.

He was astonished to realize that some part of him must have always known she loved him, because he recognized the way he felt when he'd gotten to know her the past few weeks: it was the exact feeling he'd had when her walls were down in the dream. Whenever Helga let him in, he felt that invisible thread between them, connecting them despite the mask she sometimes wore in the world.

He smiled at the thought of spending the entire day with her, with no walls between them. He wanted her to know how much he loved seeing the real her, and how happy he was that they could finally spend time together without the excuse of some school assignment.

He got dressed quickly and ran downstairs. When he walked into the kitchen of the boarding house, his grandpa Phil was at the stove flipping pancakes.

"Well, Shortman, you're looking particularly happy today," he said, noticing Arnold's goofy smile. "What are you up to today?"

"Well, I was going to spend the day with someone," Arnold said, trying to be as non-specific as possible.

But Phil got a twinkle in his eye. "Is that right? Would this someone perhaps be a girl?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"Well, yeah-"

"Arnold's got a girlfriend, Arnold's got a girlfriend," he teased in a sing-song voice. At Arnold's unamused look, he waved his spatula. "I'm just kidding, Arnold. So who is it this time? I hope she's more interesting than the last couple I've met."

Arnold perked up at that. Neither of his grandparents had ever said anything negative about any of the girls he'd briefly dated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, don't take it personally, Shortman. They were nice. But that's all I could really say about any of them. They were just nice. If there's anything I can say about love, it's that nice doesn't cut it."

Arnold sat in confusion. "Soo you wanted me to bring home someone mean?"

"No, you ninny! What I'm saying is that there are more mysterious forces at work than just you coming up with a list of things you want in someone."

Arnold thought back to his conversation with Gerald a few weeks back. While it was true that he could talk about the deeper things with Helga, she also was so much more than anything he could have written up in some ideal girlfriend checklist. She was passionate, and deep, and brave, and beautiful. And that was just the things he knew about her so far. He smiled. "Yeah, I think you're right, Grandpa."

"Course I am!" he said, crossing his arms. "So who is it? What's she like?"

Arnold thought back to his childhood years. "Actually, Grandpa, I think you know her. We were in class together growing up."

Grandpa Phil smiled knowingly. "So, you finally dating the girl with the pink bow and the one eyebrow? About time."

Arnold's eyes widened and he remembered his grandpa's insight when he was younger and being picked on mercilessly by Helga. "How did you know?"

"Intuition, Arnold, intuition," he said mysteriously. Then he added, "Also, I had the same girl trouble, remember? Gertie."

Arnold remembered his grandpa's story about Gertie picking on him when he was growing up, too. "Oh, yeah, I remember you telling me about her. But how did you know she liked you?"

His grandpa laughed. "Why don't you go in the next room and ask her?" he said.

Arnold's eyes widened. "Grandma?! You married Gertie?! Grandpa, that's amazing. You never told me that."

"You never asked!" his grandpa said. He handed Arnold a plate of pancakes and sat down beside him. "And I wanted to give your little friend a chance to tell you herself." He winked.

Arnold thought back to the years of bullying and how his grandpa had known the whole time about Helga's affections. How could he have not seen it?

"So how'd she tell you?" his grandpa asked.

"Actually, Grandpa, I told her."

His grandpa busted out laughing. "Well, that's better than what happened with me and your grandma. She up and told me the day of our high school graduation how thick I'd been for never seeing it. Smacked me over the head with her diploma and didn't speak to me for a week. Took me that long to understand that that was her way of saying 'I love you.'"

Arnold chuckled. He could imagine his grandma doing that. He realized how alike his grandparents were to himself and Helga: one level-headed and calm, the other headstrong and passionate.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and suddenly realized what time it was. "Oh, no. I've gotta get going, Grandpa. I'm gonna be late picking up Helga."

"Well, just remember, Arnold, the heart may be blind, but the gut will never steer you wrong. And when the heart and the gut agree, well, then you know you're getting the best thing."

Arnold scarfed down the last bite of his pancakes and put the dish in the sink. "Uh, thanks, Grandpa, I'll keep that in mind." he said, trying to look as though he understood.

After he'd gone, Grandpa Phil unfolded his newspaper and shook his head. "Ah, to be young and dumb again."