Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or it's characters.
Chapter 10,
Miriam was suspicious of Stella for a few minutes longer, but soon she forgot that Stella was a stranger.
"You know, the way you pour that coffee reminds me of my daughter Olga." Miriam said as she took a sip from her mug.
"Now I don't know what she does, but she can make the best coffee you ever tasted." She continued. Stella had moved Miriam to the dining room table and they drank the coffee together, like a couple of girlfriends.
"Now Olga is your older daughter?" Stella asked and Miriam nodded.
"Yeah, she is so amazing. I taught her how to play the piano and she's such a peach. So kind and so talented, just like I use to be." Miriam said with a dry laugh and then she moved back in her chair.
"Oh, I hope she never gets married." Miriam muttered, but Stella heard her as clear as a bell.
"What did you want to be when you were growing up?" Stella asked and Miriam shrugged lazily.
"Does it really matter now? I'm now someone's wife and a mother... just like my mother wanted for me. Sta-(hick) stability." Miriam said and Stella's eyes widened.
"You got married because your mother wanted you to get married?" Stella asked and Miriam hesitated.
"Well... I mean I loved Bob. I mean, I still love Bob, I suppose. I just fell in love with how sweet he use to be, and the way he lit up when AJ told him my accomplishments and my dreams for the future. He was the cutest thing you ever saw, I swear. Mom said if so loved him, then I should marry him. I could still do all the stuff I wanted to do, until I had kids of my own. So when B proposed, I said yes." Miriam said and Stella nodded slightly.
"Then what happened?" Stella asked and Miriam sighed.
"I got pregnant with Olga. And we were happy. Bob worked as a stock boy, so he started working extra shifts to pay for the extra things he needed to buy Olga. I stayed home with her and put on classical music and operas to share with her. And then... oh..." Miriam recalled something painful to her, and she looked down at her mug.
"You want me to make you a smoothie?" Miriam asked and Stella's face fell a bit.
"No, thank you." Stella said.
"Well, I want a smoothie." Miriam said, standing up and going into the kitchen. Stella followed her and took the vodka out of her hand, the second Miriam touched it.
"You've got to stop relying on this." Stella said and Miriam glared at Stella. She hauled back and punched Stella, which knocked her down.
"This is my house! You don't get to come here and boss me around. I don't know why you're here, but I don't care!" Miriam screamed. Stella rubbed her sore cheek and looked up at the raging woman.
"How dare you disrespect me by coming in here, telling me what I can and can't do and disturbing the junk I swept under the rug year's ago! What do you have to say for yourself?" Miriam asked. Stella was angry, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself. After all, you can't reason with alcohol, no matter how badly she wanted to beat alcohol to a bloody pulp.
"Would you rather go out for lunch?" Stella asked stiffly and Miriam blinked at her.
"What?" She asked as she carefully watched Stella standing up.
"I'll take you out for lunch, but under the condition that you don't drink any alcohol during the meal." Stella said.
"I don't know." Miriam said and Stella smirked.
"It's just one little meal, Miriam. Just one. Are you telling me that you can't last one meal without a drink?" Stella said in a slight teasing tone and Miriam straightened her back.
"Of course I can." Miriam said, accepting Stella's challenge and Stella smiled.
"Good, I'm glad. Would you like to change clothes before we head out?" Stella asked and Miriam crosses her arms over her chest.
"I look just fine, for your information. What are you gonna do if someone asks you about your face?" Miriam asked.
"I'll be honest and tell them you hit me for taking your booze away." Stella said nonchalantly and Miriam blinked at her.
"You... you can't do that." Miriam said and Stella nodded.
"You did something wrong and you are gonna need to live and deal with it. Especially since, if you ever try to hit me again, I will break your arm before you touch me." Stella said, glaring at Miriam so darkly, that it scared the alcoholic.
"O-ok." Miriam said like a 5-year old child.
"Good, now let's go get some lunch." Stella said and they walk out of the house.
-
At P.S.118, Arnold was basically twitching when he finally made it to the cafeteria. He went through the line, absentmindedly as his cellphone burned a hole in his pocket.
"Evening Arnold." He turned and saw Phoebe standing beside him.
"Hey-llo." He said, nervously. Phoebe rose an eyebrow at him, and that made him more nervous.
"Is everything alright?" Phoebe asked and Arnold struggled to think up an answer.
"No... I'm just, um, reading a story on my phone... and, um. I'm anxious to read the new chapter." Arnold said and it was partly true.
"Intriguing. I have read several stories on my kindle, so perhaps I've read it. What is the story called?" Phoebe asked and Arnold bit his lip. Of course he was stupid enough to be trapped by a reader. Is there anything she doesn't read...? Wait-
"I don't think you'd like it, it's fanfiction." Arnold said and Phoebe looked annoyed.
"Oh. Well, at least reading stimulates the mind." Phoebe said and Arnold relaxed a little.
Since Helga has been in a coma, Phoebe has been sitting with him and Gerald during lunch. As soon as they sat down, Arnold wanted to start reading, but then he remembered that part of his agreement was to take better care of himself. When Gerald sat down, he and Phoebe engaged in some conversation that Arnold blocked out of his mind.
Instead he focused on eating his meal quickly, but not so fast that it got Phoebe's attention. When he was done with his lunch, he tossed the trash and put away his tray. And he pulled out his phone and finally, finally, he got to read more of Helga's diary.
Dear Diary,
Today Geraldwas telling us about being over atArnold's house... oh, ok, actually he told the boys, but I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to listen in. I hid in a trash can and eavesdroppedon the conversation. First Gerald mentioned how last week Arnold was at his house for a sleepover, and Gerald suddenly realized that not only had he never slept over at Arnold's place, but the only room Gerald's really seen, was Arnold's room. So Gerald kinda invited himself over.
Now I know Arnold lives in a boarding house, and there's several different characters that live there with him. But it didn't occur to me that when the rent needs to be collected, Arnold would be responsible for collecting it.
Gerald talked about chickens; a man who collects bricks, and smashes buildingmodels; a man that is obsessed with privacy; fixing pipes, setting down tile, putting up new wallpaper; watching Arnold catch everything an apartment has to offer; and then Arnold stopped all the boarders from fighting, by ringing a gong and announcing that dinner was served. They fell asleep on the roof, looking up at the stars.
I gotta say, I'm a little jealous of Gerald being able to go to Arnold's house and experience all that firsthand. The only think I can do is simply hope that I'll be able to live in the boarding house one day. There, I wouldn't be seen as a freak. If anything, it sounds like one place I could actually belong. Not only with Arnold, but with his unconventional family. After all, he lives with strangers who love him more then my parents have ever tried to love me.
Great, now I'm making myself sad. Perhaps I can go on and on about how life might be like there, and the various experiences I could have... but right now, I'm trying to block out the sound of Bob yelling at Miriam... and if I think about the joy of Arnold's house, well... it would only make my situation seem worse then it actually is...
Oh, well, though... at least I'll be able to live vicariously through the stories Gerald tells. And that should hopefully tide me over until I can experience the real thing for myself.
Arnold lowered his phone. It was such a comfort to read Helga's words after the hours of waiting. However it seemed like the more he read Helga's diary, the more he realized how sad her life was. He always knew Helga was an angry person, and that her parents were... unreliable.
He was always a little jealous of her, though. She was able to grow up with her parents, when he did not. He typically figured that it was better to have imperfect parents, then no parents at all. But now he's thinking that may not be as true as he once thought. Perhaps it's more complicated than any other issue he's dared worked with.
However, what can he do? Helga was in the hospital, Bob was suing the hospital, and Miriam kept drinking next to the hospital. Perhaps there's a way to help, he just needs to figure it out.