Hey Arnold!
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.
Notes: I'm glad to hear that Helga and Arnold splitting up didn't put you off reading the rest... I don't like it that Helga and Arnold are fighting, either, but I just couldn't see Helga putting up with Lila. Bah, maybe they'll get back together some day. But then again, maybe they won't! Sorry, I'm teasing now, I'll just get on with it and let you read chapter five.
The lift doors opened on the third floor. Arnold stepped out. The hotel didn't look so bad, it had walls that were painted green and clean, red carpets. Arnold figured that Lila was only taking a holiday to England.
Arnold found Lila's room and banged loudly on the door. Lila answered it and was shocked at who she saw at the door. "Arnold?" she asked. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"Let's just cut to the chase, Lila," said Arnold, pushing himself through the doorway and into Lila's hotel room. "I know that we have a son and that you have been keeping him from me."
"How did you find out?" asked Lila.
"Let's just say that I have my sources," said Arnold. "What are you doing in England, anyway?"
"Well, I was supposed to be here on a two week holiday, but I liked it here so much, that I extended my stay at this hotel and booked a different flight home!" Lila explained.
"How much longer are you staying here for?" asked Arnold.
"Four days," said Lila. "Not that it's any of your business."
"It is my business!" said Arnold. "I want to know when you are going to take my son away from me again!"
"You haven't wanted to see him before, I don't know why you are so interested now," said Lila.
"You know quite well that I didn't know about him!" shouted Arnold. "I want to see him, right now."
"He's asleep, you'll have to wait!" said Lila.
"I'm not leaving here until I meet my son!" demanded Arnold.
"Then, you'll have to wait until he wakes up from his afternoon nap," said Lila, firmly. "So, how is Helga?"
"Like you care!" said Arnold. "We're not together any more."
"Why is that?" asked Lila, finally hearing some good news.
Arnold didn't want to give Lila the satisfaction of knowing that she had managed to split them both up so he just said, "We just had some differences."
"At least you are free to date other women!" said Lila.
"We're still married, you know!" said Arnold. "We'll be back together in no time."
"I think that you are in denial," smiled Lila.
"Shut up, you don't know anything about it," said Arnold. "Can I use your bathroom?"
"Sure, it's down that hallway and on the left," said Lila. When Arnold had gone into the bathroom, Lila muttered, "Helga's loss, my gain!"
Phoebe and Gerald had given Helga some time alone to think and stayed upstairs, but decided that it was time to see how Helga was doing. They went downstairs and saw that Helga was sitting miserably at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of wine.
"Did you tell him?" asked Phoebe.
"Yes," said Helga, who sound as if she had been crying. "He pleaded with me not to break up with him, but I still went ahead with it."
"Do you regret it?" asked Phoebe.
Helga paused for a moment. "No, of course not, I told you my reasons why I wanted to break up and I still stand by my decision,"she said.
"Don't you think that it's going to be hard?" asked Gerald. "Phoebe and I are still friends with Arnold and we're not going to stop seeing him. You would be seeing and hearing about him just as much as you would be hearing about Lila if you stayed with him!"
"That's why I've made another decision," said Helga. "I can't stay here any more."
"Then, where are you going to stay?" asked Phoebe.
"I want to go and live back over in America," Helga said. "It's the only way that I will be able to forget about Arnold."
"You're not going to go running back to your Mum and Dad are you?" asked Gerald.
"No, of course not," Helga said. "I'm going to try and get an apartment over in New York."
"Do you have enough money for that?" asked Phoebe, concerned about her friend's sudden desire to move away.
"I have enough saved up for me to start all over again," said Helga. "Please don't try and talk me out of my decision."
"Okay," said Phoebe.
"I'll have to sort out the divorce, first," said Helga. "But, maybe I'll be able to get a lawyer over in America."
"I don't believe that you're doing this, you know that you will regret it, straight away," said Gerald. "So, you plan on taking Arnold's child away from him? To another country? Why aren't you thinking about anybody but yourself?"
"Gerald!" scolded Phoebe.
"I'm not stopping Arnold from seeing James," Helga explained. "If he cares enough about him, he will come back over to America, himself. Then he will be able to see James as often as he likes."
"You're being unreasonable," said Gerald.
"I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be," said Helga.
"It's pointless!" exclaimed Gerald. "You're moving away because you don't want to see Arnold any more, but you want him to follow you over to New York so you'll end up seeing him anyway? It's just stupid!"
"Stop shouting at her," Phoebe said to Gerald.
"It's this whole town!" said Helga. "There are too many memories. I want a fresh start and I want to do it over in America. I might start making some enquiries about somewhere to live over there right now." Helga went upstairs to make some phone calls.
When Helga had gone, Phoebe said to Gerald, "You didn't have to shout at her like that."
"She needs to see sense," said Gerald. "You don't seem to be doing a good job of talking her out of it."
"I think that it's plain to see that Helga has made up her mind and nothing that we can do or say can change that," said Phoebe, sadly. "Face it, Lila's won this time. She's finally succeeded in breaking up the perfect couple."
Back over at Lila's hotel room, Arnold was still waiting awkwardly for his son to wake up. Lila could see that Arnold was very depressed at the moment after his break up with Helga. She knew that she would be able to take advantage of that. Maybe Arnold would fall for her?
Notes: Will Arnold fall for Lila's charm? Find out in chapter seven!
Secrets and Lies - Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold and I don't have any connection with the show.
Notes: I'm glad to hear that Helga and Arnold splitting up didn't put you off reading the rest... I don't like it that Helga and Arnold are fighting, either, but I just couldn't see Helga putting up with Lila. Bah, maybe they'll get back together some day. But then again, maybe they won't! Sorry, I'm teasing now, I'll just get on with it and let you read chapter five.
The lift doors opened on the third floor. Arnold stepped out. The hotel didn't look so bad, it had walls that were painted green and clean, red carpets. Arnold figured that Lila was only taking a holiday to England.
Arnold found Lila's room and banged loudly on the door. Lila answered it and was shocked at who she saw at the door. "Arnold?" she asked. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"Let's just cut to the chase, Lila," said Arnold, pushing himself through the doorway and into Lila's hotel room. "I know that we have a son and that you have been keeping him from me."
"How did you find out?" asked Lila.
"Let's just say that I have my sources," said Arnold. "What are you doing in England, anyway?"
"Well, I was supposed to be here on a two week holiday, but I liked it here so much, that I extended my stay at this hotel and booked a different flight home!" Lila explained.
"How much longer are you staying here for?" asked Arnold.
"Four days," said Lila. "Not that it's any of your business."
"It is my business!" said Arnold. "I want to know when you are going to take my son away from me again!"
"You haven't wanted to see him before, I don't know why you are so interested now," said Lila.
"You know quite well that I didn't know about him!" shouted Arnold. "I want to see him, right now."
"He's asleep, you'll have to wait!" said Lila.
"I'm not leaving here until I meet my son!" demanded Arnold.
"Then, you'll have to wait until he wakes up from his afternoon nap," said Lila, firmly. "So, how is Helga?"
"Like you care!" said Arnold. "We're not together any more."
"Why is that?" asked Lila, finally hearing some good news.
Arnold didn't want to give Lila the satisfaction of knowing that she had managed to split them both up so he just said, "We just had some differences."
"At least you are free to date other women!" said Lila.
"We're still married, you know!" said Arnold. "We'll be back together in no time."
"I think that you are in denial," smiled Lila.
"Shut up, you don't know anything about it," said Arnold. "Can I use your bathroom?"
"Sure, it's down that hallway and on the left," said Lila. When Arnold had gone into the bathroom, Lila muttered, "Helga's loss, my gain!"
Phoebe and Gerald had given Helga some time alone to think and stayed upstairs, but decided that it was time to see how Helga was doing. They went downstairs and saw that Helga was sitting miserably at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of wine.
"Did you tell him?" asked Phoebe.
"Yes," said Helga, who sound as if she had been crying. "He pleaded with me not to break up with him, but I still went ahead with it."
"Do you regret it?" asked Phoebe.
Helga paused for a moment. "No, of course not, I told you my reasons why I wanted to break up and I still stand by my decision,"she said.
"Don't you think that it's going to be hard?" asked Gerald. "Phoebe and I are still friends with Arnold and we're not going to stop seeing him. You would be seeing and hearing about him just as much as you would be hearing about Lila if you stayed with him!"
"That's why I've made another decision," said Helga. "I can't stay here any more."
"Then, where are you going to stay?" asked Phoebe.
"I want to go and live back over in America," Helga said. "It's the only way that I will be able to forget about Arnold."
"You're not going to go running back to your Mum and Dad are you?" asked Gerald.
"No, of course not," Helga said. "I'm going to try and get an apartment over in New York."
"Do you have enough money for that?" asked Phoebe, concerned about her friend's sudden desire to move away.
"I have enough saved up for me to start all over again," said Helga. "Please don't try and talk me out of my decision."
"Okay," said Phoebe.
"I'll have to sort out the divorce, first," said Helga. "But, maybe I'll be able to get a lawyer over in America."
"I don't believe that you're doing this, you know that you will regret it, straight away," said Gerald. "So, you plan on taking Arnold's child away from him? To another country? Why aren't you thinking about anybody but yourself?"
"Gerald!" scolded Phoebe.
"I'm not stopping Arnold from seeing James," Helga explained. "If he cares enough about him, he will come back over to America, himself. Then he will be able to see James as often as he likes."
"You're being unreasonable," said Gerald.
"I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be," said Helga.
"It's pointless!" exclaimed Gerald. "You're moving away because you don't want to see Arnold any more, but you want him to follow you over to New York so you'll end up seeing him anyway? It's just stupid!"
"Stop shouting at her," Phoebe said to Gerald.
"It's this whole town!" said Helga. "There are too many memories. I want a fresh start and I want to do it over in America. I might start making some enquiries about somewhere to live over there right now." Helga went upstairs to make some phone calls.
When Helga had gone, Phoebe said to Gerald, "You didn't have to shout at her like that."
"She needs to see sense," said Gerald. "You don't seem to be doing a good job of talking her out of it."
"I think that it's plain to see that Helga has made up her mind and nothing that we can do or say can change that," said Phoebe, sadly. "Face it, Lila's won this time. She's finally succeeded in breaking up the perfect couple."
Back over at Lila's hotel room, Arnold was still waiting awkwardly for his son to wake up. Lila could see that Arnold was very depressed at the moment after his break up with Helga. She knew that she would be able to take advantage of that. Maybe Arnold would fall for her?
Notes: Will Arnold fall for Lila's charm? Find out in chapter seven!