****Thanks again as usual for all the wonderful reviews! I'm trying to add
some spice and twists to this story; I don't want it to get too
predictable! This chapter is going to contain my classic point of view flip-
flop, as I haven't done that in a few chapters. Hope you like! On with the
show!
Chapter 18 All Signs Point To Yes
The sidewalk was littered with gold and crimson leaves, curled into shining bits of autumn. The air smelled faintly of burning yard refuse and dying grass, but the sun was bright and hopeful in the azure sky.
There were many happy couples walking through the park on this vibrant fall day. A young man with dark hair and his equally dark haired companion strolled hand in hand, smiling sappily at one another.
An elderly couple walked together slowly, the man dragging a cane with one hand as he steadied himself against his wife with the other. All the world seemed right, the air filled with romance. That is, until..
" Look, Barnabie, a picnic lunch all set up for lil' ol me? How very thoughtful!" squealed a beehived blonde of roughly 12 years of age. She dragged her counterpart towards the red and white checked tablecloth that was spread out under a nearby oak tree.
The elderly couple jumped back a little slowly, but effectively. The woman shot a dark look in the young couple's direction, who nodded in agreement. Kids these days!
" Heh, well my name is BARNIE, but thank you, Helga. I thought you would enjoy this if you would just let yourself," Barnie corrected her gently, twisting his wrist free of her iron like grip. He seated himself on a plump throw pillow and gestured for her to do the same.
Helga smiled, sans lipgloss coated teeth. Barnie had finally gotten up the guts 2 blocks back to point out the ungainly glop that stained her front teeth, and she had to admit it didn't bother her at all to wipe the vile stuff off.
She plopped down on the remaining pillow, her legs sprawled about in a very UN lady-like fashion. She stuck a finger in the ramekin of bread pudding that Miriam had insisted he take for their lunch.
" Mmmm!" Helga growled with mock satisfaction. She actually hated bread pudding, but knew that Barnie loved it. She licked her finger thoroughly, then promptly shoved it knuckle deep back into the sole container of the fragrant dish. Barnie gasped audibly.
Helga roared with laughter internally, but painted on a concerned expression. " Why, Barium, did you want a bite first? Let me get you a spoon, sugar!" Helga reached for the large serving spoon sticking out of the picnic basket.
" It's BARNIE, Helga, and no thank you. I see that you are already enjoying your mother's wonderful pudding. I'll just have some-"
" Grapes and berries," Arnold replied to his leery grandfather, who shoved a handful of the aforementioned fruit into a baggie for him.
" Where you headed to with all the produce, Shortman?" Grandpa eyed him with curiosity.
" I have to go look for someone," he replied simply.
" Anyone I know?"
" Not really," Arnold answered truthfully. HE didn't even know this person, not really anyway.
" Okay, well be careful out there. You're my favorite grandson, ya know," Grandpa shoved the bag of fruit, a couple of Yahoo sodas and a pickled herring sandwich into the backpack on Arnold's back.
" I'm your ONLY grandson," Arnold laughed, smiling for possibly the first time in 2 days. " And don't worry, I will be," He sniffed the air with a pained expression.
" Ugh, did Grandma make herring sandwiches again?" Arnold crinkled his nose in disgust at the pungent odor.
" Have no idea, kiddo. Have fun!" Grandpa replied a little too quickly, shoving Arnold towards the door with gusto.
Abner shot in through the doorway as soon as it opened, promptly knocking Grandpa to the floor.
" Blasted Pig! I knew I should have made Mu Shoo Pork out of you when I had the chance!"
" Bye Grandpa," Arnold replied over his shoulder. He was used to his grandfather's constant threats to make a meal out of his favorite pet.
The door clicked closed behind him. The air smelled fragrant and hopeful. Arnold narrowed his eyes in the bright afternoon sunlight. He didn't have a clue where to start looking, but he had to try.
He traced out a route in his head, mentally noting where he usually saw the person he was seeking.
" I'll check the bus stop, BigAl's Cafe, Green Meats, and finally, the park," he spoke aloud to no one in particular. " This is my one.."
" Chance," Barnie muttered under his breath. He couldn't believe how sickly sweet and annoying Helga could be. One more chance, he kept telling himself. He saw her the other day as a totally different person, but this Helga...he had no idea who this girl was!
" Thanks EVER so much for letting me have all this delicious food, Boromir," Helga choked out, practically unable to think of any more weird B names. She motioned to the numerous dishes that littered the tablecloth, each with a huge finger hole poked in the middle.
" I wasn't really hungry, and although I appreciate the Lord Of The Rings reference, my name is BARNIE, not Boromir," he answered her a little harshly. His nerves were obviously rubbed raw.
" I'm SO sorry, I keep forgetting that," Helga smiled back, her eye twitching with barely contained laughter. She pushed her butterfly hairpin a little deeper into the stiff beehive atop her head.
" What do you say we pack all this up and take a stroll to the docks?" Barnie interrupted her thoughts suddenly.
" The docks?" Helga stammered nervously. If they left the park, her plan would be ruined! Her mind raced.
" Yeah, the docks. You know, play some whack a mole, eat a corndog or two?" Barnie drooled slightly, his stomach rumbling from lack of nourishment.
" I'm..I'm.." Helga stuttered, grasping blindly for a response.
" You're?" Barnie asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
" You're going to have to do better than that," Arnold shot at a clearly shaken looking Chocolate Boy. He crossed his arms over his chest in exasperation.
" I don't know, Arnold, I really don't!" the mocha plastered boy spoke nervously.
" I haven't seen 'em since school on Friday!"
" Well I think you know more than you're letting on," Arnold replied smoothly.
" What could I know? I'm a chocolate addicted 7 year old!" His brown eyes squinted in the bright afternoon sunlight.
" You know pretty much anything that goes on this side of the neighborhood," Arnold spoke evenly. " And it's not like I won't make it worth your while," Arnold patted his backpack smugly.
Chocolate Boy sniffed the air delicately. " Is that...is that Godiva hazelnut creme filled truffles?" The syrupy face lit up with delight.
" Maybe. Depends on what you know," Arnold shrugged, leaning back on his heels.
" So maybe I know a little something," Chocolate Boy ventured. He licked his sticky lips in anticipation.
" Keep going," Arnold unzipped his bag slowly, a cream and gold embossed bag emerging slightly from the dark blue recesses of his pack.
" I saw said person twenty, maybe thirty minutes ago,"
A single cocoa dusted chocolate confection was flicked into his eager hand.
" Where at?"
" In the park," he mumbled from his full mouth.
" Where at in the park?" Arnold held out another chocolate, this one drizzled with white and dark icing.
" Under a tree,"
Another treat landed in his cupped hands.
" You better be on the up and up on this one," Arnold rolled the bag of expensive candy closed and shoved it back in his bag.
" WAIT! Don't you need help, like a plan or something?" Chocolate Boy ran after Arnold eagerly, clamping a gooey hand a little too strongly onto his shoulder.
" I have a plan, thanks anyway," Arnold removed his grotesque appendage with disdain. He was far too exhausted and on edge to put up with a cracked out-sugar addict.
" But Arnold, can I have the rest of your chocolate? Arnold?"
Arnold simply stalked off, a boy on a mission.
" Hey, is that a herring and chocolate sandwich in there? Can I have that? Arnold?"
" Arnold," Helga replied dryly, probably for the first time all day.
" Let me get this straight. You can't go to the docks because of Arnold?" Barnie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. " I'm sure that doesn't make much sense, Helga," his blue eyes squinted with confusion.
" Yeah, old football head got me in some trouble down there once, ratted me out for throwing rocks at an old dumpster," Helga lied expertly. Of course her statement held not a shred of truth, she smiled confidently as she could.
" That hardly seems fair to ban someone from the docks because of a little good old fashioned skylarking," Barnie murmured.
SKYLARKING? Who the hell used a word like skylarking??
Helga snapped out of her reverie momentarily.
" Well yeah, but that's how it goes," She fluttered her Tammy Faye eyelashes for emphasis.
Barnie shuddered to Helga's delight, but continued speaking.
" Then I guess we'll just have to go to my "special place", Barnie smirked wickedly.
" If by special you mean touchy feely special, I'll pull your appendix out the old fashioned way, bub" Helga shot angrily, shaking her fist inches from his face.
" Don't worry, no need for physical violence," Barnie reassured her. " You'll see when we get there, you won't be sorry."
But his special place took a back seat to the scene unfolding in front of him.
" Hey, what's HE doing here?"
********** THE END of this chapter anyway, lol! I had MAJOR writer's block on this chapter, but I think the next one will flow much smoother! Thanks to all my readers for being so patient!!
Chapter 18 All Signs Point To Yes
The sidewalk was littered with gold and crimson leaves, curled into shining bits of autumn. The air smelled faintly of burning yard refuse and dying grass, but the sun was bright and hopeful in the azure sky.
There were many happy couples walking through the park on this vibrant fall day. A young man with dark hair and his equally dark haired companion strolled hand in hand, smiling sappily at one another.
An elderly couple walked together slowly, the man dragging a cane with one hand as he steadied himself against his wife with the other. All the world seemed right, the air filled with romance. That is, until..
" Look, Barnabie, a picnic lunch all set up for lil' ol me? How very thoughtful!" squealed a beehived blonde of roughly 12 years of age. She dragged her counterpart towards the red and white checked tablecloth that was spread out under a nearby oak tree.
The elderly couple jumped back a little slowly, but effectively. The woman shot a dark look in the young couple's direction, who nodded in agreement. Kids these days!
" Heh, well my name is BARNIE, but thank you, Helga. I thought you would enjoy this if you would just let yourself," Barnie corrected her gently, twisting his wrist free of her iron like grip. He seated himself on a plump throw pillow and gestured for her to do the same.
Helga smiled, sans lipgloss coated teeth. Barnie had finally gotten up the guts 2 blocks back to point out the ungainly glop that stained her front teeth, and she had to admit it didn't bother her at all to wipe the vile stuff off.
She plopped down on the remaining pillow, her legs sprawled about in a very UN lady-like fashion. She stuck a finger in the ramekin of bread pudding that Miriam had insisted he take for their lunch.
" Mmmm!" Helga growled with mock satisfaction. She actually hated bread pudding, but knew that Barnie loved it. She licked her finger thoroughly, then promptly shoved it knuckle deep back into the sole container of the fragrant dish. Barnie gasped audibly.
Helga roared with laughter internally, but painted on a concerned expression. " Why, Barium, did you want a bite first? Let me get you a spoon, sugar!" Helga reached for the large serving spoon sticking out of the picnic basket.
" It's BARNIE, Helga, and no thank you. I see that you are already enjoying your mother's wonderful pudding. I'll just have some-"
" Grapes and berries," Arnold replied to his leery grandfather, who shoved a handful of the aforementioned fruit into a baggie for him.
" Where you headed to with all the produce, Shortman?" Grandpa eyed him with curiosity.
" I have to go look for someone," he replied simply.
" Anyone I know?"
" Not really," Arnold answered truthfully. HE didn't even know this person, not really anyway.
" Okay, well be careful out there. You're my favorite grandson, ya know," Grandpa shoved the bag of fruit, a couple of Yahoo sodas and a pickled herring sandwich into the backpack on Arnold's back.
" I'm your ONLY grandson," Arnold laughed, smiling for possibly the first time in 2 days. " And don't worry, I will be," He sniffed the air with a pained expression.
" Ugh, did Grandma make herring sandwiches again?" Arnold crinkled his nose in disgust at the pungent odor.
" Have no idea, kiddo. Have fun!" Grandpa replied a little too quickly, shoving Arnold towards the door with gusto.
Abner shot in through the doorway as soon as it opened, promptly knocking Grandpa to the floor.
" Blasted Pig! I knew I should have made Mu Shoo Pork out of you when I had the chance!"
" Bye Grandpa," Arnold replied over his shoulder. He was used to his grandfather's constant threats to make a meal out of his favorite pet.
The door clicked closed behind him. The air smelled fragrant and hopeful. Arnold narrowed his eyes in the bright afternoon sunlight. He didn't have a clue where to start looking, but he had to try.
He traced out a route in his head, mentally noting where he usually saw the person he was seeking.
" I'll check the bus stop, BigAl's Cafe, Green Meats, and finally, the park," he spoke aloud to no one in particular. " This is my one.."
" Chance," Barnie muttered under his breath. He couldn't believe how sickly sweet and annoying Helga could be. One more chance, he kept telling himself. He saw her the other day as a totally different person, but this Helga...he had no idea who this girl was!
" Thanks EVER so much for letting me have all this delicious food, Boromir," Helga choked out, practically unable to think of any more weird B names. She motioned to the numerous dishes that littered the tablecloth, each with a huge finger hole poked in the middle.
" I wasn't really hungry, and although I appreciate the Lord Of The Rings reference, my name is BARNIE, not Boromir," he answered her a little harshly. His nerves were obviously rubbed raw.
" I'm SO sorry, I keep forgetting that," Helga smiled back, her eye twitching with barely contained laughter. She pushed her butterfly hairpin a little deeper into the stiff beehive atop her head.
" What do you say we pack all this up and take a stroll to the docks?" Barnie interrupted her thoughts suddenly.
" The docks?" Helga stammered nervously. If they left the park, her plan would be ruined! Her mind raced.
" Yeah, the docks. You know, play some whack a mole, eat a corndog or two?" Barnie drooled slightly, his stomach rumbling from lack of nourishment.
" I'm..I'm.." Helga stuttered, grasping blindly for a response.
" You're?" Barnie asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
" You're going to have to do better than that," Arnold shot at a clearly shaken looking Chocolate Boy. He crossed his arms over his chest in exasperation.
" I don't know, Arnold, I really don't!" the mocha plastered boy spoke nervously.
" I haven't seen 'em since school on Friday!"
" Well I think you know more than you're letting on," Arnold replied smoothly.
" What could I know? I'm a chocolate addicted 7 year old!" His brown eyes squinted in the bright afternoon sunlight.
" You know pretty much anything that goes on this side of the neighborhood," Arnold spoke evenly. " And it's not like I won't make it worth your while," Arnold patted his backpack smugly.
Chocolate Boy sniffed the air delicately. " Is that...is that Godiva hazelnut creme filled truffles?" The syrupy face lit up with delight.
" Maybe. Depends on what you know," Arnold shrugged, leaning back on his heels.
" So maybe I know a little something," Chocolate Boy ventured. He licked his sticky lips in anticipation.
" Keep going," Arnold unzipped his bag slowly, a cream and gold embossed bag emerging slightly from the dark blue recesses of his pack.
" I saw said person twenty, maybe thirty minutes ago,"
A single cocoa dusted chocolate confection was flicked into his eager hand.
" Where at?"
" In the park," he mumbled from his full mouth.
" Where at in the park?" Arnold held out another chocolate, this one drizzled with white and dark icing.
" Under a tree,"
Another treat landed in his cupped hands.
" You better be on the up and up on this one," Arnold rolled the bag of expensive candy closed and shoved it back in his bag.
" WAIT! Don't you need help, like a plan or something?" Chocolate Boy ran after Arnold eagerly, clamping a gooey hand a little too strongly onto his shoulder.
" I have a plan, thanks anyway," Arnold removed his grotesque appendage with disdain. He was far too exhausted and on edge to put up with a cracked out-sugar addict.
" But Arnold, can I have the rest of your chocolate? Arnold?"
Arnold simply stalked off, a boy on a mission.
" Hey, is that a herring and chocolate sandwich in there? Can I have that? Arnold?"
" Arnold," Helga replied dryly, probably for the first time all day.
" Let me get this straight. You can't go to the docks because of Arnold?" Barnie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. " I'm sure that doesn't make much sense, Helga," his blue eyes squinted with confusion.
" Yeah, old football head got me in some trouble down there once, ratted me out for throwing rocks at an old dumpster," Helga lied expertly. Of course her statement held not a shred of truth, she smiled confidently as she could.
" That hardly seems fair to ban someone from the docks because of a little good old fashioned skylarking," Barnie murmured.
SKYLARKING? Who the hell used a word like skylarking??
Helga snapped out of her reverie momentarily.
" Well yeah, but that's how it goes," She fluttered her Tammy Faye eyelashes for emphasis.
Barnie shuddered to Helga's delight, but continued speaking.
" Then I guess we'll just have to go to my "special place", Barnie smirked wickedly.
" If by special you mean touchy feely special, I'll pull your appendix out the old fashioned way, bub" Helga shot angrily, shaking her fist inches from his face.
" Don't worry, no need for physical violence," Barnie reassured her. " You'll see when we get there, you won't be sorry."
But his special place took a back seat to the scene unfolding in front of him.
" Hey, what's HE doing here?"
********** THE END of this chapter anyway, lol! I had MAJOR writer's block on this chapter, but I think the next one will flow much smoother! Thanks to all my readers for being so patient!!