Hi everyone! It is now Christmas and everyone is going to enjoy the Holidays, right? Well, not Helga. So what does Rodrigo do for her?
Despite not being a procrastinator, Rodrigo had to run to every last shop at the Hillwood Mall Complex to buy every single present that he needed. He had just gathered enough savings to do so, thanks to him working at the Sunset Arms boarding house. He just barely got everything on his list. Rodrigo hated shopping, but he had no choice in the matter. Having to move to a new city and make new friends were the priorities of his time during the first months since school started. Also, having used even more of his time to become friends with Helga didn't help, but he didn't blame her.
"Phew! I need a break. God, I hate shopping. What do women see in this? It's like a sport to them. No worse, like a religion!" Rodrigo said to himself.
It is rare to find a woman who despises shopping. The majority of them love it. Yet, nevertheless, he was just thankful that he got everything he needed. After a short break, he got up, hopped on the bus and went home.
At the boarding house...
On this rare occasion, Rodrigo and Helga were both asked to work on a few things together. Phil and Gertie also wanted to have them over for dinner as part of their Christmas dinner. The holiday was still a few days away, but they knew that the teens will be busy with their own families and with their friends during the holidays.
After enjoying a nice meal, while also ensuring that none of it had any strawberries, Helga asked Rodrigo if he was able to stay a bit longer tonight.
"Ya, sure. What's up?" he asked her.
"I want to show you something." she said.
She had previously asked Phil if it was alright for her and Rodrigo to go to Arnold's room, which he approved.
They both went upstairs, Helga grabbed the handle that allowed a ladder to slide down from the roof and both teens went up to Arnold's old bedroom.
Since his departure, Phil and Gertie ensured that the room would remain the same as it was before.
After climbing the stairs, Helga opened the door and allowed Rodrigo go inside and to take a scan around the room. He was amazed at all the electronic gadgets this kid had!
"Oh man, would I have killed to have his room!" Rodrigo exclaimed. "Look at all this stuff! What kid would not want this?!"
Helga said nothing and just smiled as she sat on Arnold's bed. There was only thing that she ever wanted and it was no longer in this room.
As Rodrigo scanned the room, he saw a picture of Arnold and Helga hugging each other. He walked towards it, picked it up and looked at it. He smiled when he saw how happy they were.
Hehe, Helga is actually smiling in this picture; it's a beautiful smile. She was happy back then. I'm sorry I'm not able to help her with that. And Arnold, well he is OK, but I think I'm cuter than him. He thought to himself amusingly.
As Rodrigo continued to look at the photo, Helga looked on with a bit of surprise and perplexing look on her face. She couldn't understand why Rodrigo was focusing so much at the photo. Even more, she saw that his thumb started gently rubbing it, especially where Helga was in the photo, almost as if he was caressing it.
I wonder what he is thinking about. She thought to herself.
After a short time, Helga instructed him to follow her, as both went up a ladder that was attached to the wall. Helga unlocked the window, then went outside with Rodrigo. The building was not very tall, but you can see the skyline far and wide. It was in the early evening so the sun was setting, projecting a beautiful combination of yellow, red and orange colours into the sky.
"Whoa" said Rodrigo.
"I know. Do you like it?" she asked him.
"Very much. It's beautiful. Thanks Helga for showing me this." he said.
Despite it being winter, there was no breeze on that day, and despite the sun being out, on their end, it was cloudy and snowing, allowing a small amount of heat to develop. This allowed both teens to stay on top of the rooftop for a while and talk.
"Did you guys both used to come here?" he asked.
"Ya, we did. We used to watch the sunset and sometimes the sunrise. It was also a good place to reconcile after our arguments. It was just...peaceful being here." she explained.
Rodrigo couldn't help wonder why Helga showed her this place. It had a lot of memories so he figured this was not something she wanted to share with anyone. However, he decided not to ask about it and just be grateful that she was opening up.
"I see why this would be a nice place to be at peace and to reconcile. What argument did you guys get into, if you don't mind me asking?" Rodrigo asked.
"Initially it was just dumb things, such as where did we want to spend our weekend at, or what sport should we play. Nothing serious. But as we got older, the arguments became more about our personalities clashing. I had a big mouth back then and I would use my sharp tongue at just about anything. If you thought I am bad now, I was worse when I was younger. Arnold was the only person that was able to not only get me to calm down, but to also have the patience to deal with it." she recounted.
"You keep saying that you did this or that. But what did Arnold do, or not do, that would get you upset?" he asked.
"There were times when he just couldn't really see how I saw things, no matter how many times I would explain it to him. As much as we admired his optimism, it sometimes just got in the way with reality. And it is not just me saying this; Gerald had also told him several times that he is a dreamer. Yet, he was often right about how things would turn out, which is why despite how annoying it sometimes was, we trusted his optimism. But that did not mean that he was always right. There were times when I was right and there were times when Arnold had no choice but to allow me to lead the group, especially when it came to sports." she explained proudly.
"It wasn't really anyone's fault. We were just at the extreme end of things. I am skeptical and realistic, while Arnold is an optimist and idealist. I am aggressive and direct, he is nurturing and diplomatic." she continued.
"If I may continue to ask, what did you guys have in common?" Rodrigo asked.
"We both cared for our friends, we both like to play sports, we both like the same type of movies and even the same music, mostly. We also didn't mind learning some of our area of interest with each other. He liked it when I would read to him some poetry and literature, and I would like it when he would explain to me some scientific or technological inquiries. Despite the differences, on many levels we connected." she explained.
It soon dawned on Rodrigo that Arnold and Helga were more than just a mere couple. Based on how Helga described each other, and given his knowledge of Arnold and her, they were made for each other. If he had to philosophically describe them, it would be Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's concept of the Synthesis. When two opposing views, a thesis and an antithesis, meet, they would converge to make something new, a synthesis. Hegel's concept would be used to explain history, ideas, religion, the concept of time and much more. Yet for this discussion, it was obvious to Rodrigo that Arnold and Helga were just that, the thesis and antithesis. The problem was that they never had the opportunity to fully become the synthesis. Arnold's departure interrupted that process.
This did not make Rodrigo feel any better. Worse, it was making him feel even more bad for Helga. She not only lost the one thing that made her happy in this world, but if she decides to moves on, Rodrigo doubted she would ever find someone who was a perfect match for her as Arnold. Her love for him wasn't a mere coincidence; it was spot on. Yet, he did not say anything about this to her. He didn't have to, she already knew this. With each passing time he spends time with her, he got a better understanding on why she was always so angry. She had every right to be! He just wished he could do more, do something to help alleviate this burden.
Instead of saying anything, Rodrigo just gave Helga a small nudge on her shoulder and smiled. Helga smiled back. Then, wanting to change the subject, he then asked her,
"So what are your plans for Christmas?"
Helga almost wished he didn't ask her that.
"Try to get through the Christmas day in my room, hoping to not see my family during the day." she said.
"Why not? Don't you guys at least get together to talk?" he asked.
"Oh we do get together and we do talk, except me. My dad is mostly the person that talks and everyone just listens. The times when I try to say something, I get interrupted. My mom just tries not to drown in the soup and my sister pretends that everything is just perfect." she responded back with a frowning face.
That's terrible! She doesn't even want to spend time at her house with her own family! This is sickening! He thought angrily.
Hoping that perhaps his surprise will make things better, he then reached into his coat, took out a small gift and gave it to her.
"I got you something for Christmas. Hoping it will make things a bit better at home." he said sheepishly.
Helga was surprised by his gift. She wasn't expecting to receive any present from him.
"Uh...thanks Rodrigo." she said.
"You can open it if you want." he suggested to her.
not hesitating, she opened it and inside was a small, leather notebook with lined paper, perfect for writing stories, poems or even making a journal out of it. In addition, there also was an antique fountain pen for her to write and it was in pink!
Helga just continued to stay still, motionless, with her mouth opened.
"You're lucky its winter, otherwise a fly would go into your mouth." Rodrigo said jokingly.
"Uh, I can't take this Latino boy, it's too much. I don't deserve it." She said as she attempted to hand it back to him.
"It's not. I know what you are thinking Helga and don't think that way. I know our friendship has had our ups and down and yes it has been stressful, but despite all of that, I am still glad that I met you and I don't regret it. You helped me when I needed someone to be there, and I know I can count on you when I need someone again. Even the ups and downs, honestly that has only cemented our friendship even more. Even moving here, being friends with you has helped me with the transition. I left all of my friends behind. I had no one here, save for a few people that I occasionally talk to. Had I never met you, I wouldn't not have had the friends that I have now. And don't think that I am taking for granted how you managed to open up to me. That took a lot of guts and I know you were scared, but I am really thankful and privileged that you did it." he explained.
Seeing that Helga was still hesitating in accepting his gift, he then added,
"If you still think that you don't deserve it, then earn it."
"But I didn't give you a gift." she argued.
"Pfft, I don't need a gift. My parents are always struggling to give me something. I don't need presents or anything material. I got everything that I ever wanted; family, friends and you. I'm healthy, I don't starve. I don't need anything else." he said.
Helga was still shocked, but she eventually relented and accepted it. She put the present inside her coat.
"Thank you" she said softly.
"You're welcome." he said back with a smile.
By now, the weather was getting colder. The two teens decided to call it a night, then headed back inside. After saying their goodbyes, they then started walking back home.
At Rodrigo's house...
As soon as he entered his house, Rodrigo's father was waiting for him to hand him something.
"Hola hijo, tienes un correo. De San Lorenzo?" (Hi son, you have mail. From San Lorenzo?)
his father gave him the mail.
"Gracias papa. Si, mis amigo tiene un amigo que se mudo allí, recientemente. Quería comunicarse con mijo y lo di mi dirección." (Thanks dad. Yes, my friends have a friend who just recently moved there. He wanted to contact me, so I gave him my address.) he explained.
"Ok ¿Como se llama esta amigo?" (Ok. What is this friend's name?) his father asked him.
"Arnold Shortman. Todos dicen que es un buen niño; sus amigos, su enamorada, hasta sus abuelos." (Arnold shortman. Everyone says that he is a good boy; his friends, his girlfriend, even his grandparents.) he responded back.
"Ok, está bien." (OK, good) his father said, as he started walking back to his chair, satisfied with his son's response.
Rodrigo then went upstairs into his room, opened the mail and started reading the letter.
Dear Rodrigo,
I hope this letter made it in time for the holidays. It is nice to finally write to you. I'm sure you already know who I am, but just to introduce myself, my name is Arnold Shortman. Our friends have written so many things about you that I decided, at least for the coming holidays, to write to you. I would also like to welcome you to the group.
My understanding is that your recently arrived to Hillwood from Los Angeles, welcome! I hope the moving was not too hard. My family and I are constantly moving, so I should know how stressful it can be. If you are not already familiar with our neighbourhood and the city, you will find it to have a whole variety of things to do; from diverse cultural restaurants to an entertaining night life. If you are into jazz, there are a few areas around the city where you can go and hear some of the best music they can offer. I'm sure Gerald or Helga can direct you on where they are. I would recommend you try out Slausen's Ice Cream parlor. They have some of the best ice cream in the city.
I was told you are an impeccable dancer and that you have had a few performances with Helga at school. I really wish I was there to see it. I do hope that whenever I get a chance to visit everyone, you can perhaps give me a few pointers. I would love to learn some of the Latin dances.
By now, I'm sure you are already acquainted with everyone in our group. We are a diverse bunch, which is one our strengths, if you can believe that. Our differences have always allowed us to come up with some of the most adventurous, and most fun things to do when we were growing up. I'm sure your arrival will no doubt bring more fun to our group. Naturally, we do tend to butt heads sometimes, but we have never allowed our differences to get in the way with our friendships.
On a personal note, I would like to thank you for what you have been doing for Helga. She means a lot of me and I know it hit her the hardest when I left. Our friends have been telling me that since you guys became friends, there have been some good changes with her. I'm really glad to hear that. I was also told that it wasn't an easy thing for you, but I'm sure you know by now why that was. Despite the difficulties, once she opens up I know you will see her as I do.
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, Rodrigo.
Yours truly,
Arnold Shortman
Rodrigo put down the letter on his desk, not really knowing how to feel about this. On the one hand, he thought it was a nice gesture on Arnold's part to write him a letter for the holidays and to say hi. He didn't have to do it. Yet on the other hand, he found this whole 'nice' thing to be suspicious. Despite how highly everyone thought of him, Rodrigo was not particularly impressed with Arnold. It wasn't anything personal. Rarely does anyone impress Rodrigo. Only a handful of people have ever made any good or deep impression on him. He thought that Arnold's whole optimistic and nice attitude was a bit too much in general. As far as he was concerned, he felt that Arnold was trying too hard to be nice and that, he found suspicious; it is as if Arnold was hiding something, something painful. If this was true, then he didn't find his behavior to be any different than Helga's.
Unlike everyone else, Rodrigo does not place anyone up high on a pedestal and Arnold was no exception. Despite how much he has done for everyone, Rodrigo considered him nothing more than a teenager who has both good intentions and flaws, like him. He felt that putting Arnold up on this pedestal blinded their friends from knowing his whole personality; his strengths and weaknesses. He knew that Helga was one of those people that did that, but she took it to a whole new level, a circumstance that was out of her control. And if this happened, he didn't trust their judgment.
More so, cracking this 'fantasy' of putting people or objects up on a pedestal was his specialty. But this is also what had often gotten him into trouble, with people often holding serious grudges against him, so much so, that they would often ostracize him as a result. That is the last thing he wanted to do, especially with Helga.
Yet, despite his apprehension, Rodrigo had every intention on writing him back. He will just have to think about what to write him back about.
Christmas Day…
Rodrigo helped clean up the house and helped his mom with the cooking throughout the late morning and early afternoon. Christmas was always his favorite holiday. It was the one time of the year where he would gather with all of his family and celebrate with a big feast.
However this year, it was a bit quiet, to say the least. It was just the four of them sitting down to have Christmas dinner. His parents had been preoccupied with their new jobs and with the moving, that they had not had the time to meet friends. His father especially, being more introverted than him, had a more difficult time in meeting people. Not that he minded it. He always had few friends and even that, he always preferred to be on his own. Rodrigo, to some extent, had that personality trait, but seeing as how he grew up in a big family, this year's Christmas was a very cultural shock to him, and he was not happy about it. He felt isolated and alone. Yet, he tried to make the best of it. His friends all agreed to meet up sometime after December 25, so that made things a bit better.
Christmas at the Pataki house…
Helga spend most of her time in her room, writing. She tried to avoid coming down as much as she could, not looking forward to spending Christmas with her family. It was the usual routine; Big Bob would rant about his success and the money he has been earning, while Miriam and Olga sit quietly listening to him, hardly ever getting a word out. There would be food on the table, only thanks to Olga coming to visit them for Christmas. Had it not been for her, they would have either starved or would have had to order takeout food. Helga shivered at those old, terrible thoughts. She only came down once to help Olga with the cooking.
Despite the talk that they had back in September, things did not improve much between the sisters. There were times when Olga was tolerable, but on most occasions, Helga still found her to be annoying and attempted to avoid her whenever she could. The only positive outcome was that Olga had been making more of an attempt to listen to Helga and to help her with some of her problems, but other than that, it was mostly the same.
When it came time to sit down for Christmas dinner, the result was predictable. The only comfort Helga got was the delicious food that Olga cooked up, so much so that she even thanked her for it, much to her sister's delight.
"So the new investor came by and offered me a good deal, but it wasn't enough. I told him that he either double up his investment or he can shove it where the sun don't shine! Naturally, he doubled up his offer and I took it. Ha! What a loser!" Big Bob exclaimed proudly.
"So now, with this new investment, I have been thinking of expending my business and opening up another store, possibly somewhere downtown. Sales have been through the roof and I haven't been able to meet the demand with just one store." He continued.
"Ooohhh, that's great daddy! Congratulations!" Olga exclaimed happily.
As Big Bob continued to ramble, Helga sat quietly, eating her food. She was actually interested in getting to know Miriam's process at the AA meetings. Last month she had a small relapse but thankfully, she managed to get herself back on track with her rehabilitation pretty quickly. Miriam had wanted to speak to her family about her progress and was patiently waiting for her husband to finish his talk. Good luck.
When it finally seemed that Big Bob was finished, Helga attempted to say something.
"Well, I recently started writing again. One of my friends…" she began to say but was abruptly cut off by Big Bob.
"Ya, ya, sounds great Olga. So anyways, this other investor also came to me a few months back…"
Helga just sighed in utter disappointment.
Why do I even bother? She thought.
Just then, Olga cleared her throat at Bob, indicating to get him to stop talking and let Helga speak for once.
*sigh* "Fine, what did you want to say Olga, I mean Helga?" He asked Helga with no enthusiasm in his voice.
"Nothing, nothing important. You were saying Bob?" She responded back with no enthusiasm from her part.
Big Bob wasted no time in continuing his talking again, much to Olga's disappointment. She gave Helga an 'I'm sorry' facial expression. Helga simply shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.
Despite Olga's nice gesture, Helga felt it to be utterly pointless if Big Bob only asked her about her day solely on being forced to, not because he was genuinely interested in what she had to say.
After dinner, the family then sat down on the living room. Miriam finally managed to tell the family how she managed to get back to her rehabilitation program after that small relapse. Naturally, she thanked Olga for helping her, but made no mention of Helga, not even as a source of inspiration or for standing up for her in front of Big Bob last month.
Once this whole charade was finally over, Helga went back to her room, much to her relief. It was a little pass 6pm. Seeing as how it was still early, she started to text Phoebe and Rodrigo. Phoebe was still busy with her dinner and so she did not respond, but Rodrigo did.
Helga: Hey, how is your Christmas?
Rodrigo: It's ok, how was yours?
Helga: Torturous. Missing the whole big happy family scene?
Rodrigo: I'm sorry to hear that, and ya pretty much.
Helga: Ya, same here…
Rodrigo: What are you doing now?
Helga: in my room, just going to write and maybe sleep early.
Rodrigo: Want to meet up for a few?
Helga: Right now?
Rodrigo: ya.
Helga: sure…
Helga immediately got up from her bed, dressed up and went out, not bothering to even inform her family that she was leaving.
She and Rodrigo met up half way from each other's house. Helga suggested going to the nearby park and going for a walk. The weather was again nice to go for a walk. It was snowing quietly with no breeze coming about. It was just …peaceful. As the teens made their way to the park, they both spoke about their Christmas dinner.
Rodrigo had a nice Christmas dinner, but he felt utterly alone. Being only four people, the quietness around his house was nerve wrecking for him; a constant reminder of what he lost. Even the Christmas he had back in LA was better than this one. At least back there, they had friends and sometimes they would gather at one of their houses to celebrate. This year it just felt, different.
"It's just something to get used to." He concluded.
"Sounds sad really." Said Helga. "You must really miss your family if you feel that way."
"Ya, I do." he said. "After I told my family about my atheism, they didn't want us to go down there for the holidays. That infuriated my parents. It was one thing to call them 'bad parents', but it was another thing to completely outcast us like that. No one had expected them to do this. I remember them arguing and yelling at my extended family over the phone about this. In the end, they also cut them off. Other than a few family members, we haven't spoken to them really."
"You really never saw that coming, did you?" she asked.
"Nope. Had I known it was going to go down this path, I would have kept my mouth shut. Yet, at the same time, I'm also glad that I did because it just goes to show you what kind of people they really are. I'm more disappointed in actually believing they were good people, than in being outcasted like that." he explained.
As they continued walking, they eventually reached the park and sat down on a bench. For a moment, they sat down quietly, enjoying the scenery of the entire park covered in snow. It looked like a giant, icy garden, radiating its sparkleness throughout the entire park. It continued snowing, but with still no breeze coming, it was absolutely quiet and peaceful.
After a moment of further silence, Rodrigo noticed that the ground was somewhat deep in snow. Feeling encouraged, he got up, lied down on the snow and started making a snow angel.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"What does like look I'm doing?" He rhetorically asked her.
"Looks like your drowning in snow and you need help." She said with a smirk on her face.
"Funny. Come down and make one. It's not like you have doing anything else on that bench." he challenged her.
taking the challenge, she got up, lied down next to him and started to make her own snow angel.
"This is very childish." she commented.
"Duh, that's the point. As mature as you are, you are still a kid. Just enjoy it." he said.
After a while, they both stopped and continued lying on the ground, looking straight up at the sky. It was still cloudy, but now dark. The only light were the snow that that coming down.
"You guys never used to do this when you were kids?" he asked Helga.
"All the time. I was just remembering those days." She said with a smile.
"Happy ones?"
"Ya, they were." She responded back. "Thanks for bringing me out here. It was nice."
"No problem. We should have a snowball fight with everyone when we meet up with them." Rodrigo suggested.
"Sure. I'll kill you in that game." she said.
"Oh we'll see about that." he said back.
As the minutes were passing by, both teens said nothing to each other. They just looked at the black sky and admired the snow coming down. With the calmness around them, Rodrigo was starting to get a bit sleepy, yet he reframed from saying anything because Helga seemed to be enjoying this; she was completely quiet and even sighed a few times. After a few more minutes, Rodrigo thought it was best if they started heading home. However just then, Helga suddenly turn towards him, moved in closer to him, put her arm on top of his chest and snuggled with him a bit.
Rodrigo was completely taken aback and dare not move. He was busy registering what Helga just did and did not know how to respond. He figured Helga just got too comfortable and wasn't really doing it intentionally. Despite his discomfort, he decided to let Helga enjoy this for a moment; she just seemed really peaceful.
After five minutes, as snow continued to come down, it starting to cover the two teens over a sheet of snow. Rodrigo was about to say something when he heard a very faint snore from Helga's direction. She had fallen asleep!
Wow, this is making me really nervous right now! Did she do this on purpose, or was just an automatic response? Does she even remember who she was hanging out with? He thought.
He wasn't sure why this was making him nervous. He had other intimate encounters with other girls before, so why was he nervous with Helga simply because she snuggled besides him, sleeping? Whatever the reason, it was making his heart start beating fast and hands becoming sweaty. He wanted to move, but he also didn't want to wake her up, afraid she would freak out. At the same time he didn't want her to move away. Despite his nervousness, he felt drawn to her and also wanted to snuggle closer to her. It just felt...really nice.
I guess maybe that's why this is making me nervous; unlike the other times, I don't know what to make of this. I don't know what this means, so I guess it's not surprising that I'm freaking out a bit. He reassuringly thought to himself.
Finally, after another ten minutes, Rodrigo had to wake her up. The snow was still coming down and they were both almost covered by it. He lifted up his head, then gently started shaking Helga.
"Hey Helga? Wake up. It's time to go home." he said softly.
"hhmm?" she somewhat hummed.
As she started to open her eyes and gain consciousness, she lifted up her head up and she realized with horror, what had just happened. She jaw dropped and her eyes quickly widen. Without even thinking about it, out of pure instinct, she violently launched herself away from Rodrigo and slapped him across his face, hard, knocking him right back down to the ground.
"Whoa whoa whoa buster?! What do you think you are doing?!" She instinctively yelled at him.
"Ow, Helga! What the hell?! You fell asleep beside me, that's what happened!" he yelled back, covering his face where she slapped him.
"I um…I fell asleep beside you?" she asked him, while still in shock.
"Yes! You suddenly just turned towards me and snuggled a bit and fell asleep. I didn't want to disturb you because I thought you did that intentionally and I didn't want you to start freaking out like how you are now!" he continued to yell.
Helga did not need to ask him what happened. She knew that she fell asleep and she knew that it was Rodrigo whom she snuggled with. She was not dreaming of Arnold. But it was not intentional. It completely unconsciousness. She just needed reassurance if this was all a dream. It wasn't.
Realizing what she did to him, she attempted to get closer to him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to slap you. Here, let me take a look at it."
However, Rodrigo scooted away from her and put his arm between himself and her.
"I'm fine, just don't slap me again." He retorted back.
Despite knowing that it was an accident, he was angry at her. He hated feeling pain and needed time to calm down. There was another reason. He knew that Helga was getting into her nurturing behaviour again and the last time she did that, he felt nervous being so close to her and he did not want to endure that again.
Helga however, would not take no for an answer and continued getting closer to him.
"Stop being a baby and let me take a look at it." she said with a demanding voice.
She pushed his arm away and crept in closer. She then grabbed the hand that was holding his cheek and somewhat forcefully moved it away. When she succeeded, she used her hand to inspect his cheek. Other than it being red, there were no wounds or blood coming out. Yet, she for some reason continued touching him, up to the point where her hand gestures changed and she started caressing his cheek.
Rodrigo was looking away during this time, feeling nervous again. However, when he realized that she started caressing his cheek, he turned his eyes to look at her to see what she was doing. As soon as he did that, both their eyes locked with each other and for five whole seconds, the entire universe stopped moving. Rodrigo saw that her eyes were blue and realized for the first time just how beautiful they were; blue as the depths of the ocean, full of wonders yet able to endure even the toughest of storms. Rodrigo became completely mesmerized by her, allowing him to forget his nervousness and simply feel a deep sense of calm and admiration.
Helga for her part, was also completely mesmerized as she locked her eyes with his. Her heart immediately starting beating faster and faster, as she felt the sensation go right down to her core. She felt completely lost but also...safe with him. She instantly wanted to be closer to him, but she did not move. Not since Arnold had she experienced anything like this before, this yearning to be close to someone. And now she was feeling it with Rodrigo.
What seemed like forever, was only for a few seconds before Rodrigo snapped out of his trance first. If he had to be honest with himself, he had the confidence to know that if he gave in and kissed Helga right there and then, she would not have resisted. However, having already been slapped once, he was going to do no such thing.
"Thanks Helga, for looking at it, I mean." he finally said her, causing Helga to snap out of her trance.
As she regained her composure, Rodrigo got up and helped her get up.
"By the way, I like your eyes. They are beautiful." he said to her, trying to lighten the mood and getting back at her for slapping him by making her even more uncomfortable.
"Umm thanks." was all she could say nervously.
The two teens scrubbed all the snow off of them, then started walking back home. Neither of them said anything, allowing another awkward silence to envelope them. Helga felt really bad for slapping him, but she did not know how to make up for it. As soon as they go out from the park, Rodrigo then remembered something.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to tell you that I got Arnold's letter a few days ago."
"Oh? What did he say?" she asked.
"He just introduced himself, welcomed me to the group and to the city and made a few recommendations on where I can go to have fun. He also thanked me for being friends with you and for helping you out." He said.
"Of course he did." she said while she rolled her eyes. "Did you write back to him yet?"
"Not yet. I'm not really sure what to say to him." He said
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." she said.
They then continued walking home in silence. Still reeling with guilt, she then said,
"I'm really sorry for slapping you. I never meant to do that to you. It just came out of nowhere."
Rodrigo was still upset over the slap, but knowing that it was accidental, he decided to let this one slip but with a warning.
"It's ok, Helga. I'll let this one go, but seriously do not touch me like that again."
Helga said nothing but acknowledged the seriousness in Rodrigo's voice when he said that.
They continued walking towards her house, making small chat along the way, but she could tell that Rodrigo was still upset over the slap; he was barely answering her. She didn't mind it though. She was still reeling over their 'moment' and she was desperately trying not to freak out in front of him again. After a while, they finally arrived at her house.
"Thanks for the walk Latino boy. Again, I could have walked on my own." She said to him.
"You could have, but I did not want anyone else to get slapped by you. I'm just looking out for everyone's well-being" he said back to her with a smirk.
"You know, for a guy who is an outcast, you're a cry baby over a dumb slap. I'm sure you had it worse." she said with her arms crossed now.
"Ya, I did. But I have my limits." he replied back.
Before she went inside, she figured what she can do for him at least. She started to lean towards him, but Rodrigo suddenly jerked his head away, thinking that she was going to hurt him again.
"What? I'm not going to hurt you again, doofus. Sheesh! I'm not that cruel." She said, feeling a bit offended that he would think she would touch him like that again. "Just come here."
Rodrigo very reluctantly lean a bit. Helga then leaned again and planted on him a small kiss on the cheek where she slapped him.
"See? That wasn't so painful." She said with a smirk as she gave him a tap on his shoulder
Rodrigo was a bit confused about the kiss, but he nevertheless said to her,
"No, it wasn't. Thanks Helga. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you too." she said. Then she went up her stoop and into her house.
Rodrigo walked home after she went in; pondering about the kiss she just gave him. Unlike the others times when she got close, he didn't get nervous this time. It not only felt nice, but also warm and ...right, which made him all the more confusing.
Ya, this is really confusing! Just a moment ago my heart was pounding when she snuggled beside me and when we had that 'moment' where we almost kissed, but now I feel ok. He thought.
He really wasn't able to put finger on it, but he decided that it was probably just the way she behaves towards him whenever she gets close to him.
I really shouldn't think too much into this. She has a boyfriend whom she loves deeply. There is no way that she would simply forget him after being in love with them for almost her entire live! Whatever that 'moment' was, I'm sure it was nothing. He continued to think.
Satisfied with his conclusion, for now, he then proceeded to get home as fast as possible and in order to start writing his response letter to Arnold.
Later that evening…
Dear Arnold,
thank you kindly for your letter. It is nice to finally get in contact with you. I have heard so many things about you since I started school. You are a most cherished and well respected person here in Hillwood. It would be nice if you do get a chance to visit us. I know everyone here will be glad to see you again. I have a lot of questions to ask you, but I would like to wait until I see you in person.
Thank you for the welcome and for the recommendations that you gave me. I have not had the chance to try that ice cream at Slausen's Ice Cream parlor but I'll be sure to put it on my list. As for jazz music, I love the genre and I'll be sure to visit one soon.
Your friends have all been very nice and very welcoming to me. I was deeply impressed by them, which is why I decided to be friends with them. You're right, they are a diverse bunch and I found that to be a fun fact that I deeply cherish. I have no problem in either playing sports with Gerald and the boys, or to going to see a play with Eugene or go to an opera with Rhonda. I can honestly say that I am very happy to have met everyone. They have made the transition a lot easier for me.
My compliments to your friends also include your girlfriend, Helga Pataki. There are a lot of things that I can say about her, too much to write in this letter. But I will say this: I can honestly see why Phoebe is friends with her. I can also see why you fell for her, Arnold. Yes, it wasn't easy trying to be friends with her, and there were times when I wanted to just quit, but like you, I refused because I knew that deep down, there has to be something good, something so beautiful that only a privileged few can see it. Despite being a difficult person, Helga is truly an amazing person.
My only concern is that I wish our friends would also see that. I no doubt know the difficulties it was for you to juggle between your friends and Helga. I don't know how you did, but I highly respect you for doing it.
speaking of juggling and sports, I hear you have a good arm for baseball. I hope I get a chance to see that in person sometime.
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well Arnold.
Yours truly,
Rodrigo Castile de la Serna
Meanwhile in Helga's room…
Helga was walking around her room quickly, trying desperately to calm down before she succumbed to a panic attack. She was at a complete loss what had almost just happened between her and Rodrigo. She was surprised that she was able to put up a calm face after the incident, even going so far as to kiss him on his cheek and not freaking out.
I can't believe I just did that, getting close to him and actually falling asleep like that! I knew I shouldn't have gotten too close to him. I can't believe how stupid I was to let this happened. Worse still, we almost kissed! I know that Rodrigo felt the same vibe, but whatever his reasons for not leaning in to kiss me, I'm so thankful for that! Had he done so, I don't think I would have resisted! She thought almost hysterically.
I can't believe I just slapped him like that! What must he think of me?! It wasn't his fault, I trust him not to do anything stupid, and he was even kind enough to let me get close to him, but yet out of instinct, I still hit him like that. Crimeny he must think I am nuts!
This has never happened to me! I have never, EVER thought about being, or doing things with someone other than Arnold! What happened? Why him? What makes him so special? I know I can't answer these questions because I'm still not sure how I feel about him! This is driving me crazy! She thought frustratingly.
She started pulling her hair, irritated that she can't figure things out.
I have to talk to Phoebe about this. I can't do this on my own. I need her help. She thought.
Despite the fact that Phoebe had not yet texted her back, she nevertheless grabbed her phone and started calling her.
After a few rings, she finally answered.
"Hi Helga." her best friend said to her.
"Phoebe, I need your help." she bluntly told her best friend.
To be continued...
That wraps it up! You will have to wait for the next chapter to see what Helga and Phoebe have to say about this and what solution they come up with.