Hi everyone. So there is a scene with Arnold listening to some smooth jazz. To get a better understanding of what he was feeling, as well to contrast the type of music both he and Rodrigo listen to, I recommend you listen to, titled, Miles Davis Smooth Jazz on YouTube.
The music that Rodrigo listens to is Daddy Yankee's La Despidida.
Despite the different genres, both songs have the same affect on the teenagers. It allows them to channel all of that frustration, confusion, hurt and pain and release it, release all negative feelings and sensations.
Reviews to responses:
Guest: To some extent, I'm glad to hear you say that because my intention was to make Rodrigo controversial. Unlike Arnold, Helga and Gerald, I wanted him to be where people both liked and hated him. There was to be on universal consensus for either side. Although, I wasn't trying to make him annoying.
As for his anger, he is generally more patient than others. He has to be, otherwise he wouldn't be friends with Helga, let alone date her. But definitely not as patient as Arnold. And like Helga, once he loses it, he loses it, but you have to try for a while before he gets to that point. AND unlike Arnold, Rodrigo doesn't take crap from anyone. But, he doesn't have anger issues. He is generally a calm, almost happy go lucky kid. It's just in this story I've made him very bitter and angry. He has been under a lot of pressure on trying to deal with both his friends criticism, Arnold's suspicious visit and Helga's indecision and in many respects, he has the right to be angry. How would you expect him to behave with Arnold suddenly coming to visit, especially if he knew that Arnold knew that him coming would caused Helga's feelings for him to re-emerge? Of course he is going to be angry. That's why in some cases, the guy ended up exploding at both Arnold and Helga.
Plus, I do want to point out that Arnold too hasn't really been the supporting type of guy that he used to be. Even during the battle, it was Arnold that made the first move and attacked Rodrigo.
Yes, Rodrigo is known for taking things to the extreme and mind you, some of his plans did work. Even with the plan to infiltrate City Hall, had Nick had not spied on them and had Arnold not intervened, his plan would have worked. And it's not like Arnold's plan was any better. The guy was being criticized, even by Von Scheck, for doing the exact thing that failed last time, which was going to end in failure anyways.
Cre8ivelybankrupt87: What?! Dude, no lol! I mean that's hot, but that was not the kind of vibe I was going for lol.
Yeah, Olga hadn't been present in the story thus far and I wanted to give her a bit of a spotlight.
Eh, I'm trying to keep it PG here lol
Yeah, I wanted to include Lila more and especially her father, who has made virtually no appearances in either the series or in this story.
Yeah, but no. Unfortunately even Phil's eccentricity wasn't enough.
Two days later...in Helga's room...
It was now morning. The sun had arisen early and was radiating is stunning rays throughout the city, forcing the darkness to retreat back. Those rays soon burst through Helga's window, allowing her entire room to brighten up. Helga was still fully asleep on the floor when the sun began burst into her room. She initially didn't feel its rays and continued to peacefully sleep, still feeling completely exhausted from her two previous nights' ordeal. However, the sun's ray soon touched her arms and face, creating a sense of warm after being alone in her room, desolate and cold. The rays eventually made it to her eyes, causing her to slowly to wake up. Her brain now becoming active, she very slowly started opening her eyes, but tried to close them again in order to continue sleeping, not wanting to wake up.
After remaining half-asleep for about thirty minutes, she finally became fully awake. Despite the peaceful sleep, Helga woke up with a souring headache. Her body also felt it was hurting, feeling like someone had just slammed her around like a stuffed toy. It also didn't help that she had slept all night on the hard-wood floor for two days. As she slowly sat up, despite the pain, Helga then started looking around her room and saw the huge mess she had made. There were piles of clothes all over the floor, pieces of a ripped box scattered throughout, pens, pencils, papers, notebooks, books and other accessories were all over the floor. Broken picture frames and pieces of glasses were also scattered, creating a hazard.
She had not left her room for almost two days, not even bothering to come down to eat, much less shower, unless she had to go to the bathroom. If anything, she had even remained on the floor, barely moving at all, even sleeping there. With depression, irritated, but appreciating how the mess in her room was a metaphor to her own life; a complete and utter mess, Helga just continued to sit there and groaned as she rubbed her eyes and head. She lamented that she now had an extra job to do; clean all of this up. Even her appearance represented the same metaphor. Despite practically passing out, she still had bangs under her eyes, a sign that she hadn't had a good night's sleep until last night. Her two pigtails were very nearly falling off. Her skin looked pale, almost devoid of any colour. She felt utterly miserable and depressed. Truly, she had reached the last of her ropes.
As she continued to look around her room, her eyes exposing the empty void that she was feeling inside, she then looked towards where the broken picture frames were. Almost instinctively, she reached for two of them, careful not to cut herself with the broken pieces of glass. After grabbing them, she looked at them. One picture was of with her and Arnold, while the other naturally, was with her and Rodrigo. Scanning the first one, Helga felt a brief relief from her current dismayed and depressed emotional state. Recalling the wonderful memories of them two when they took that picture while on Elk Island, Helga found herself smiling a bit as she felt a warm sensation spreading throughout her body from her chest. For a brief while, she felt utterly freed from all the guilt, confusion, stress, misery that she had been feeling for months. Her heart almost leaped with every memory of their time together passing through her mind.
"Ooohhhh." She romantically swooned as she closed her eyes and placed the photo near her heart.
She then gently put the photo down to one side and picked up the other photo of her and Rodrigo from the other. Upon scanning it, Helga felt a lovingly, warm feeling of companionship. Here was a person who saw in her a sense of great worth, a person who not just acknowledged her 'flaws', but in his own words, 'your flaws tower over other people's good qualities'. But even more important, here was a person who saw in her as someone worthy of his love, if she can use that word. Although never admitting it to anyone, Helga had to confess that she did fall hard enough for her to want to actually move on with her life with him. She wasn't in love with, not yet at least. But, she did care a lot about him. In that photo, she was looking not just a tendered, loving person who actually cared about her in return, but also the source of her freedom; freedom from her obsession for Arnold. In him, she saw a future. Nevertheless, despite these warm, happy feelings, they were also accompanied with the returned feeling of extreme guilt. Tried as she might, she wasn't able to shake those negative feelings off. Tried as she might, she wasn't able to fully enjoy looking at that photo, much less produce a happy swoon.
Unlike the photo with her and Arnold, Helga just frowned at the photo with her and Rodrigo. Then, a scowling face. Feeling another bluster of sadness, guilt and anger, she closed her eyes and with a snarling look, crumbled the photo with her hand and dropped it on the floor. She had not changed her mind from what she decided the night before. She was still going to 'officially' end her relationship with Rodrigo. It was going to hurt her deeply, but so what? It may even scar her, who cares? It was not for her benefit, but Rodrigo's. She could no longer keep him on a leash and drag him around the floor like Achilles did to Hector in the Trojan War. She had to let him go...
*knock**knock**
Helga heard a knock on her door, forcing her to interrupt her train of thought.
"Baby sister? Are you awake?" Olga then called out through the other door. But, before Helga had a chance to respond, or even get up from the floor, the door knob turned and the door slowly swung open.
Olga carefully and cautiously opened the door to reveal the full extent of Helga's room suffered from her wrath. Olga just took a small breath as she slowly went inside, but then went to an almost full hysteria when she saw the state her own sister was in.
Helga said and did nothing as Olga slowly swung the door open. She continued to sit on the ground, glancing over at her older sister with a facial expression that expressed a strong hint of annoyance and irritation, but also had the look of a teenager who had succumbed to the huge burden that she had been carrying over her shoulders for months. Much to Olga's shock and alarm, the look on her eyes were largely devoid of energy, if not life itself. That look, which was usually filled with such strong energy of life, of endurance, with a strong desire to overcome any adversities, was now just an empty look, a mere shadow of what that look used to express. Helga had nothing left to give. She did not even have the energy to scoff at her sister to barging in her room without her permission.
As she looked into Helga's eyes, Olga's heart sank and had to use every ounce of her strength not to get hysterical. She knew that right now, calm and understanding were seriously needed and it didn't do her, or Helga any good if she succumbed to her usual crying frenzy.
"I thought you might be hungry so brought you some breakfast." Olga said softly as she showed a tray.
"I'm not hungry." Was all Helga said, very dryly.
"It's OK. Whenever you want to eat." Olga told her as she carefully, but also nervously walked toward Helga's desk and placed it there.
Olga was now unsure of what to say, much less on what to do in order to get Helga to open up about what happened last night. She wanted to help, but was unsure on how go about doing that. She nervously stood there, trying to figure out what exactly to say to her without her exploding. However, before she had a chance to even phrase her first sentence, to her surprise, Helga spoke first.
"How much of it did you hear?" She coldly asked her older sister.
Olga was initially hesitant if she should tell her the truth or withhold some information. She didn't want to make it look as if she was eavesdropping. She wasn't. Okay, she kind of was.
"I uh, heard everything." She nervously responded to her. "It was kind of hard not to hear it, given how loud you were."
"Did Bob and Miriam hear anything?" She dryly asked her.
"No, they were out when you came home." Olga responded. "I told them you were busy packing and that's why you didn't come down at all yesterday." She then added
Helga said nothing and with a frown, simply began to stare down at the floor, making no effort to move from her spot.
"Thanks." Was all Helga said.
Olga quite nervously waited Helga to do or say something else, hoping to get some sort of indication if she was wanted to talk or not. When it became clear that she was not going to say anything, Olga took that as her cue and then went up to her and sat down beside her.
Olga and Helga Pataki were never close. Even now, they were still not close. Nevertheless, their relationship had come a long way since Helga was in the fourth grade. Essentially, Olga was no longer oblivious to Helga's issues at home.
When Olga came back home more than a year ago, Olga initially perceived her parents' neglect of Helga as more of a 'laisser-faire' reaction to her younger sister's rebellious attitude and aggressive nature and thought nothing much of it. She had her own problems with her family, so unfortunately, Helga's issues had to take a back seat. She had decided to pursue an acting career instead of utilizing the degree she had finished while in college. Naturally, this did not sit well with her parents, especially Bob, who was furious at this sudden career change. Olga had underestimated just how badly her parents took the news, causing their relationship, to her dismay, to sourly go down hill. The big moment came two months after her return when she and Bob got into a huge argument and finally losing his cool, threatened to kick Olga out of his house. Olga was devastated on hearing this, but the big shock came when Helga suddenly stepped in gave Bob a lecture on how this was Olga's decision and if he was truly serious about kicking her out of the house, he would also have to kick her out. Bob, upon seeing his daughter's defiance and seeing just how upsetting this was making Miriam, relented and grudgingly allowed Olga to stay and pursue her career.
Taken aback by her sister's sudden defense, a grateful Olga began to see her sister in a much more...less biased light. It was also on that day that Olga began to do something what Helga had always resented sister for never doing; she finally began to listen to her. But, it was a slow process. Despite coming to her defense, Helga initially did not trust her sister and rebuffed every attempt of her trying to get close to her. Olga realized that if she wanted to be closer to her, she had to do it in a way that made Helga trust her, in her on way, not hers. Slowly but surely, Olga started to gain Helga's trust, although it never reached the level she wanted it to. Helga still found her annoying and despite how hard Olga tried to be considerate and see things from her point of view, they still sometimes clashed. Then there were also the cases that Helga by all accounts, was just not that much of a social person. She was a weird teenager and when it came to anything personal, was somewhat of an introvert, a person that just kept things to herself, a fact that Olga had to accept.
However, the biggest gain for Helga was that Olga finally began to realize that Helga was having serious issues at home. Slowly, she began to see Bob's 'indifference' to Helga as actual neglect rather than a mere reaction to her younger sister's assertive personality. At one time, she tried to talk to Bob about it, only for the man to proudly scoff her and dismiss it. Because of her interest on wanting to pursue an acting career, she lost almost all credibility and influence on Bob. She made no attempt to talk about this to Miriam, as she was just starting to receive the necessary help for her alcoholism and feared this information would cause her to relapse. Quite ironically, Helga's neglectful situation is what finally allowed the two sisters to somewhat bond. Olga also opened up more about her own experience and how much she had to struggle in order to constantly meet their parents' expectation, again citing how she felt she was a mere wind-up doll to them.
Although the window of trust and information passing was still narrow, Helga at one point felt confident enough to tell Olga about her conflicting, if not confusing feelings for Arnold and Rodrigo. Olga remained ignorant of her baby sister's obsession for the football head and she only knew of Helga's confused feelings during the first months of her dating Rodrigo, before Arnold came to visit.
Despite now being a bit closer to her older sister, Helga was still not thrilled of her being inside the room with her. Still finding her annoying and not really trusting her, she was last person she wanted any advice from. Had it been in any other time, she would have yelled and scoffed at her for barging in. However, having neither the energy or will to do anything, Helga merely allowed her to come in and sit down beside her. Despite the annoyance, she needed to talk to someone.
"Stupid question, how do feeling?" Olga finally asked.
"You're right, that is a stupid question." Helga merely retorted back, but then added. "But if you must know, I feel completely rotten."
"Is it because of Arnold and Rodrigo?" She flat out asked her.
Helga merely acknowledged it with utter silence.
"You like them both that much, huh?" Olga remarked.
"Yeah." Helga dispassionately responded.
Olga really had little to say about this impassive issue. It was unfortunately one of those 'figure it out yourself' ones and given her lack of information about the two boys, she wasn't in the best position to advice Helga on which teen she should choose. But before she could say anything, Helga then asked her a question
"Do you believe in destiny?" Helga asked. "Do you think we are destined to be with a particular person?"
"I like to think that there is a guy out there for me, waiting for us to find each other." Olga carefully responded. "It has always been a struggle between knowing how things will turn out, given how limited we humans are, and how things will actually turn out. But, I guess that's why, because we don't know, we hope, we desire for something good to happen to us. It's what pushes us to move forward. So I guess that's why I believe in this hope that there is someone for me out there, for all of us really."
Helga said nothing and just continued to start at the floor.
"What about you?" Olga asked her.
"I'm not sure." Helga said, finally raising her head and looking straight at her door. "I'm not sure about anything, anymore. Everything is so messed up. I messed everything up."
"How?" Olga asked
"I said 'no' to Arnold when he asked to get together with me. I had the chance to be with him again," Helga explained tearfully, "and I said no, just so I can be with Rodrigo. And now, I messed that up too. And to make matters worse, they are now taking it out on each other and have put the neighbourhood in danger of it finally being torn down."
"Helga, you can't blame yourself for their failure to stop the demolition of our homes." Olga said. "That failure and burden falls on them, not yours. It was their responsibility to not allow their feelings to get in the away, but they did. And even if you are somewhat responsible about that, there was no way you could have ever have imagined things to have gone this far down. This is not your fault."
"I know it isn't, but I still feel horrible about it." Helga said as a tear fell down her cheek. "Because of my mixed and screwed up feelings, I couldn't be there to knock some sense on those two nimrods early on, when it could have made a difference."
Olga initially said nothing and just looked at the floor. She understood where Helga was coming from.
"You know," the older sister finally spoke out again, "despite what you are going through and how hard this decision maybe, you are pretty lucky."
"Excuse me?" Helga asked as she turned around to give her sister a shocked and weird look. "Have you seen what I did to my room? How am I lucky?"
Despite Helga's shocked and highly perplexed look, Olga confidently smiled and nodded at her before speaking again.
"You like two guys who are really nice, smart, descent with good hearts and who just so happen to like you back. I mean really like you back. How many girls can really say that? Even I'm not able to match that."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Helga sarcastically replied, but Olga wasn't done.
"But, I shouldn't really call it luck," Olga continued. "because it isn't. It's not a coincidence that you are able to attract guys like Arnold and Rodrigo."
"What would you call it then?" Helga asked.
"Instinct." Olga replied. "You have a neck for falling for guys who are not self-centered, or just plain jerks. That's a trait a lot of girls would kill for."
"I must confess, I am actually rather envious of you, baby sister." Olga shyly confessed.
"What?!" Helga shockingly exclaimed.
"It's true." Olga said. "As you know, I haven't been able to bring home guys who are, let's just say, good for my health. You know what happened with Che and with...Doug." As she then let out a smirk.
"Pfft oh ya," Helga said as she let out a chuckle, "I still can't believe you actually fell for...wait a minute, what?!" She exclaimed, shocked when she realized that Olga had figured it out. "You knew about Doug? The real Doug and what he tried to do?"
"Yeah." Olga said with a smile.
"But, how?" Helga asked.
"After the wedding was canceled and he left, I went back to Bennington, but kept that letter that he supposedly wrote for me." Olga began to explain. "After I moved to Alaska for a bit, you wrote to me a letter and as I was reading it, I noticed that the writing was very similar to Doug's letter. After examining both letters, I put two and two together." Olga continued with a smile.
"Oh well umm, you know it could have been just a coincidence." Helga nervously tried to explain.
"You don't need to explain anything to me, baby sister. I know why you did it." Olga said with a grateful smile. "Of course, when I first found out, I didn't know why you forged Doug's letter. I knew you wouldn't have done it unless you had good reasons for it, but I didn't know for sure. So, I did a little probing on the internet and I found an article that was about the police in some other city arresting a con artist. When I looked at the photo of him, I realized then who Doug really was and what you did for me. Thank you, baby sister."
"I, err, *groan*, you're welcome." Helga shyly said.
Olga had to really restrain herself from succumbing to a happy emotional frenzy, let alone grab and hug Helga for saving her from a loveless, financially damaging marriage.
"Anyways, the point is that you have an ability that many women, including myself don't; a keen eye for good, descent men." She continued. "Despite how tough you're situation is, it could have been worse. You could have been like me. I'm almost in my thirties and I'm still single, living with my parents, without a proper job. Yes, I know a good chunk of that was my own doing, but the point is that we don't know where the road leads. Sometimes they are good, while other times, you have to sometimes go back from where you started and find another way. Despite the many bumps you had to experience, it seems to me that you are still on a very good road."
Helga went quiet as she pondered about what Olga had just said. Indeed, she was very taken aback by her sudden wisdom. She didn't think she had it in her. But regardless, Helga realized that her situation was not as tenuous as she initially thought it to be. She was still in school, her writing had flourished since she started writing again. And as for her dilemma, at the very, very least the two guys she liked were the good, kind-hearted ones. OK sure, Rodrigo's ethics was a little twisted, but there was no doubt in her mind that what he does was for other people's benefits. Not his. Heck, she can even go so far as to say that whichever guy she chooses to be with, her parents will be good with any one of them. Bob seemed to have been impressed with Rodrigo and he never had any qualms with Arnold.
"Ya, that doesn't really help my situation here." Helga then said somewhat pessimistically. "I'm still stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter which path I decide to take, someone is bound to get hurt, and that's what kills me. I don't want to be the one who hurts someone because of what I decide to do in my life, especially if those people are my friends. I didn't choose to be in this position. It just...happened."
"I know." Olga said. "I know you, Arnold and Rodrigo didn't choose to be in this situation. But unfortunately, that's what life is; taking risks. You can think about it all you want, analyze the pros and cons, even go to a fortune teller if you need to. It will help you, but at the end of the day, it's still a risk you will have to take. You never know for sure where life will take you and whether you like to accept it or not, that's part of the ride."
Helga just groaned at that. This wasn't the first time she heard that.
"You just need to prioritize." Olga then said.
"And just how do you propose I do that?" Helga asked.
"You just need to focus on yourself. "Olga responded. "But I don't mean it in a self-centered kind of way. You just need to look deep inside yourself to figure out what you want to do and I don't mean just between Arnold and Rodrigo."
"What?" Helga asked.
"Both boys represent a different kind of life." Olga explained. "It's not just about choosing which boy you want to be with, as much as choosing what kind of life you want to have. Did you want to remain here in Hillwood, did you want to move to another city or even another country? Are you willing to be in a long-distance relationship? Do you even want to get married and have kids? What does Arnold and Rodrigo want to do with their lives? Will it impact with your goals? These are also questions you have to ask yourself."
"That's a lot to consider." Helga said. "I thought you were supposed to make things easier for me." She remarked with a frown.
"All you need to do is just look deep into your heart." She said to Helga. "Once you do that, I know you will find the answer that you are looking for."
"I don't know if I can." Helga said with a disappointed sigh. "I'm just...scared of what I will find, let alone who I will end up hurting."
"You will be fine." Olga said confidently to her. "You are a survivor, Helga. Always have been. You have endured a lot, much more than the average kid and despite it all, you not only overcame whatever stood in your way, but even thrived. You turned a tragedy into an artistically beautiful triumph. I can honestly say that with the time that I've come to know you, I am proud of what you have become. You are a tough and resilient young woman and I have every confidence that you will get through this. You are a Pataki after all and Patakis never quit."
Helga remained quiet as she took in every word that Olga said to her. Truthfully, she was a bit overwhelmed. This was perhaps the first time that she'd ever heard a family member say these...positive things to her. Her words rang right through her as Helga came to realize that she had been going about this the wrong way. She had been so focused on her mixed feelings and guilt that she completely failed to see what was truly at stake; the neighbourhood! It wasn't just a place of buildings, commercial stores and insect infested parks. No! It was much more than that! It was a place with a lot of fond memories. It was where she lives and grew up. It was a place that contained happy memories of her and Arnold, memories that she had no intention of ever forgetting. It was where she played and had many adventures with her friends, where she learned things the hard way and had to learn from her mistakes. This place and the people in it, from Arnold, to Mr. Simmons to even bullies like Ludwig, is what made her into who she was!
Olga was right, Helga needed to prioritize. Right now, she needed to focus on herself by standing up and dealing with this existential threat that had been looming and was becoming immanent. What good did it do to her to think about her mixed and confused feelings if the very place and people that made her, that gave her all of this, was in danger of being torn down? What good did it do to try and get back together with Rodrigo if they were forced to move far away from each other? Could their relationship even have survived after all of this? The same thing with Arnold; his grandparents and the tenants were what still strongly tied him to this neighbourhood, not to mention that it was a place of emotional and loving sanctuary that she could always go to whenever she found her neglectful life at home to be unbearable. If they were forced to move away, Arnold and even his parents would have much less incentive to visit Hillwood, not to mention who knows where she would end up living. If Von Scheck succeeded, she could be more far away from them, from the people she grew close with than ever before and thereby becoming more isolated and alone than ever before. Helga could not resolve her dilemma while the very thing that tied everyone together was under threat! That she could not tolerate. It was one thing if she chose to distance herself from Arnold, but it was completely another thing if someone else did that for her from Arnold and everyone else. She made those decisions; no one else!
And what about Phoebe and Gerald? How much would their relationship be affected if they were forced to move far away from each other and how was Helga expected to help Phoebe if the two best friends were no longer living close by? Would a simple phone call have sufficed?
How could I have been do blind?! Helga thought with a growing fury. How could I have not thought about Phoebe? It's one thing if this happens to me, but not to my best friend! What if their relationship becomes affected by this? How am I supposed to be there for her if we are forced to move away from each other? How are we suppose to support each other? Am I supposed to just Skype? What if our friendship doesn't survive after this? What am I to do without Phoebe? What am I supposed to do if I didn't have anyone else; no Arnold, no Rodrigo, no Phoebe, not even Gerald. I would only have Bob, Miriam and Olga. I would have gone crazy with only just them! Without this place, I would be lost!
But what also got her attention was the last thing Olga said to her; how she was a Pataki and Patakis never quit. Helga always had a confusing relationship with her family name. On the one hand, it was bitter reminder of the family she was born into and stuck with. But on the other hand, it also came to define her and what she was all about. As much as she hated to be associated with her family, quite ironically, it was her, not Olga, that lived out the core beliefs of what it means to be a Pataki; tough, intelligent, passionate, straight forward, aggressive, if not ruthless, especially when it came to achieving a goal, commanding respect, with an almost fanatical stubbornness to fight for something to the bitter end.
Now, Helga felt herself become more closely aligned with that family name than ever before. She was resilient, she was tough, she was intelligent and she definitely was passionate! Realizing that her sense of being, and her friends' livelihoods were in danger, Helga felt her maternal instinct ignite. A huge surge of energy, clarity and purpose starting to flow throughout her body and mind. What a moment ago she felt nothing but emptiness and despair, now she felt herself coming back to life. She had her mind set to one thing and one thing only; saving everyone's homes. If she saved them, she would be saving herself. Nothing else mattered right now, not even her confusing feelings. She would focus on this first and then deal with the rest later.
Olga noticed the sudden change in Helga. She watched as her younger sister slowly sat straight up, lifting her head up high and proud. She sad, empty facial expression was quickly replaced by what appeared to be a scowling face, but she wasn't angry. That look was one of focus and determination. She clenched her fist and grinned her teeth. No longer was she going to sit and wallow in in her own pitiful misery. She was Helga G. Pataki after all. If she was going to go down, she would at least go down fighting, as a real Pataki would.
"Uh baby sister, are you OK?" Olga worryingly asked her.
"Yes." Helga responded with a low, aggressive voice. "I've never been better."
Just then, Helga for a moment let all of that buildup go and then looked at her sister. Her stern, determined look was again replaced by a sudden warm and loving smile. Olga noticed this third, sudden change, but she before she could say anything else,
"Thank you." Helga said as she happily went over to Olga and gave her a hug.
Olga was initially surprised by this affectionate gesture and for a little while, was rendered immobile. However, she soon snapped out of it, and no longer able to restrain herself, started to get teary and then launched herself to Helga, hugging her tightly. "Ohh baby sister!" She happily cried out. "I love you so much. You really had me worried there, but know I will always be there for you! You don't need to do this alone. We are sisters and we should stick together!"
"Olga," Helga gasped under the unbearing pressure of her older sister's grip. "I can't breathe..." She gasped for air.
"Oh sorry." She said, finally letting her go and allowing Helga to breath again. "I couldn't help it."
"You never could." She remarked. "But, thanks." As she then got up and started to head towards the door.
"What are you going to do?" Olga asked.
"To do what I should have done a long time ago; save this dump of a place that we call home." Helga said as she cracked her knuckles and with a determined, rejuvenated look, headed out the door.
However, as soon as she left, she quickly came back inside, went to her desk and grabbed the tray that Olga had brought.
"For the road." She said, as the grabbed the tray and began to munch down on the toast, eggs and juice, barely bothering to even chew it. She then began to head out again.
"Um, you might want to shower, baby sister." Olga suggested.
"What? I don't..." She mumbled with food still in her mouth, but then sniffed her armpit. "Never mind." She said as she continued to stuff herself with food and also began to undress to head for the shower. As soon as she was clean, she would head out.
However, before she headed to the shower, she then began to look around her room, while still in her underwear and bra.
"What are you looking for?" Olga asked her.
"Something important." Helga responded as she continued looking. "Found it!" She then exclaimed as she bend down, grabbed her necklace and then put it around her neck. She then quickly stuffed her mouth full of food before then heading to the shower.
"Thanks Olga." Helga mumbled while food was still in her mouth as she then left her room.
While Helga's main focus was on stopping Von Scheck, she first needed to find and settle the issue with two certain teens who had stupidly allowed him to get away with this. After taking a quick shower and brushing her teeth, Helga made her way down stairs and right outside to find those two knuckleheads. She was back and there was going to be hell to pay.
Meanwhile...sometime earlier in Rodrigo's room...
While Helga's room was displaying the affects of her angry outburst two nights before, revealing a teen who was experiencing the forefront of depression, hopelessness, emptiness and sadness, Rodrigo room was, well, more hopeful, let's just say. As was always the case when met with adversity or unbearable challenges in his life, the Latino kid always looked to music for solace, allowing the chance to 'let it all out'.
Huh, yeah
C'mon
Da-ddy (tú sabe' quién es ma, you know)
Da-ddy (DY)
Da-ddy (c'mon)
After making a few empty moving boxes, Rodrigo was busily filling them up with his stuff. His parents were doing the same. Only, he was doing it with style. While grabbing his possessions and clothes, he also took every chance to dance around in his room in conjunction to the euphoric, liberating, but also rather melancholic beats, tunes and lyrics of the song.
Cómo dice, cómo dice (oh)
Antes que me vayas dame un beso
Se que soñaré con tu regreso (c'mon)
Mi vida no es igual (oh)
Ahora que te perdí (oh)
Cómo te voy a olvidar (oh)
Cómo te voy a olvidar
(English Translation:
How do it say it, how do you say it (oh)
Before you go, give me a kiss
I know I'll be dreaming about your return (c'mon)
My life is not the same (oh)
Now that I lost you (oh)
How can I forget you? (oh)
How can I forget you?)
...
The song Rodrigo was listening to was Daddy Yankee's La Despidida (Goodbye). It was a fitting song, given what happened two nights before. Given how Rodrigo had essentially lost his pride, his girlfriend and his all of his friends in just one night, the pain and emptiness that he was feeling almost fitted with the pain of permanent loss. In a dramatic fashion and with much energy and zeal, Rodrigo swung around from one end of his room to another, 'releasing' all of that pain and hurt that had accumulated, while loudly singing out the lyrics.
Sé que me dijiste que el amor existe
Y su poder hace lo que sea
Que cambie el destino y quédate conmigo
Porque no soporto la idea (no)
Que un amor a la distancia fortalece la confianza, termina siendo una odisea (oh)
Así es la razón pero mi corazón va ganando en esta pelea
Y tu recuerdo, me está matando
Hasta la muerte aquí estaré esperando
Nunca lo olvides, te sigo amando
Hasta la muerte aquí estaré esperando
(English Translation:
I know you told me that love existed
And its will does what it wants
That destiny could have been changed and you could have stayed with me
Because I can't support the idea (no)
that a long-distance love could reinforce my trust, ends up being an obsession
That's why, but my heart wins in this fight
And any reminders of you kill me
Until death, I'll be waiting
Don't ever forget, I still love you
Until death, I'll be waiting
…...
Rodrigo made no effort to stop. With the increased beats, he put all of his energy to 'passionately' let out all the anger that he was feeling by continuing to dance ferociously. Even with his eyes now closed and his mind focused on his body's composure and stance, with every swing he still managed to grab some of his clothes, books or other items and hurl them into an empty box.
Hablé con el hombre
Que vi en el espejo
Me dijo deja que vuele
Y se vaya lejos
Que si vuelve ese amor es tuyo
Y si no vuelve nunca fue tuyo
Y entonces sigue mi sabio consejo
(English Translation:
I spoke with the man
That I saw in the mirror
He told me to 'let it go'
And go somewhere far
And if that love returns, then it is yours
And if it doesn't, then it was never yours
So then, follow my wise advice)
…...
Rodrigo then took his body around for another swing and then grabbed something that caught his attention. Stopping slowly, he glanced at what he grabbed and saw that it was a photo of him and Helga. Helga, surprisingly, took this picture while they were fooling around with their cell phones. The blonde girl was in one of her rare happy moods and taking full advantage of it, Rodrigo enticed her by taking random pictures of both her and them. Helga eventually followed suit and ended up taking that picture, which Rodrigo later then had it developed and put in a picture frame. While rubbing the glass frame with his fingers, he remembered vividly how happy they both felt and looked on that day. Even though that picture was taken only three months ago, to Rodrigo, it seemed like almost a lifetime ago, as if the thoughts and memories of those happy times were a distant past, an irrelevant moment. All that mattered now was how she felt at the present, which was obvious to him; she no longer wanted anything to do with him. His heart then sank, creating a serious pain that he had been trying to let out only a few moments ago. No longer able to bear it, Rodrigo was about to put the picture away when something else caught his attention.
Grabbing the second item was another picture frame, containing practically all of his friends, all looking happy and goofing off. Rodrigo, much to his torment, opted to look at the second photo while remembering the good ol' days. Again, what felt like a lifetime ago, was only just a little more than three months when this photo was taken. Rodrigo, fully appreciating the love, camaraderie and loyalty of his friends, wanted something that captured that moment, which is why he took that picture of everyone, including Helga who, at that time, wasn't really in a good mood, but that didn't really matter. What did matter was that all of them were together, united under a strong bond that was based on understanding, compassion and even, love. Yes love, even between two male friends, the love of their friends was strong and the group was never shy to show it.
Rodrigo now felt even worse than how he felt when he woke up and simply sat on his bed while sadly looking at the two photo frames. Only one person, by sheer coincidence, or not, was missing; Arnold. Both pictures were taken after Arnold's visit in March and it was taken many weeks before his battle with Caesar. Whether it was by coincidence or intentional, Rodrigo couldn't help but feel that without the football head in that picture, the group didn't look complete. Despite only meeting Arnold on a few occasions, his friends never stopped talking about him and they never missed an opportunity to demonstrate just how much they missed him. Time and again they spoke about how much of a great guy he was, how he always looked after his friends, even going to great lengths to help them, while asking nothing for himself. Through them, he learned almost everything about Arnold. He always had this 'verbal' presence in the group, which is why it made Rodrigo feel that without him, the group just wasn't the same without him.
They really do care about this guy. Rodrigo thought. And he really does care about him. He was willing to put his own plans on saving the neighbourhood at risk just so he can stop me from putting his friends in danger. He was only looking out for them, like any true friend would. And all I did was create a wedge between him and everyone. I splintered the group...
As he continued to look at the pictures, for the first time since this whole thing started, Rodrigo began to feel terrible for what he did to Arnold and began to feel remorse for his actions.
No wonder they are mad at me. Rodrigo continued to think. Arnold's right, I did put them at risk. I am such a hypocrite. I wasn't willing to accept any of their help to stop Caesar because I didn't want to see them hurt, especially Helga. Now, I merely used them as my little pawns simply to outdo Arnold and prove that his was wrong.
Rodrigo was no fool. He knew that his jealousy and suspicion of Arnold's visit had a serious influence on his decision making, which only served to fuel his hatred and anger against the football headed teen. Despite how suspicious it all was, Rodrigo still cannot know for sure if that was actually the case. In fact, Arnold constantly denied it, although he didn't, or couldn't believe him. Whatever the case, he allowed his fear and paranoia to get the best of him, much to his chagrin.
In addition, Phil's story about what happened between him and Stewart never left Rodrigo's mind. Throughout the whole night and into the morning, he was constantly thinking about it. Indeed the similarities between Phil and Stewart and Rodrigo and Arnold were eerily similar. Both acted out of pride, desire, and lust for control. Although both Arnold and Rodrigo did try to make concessions to each other, whenever it was offered, the other never accepted it. When Rodrigo tried to make some concessions about his plan to infiltrate City Hall, Arnold not only refused it, but ended up verbally attacking him. Likewise, when Arnold tried to reason with Rodrigo back at the alleyway, Rodrigo in turn rebuffed him.
The only difference was that by the time Phil realized his mistake, it was years too late. Phil's pride and stubbornness cost him a lot, and now it was happening to Rodrigo. His jealousy, desire, lust for control, insecurities, he let all of them control his actions, and it cost him and his friends dearly.
To make matter worse, he now realized that his infighting with Arnold must have caused Helga a lot of pain. God knows how she must have felt knowing that the two people whom she liked were at each other's throats. Not once did Rodrigo even think about Helga, or what she must be going through. He was too preoccupied with his own emotions and hurt, never wanting to acknowledge that she was also hurting. Heck, she even tried to get things moving in their relationship again, only for Rodrigo to stubbornly rebuff it, wasting a golden opportunity for her to move on with him.
What have I done? He finally admitted, just as the song that he was listening and dancing to earlier was coming to end.
Llegó la despedida, en contra de nuestra voluntad, hay que decir
Adiós
(English Translation:
The end has arrived
in contrary to what we will
it's time to say goodbye)
"No." Rodrigo said. "Todavia no." (Not yet.) "I can still fix this! It's not too late. I'll either fix it, or die trying!"
With a sudden burst of energy and determination, Rodrigo leaped out from his bed and ran out out of his room, then downstairs and straight to the door.
"Whoa, whoa, hijo!" His father then suddenly said to him. "Donde vas?" (Where are you going?)
"Disculpa papa, pero me tengo que encontrar con Arnold. Necesito hablar con el." (Sorry dad, but I need to see Arnold. I have to speak with him.) Rodrigo said as he frantically tried to put on his shoes.
"Pero hijo, necesitas empacar." (But son, you need to pack.) His father said, "Yo se que es dificil a acceptarlo, pero ustedes han hecho todo lo posible para prevenir que la cuidad derruma estr barrio..." (I know it's difficult for you to accept it, but you kids did everything you could to prevent the city from tearing this neighbourhood down...) His father continued to speak,
"No, papa!" Before Rodrigo then interjected. "Todavía no es tarde. Todavía tenemos una semana para hacer algo antes del dato. Todavía podemos arreglar esto." (It's still not too late. We still have a week to do something before the deadline. We can still fix this.")
"Hijo, por favor," His father pleaded with him, not wanting him to get any false hopes.
"Papa por favor, confié en mi. Todavía se puede prevenir todo esto. Todavía podemos salvar nuestra casas." (Dad please, trust me. We can still prevent all of this. We can still save our homes.) Rodrigo pleaded with him.
Alfonso initially said nothing and just stared straight into his sons eyes. No doubt, his son had the full confidence that he can still beat this. Like him, he was willing to see this to the very end. Like him, he was not going to do down without a fight.
"Ok, hijo." His father finally said. "Anda. Y gana." (Go. And win.)
"Gracias, papa." (Thanks, dad.) Rodrigo said with a big smile before then running outside and heading straight to the boarding house.
Rodrigo didn't have time to walk to Arnold's house, not in this heat anyways. Luckily, a bus approached the nearest bus stop at his house. Rodrigo quickly crossed the street and hopped on the bus, just barely catching it. Rodrigo, in a much better and hopeful mood, sat down, put on his headphones and listened to some music as the bus drove him to the boarding house. Going to meet with Arnold after everything they had gone through was going to be...tough. Frankly, he didn't know if Arnold was even in a talking mood, but he was willing to try. Actually no, he was going to make him listen to him. However he was going to do it, he braced himself for what was going to be one of the most important rendezvous in his life. The entire neighbourhood depended on it.
As the bus drove through the street, it quickly passed a certain football head who was heading in the opposite direction, towards Rodrigo's house.
Earlier that day...at the boarding house…
Arnold was lying on his bed, still in his pj's, watching a group of white clouds pass by his house while listening to some smooth jazz by Miles Davis, one of his favorite jazz musicians. He had been drifting in and out of his usual, dream-like state, all awhile remaining full awake. Feeling the smooth, combined slow flow of the various instruments being played to from his ears to his entire body, he was able to finally release a lot of the tension that had been stuck with him throughout all this time, providing to him a real sense of clarity and vision. He kept going back and fourth about what was said to him and Rodrigo two nights ago.
His grandparents and the tenants had already started packing and he himself was given a bunch of empty boxes for him to start, but he opted instead to just lie in his bed and just think. That's what he needed to do; he just needed think about this. If what his friends said about him was true, then it could only have come from his issue with Rodrigo. That was what was causing all of this infighting; his inability to deal with this...resentment/jealousy/bad feeling about him that was causing him to react so hostile towards him, causing him to cloud his judgment.
Scattered throughout the floor next to his bed were the many letters that he had received from his friends throughout the year. Unable to sleep, he spent most of the night reading through them over and over again. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. All he knew was what he was feeling every time he read them, and it just...angered him.
Why am I so angry over this? Arnold thought. So what if they talk about him...a lot. What else are they suppose to talk about? This was one of the biggest things that has ever happened to them. I shouldn't be feeling this...resentful. I should be thrilled that they found someone like Rodrigo. What's wrong with me?!
The way they talk about him it's as if he is a really nice and cool person to hang around with. I don't think they are lying when they described him like that. But, I just can't believe they could think so highly of him after only being friends with him for just a few months.
What am I saying? Why am I doubting my friends' words so much? Can't I trust them to judge someone like Rodrigo to be an actual nice person? And if not them, then at least Gerald and Helga. There's something wrong here. There's no way I can be this distrustful of their judgment. I wasn't before I left, nor during the first few years. This all started just last year, when...Rodrigo came into the picture. It's not him, it's me.
Arnold just sighed as the feeling of guilt started to take over him.
I never should have pushed him like that. He confessed to himself. I drove him to do this. He tried to be my friend and all I did was cast him aside, as if he did something wrong. OK, he did do something...controversial with Caesar but, I can't hold that against him. He stopped Caesar, and he paid a high price for it. That should have been enough. Instead, I just did what some of our friends had been doing; beating him when he was already down.
Arnold then just frowned, feeling disgusted with himself.
What did I do to him? He thought. This isn't what I wanted. No, I have to be honest with myself. This IS what I wanted and that's why I feel so terrible about it. Look at what I did. I turned him into a pariah, I caused Helga to break up with him, I think. All of our friends want nothing more to do with him. I achieved what I set out to do; I stopped him. But, all I did was hurt someone, someone who never harmed me.
Arnold then made a snarl, now feeling outraged with himself for ever stooping this low.
This isn't me. This isn't what I do. I don't push people away and cause them to fall; I help them. Instead of agreeing to sideline Rodrigo like that, I should have intervened and mediated between everyone and come to an understanding. That's what I should have done!
Arnold then again thought about the reasons why he kept on feeling so hostile towards the Latino kid. He again thought about perhaps confessing to Rodrigo and telling how and why he felt this way.
Maybe I should tell him why I have been feeling this way. If I do, it may make me feel better about how I feel about him. Perhaps Rodrigo would understand. Arnold thought. Or he might kill me. I'm just not really sure how he will take it, especially now. I mean, I don't even like to admit it to myself. It just seems so...immature and childish. I still find it confusing, so I don't know if I would be able to explain this and make him understand.
After thinking about it again, Arnold just frustratingly sighed, unable to make a decision. Instead, he just let it slid from his mind, got up from his bed and started walking around in his room.
None of this was supposed to happen. Arnold thought. I ended up making enemies with the wrong person, all because I couldn't control my anger and...my jealousy. Hmm, what irony. Helga and Rhonda are right; this is my fault. I ended up doing the exact opposite of what I was trying to prevent Rodrigo from doing; hurting my friends.
Arnold continued to listen to the music from his stereo, allowing it to move on and play another smooth, slow, yet elicit jazz song from Miles Davis. As it did so, the football headed teen continued walking around his room, looking with an almost dire array of nostalgic feelings flowing through him. Even the song played into his emotions, as if enticing him to directly confront his own feelings of loss and confusion. Jazz music was made to do exactly that. It represented both a sense loss and yearning for something, which is why it always had two goals; it allowed the listener to release all of his/her tension, aggression, hate, pain, guilt and melancholy away from him/her (yearning), only to be able to finally get underneath it all and face what was really plaguing him/her (loss). It was almost a paradox. It allowed only temporary relief before plunging into the dark abyss of the human soul in order to face the true pain and misery that awaited him from deep within.
Arnold then went to his desk, where he saw a picture frame with a photo. He went over, picked it up and glanced at it. The picture was of him and everyone else when they were in the eighth grade, with everyone seemingly happy and goofing off. Even Helga looked happy in the picture as she tightly wrapped her arms around him, explicitly demonstrating her strong affections for him without shame or guilt. No longer was she afraid to show that side of her. As he continued to look at each and every one of his friends, he thought to that time when everything was not only more simple, but also back to more...happier times, a time when Arnold can truly say he felt he had everything. OK sure, there was the awkward and sometimes frustrating process of trying to integrate his parents back into society after their decade long sleep, and there was having to deal with Helga's strong character and insecurities, but those those were only big bumps on the road. At that time, he really had nothing to complain. He had a girlfriend who loved him, his parents were back, his grandfathers were with him, he had all of his friends, he had his health. Truly, those times were the best he had eve known.
Now things were just so…complicated. Life had thrown him an unexpected HUGE CURVE ball at him. Due to events outside of his control, he was forced to make a choice between his parents and his grandparents, the tenants, his friends and Helga. Honestly, he didn't want to move, but tried as he might, he wasn't able to stave off the growing anxiety and fear that he was feeling with each passing day, the fear of possibly losing his parents again, possibly forever. It proved too much for him to bear. He chose the former.
That choice, while never really regretting it, was also never really something that he came to fully accept. It had always remained at the back of his mind, reminding him of what he had 'lost'. To be frank, in the later years, he was constantly pulled between these two worlds; his old life in Hillwood and the new life with his parents. He hadn't been able to fully categorize it into a simply dichotomy of good and bad as he used to, much less deal with it. That simple thought process had sailed a long time ago; a time when the nativity of youth allowed him and his friends to look at the world in a much simpler fashion, back when he surely knew what he wanted out of life, what he longed for. Now experience had taught him just how little he knew about what he really wanted, much less what tools he could use to effectively deal with such confusing and limited choices that life often gave.
Even the advice that he usually gave to people were in some ways based on that simple dichotomy. At the time, he thought life was usually based on that; a knowledge of knowing what is good and what is bad and refraining from giving into temptation. Now, he had to accept the reality that that fine line was actually often blurred. Helga's cynical personality and strong realistic sense no doubt introduced him to that blurry mixture between what is good and what is bad. However, it was Rodrigo who, for lack of a better phrase, shoved it down his throat, forcing him to really open his eyes about the true nature of 'good' and 'bad'.
With Rodrigo, if Arnold had to admit to himself, he may have probably met his match. Helga, despite having a strong and independent personality, would often, although not always, more or less come to eventually agree with Arnold's line of reasoning. Actually, it was one of the things that she loved about him; his patience, good nature and big heart, even if they also annoyed her. So, it wasn't really that hard to convince her. Rodrigo was another matter entirely. While Helga's reasoning were usually cynically self-centered, or just selfish, Rodrigo not only had his own code of ethics, but also had an apparent gift to logically thrive in that blurred, gray area. Using a complex array of logic, evidence and lines of reasoning, Rodrigo had no problem on making people see the 'good' in certain 'bad' things, if not even convincing them of its necessity.
Arnold first found out just how deep Rodrigo's logic was able to extend into that controversial mixture when he visited him at the hospital after the serious injuries he received from Caesar. Considering his delicate medical condition, Arnold visited him with no intention of having a debate with him. He only went there to see how he was doing. Yet even at this stage, Rodrigo, quite subtly, managed to drag Arnold into a debate with him on why he pressed that button. Arnold vehemently opposed him pressing that button and exposing them like that. He argued that only forgiving them would have allowed everyone to move on. Rodrigo however, countered by arguing that Caesar, El and Roger, were in no position to be forgiven, not after what they had done. Moreover, by exposing them, he also argued that he was exposing the true depth of their organization and influence in their school. Although no one knew just how far their influence reached, Rodrigo argued that he made a calculated decision to expose them and not only 'cut off the head of the snake', but it's entire body, thereby destroying Caesar's legacy.
Arnold remembered leaving the hospital that day feeling completely confused and rattled, not to mention ended up having a sour feeling about Rodrigo's 'good heart'. Not only did he failed to get him to see the repercussions of his actions, but Rodrigo ended up somewhat causing him to doubt if whether forgiving them would have been best. However, Arnold remained firm, if not just stubborn on his stance. Yet, it was only about a month after Arnold returned to San Lorenzo that his stance was completely shaken. In his friends' letters, it was revealed to him that more than a quarter of their high school's students, administrators and teachers were in some ways of form affiliated with Caesar's racist and bigotric views, news which shocked Arnold to the core. He realized then that Rodrigo had been right. Had the Latino kid not exposed Caesar through social media, his legacy would have been picked up by someone else. A lot of people ended up getting hurt by 'The Purge' that followed after this exposure, but Arnold now had to admit that despite the causalities, Rodrigo did manage save his school, his friends, and the remaining students who 'survived'.
It was these situations that made Rodrigo rub off on Arnold in a bad way. The football head wasn't able to categorize him as a simple 'good' guy. But even worse, he was never comfortable with the idea of 'doing a little evil for the greater good'. To him, it left like what was bad or evil was merely masquerading as something good or just. Despite the Latino kid's good intentions, he was just too anti-heroic for Arnold to accept it without issue. This only worsened his already growing resentment and dislike for the teen. But, in the end of it all, no one, not even Arnold, could doubt Rodrigo's intentions; he did it to help others, just like he does. Despite Rodrigo's twisted logic and ethics, he was not immune to doing simple and authentically good things for others. He demonstrated that throughout the year since he had met his friends, when he helped Helga out and even with his fight with Caesar. He gained nothing from them other than the simple satisfaction that he helped people.
And that's what he tried to do now; he was only trying to stop Von Scheck from tearing down other people's homes and forcing them to move. Arnold thought. Rodrigo's ethic maybe...off the charts, but there's no doubt that he is a good person. It's my fault for being blind. I was too preoccupied with my distaste of his version of justice and good that I failed to see just how much of a contribution he could be. I didn't need to stop him; I just needed to work with him.
Arnold continued to glance at the photo with a now growing sad and guilty conscious as he looked at the picture with everyone in it, excluding Rodrigo. This is what he wanted after all; for things to go back the way they were before, back when things were simple, when it was only him, his friends and Helga; when he was...happy.
Arnold then made a scowling face and in utter anger and shame, crumbled the picture and threw it back at his desk. Just then, he heard something coming outside of his room, knocking him out of his thoughts. Curiously, he went towards his door, opened it and went down the first flight of stairs a bit to see what what was going on.
While taking a peek, he saw Ernie, Mr. Hyunh, Oskar and Suzie Kokoshka busy packing and putting boxes outside of their rooms. Arnold went a few steps down to get a better look and what he saw, made his heart sank even further.
All four tenants busily, but eerily quietly continued to pack and put all of their belongings into boxes. None spoke to each other. Even the way they were packing was done through sheer, almost lifeless silence. The look on their faces certainly revealed what they were feeling; utter disappointment and sadness. None of the tenants were happy they were being forced to leave. After spending many years living together under the same roof, everyone, including Arnold, had thought of everyone else as family. Now, they were now forced to cut ties with each other, forced to live a separate, disengaged, mundane existence in another part of the city, if they were able to find a vacancy.
Arnold said nothing and watched in utter anguish as his family was quite literally preparing themselves to walk out each other's lives, including his. Every time they packed a belonging inside a box, it was like a knife taking a stab at him, right in the torso. No longer able to bear it, Arnold then quietly stepped back into his room and closed the door.
Walking and sitting down on his chair, Arnold lamented on how he left he let his family down. Then, on seeing the crumbled photo of his friends, he picked it up, uncrumbled it and looked at it once again. This time his eyes were on Helga and it was at that moment when he also finally admitted to himself what he did to her.
What have I done to you, Helga? He lamented in thought, growing ever more disheartened and disgusted with himself. What did I do to you? I-I ruined your relationship. I did the exact opposite of what I should have done. Instead of trying to be there for you, all I said was hurt you...
I can't...I just...can't! Arnold continued to think, now suddenly getting a burst of anger that was quickly rising inside of him. I can't accept this. I can't let it end like this. I'm not going to stand here and give up while Von Scheck gets his vengeance and destroy our neighbourhood! I don't care what I have to do, but I'm no longer going to allow my feelings about Rodrigo to get in the way of trying to help everyone here keep their homes! My feelings maybe a part of me, but they don't control me! But, if I am to do this, I have to mend things with Rodrigo first. I cannot do this without him and without our friends. I created this mess and I'm going to fix it!
Suddenly feeling a burst of energy and determination, Arnold quickly got up from his chair, grabbed whatever clothes he was able to quickly find, got dressed, and then ran out out of his room, went down the stairs and through the hallway. Arnold was so focused on what he had to do that he didn't even acknowledge the tenants that he ran past. Swooping down to the first floor, he went straight to the kitchen where his grandmother was busy packing.
"Grandma, do you still have any water bottles in the fridge?" Arnold hurriedly asked.
"Why, yes dear there should still be some." Gertie responded back. "Why do you need it?"
"I'm going over to see Rodrigo." Arnold said as he opened the fridge and took out a water bottle. "I need to apologize to him for the way I have been acting. It's my fault we are in this mess, but I'm not going to just give up and let Von Scheck win."
"Ah, so have you finally reached that cathartic moment where you equated your desire to an ethical dimension that would licit you as an ethical subject; a subject who has the ethical desire to do the right thing?" She asked him.
Arnold said nothing and just glanced at her with a dumbfounded look.
"Uh ya, sort of." Arnold said confusingly. "Anyways, I'll see you soon grandma." He said before running out to the door.
Where did that come from? Arnold thought as he continued to run.
"Good luck, kimba." Gertie said with a hopeful look and smile on her face. "May your flaws continue to give you wisdom."
Arnold wasted no time and headed for Rodrigo's house as quickly as he could. Because it was still summer, the heat was still ever present in the city, essentially frying anyone who stood out in the open for too long. But, because of his experience in living in a tropical country, the heat didn't really bother him, not anymore. Nevertheless, he grabbed a bottle of water just in case if he needed it. It was still hot and he had a long way to go before he made it to the Latino kid's house.
Man, I hope it's not too late for me to talk to him. Arnold hoped. I can only imagine just how angry he must be with me. I don't blame him if he doesn't want to have anything to do with me, but this is bigger than both of us. Surely, he must see that. I just want to end our feud and help each other save our homes.
Arnold really didn't have a plan on what he was going to say to him, other than the truth and to say just how sorry he was. He only hoped that Rodrigo was in a listening mood. Given what he knew about him, he knew he can be just as angry and grudgeful as Helga can when he loses it.
Arnold made a good judgment call about the water bottle; it was extremely hot out and he was sweating profusely. Not wanting to get dehydrated, he drank some water while he continued to run. As he was getting closer to Rodrigo's house, a bus then passed him which, unbeknownst to him, contained a certain Latino kid who was on his way to talk to him at his house.
Remarkably, both teens arrived at each other's house simultaneously. Arnold quickly knocked on the door. After waiting for a little while, the door opened.
"Oh Arnold." Rodrigo's father, Alfonso, said to him. "How are you?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Castile." Arnold politely responded. "I'm well, thank you. I was hoping if I maybe able to speak to Rodrigo, if that's OK."
"I'm afraid he's not here." Alfonso said. "He just left to see you, actually. He was heading to your house."
"Really?" Arnold asked surprisingly. He then quickly looked at his phone to see if he may have texted him, but he hadn't.
While Arnold was at his house, Rodrigo approached the boarding house and knocked on its door. Soon after, it opened.
"Oh, hi there Kimba. Back so soon?" Gertie said to Rodrigo.
"Huh?" Rodrigo asked confusingly. "Gertie it's me, Rodrigo. I'm here to talk to Arnold, if he is here."
"Oh, sorry about that." Gertie laughed. "The withering slims of old age, you know. Arnold's not here. He just left a moment ago."
"Do you know where he went to?" Rodrigo asked.
"You're house, actually." Gertie said. "He said he needed to speak to you."
"Oh really?" Rodrigo asked surprisingly. "I don't think I saw any messages from him." He said as she quickly scanned his cell, which was true.
"I'll call him, thank you Gertie." Rodrigo said started dialing Arnold's cell when his phone suddenly started vibrating. He received a text message
Arnold: Rodrigo, where are you right now?
Rodrigo: I'm at your house right now. I need to talk to you.
Arnold: So do I. Please stay there. I'm coming back.
"Thank you, Mr. Castile." Arnold said.
"Good luck to you both." Alfonso said to him.
"Thanks." Arnold said before then racing back to the boarding house.
Gertie invited Rodrigo to wait for him in the living room while she headed back to the kitchen to continue packing and cleaning up. As Rodrigo waited for him, he curiously wondered just what Arnold had to say to him.
Does he want to make amends with me? Rodrigo wondered. Or does he still want to continue this feud? Nah, he wouldn't do that, not after the serious lectures we got from our friends and Phil. But then, why does HE want to talk to me? Maybe he just wants to put our differences aside and just focus on stopping Von Scheck.
Rodrigo just went around in circles in his head about what Arnold wanted to talk to him about. In the end, he just pushed it all aside and waited for him to arrive back. After a while, he heard the door open and close. Then he heard footsteps approaching the living room. Sure enough, Arnold entered the living room and once again, was face to face with Rodrigo.
Instead of saying what they both came here to say, both Rodrigo and Arnold remained silent and just looked at each other. A week had not even passed when both teens were quite literally at each other's throats. Both had not forgotten what each said and did to the other. The wounds of their fight were still fresh in their minds. Now they were expected to take the crucial step and apologize to the other for the way they had acted. It sounded simple enough, but the memories of the high tension didn't make things easy for them to just suddenly act civilized, much less be friendly. Nevertheless, both teens were adamant on finally looking at things more clearly rather than be dictated by their own bias and feelings of animosity. Yet, when it came time to finally speak to each other without the shouting and hostility, both were at a loss of words. There was just so many things that they needed to talk about that neither really knew where to start, or who should start. Can they even talk to each other without resulting in them arguing or fighting again? Who should even break this now growing awkward silence?
"Hey." Arnold finally said to him.
"Hey." Rodrigo responded back.
To be continued…