My Little Mere-Maid
By Chae.Rim
Disclaimer: Nickelodeon and Viacom own Hey Arnold! Craig Bartlett created it.
Brief Summary: When seventeen years old Arnold reluctantly spent his summer to be Helga's maid, he soon realized the true character of Helga as she merely showed herself behind the dangerous, butt-kicking, and ill manner mask that she had always hid under.
Prologue: Goodbye Good Old Time
" BINNNGGOOOO!" the announcer yelled. " And the third place winner is…"
" Turn the TV down Phil!" Arnold's grandma yelled from the kitchen.
" I'm trying to listen to the lottery here! You know, first place winner can have like a million dollars!" Phil replied. " We'll be filthy rich if we won!"
" You know, there are thousands of people who entered this lottery," Grandma said carelessly.
" I hope my fifty bucks doesn't go to waste," Grandpa sighed, and then paid attention to the TV.
" And the first place winner is…" the announcer slowed down his pace. The drum began to roll louder and louder as thousands of hearts were racing at the same moment. " H.G.P.! Congratulation, H.G.P. The million dollar grand price will be send to your door! And now, our administrators have decided to give out 'Encouragement Prize'. They are two tickets of a year worth trip to Hawaii, all expense will be taken care of, and will given to five lucky winners."
" Oh great! My fifty bucks is given to H.P.G., whoever that is!" Phil complained. " I shouldn't have entered this lottery to begin with!"
" And our last lucky winner out of the five is…" the announcer repeated the same regular action. However, before the announcer finished his sentence, Grandpa turned off the TV and joined his wife in the kitchen to the delicious breakfast.
" Good Morning, Grandpa and Grandma," Arnold dully greeted.
" What's wrong, Arnold?" Grandma asked. " You don't look so good."
" It's just that I'm broke, Grandma," Arnold sighed. " I spent my allowance on the lottery thingy."
" PHIL!" Grandma gave Grandpa a cold stare.
" What?" Grandpa exclaimed sarcastically.
" I can't believe you listened to your grandfather," Grandma sighed.
" It's not Grandpa's fault," Arnold sadly said.
" See!" Grandpa interrupted.
" I just wanted to try out my lucks and have a really nice vacation," Arnold said dreamily, but then he dropped his voice. " Guess like it's not going to happen."
" Don't worry about it, Arnold," Grandpa tried to comfort him. " I'm broke, too."
" How about you get a summer job and start saving for next summer, Arnold?" Grandma suggested. " After all, next year you'll be graduated, so then with your saving, I think you'll have the best summer as a kid!"
" Yeah, thanks Grandma," Arnold slightly smiled. " I'll do that."
Arnold stepped out of the boarding house and took a deep breath of the new summer breeze, and then exhaled a big sigh. So much for playing time, Arnold thought. Well, it's time to say goodbye to good old time anyway.
" Hey Arnold!" Gerald shouted from across the street as he began to cross over.
" Hey Gerald," Arnold said dully.
" What's up, man?" Gerald excitedly said.
" Not much," Arnold replied. " What are you planning to do this summer?"
" Probably get a job. I'm broke."
" Same here."
" Let's hit the newspaper."
" Alright, let's go my house Arnold. My dad works at a Service Agency, so maybe he might find some suitable jobs for us. You know, easy and make fast money."
" Good idea," Arnold grinned as he walked with Gerald. " So you entered the lottery, too, huh?"
" Yeah, I swear everyone was so sucked in that lottery. After I heard the grand prize winner goes to H.G.P., whoever that is, all of my hopes were gone at that instant moment."
" Me too. I almost bounce my head on the radio."
Gerald laughed out loud, and so was Arnold. Maybe this summer wasn't going to be that bad after all, he thought.
As Arnold settled down on Gerald's bed, Gerald quickly grabbed the newspaper and a pen to begin their reluctant adventure a head.
" How about this, Arnold," Gerald said as he point out the ad. " Pet Service. Clean your pet as clean as snow white. Need a dog washer. Fifteen dollars per hour."
" Good deal. Let's go and try out," Arnold excitedly said.
When they arrived…" This is it," Arnold said as he stared at the withered wooden shop.
" I'm not sure about this," Gerald tweaked his eyes. " It doesn't seem very… welcoming."
" Welcome or not," Arnold said. " It's our next summer vacation, so let's."
Arnold urged his friend to take a several steps closer to the door. Reluctantly, his friend obeyed and opened the door. The inside of the shop looked pretty nice. They both found it very strange on how they displayed the pet service shop. It looked like a beauty salon shop with high tech chairs and tables. The room was filled with exactly ten chairs and ten small tables. Each chair was covered with black fancy leather, a massage remote, and a small tub under. Arnold was expecting more of big bathtubs. Ignoring such thoughts, they both moved on and talked with the manager at the counter.
" Hello, how can I help you?" the manager said nicely.
" We're saw your ad-" Arnold began to speak.
" I see, summer job, no?" the manager cut them off.
" Yes," Arnold looked at the tag on her shirt. "Fay Fay."
" You'll be calling me m'am or manager if you'll be working here," the tone of the manager voice stiffened and became stricter. " We'll see how you do in one day and decide whether you'll be hire or not. Understand?"
" Yes, m'am," both of Arnold and Gerald said at the same time.
" Good. Now go to the back room, you'll see our shop uniforms. Wear it, and one of the worker over there will show you the rest," the manager demanded.
" Yes, m'am," both Gerald and Arnold said.
When both of them were finished changing and ready to get to work, one of the girl name Lucy showed them how to use the high tech chair, how to wash the pet in the tub, how to give it a perfect salon, how to keep the place always clean, how to do the 'nail it, wash it, dry it, perfume it, perfect it, tame it', and how to get tips from customers.
" Okay, here come your first customer," Lucy said as a elegant fat lady who dressed in a pink furry dress walked in with two white fuzzy dogs in her big arms.
" Good morning Madam," the manager smiled to the customer.
" Good morning Fay Fay," the lady replied. " I'll drop off Fluffy and Devil here, and I'll come back in an hour."
" Yes Madam," Fay Fay replied sweetly as she received the dogs. " Leave everything to us. We'll take care of your precious."
When the lady completely out of sight, Fay Fay came up to Arnold and Gerald.
" You, the newbie with tall black hair and the football-head, give these a full salon," Fay Fay said coldly. " Lucy showed you the NWDPPT, right?"
" Yes, m'am," Gerald and Arnold answered.
They took a deep breath, forced a smile, and received the dogs. Gerald thought it was a pain in the neck, but then after five minutes being with the dog, he had it easy. The dog he had in his hand was named Devil. Surprisingly, it basically listened and obeyed everything he told it to do. Gerald cleaned its nailed, bathed it, dry it, put perfume on it, doing any other necessary to make it looks nice, and gave it a treat. Gerald finished the NWDPPT barely before the clock reached thirty minutes while Arnold struggled to continue washing the dog so-called-Fluffy and tried to keep it from biting him.
" Need help, buddy?" Gerald grinned.
" No assistant," Fay Fay roared from behind.
" Strict chick," Gerald whispered to Arnold.
" I said NO ASSISTANT!" Fay Fay yelled even louder.
" I'm just talking to him," Gerald replied.
" Whatever," Fay Fay snorted and turned her face into to her magazine.
" Scary chick, you mean," Arnold murmured under his breath and made sure his voice was low enough so Fay Fay couldn't hear it.
" At least, I think this job is pretty easy," Gerald smiled as the dog used it claw and wiped Arnold arm.
" OW!" Arnold cried. " What the hell!"
" What's happening over there?" Fay Fay demanded.
" The stinking dog just wiped me," Arnold yelled as a single drop of blood dropped.
" What did you do to it?" Fay Fay narrowed her eyes.
" What do you mean what did I do to it? It just wiped my bloody arm," Arnold angrily replied, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.
" You absolutely have no sense of animal tameness, do you?" Fay Fay said as an insult. " Continue your work."
" Isn't this abusing your worker?" Arnold angrily whispered to Gerald. Before Gerald could reply, when Arnold was trying to hold Fluffy by the stomach, Fluffy jumped out of the tub, ran around the shop, and hit everything in its way.
" It went berserk!" Lucy shrieked as she jumped on the chair near by.
" Someone catches the dog!" Fay Fay yelled.
Gerald and Arnold ran after the dogs, but apparently, it was too fast for the two of them. In fact, chasing after the dogs was even making the place looked worst. Arnold ran by and hit the bucket of soap water on the floor, so then Gerald began to go berserk as well as the dog because he stepped on the soapy floor. Arnold, Gerald, and Fluffy were covered with soap on their head and entire body. The dog kept barking and running like crazy for the next thirty minutes. Arnold was amazed how it never had gotten tired.
When the fat fancy lady entered the messy wrecked shop, she gasped and shrieked as the soakedFluffy ran to her arm suddenly.
" WATCH OUT!" Arnold yelled.
It was too late. Gerald and him landed on the fat lady before they know it. Gerald and Arnold got up and looked at the scene. Fay Fay finally got off her chair now everything had calmed down. She tried not to slipped on the soapy floor and sauntered toward the fat lady lying on the ground. Arnold found it funny when he saw the fancy fat lady struggled and wiggled, trying to get up. It was like seeing a big fat turtle lying on its back.
" What are you people standing there for?" the lady screamed. " HELP ME UP!"
Reluctantly, everyone in the shop tried to pull the lady up. The task was done after a very long moment. Everyone sweated. It was like pulling an elephant up, Arnold thought.
" IS THIS HOW YOUR SHOP BEHAVES?" The lady screamed into Fay Fay's face. " DID YOU TOUCH MY PRECIOUS FLUFFY'S STOMACH?"
" We just got two new workers, so…" Fay Fay nervously said.
" HOW IRRESPONSIBLE YOU ARE!" she kept on screaming.
After five minutes of silent, the lady calmed her self down.
" Aren't I your regular customer?" the lady stilled seemed to be very irritated. " You should let experienced professional to take care of my babies."
" Yes, m'am," Fay Fay panicked and bowed her head. " Next time I'll personally take care of Fluffy."
" You'll hope there will be a next time," the lady gave Fay Fay a cold look and stomped out of the shop with both of the dogs on her arms.
" Damn!" Fay Fay clenched her fists and thrown them on the counter heavily. She walked toward Arnold and Gerald with a fiery face. Arnold hadn't seen anything so scary except for the horror movie that he saw with Gerald a month ago. Arnold gulped. He was sure not to be hire. " You two, go home."
" So do we get to know tomorrow if we can work here or not?" Gerald asked casually.
" No, I'll tell you right now," Fay Fay said primly. " You with the tall black hair stay, and the football-head will have to go. Well, good day."
" Sorry, manager," Arnold apologized. Fay Fay didn't answered and kept on walking her way.
" Great…" Arnold murmured under his breath as Gerald and him leave the shop. " How do I suppose to know not to touch its stomach?"
" Don't worry about it, Arnold," Gerald tried to comfort him. " Let's go get a bite at my house and wait until my dad comes home. I'm sure he can hook you up with a job."
" Sure," Arnold let out a big sigh and forgot about the pet shop. " Thanks, Gerald."
" No problem."
When Gerald's dad came home…
" Hey Dad!" Gerald greeted.
" Hello Gerald," Gerald's dad replied as he stepped in the house. " Hello Arnold. Did you guys get a summer job yet?"
" I did," Gerald said. " But Arnold haven't found the right one yet. Any idea for a job that is easy and make fast money, Dad?"
" Well, I got a call from a rich lady today. She just move in the new house on the hill, and she's looking for a maid to clean her house daily," Gerald said.
" Whoa there, Dad, a maid?" Gerald interrupted and tweaked one side of his eyebrows.
" Yes, Gerald. A maid. With highly paid maid," Gerald's dad continued. " Twenty bucks an hour. Clean her house twice a week or more. As long as she's happy with your work, she'll give you nice tips. For summer jobs, that's the nicest one I've seen. Since the house is new and not that big, being a 'maid' for that house has it easy."
" But Dad, a maid?" Gerald gave him the same look as before again.
" What's wrong with being a maid?" Gerald's dad asked him.
" Well… Arnold here is a boy. Isn't maid is a job for girls?" Gerald still gave him the same tweaked look.
" Well, if you don't like the word maid, consider it janitor or something," Gerald's dad replied. " Trust me, Arnold. This job is pretty good. If you clean the place in an hour per visit, twice a week, by the time you go to school, that's about ten weeks. You'll get four hundred bucks or more."
" I'll take the job Mr. Johanssen," Arnold grinned.
" Okay then," Gerald's dad returned a smile and get out a piece of paper from his suitcase. " The owner of the house wanted her new worker to sign this contract. Read it over and sign it."
Arnold read the first page of the contract…
1. Do whatever the lady tells you to do. For example, if she tells you to clean the toilet, obey.
2. Everything in the lady's house should not be removed or replaced. If she finds something missing, you'll be in a lot of trouble, and could be sue.
3. Do not call the lady any thing you wish, you must call her miss or madam. No name-calling.
4. Do not touch her private personal things.
5. Do not enter her closet, ever.
6. Do not argue.
7. Please go to work on time. She'll give you permission when to work.
8. When working at her house, unless the lady commutes with you, please keep quiet and don't annoy her.
Pretty simple things, Arnold thought. He skipped the rest of the page and sighed his name on the bottom.
" Thank you, Mr. Johanssesn," Arnold smiled.
" You welcome, Arnold," Gerald's dad gently replied.
" I'll be going home now," Arnold said. " Good bye everyone."
" Good bye, Arnold," Gerald's dad formally said.
" See ya later," Gerald grinned. " We are going to have the best summer next year."
" Right on," Arnold beamed a grinned back.
When Arnold got home, he saw the house was full of suitcases.
" Hey Arnold!" his grandpa greeted. " You're finally home."
" What happened, Grandpa?" Arnold frustrated. " Are you guys going somewhere?"
" Yup," Grandpa cheerfully replied. " Hawaii."
" What?" Arnold opened his eyes as wide as possible. " Hawaii? I thought you said you were broke."
" Well Arnold," Grandpa said. " Remember the lottery thing? The Encouragement Prize?"
" Yeah…" Arnold tweaked his eyebrows and dropped his jaws. " No way! You guys got the prize?"
" Yup, little man," Grandpa grinned. " All expense taken care of. Two tickets."
" You'll be there for a year, Grandpa?" Arnold asked.
" Yup. I think you'll be just fine here by collecting the rent every month."
" Okay… Are you leaving today?"
" Tomorrow, Arnold."
Arnold forced a smile on his face and walked to his room while sadness was jumping up and down in his stomach. Lying on his bed and staring at the blue dark sky, Arnold thought over it. After all, Grandpa and Grandma were at a pretty high age. It was an opportunity for them to have the time of their life while it last. Arnold closed his eyes and smile to himself. He'll be fine. Next year, everything will shine once he's eighteen. Perfect timing, he thought.
" Dinner, Arnold!" Grandma yelled.
" Coming Grandma!" Arnold replied.
While eating dinner with his grandparents for the last time before they headed for Hawaii, the conversation on the table was only about the trip and Grandma's lecture on what happened in emergency and things.
" If you need food, just go to Mr. Green," Grandma said. " If you need anything or in an emergency, call us immediately."
" Calm down, Pookies," Grandpa said as he swallowed a spoonful of mashed potatoes.
" Ernie, Mr. Huynh, Oskar, and I will take care of Arnold," Suzie smiled. " We won't let anything happen to him."
" Yeah, Grandma. Don't worry about me," Arnold smiled.
That night, the conversation was too busy revolved around the Hawaii trip that Arnold forgot to tell them that he just got his first job. Arnold forgot about it himself until the morning after his grandparents had left. From now on, Arnold had to be independence now when his grandparents were away. It's a good chance for experience, Arnold encouraged himself. Everything will be just fine, just like what Grandma and Grandpa always said.
RINNNGG!
" Hello?" Arnold answered.
" Hey Arnold," Gerald's dad greeted. " Your boss wanted you to come today. Her house has finished moving in and all. She wanted go over something with you when you come."
" Okay. Thank you," Arnold said. " I'll be there in a minute."
Five minutes later…
Arnold arrived at his boss's house. He stared at the extravagant house for a second and stepped on the doormat. Everything looked so expensive… Arnold thought. Well, of course. Arnold raised his hand and rang the doorbell.
" Coming!" a familiar voice from the inside shouted. Arnold scolded his brain and tried to figure out the familiar voice, but he just couldn't think of anything. When the doorknob began to turn, Arnold put on a smile on his face to get the boss's impression in their first meeting. As the door revealed the face of his boss, Arnold gasped. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, his jaw dropped, and his mind panicked.
My boss… Arnold cried out loud in his head. … is HELGA G. PATAKI?
" Hello my new worker," Helga beamed a grimly evil smile.
Arnold stammered and utterly couldn't say a word. Great! Arnold thought as his brain reminded him of the first rule of the contract. Goodbye good old time… This is going to be hell.
Chae.Rim: End Prologue. To Be Continue...
If you have any question, suggestion, critics, please feel free to say them. Thank you for reading and leave review on your way out.
