Hi Everyone! Christmas is approaching so in this chapter, Rodrigo realizes he is short of funds to buy presents. He decides to get a temporary part-time job. Where do you think he will end up working? Hint: It is where the sunsets...
Helga kept her promise and apologized to Gerald about the incident. Although she did not have high hopes for him forgiving her, she was surprised but glad when Gerald he accepted her apology and even shook hands. Yet despite that, Gerald made no mention of him wanting to reconcile. She did not hold it against him; she was just glad that he forgave her.
Both Rodrigo and Phoebe expressed their exasperation about Gerald's unwillingness to reconcile. They knew he was doing it more out of holding a grudge, than for actual reasons. However, Helga deterred them from saying anything to him. Her reason was the same as to why they were never able to reconcile in the first place; he would be doing it for other people's sake, not himself. To Helga, there was no point in forcing him to do something if he didn't have the will. As disappointing as it is, Helga convinced them it was best to just leave Gerald alone on this. Hopefully with time, he will want to reconcile.
On a weekend at Rodrigo's house...
Rodrigo was at home, checking his bank account to see how many funds he had. It was now December and Christmas was approaching. He had a list of presents that he needed to buy for friends and family, but he needed to make sure that he had enough money. To his dismay, he didn't, nowhere near enough. He decided to ask his father for some money, although he would not be surprised if he refused. Moving to Hillwood had been an expensive enterprise. Yet, it couldn't hurt to ask.
He went downstairs and to the living room, where his father was sitting on a sofa, calmly reading his newspaper while smoking his pipe.
"¿Papa, me puedes dar un poco de dinero? Tengo una lista de regalos que tengo que comprar por la navidad, pero no tengo suficiente en mi cuenta de banco." (Dad, can you give me some money? I made a list of present that I need to buy for Christmas, but I do not have enough in my bank account." he said to his father.
"Lo siento, Rodrigo. No tengo dinero para darte. Moviendo a Hillwood era bien costoso y necesitamos guardar. En el mismo tema, tu sabes que solamente te podemos dar un regalo por este navidad, no?" (I'm sorry, Rodrigo. I don't have money to give you. Moving to Hillwood was very costly and we need to save. On the same topic, you know that you will only be getting one present for Christmas, right?)
"OK. Gracias igual, papa." (OK, thanks anyways, dad.) Rodrigo responded back disappointingly.
"Mira hijo, tengo una idea. Si necesitas los fondos, por qué no consigues un trabajo, temporeramente? Yo estoy seguro que hay negocios que van a necesitar ayudar por la navidad." (Look son, I have an idea. If you really need the funds, why don't you get a temporary job? I'm sure there are businesses that are going to need help for Christmas.) His father suggested.
"Pues sí, puedo buscar." (Well ok, I can look for one.) He agreed.
"Si, pero mientras tu trabajo no se cruza con tus estudios. Me entiendes?" (OK, but only if your job does not get in the way with your studies. Do you understand me?) His father warned him.
"No te preocupes, papa. Eso no va ocurrir . Gracias" (Don't worry dad. That will not happen. Thanks) he confirmed.
Rodrigo began to immediately prepare and got out of his house to find a part-time job within the neighbourhood. He initially thought that getting a job would not be a problem. However, that soon proved to be harder than he originally thought.
Unfortunately, he went looking for one very late in the season. Most businesses had already hired the extra help that they needed and no longer had any vacant positions. He even tried going to Mr. Green's butcher shop and Ms. Viteli's flower shop. Even they no longer had vacant jobs.
Rodrigo was starting to lose hope as he continued walking around the neighbourhood. He went around a corner and continued walking; looking to see any businesses had a 'hiring' sign. There were none. This block only had residential apartment buildings. He was considering turning back and going the other direction, but decided to just walk a few blocks to see if there were any businesses. No sooner had he started walking when he stumbled upon an apartment on the right side that had a 'helped wanted' sign.
Delighted, he immediately went up the stool and knocked on the door, hoping there was still a vacant position. After three minutes, someone opened the door, but before he could see the person, a bunch of animals suddenly appeared and ran out, including a pig. Rodrigo was so startled that he almost lost his balance and fell from the stoop. Instead, he just barely able to swing his body around and just fall on the side.
"Whoa there young fella! Sorry about that. These animals have a knack of just leaving the house like that! How can I help you?" An old man said to Rodrigo with an almost high-pitched voice.
After the animals left, Rodrigo got up and addressed the old man that just opened the door.
"It's OK sir. My name is Rodrigo and I just saw that you have a 'help wanted' sign. I am here to see if you still have a vacant position." He said.
"Well yes, we still do! Come on in and we'll have a chit chat." Said the old man.
As Rodrigo walked inside, he quickly scanned the house. It looked more like an old cabin, but cozy. He could see that the apartment was old but had been sufficiently maintained. Both he and the old man walked towards the kitchen and sat down.
"Have a seat son. By the way, the name's Phil." He introduced himself as he shook Rodrigo's hand.
"Umm, Phil?" He asked uncomfortably.
"Yup. Why is there a problem?" he asked.
It was a problem for Rodrigo. Since he was little, his parents had drilled into his head to never, EVER address his elders by their first name. He was instructed to always properly address them by their last name with the usual Mr. and Mrs.
"Uh, no sir. It is just that I was raised to never address my elders with their first name." He confessed.
"No need for the formalities here, Rodrigo. People just call me Phil and that is how I like to be addressed." He said.
"OK, Phil." Rodrigo responded nervously.
"OK, to business. We are looking for someone to help us around this boarding house. We have three tenants who rent rooms here. So in total, there are six people that live here, my wife and me included. I'm assuming that you are still in school?"
Rodrigo nodded.
"Well, if you are able to swing by after school for a few days per week that would be great. We already have another helper here but unfortunately she is not able to work full-time. So we just need you to fill that gap." Phil explained.
"So what work would you like for me to do?" Rodrigo asked.
"Well mostly snow shoveling, helping me repair anything around the house. This old crate tends to need a few fixings here and there. Cleaning it and helping us prepare the meals for the tenants. Can you cook?"
"A little. I can't cook on my own, but I can easily follow any directions you gave me, so long as someone is there. And as for the rest of the responsibilities, I have no problem with doing any of that. I am a bit of a clean freak and I have helped my dad repair things around the house. What days during the week would you need me to come over?" Rodrigo asked.
"Well mostly Tuesdays and Thursdays. There may be some extra days when we might need you come. Would that be OK?" Phil asked.
"Ya, that's perfect for me. I can give my cell number so if you need me to come for an extra day, you can call me." Rodrigo confirmed.
Just then, one of the tenants came downstairs, entered the kitchen and interrupted their interview. He was a guy with a very small stature, but with a loud, almost obnoxious voice.
"Hey gramps, when is lunch ready? I'm starving over here." exclaimed the tenant.
"Dagnabbit Ernie! You know when lunch is, and I'm interviewing someone here!" exclaimed Phil.
"Sheesh! Sorry Phil." Said Ernie. He then looked at Rodrigo and said to him, "I hope the old man wasn't giving you any trouble."
"No sir, he wasn't. He was just explaining to me what responsibilities I will be doing if I am hired." Rodrigo confirmed.
"Sir? This isn't Buckingham Palace here. Call me Ernie." He said while he shook Rodrigo's hand.
Again with the first names?! He thought.
"Nice to meet you Ernie. My name is Rodrigo." he said.
"Well Ernie, if you are done complaining, then can you perhaps give us some privacy? We're not finished." said Phil.
"Sure gramps." said Ernie.
However, before Ernie could live, another tenant entered the kitchen and asked Phil the same question, with his thick Vietnamese accent.
"Hey Phil, where's the food already?! I don't pay my rent to go hungry here."
Phil simply rubbed his forehead and eyes and the said to Rodrigo,
"You see why I need help Rodrigo? It is a circus here with these clowns."
Rodrigo simply giggled a bit. Although he was not used to this type of environment, he could tell it was a very relaxing house, with little formalities. He was starting to get a bit comfortable.
"You know when lunch is Hyunh." He responded to the second tenant. "Now could you please leave? I'm in the middle of hiring someone to help us out around this place."
"Oh forgive the intrusion. I'm Mr. Hyunh." He said to Rodrigo as he shook his hand.
"Please to meet you Mr Hyunh, my name is Rodrigo." He said with a smile.
"Oh finally, someone with some manners! Not like your other helper. You should hire him Phil." Hyunh suggested.
"Thanks for the advice Hyunh." Groaned Phil. But then he said to Rodrigo. "Well if you are going to work here, you might as well get acquainted with the boarders."
"Great, since he is here, I have a few questions for him." said Ernie. "I haven't seen you around here. You knew to the neighbourhood?"
"Yes, I just moved here last summer from Los Angeles. I go to Hillwood High school." Rodrigo responded.
"Oh so you're a Californian person?" Hyunh asked.
"Well I lived there most of my life, but I wasn't born in California. I'm from Latin America."
"Oh, which country?" asked Ernie.
Before Rodrigo could answer, everyone then heard a commotion from upstairs.
"Oskar seriously?! You bet our rent money again?!" exclaimed Susie.
"But Susie, hear me out. I thought for sure I was going to win, hehehe." Oskar attempted to explain.
"What's that?" Rodrigo asked.
"Susie and her good for nothing husband, Oskar Kokoshka." Ernie responded. "They will be down here soon."
"You stay aware from Oskar, Rodrigo. He is a thief!" exclaimed Hyunh.
"He's not a thief! Oskar is too lazy to steal. He just gambles a lot, Rodrigo." Phil said.
"No more of your pathetic excuses Oskar! I'm tired of it! I don't know how you are going to get the rent money back but you better get it before it is due!" the woman shouted at her husband.
The couple continued to argue while coming downstairs and walked to the kitchen.
"Don't worry Susie. I'll get the money. I just need money to bet on next week's horse race."
"No Oskar! You're going back to work to come up with the rent. Oh, Phil, sorry I didn't know you had a guest." said Susie as she saw Rodrigo.
"Rodrigo, meet Susie and Oskar Kokoshka." Phil said nonchalantly.
Rodrigo got up from his chair and walked towards the couple.
"Please to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Kokoshka."
"Oh what a pleasant young man. Forgive our arguments." said Susie with a smile.
"Good to meet you Rodrigo. Say do you like to play poker?" asked Oskar.
"Oskar!" Susie scoffed at him.
"What? I was just asking."
"No, sir, I don't gamble." Said Rodrigo.
"Sir, what am I old? Just call me Oskar." Said Oskar.
Ugh, again? Thought Rodrigo.
"Yes, we're not really into the formalities. Call me Susie."
Rodrigo simply smiled and nodded.
"Well Rodrigo, you met everyone. What do you think? Would you like to work here?" Phil asked him.
"Yes, Sir, I mean umm Phil. I would like to work here. When would like for me to start?"
"Is this Tuesday OK?" Asked Phil.
"Yup. I'll be here right after school."
"Great, welcome aboard Rodrigo." said Phil as he shook Rodrigo's hand. "Pooki! I found another helper!"
Who is Pooki? Rodrigo thought.
Just then, an old lady entered the kitchen.
"Hello there dear." said the old woman.
"Hello, ma'am, nice to meet you. My name is Rodrigo."
"Wonderful to meet you Rodrigo! I see you have already met the family. And please call me Gertie."
"Yes Gertie, I have. Everyone is very nice here." Rodrigo responded back politely.
"Wonderful! And what a sweet young you are. Oh you just remind me of my grandson, Kimba"
Kimba? That sounds more like a dog's name. Rodrigo thought weirdly.
"Yes, you're right Gertie! I knew he reminded me of someone." Exclaimed Susie.
Everyone else agreed.
Well that's a good thing. Good to know that I made a good impression on them. Rodrigo thought.
"Well he sounds like a nice person. Will I get a chance to meet him?" Rodrigo asked.
"Unfortunately no. He moved out some years ago with his parents. That's why we need some help around here. When he used to live here, he would good a chunk of the chores that you will be doing. Now with him gone and me getting old, getting help has become a necessity." said Phil with a said tone.
"Well I'll do the best I can to meet your expectations Phil." Rodrigo reassured him.
After some further small talks, Rodrigo then said his goodbyes and left the boarding house. He walked home happily that afternoon, thankful that he was able to find a part-time job on such short notice.
When Tuesday came, Rodrigo went straight to the boarding house, as he promised. Phil immediately set him to work on cleaning the house. When it came to cleaning, Rodrigo was very methodical. His first job was to clean one of the room that was vacant. It had not been cleaned for almost a year. After a few hours, Rodrigo made like nice and new, much to Phil's delight.
Every Tuesdays and Thursdays, Rodrigo continued to show up and performed many of the chores that their grandson used to do. Phil and Rodrigo had agreed on a minimum wage pay. This included when if Rodrigo had to stay late, they would provide him with dinner. With the boarders, although he was still a little apprehensive about calling his elders by their first names, he nevertheless felt comfortable around them. He found their eccentric behaviours to be not comical, but just funny, if not entertaining. There were occasions when they tested his patience, but Rodrigo managed to keep his cool. Other than that, he was mostly happy with his new job.
Rodrigo had asked if he can listen to some music while he worked, which Phil approved. Although he ensured the music would not be loud, the boarders were surprised to find his various tastes in music. It was not uncommon for Rodrigo to listen to classical music, followed by gangsta rap songs that contained a lot of profanities. Ernie, on one occasion, heard one of these rap songs, and exclaimed to everyone that the music had so much profanities, even he ended up learning new swear words.
"Sheesh, and I thought I had a dirty mouth." said Ernie.
Despite this, they found Rodrigo's presence to be a source of joy. On some occasions, Rodrigo would even ask Susie or Gertie to dance with him. Luckily, both women had some skill in dancing. It was not lost to the boarders that having Rodrigo here reminded them of the good old days and happy times when Arnold was around. It was nice experiencing this much energy and joy at the boarding house again.
Phil was pleased with Rodrigo's work ethic. He would always complete his chores before the hour. Sometimes when he was done early, he would stay and talk to Phil. Rodrigo found that, despite Phil's eccentric behaviour and forgetfulness, he still contained a lot of wisdom in him, which Rodrigo highly respected.
As he continued working there, Rodrigo couldn't help but be curious to know who this second helper was. She would only work on the days when Rodrigo was not working, so he never had the opportunity to see her. With the way the Phil and boarders describe her, she can be very helpful, but also be very direct and mean to them. Apparently this helper had little patience for the boarder's eccentric behaviour. They explicitly stated that they liked Rodrigo over her.
Sheesh, she must be very mean to them if they like me better than her. But I can't blame her either. These boarders have a tendency to really test your patience sometimes. Even I told them that but they still prefer me to her. He thought.
On one weekday, Rodrigo received a phone call from Phil. He asked Rodrigo if he was able to come by on a Saturday to help with the Christmas decorations. It was so much work, that even with boarders' help, Phil still required both helpers to be there.
"No problem Phil, I'll be there. What time?" Rodrigo asked.
"How's 2pm sound?" He asked.
"Sounds good. I'll be there at 2pm. Thanks" he confirmed.
At the Boarding house on Saturday at 2pm...
Rodrigo showed up at the boarding house on time. After making his greetings, Phil took him to the basement to collect some boxes that contained all the Christmas decorations.
"The other helper is upstairs, putting the decorations. You will decorate the main floor. After that, I think it's best if both of you decorate the Christmas tree; I don't trust the boarders with that responsibility." Phil instructed Rodrigo.
"Sure thing Phil."
After working on decorating the main floor, it was now time to decorate the tree. It was located close to the basement door. Rodrigo had put some boxes next to the tree, ready for the helper to start decorating it while he finished getting the last of the boxes.
Not wanting to go up and down twice, Rodrigo instructed Phil to put the last two boxes on top and he would carry them. It effectively blinded him from seeing anything ahead, but he was confident that he could do it. Besides, the boxes contained non breakable items.
As he was climbing up the stairs, Rodrigo knew where he wanted to put them. However unbeknownst to him, the helper had inadvertently put the ladder right at the spot where Rodrigo had wanted to go put the boxes. He climbed up the stairs, exited the basement and was heading right where the ladder was. The helper was on top of the ladder, busy putting the star on the top of the tree. Rodrigo was walking quietly, so she didn't hear him coming. Unable to see anything, Rodrigo walked right into the ladder, which startled him, and hit it right under the helper's feet, causing her to fall right on top of him. She pushed him right down to the ground, landing on his stomach, and hitting his shoulder on the wall. Her elbow hit him right in his face, busting his lip. All the decorations went flying and landed on top of him and her, covering his face.
After a few groans, the helper, now furious at almost getting hurt, immediately shoved all the decorations from Rodrigo's face, grabbed his shirt so as to take a good look at him before she pummelled him.
"Crimeny, bucko! Are you blind?! Why don't you watch where you are going...Rodrigo?!" Helga shouted at him with wide eyes.
Rodrigo was just as surprised to find that Helga was the other helper. However, due to the pain and the déjà vu, he merely responded back to her with a groan,
"Nice déjà vu to you too Helga."
"You almost killed me doofus!" She yelled at him.
"Not sure why you are complaining. You landed on my stomach, I hurt my shoulder, and you hit me with your elbow. I broke your fall, so you should be thanking me." He said nonchalantly with smirk on his face.
"What are you doing here?!" She asked with a raised voice.
"I needed money for this year's Christmas and I found that this boarding house was looking to hire someone. Phil interviewed and hired me. Did I mention that I am hurt?" He said jokingly.
Having heard the commotion, everyone ran toward the Christmas tree to see what happened.
"Is everyone OK? We heard a loud bang." Said Susie worryingly.
"Ya, I'm fine, Rodrigo here broke my fall." Said Helga as she got up without a fuss.
Rodrigo on the other hand, remained on the floor, visibly hurt. His stomach was seriously hurting and his shoulder was also hurt, having it hit the bone. The ladder, although not very big, hit his leg.
"Good to know that one of us is OK." Said Rodrigo.
"Helga, he's hurt. What did you do to him?" Ernie asked her accusingly.
"Me?! I didn't do anything. He was the one who walked right into me. I was on top of the ladder when he collided with it." She explained as she crossed her arms.
Seeing as how Helga was not going to help him, Rodrigo attempted get up on his own.
"Ya, it's true. I didn't see that Helga moved right at the spot where I wanted to put the boxes. They were covering my eyes so I didn't anything." He said.
"Are you Ok Rodrigo?" Hyunh asked him.
"Yes, I'll be fine Mr Hyunh. It's just my stomach. Helga landed right on top of it. I just need a few minutes rest." Rodrigo assured him.
"Just walk it off bucko, you'll be fine." She said at him. Despite being a little concerned about his injuries, Helga was still reeling from the fall. Had Rodrigo not been there to break her fall, she could have seriously hurt herself.
"Thanks for the medical advice Dr. Pataki." Rodrigo retorted back, as he walked away to sit on the couch.
"Wait, do you guys know each other?" Ernie asked her.
"Ya, we're friends. We go to the same high school" said Helga.
"Wow, what a coincidence!" Exclaimed Hyunh.
"Helga has friends?" Oskar commented.
"Oskar!" Susie scoffed at him as she reprimanded him by hitting him from behind his head.
"What? I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking, hehehe." Said Oskar.
Despite the rude comment, it was true that everyone was surprised to hear that Helga and Rodrigo were friends. Although they were not close to Helga, they knew from her behaviour and from Arnold that Helga is a difficult person to get close to. Arnold had told them that Helga's only friend was someone named Phoebe, which didn't surprise them.
"Well if he's your 'friend' Helga, perhaps you should go over there to see if he is OK." Ernie suggested to her.
Helga merely sighed in annoyance, rolled her eyes and then walked towards the living room where Rodrigo was sitting.
She found Rodrigo lying on the couch, with his arm covering his eyes. By this time the pain had subsided a bit, but he was now irritated about the accident. He heard Helga entering the living room and said to her,
"Helga, if you're here to continue to cuss me out for making you fall, I don't want to hear about it."
"Relax Latino boy. I came here to see how you are doing." She retorted back.
You landed on my stomach and it is hurting; how the hell do you think I'm doing?! he cried out in his head.
Not wanting to get into any arguments, as always, Rodrigo got up and said,
"A bit better thanks. Nothing is broken, I just need a few minutes, and then I'll be up on my feet. Are you ok?"
"Ya, I am, thanks to you for breaking my fall." She said with a smirk.
"I hate you." he said her half jokingly.
Helga noticed that his lip was still bleeding. It was busted pretty bad. Rodrigo's stomach was hurting so much that he did not bother to grab a tissue to clean it. Helga went inside the living room and attempted to look for a tissue. Rodrigo meanwhile, lifted his jeans on his right leg to see if it was bruised. It was. The ladder fell on his leg with all its weight and Helga's, causing it to hurt and bruise. When Helga found some tissue, she grabbed it and sat down beside him. She then saw the bruise on his leg and asked,
"Do you bruise easily?" She asked.
"No I don't. The ladder hit my leg hard. It's not broken but it just hurts. I'll be fine." He said calmly.
Helga then began to feel guilty about his injuries. Her irritated face quickly disappeared, replacing it with a genuine but sad concern for him. Then suddenly, she grabbed a piece of tissue, got closer to him and proceeded to clean his lip.
"Here, your still bleeding." She said with a soft voice as she started wiping it.
"Umm, thanks Helga." Rodrigo said nervously.
Rodrigo was completely taken aback by Helga's sudden behavioural change. He had never seen her be this...nurturing. Despite the pain, he doesn't expect people to baby him. If anything, Rodrigo agreed with Helga's statement to just 'walk it off'. Yet here he was, having Helga attend to his wound. It was making him nervous, especially since she was sitting so close to him.
This change in Helga's behaviour was not lost to the boarders either, who were taking a peak from outside the living room entrance door. They were just as surprised as Rodrigo was to see Helga being so nurturing around him. If they had any doubts about her caring for Rodrigo, they were quickly brushed aside. They knew that Helga would not just do this for anyone. If she was attending Rodrigo's wound, then it must mean that she really cared for him.
The blood had dripped to all the way to his neck. Helga attentively cleaned the entire trail of blood, which was making Rodrigo even more nervous, as she was now rubbing down his neck. After a few wipes and pressing down on his wound, she smiled and then said,
"There, good as new. Well, almost."
"Thanks Helga." He said with a smile.
An awkward silence was starting to develop between the two teens. Then Rodrigo quickly asked,
"So I never asked you what you are doing here."
"Well unlike you, I'm not really here for the money. I have known Phil and Gertie for a long time so I help them out whenever I can." She explained.
"That's nice of you." said Rodrigo.
"Ya, I used to come here often when Arnold still lived here. His room is upstairs and we used to go up..." she continued to explain before Rodrigo cut her off.
"Wait, back up. Arnold? This used to be Arnold's home before he moved?" He asked.
"Well, ya. Didn't Phil or anyone tell you?" she asked with a confusing face.
"No! Gertie said that his name was Kimba, but other than that, no one has ever mentioned him."
Helga just laughed.
"Oh that, No. She was talking about Arnold. She is a little 'off'. She calls Arnold, Kimba and me Eleanor." She said with a smile.
Son of a *****! You have got to be kidding me?! Where ever I go in this neighbourhood I hear his name. This guy is everywhere! He thought irritatingly.
"When I first came here, they told me that I reminded them of him." He commented nonchalantly.
"Ya, that doesn't surprise me." she said back with a smile.
"Sorry, you were saying about how you and Arnold used to up somewhere before I cut you off?" He said.
"Don't worry about it. I'll show it to you sometime. How are you feeling now?" She said to him.
"Better." he responded back. "Let's go decorate that tree." He said as he got up.
As the two teens decorated the tree, they continued conversing with each other. The Boarders listened attentively as they saw and heard a complete change in Helga's behaviour. She seemed more relaxed and less, angry. Even more surprisingly, they heard them joking around.
"You did not just call me fat, Latino boy!" Helga exclaimed jokingly at Rodrigo.
"I didn't call you fat. I just said that despite you being skinny, you're heavier than I thought you were when you fell on top of me. If I wanted to call you fat, I would have said so." he countered calmly. "Besides, what do you care if I think you're fat or not?"
"I don't. Besides, your fat stomach broke my fall." She said with a smirk.
"I don't have a fat stomach! I actually have abs!" Rodrigo countered.
As the boarders continued to listen in, Hyunh said,
"Wow, I have never seen Helga be so relax and joyful before."
"Ya, it's actually kind of scary." Said Oskar.
"No it's not Oskar. I think it is just adorable. Look at her, she seems...happy." said Susie while smiling
"Helga, adorable? Not the words I would have chosen." remarked Ernie.
Once they finished decorating the tree, just in the nick of time, Gertie called everyone for dinner.
"Well you two, thanks for helping out. Come on, let's go eat, you both earned it, especially you Rodrigo after your accident, hehehehe." Said Phil as he directed them to the dining room.
Once at the table, Oskar attempted to grab as many pieces of meatloaf as possible.
"Oskar, put those meatloafs back and wait for everyone to sit down!" Phil barked at him.
"Ah come on grandpa, I'm starving."
"What are you complaining? You haven't paid your rent yet. You're lucky you are getting anything at all tonight. And stop calling me grandpa!" He continued to bark at him.
Rodrigo would usually find this to be awkward, if not very uncomfortable. Yet for some reason, he actually found this to be funny. He had to try hard not to burst out laughing. Helga noticed this and asked him quietly,
"What's up with you?"
"I don't know but I just find Oskar funny." He whispered back.
"Good to know that at least you find him to be entertaining. He is the most annoying and lowest life boarder." She said.
Finally everyone sat down and began to eat. Tonight's dinner was meatloaf with vegetables and rice. It was quite a nice dinner, considering that Gertie would sometimes 'experiment' with different types of food, much to the boarder's annoyance.
After dinner, Gertie then served dessert. It was pie.
"Hmm this dinner was great tonight, thanks Gertie." said Ernie.
"And the dessert is delicious. What's in it?" Helga added and asked. She just finished eating her dessert.
"Why thank you dear! Just a little something, Eleanor. Mashed fruits such as apple, bananas, raspberries and strawberries."
The second Phil and Helga heard the word 'raspberries' and strawberries' respectively, they both immediately stopped eating. Knowing the usual routine, Phil merely swallowed his food, calmly got up and said to everyone,
"Well I'm off for tonight. Thanks Pooki for the 'dessert'. Night, everyone. Night Helga and Rodrigo. Remember Rodrigo, never eat raspberries!" He said as he started to rush to the toilet.
"Umm ok? Night Phil." Said Rodrigo with a confused face.
Helga meanwhile said nothing; she merely continued to look in abject horror at her dessert. Suddenly, she grabbed Rodrigo's hand and said,
"Rodrigo, I need to go to the hospital."
"Why? What's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm allergic to strawberries!" She shouted, as she started to panic.
At the hospital...
Rodrigo waited patiently outside as the doctor attended to Helga. He was very worried about her. It had been more than an hour since they arrived at the hospital.
The second Helga informed her about her allergy; he wasted no time and rushed her to the hospital. Because Phil was in the washroom, Susie suggested for Rodrigo to drive the old Packard. As he was driving above the speed limit, Rodrigo looked at Helga in horror as she started to break out in hives. She then started experiencing a shortness of breath. Thankfully, no police was around to stop them and they got to the hospital pretty fast. Helga was immediately admitted to the emergency room.
After a few more minutes, a nurse came out to look for Rodrigo.
"Rodrigo Castile?" she asked him.
"Yes, that's me. How is she?" he asked the nurse worryingly.
"She experienced a major allergic reaction, but she will be fine. We gave her some medications. You can go inside, if you wish to see her."
"Thank you." he responded back, feeling relieved.
He walked inside and saw Helga lying on a hospital bed, close to the corner of the room, pouting. He walked towards her and said,
"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Well apart from that fact that the old female geezer nearly killed me, just itchy from the hives." She responded back.
"Did the nurse say how long you have to stay here before they can let you go?" He asked.
"Just another hour or two, then I'm free to get out of this dump." She responded. "You don't have to stay here. I'm fine, you can go home. I'm sure your parents are worried where you are."
"I called them while I was waiting and told them what happened. I have to take you home. I'm not going to let you walk home this late. Besides, I just want to make sure you are OK." He said.
Getting a little exasperated, Helga countered back. "Rodrigo, I'm fine, really. I'm a big girl I can take care of myself..."
"Helga!" Rodrigo shouted, cutting her off. "I'm not going anywhere! I just...need to make sure you are alright. You may not think that this is a big deal, but it is for me. I almost lost a friend today, so just let me have this peace of mind, ok?"
Helga was startled by Rodrigo's strict but worrisome tone in his tone. She saw in his eyes the fear that he just experienced. She couldn't see what Rodrigo saw when he was driving her to the hospital. From his perspective, it looked like Helga was dying. She was breathing heavily, staring right into space, not focusing on anything. A few times, it looked like she in and out of consciousness. Although Rodrigo does not have any allergic reactions, he knew full well that this can kill people in a matter of minutes and he had no idea how tolerable Helga's body was to the fruit. She relented, but still retaining her tough exterior, said,
"Fine, whatever floats your boat."
10 minutes past and neither spoke to each other. It was getting awkward again, at least for her. Rodrigo didn't mind. He simply just sat on his chair, staring toward the ceiling. He wasn't expecting to have a full blown conversation with her. He was just happy being by her side, ensuring she was ok. After another 5 minutes past, Helga finally spoke.
"Thanks by the way, for driving me here."
"You're welcome." He said back.
"This isn't the first time I was brought here." She added.
Rodrigo was not surprised that she experienced hives before. Deciding to humor her, he then asked her,
"Oh ya? When was the last time you broke out like that?"
"Back in the 6th grade. Stupid Arnold drank a strawberry milkshake from the school cafeteria. After he finished he went to find me and gave me a kiss on the lips, without knowing that I was allergic to strawberries. The second I started breaking out, he immediately took me to the nurse's office, who called an ambulance to take me here. Thankfully, it wasn't serious." She said.
"Was it worth it?" he asked her with a smile on his face.
Helga simply smiled back and said, "Ya, it was."
"Poor football head. He was so scared when he saw my hives. The scariest part was not my hives, but how scared he was. I saw it in his face, he was almost panicking. He blamed himself terribly for what he did to me." She continued.
She then became a bit sad, as she remembered the memories.
"I hope you weren't hard on him." Rodrigo said, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, I wasn't. I didn't blame him. It wasn't his fault. I just gave him another kiss, reassuring him that I wasn't angry with him and for his guilt to go away." She said with a smile.
"I'm sorry I scared you." She continued.
"It's OK, it wasn't your fault. I just got...very worried." he said.
Suddenly, Helga extended her hand towards Rodrigo. As he saw her do this, he knew that she wasn't doing it so she can shake his hand; she wanted to hold it. For a split second, he hesitated to extend his hand. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but then decided to reciprocate. He smiled back and held her hand.
After some time, the doctor abruptly came to see Helga, startling Rodrigo to jerk his hand away from Helga's.
"Ok, Ms. Pataki, let me just quickly take a look at your vital signs." Said the doctor.
After a quick inspection at looking at the machines and Helga's face, he then said, "Well everything checks out Ms. Pataki. You are free to go."
"Great, thanks doc." said Helga.
"I would strongly suggest you be more careful with your allergic reaction, Ms. Pataki. You are lucky that you came here just in time. You were experiencing a serious reaction." The doctor warned.
"Was it life threatening?" Rodrigo asked.
"thankfully no, but it was serious. There's no way of telling on how the body is able to cope. There are some instances when it is able to take a lot, but in other times, just one little reaction can be enough to end things." He said.
"Thanks doc, I'll be more careful next time." said Helga, still feeling confident.
He then took out all the wires and tubes that were attached to her. Once that was done, both teens left the hospital.
Rodrigo was a little shaken up by the doctor's revelation. Yet nevertheless, he was just glad that Helga is alright now and did not bother ponder about it.
As he was driving both of them home, Helga was being unusually quiet. Worse, she was staring out into space. Rodrigo suspected that she was probably thinking about what the doctor had said.
"Are you ok?" he asked her.
"Ya, just a little shaken up by what the doctor said." She said.
"Ya, me too. But it didn't happen." He said.
After a bit of silence, Helga then said,
"If you're thinking that I'm angry at Gertie, I'm not." She said.
"I was hoping you wouldn't be." He answered.
"No one other than Arnold knew about my allergic reaction to strawberries. It just never came up. Besides, that woman has done so much for me, that this is not something that I'm going to allow to ruin my relationship with her. She has been more of a mom to me than my own mother." She said firmly.
Rodrigo said nothing, but he was glad that she wasn't angry at Gertie.
When they arrived back, it was almost 11pm. Both Rodrigo and Helga went inside the boarding house to assure with everyone that she is ok, to everyone's relief. Helga had a private discussion with Gertie, who was wrecked with guilt over the incident. No one was sure what she said to her, but after they came out, Gertie felt a lot better.
After saying their goodbyes, both teens walked home. Rodrigo was insistent on walking with Helga all the way to her house.
"Crimeny, haven't you done enough hero work for one day? You broke my fall; you took me to the hospital on time. You can take a break superman." She said to him.
"Thanks for the confidence Helga, but I'm just here because it's a nice evening out and I just wanted to go for a walk with you." he said with a smile.
Helga just rolled her eyes and continued walking with him, not believing what he just said.
Once they arrived at her house, she said,
"There, I'm home, I'm safe, now will you please stop worrying about me?"
"Sure" he said with a smirk. "Night, Helga."
He waited for her to go inside the house. As she started climbing up the stoop, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and then went towards Rodrigo to give him a big hug.
"Thanks" she said.
Rodrigo said nothing and only hugged her back. Soon, they let go and Helga went inside her house. Rodrigo then went home.
The next morning...
Your grandmother almost killed me football head! Helga started write, but hesitated to continue. She then crumbled the piece of paper, threw it to the garbage, then grabbed another piece of paper and started writing again.
Had a small incident at the boarding last night, football head. I was given pie that had strawberries...and I broke out in hives. Rodrigo was there and thankfully he quickly drove me to the hospital. Doctor said it was not life-threatening, but it was serious. Don't be upset about it, your grandmother didn't know about my allergy and she already feels bad about it. I had to talk to her in private to reassure her that this will not affect our relationship. She has been there for me when my own parents were not.
I'm sure you are now asking, 'why was Rodrigo at the boarding house?' By sheer coincidence, he was looking to find a part-time job and he happened to come across your grandfather's 'help wanted' sign. I don't know if it was coincidental or the will of the Gods that brought him there, but everyone seems to be happy with him. He is a hard worker and even Phil said that he does his job almost as good as you did yours. I won't get a chance to see him much there, as he is scheduled to work on days when I'm not there. But I'm hoping I'll get a chance to bump into him.
Hope you are not getting jealous now Arnoldo, hahaha. I never did picture you as the jealous type, although I do remember the time back in the 4th grade, when your cousin Arnie came to visit you and Lila took a liking to him. Man, you should have seen your face, you were pissed! But after that, you never showed signs of jealousy, not even with me. I guess I never gave you a reason to be jealous. Don't worry; no one can ever replace you, no one. I mean, literally no one. Who else has your football shaped head, but you?
We haven't heard from you in a while. I hope everything is ok with your latest specimen collection spree. Remember what your grandfather always says: never eat strawberries!
Yours truly,
Helga G. Pataki