As Time Goes By
Here we go again…
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I trying to exploit Hey Arnold! It is owned by Snee-Osh and Viacom, and you have no reason to sue me unless you like an old 8 track player as collateral.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As Time Goes By~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Two: A Kiss Is Still A Kiss
::::::RING!!!!::::::::
Helga awoke to a start. She nearly pulled the phone out of the wall.
"DO YOU REALISE WHAT TIME IT IS!?!" Helga yelled angrily, after all, it was 3 in the morning and she had an audition that day, "IF I FIND OUT WHO THIS IS I WILL RIP OUT YOUR LIVER, FRY IT AND FEED IT TO YOU!" She continued.
Silence.
"Hello?" Helga asked.
"Hello?" She repeated, hearing someone on the other line.
"HELGA! It really is you!" A familiar voice yelled with glee.
"PHOEBE!" Helga yelled back, "How did you…? Why did you…?"
Phoebe laughed, "Slow down! I'll explain it all to you on one condition."
Helga blinked with curiosity, "What's that?"
"Recommend a good hotel and meet me for breakfast!"
Helga was ecstatic on the way over to the hotel, she was very well dressed for her audition because of the audition and made sure to park her Beetle close out front for a quick getaway.
When she walked into the hotel restaurant, her jaw dropped, she found Gerald and Phoebe sitting together holding hands. She knew they always had a thing for each other, and that wasn't the shocking part, she noticed a glimmer coming from Phoebe's hand.
Helga, dead shocked and confused staggered an attempt to sit down.
"Hey Helga, when did you turn into a fox?" Gerald asked. The couple laughed, but Helga didn't even notice the compliment she was so confused.
"I'll spare you the twenty questions." Said Phoebe, "Last night Gerald and I 'eloped' in Las Vegas."
Helga looked like a deer in the headlights.
"Are you ready to ord…" Helga waived the waitress away.
Phoebe took Helga's hand, "I'll catch you up."
"Since you left in 9th grade, I missed you dearly. Gerald comforted me, and we had a 'thing' for each other for a while, but never said anything. Throughout high school, we had some romantic 'encounters' but nothing serious." Phoebe added, looking lovingly at Gerald, "He was my first kiss, and a few after that."
'I never heard about that in the letters.' Helga thought to herself.
"We graduated and went our separate ways, by our junior year, we were both in steady relationships, I was at medical school in New York, and Gerald was at business school. One day while I was visiting the liberty bell in Philadelphia, we ran into each other. We realized how much time we had wasted 'beating around the bush' so we just started dating. Gerald transferred, so here we are."
Helga paused, "Yes, that explains a lot, but what about the part of you and 'tall hair boy' getting hitched in Vegas?" The group was immediately hysterical at the memory of the old name.
"Actually," Gerald continued, "We had been thinking about getting married for a while. I proposed. We could just never find the right time, you know? Family, friends, catering, this that. So yesterday I just, 'the hell with it, let's just go to Vegas."
Helga was surprised again, this was pretty impromptu for Phoebe. "Now, how come you and Geraldo (more laughter) didn't stay in Vegas?"
"This close to Valentines Day?" Gerald asked, "You know that's the busiest time of year for marriage."
"How did you get my number anyway?" Helga asked.
"Well, we saw your commercial, since most are made in Los Angeles, and remembering your boarding-school past, I used my cell phone to look up your number in almost every city in southern California! So, I thought I could hit to birds with one stone, get a good hotel recommendation, and see my best friend." Helga smiled. "Now, how about you?"
Helga told the basic facts of her present-day life, skimping on the emotional parts, which she could share with Phoebe later. When she finished she looked at her watch, realizing how tardy she would be if she didn't leave NOW, she hopped up.
"I am so sorry, but if I don't leave now, I'll never make it to the audition on time! Will you meet me for dinner later? We could go to the Apple Pan, best burgers in the…."
"Well actually…" Phoebe cut in, "Gerald and I are heading to Hawaii for a more 'formal' honeymoon this afternoon, I'm so sorry. On the upside, we're going to be holding a post-wedding party in our new apartment in New York City."
The group exchanged hugs and good-byes, and Helga hopped into the car and started to drive off. The last thing she saw as she left the hotel was the happy couple in a gleefull kiss in her rear-view mirror.