Author's Note: I made a lot of references to the Hey Arnold movie in this episode just to make it a little bit familiar to the movie. And yes, there are also references to the Kevin Smith's movie 'Mallrats' here, so fan don't have to worry about it.
Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.
Episode 7: Mallrats
I
"So what do you think about the new mall, Helga?" Phoebe asked her. They both were on their way home, riding the subway.
"Meh," Helga scoffed, "It could've been better if there are more shops open in that place." The train now stopped at their destination and off they disembark from their train.
"Well, give it some time Helga." Her best friend replied back as they deposited their token into the gate, "The mall just opened its doors this week."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Helga replied back, as they walked over to the escalator. "The soon-to-open 25 screens Googolplex at that mall sound pretty sweet."
"It sure is." Phoebe concurred, "Digital Projection, adjustable chairs, EAX 7.1 Digital Surround Sound—"
"Yeah, yeah." Helga produced her hand with her palm facing towards Phoebe, "Spare the technical commentaries to Eugene 'cause I don't know what the heck you're talking about, Pheebs." She replied back.
"Sparing." Phoebe chimed back. Both girls were now outside, after the long escalator ride. The sun was setting. "We should take the bus home Helga." Phoebe suggested, and Helga agreed with her. They boarded a rickety bus and took a seat closest to the exit door. Throughout the journey, they were talking about the new mall that they visited that just opened in the heart of the financial district of the city. It also claimed to be one of the biggest malls in the country, and the both of them agreed. Their only complain was the stores there were too outrageous for their expenses. Rhonda would enjoy shopping there though, they both said and agreed. After traveling a few blocks, the bus finally arrived at Helga's stop and she waved goodbye at her best friend. Helga eventually arrived at her house and took off her jacket upon entering in.
"I'm home." She announced as she made her way to her room. As she was climbing the stairs, Miriam came out from the kitchen and said to her:
"So how was the new mall, Helga?" Miriam asked in a calm, normal, non-flustered, non-intoxicated voice. "Was it any good?"
"How did you know I was at the mall?" Helga asked back.
"Olga told me." She replied, "She told me that she asked you to buy something for her?"
Upon hearing that, Helga slapped her forehead in disbelief. She had totally forgotten about that thing that Olga requested her to buy. "Aw nuts, I totally forgot!"
"Well, you should tell her then after she comes back home." Miriam said back. "So tell me, how was it?"
"Mom," she chuckled, "It's great! It's huge! The mall is ten storeys high and it takes half-an-hour just to walk from end-to-end! And they even fitted a flippin' amusement park inside!"
"What about the stores?"
"There're lots of stores that aren't opened yet, but some of your typical, generic brand stores are there. Expensive brands are there too, but… you know, expensive and such." She shrugged.
"Hmm…" Miriam contemplated, as she tapped her chin, "You know, I really should ask your father to take me there someday."
"Bob?" Helga chuckled again, "Good luck with that mom. Dad would never approve those pricey, upscale places anyway." And with that, Helga left her mother and went to her room and sat in front of her desk. She then suddenly had the need to tell her experience to someone. She then took out a piece of paper and a pen, and started to write away.
Hello, boy who saved the neighborhood!
Hey, just thought I drop by to say hello. Actually, I want to say more than a hello. In case you haven't know, there's a new mall opened in the financial district, and by gum, that place is HUGE, man! Notice I stressed the word 'HUGE' by writing it in all capitals. And I'm not exaggerating it either! You can fit the state of Alaska in it, and still have room to put Texas in there! It's THAT big! Notice another word that I've written in capitals! And you want to know the plot twist is? The company that built this behemoth is none other than…
FTi Corporation!
Does it ring a bell? Of course you silly goose! It was the company that tried to raze your neighborhood when we were nine! Remember the time when you really were determined to ask them to reconsider their plan, that you went through all the trouble of finding that document only to see it burn in front of your very eyes? Well, thankfully I was there to help
Helga immediately stopped writing, remembering the time when that she went through the trouble of disguising as 'Deep Voice' and helped Arnold in finding the document, only to her shock that Arnold discovered her in disguise. Not to mentioned that she actually confessed and kissed him, and then pulled the biggest copout of the century. She then crossed the last sentence out repeatedly and wrote a new line over it.
Yeah, that. With Scheck out of the picture, a new CEO is elected and he was actually considerate enough to relocate the mall plan to someplace that doesn't have any significant historical value. And unlike Scheck, the guy was nice enough to sit with the business owners at that place and reached an agreement. Anyway, why am I telling you the boring parts? You want to know about the mall right? Let me start the story when me and Phoebe…
II
Shortly after school is over…
"Helga!" Phoebe yelled her name as she ran towards her friend, who was looking forward to spend the rest of the day resting in the house. Helga stopped so she could walk along with her friend. "So I heard Arnold's grandparents granted you a day off today."
Helga looked at her quizzically, "How'd you know?"
"Arnold's grandfather personally told me yesterday. I bumped into him when I did my errant for mother." She replied back. "He told me that the boarding house had some plumbing problem of some sort?"
"Yeah," Helga replied, "They're going to tear the place inside out just to install new pipes and stuff, so the place will be hectic than usual. That's why they gave me a day off today so I could save my energy for the upcoming days where I have to clean up their mess." She sighed depressingly. "The things I do for money and free food…"
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but if I'd like to forward a motion here: I was thinking of going to the new mall today—"
"The new mall that just opened in the financial district?" Helga interjected, asking her.
"Yes!" she chimed back, "And I was hoping—"
"Not interested." Helga interjected back, declining the proposal.
"Oh, come on, Helga! Please?" Phoebe pleaded to her, "It has been a while since we do things together, and I think by going to the mall will be an excellent way for us to spend the afternoon."
"I don't know, Pheebs…" Helga replied back, reluctant to go with her, "Well…" she gave it a second thought, "Come to think of it, I do have nothing planned for today… except for reading that novel I've been procrastinating on ever since the second chapter… Yeah, what the hay. I guess I can come with you."
Splendid, Helga!" Phoebe chimed back joyfully.
Meanwhile, at a different location in school, Nadine and Rhonda were on their way to the exit as they too have plans for the afternoon, "Nadine, wanna go to the new mall?"
"You mean the new mall that just—"
"Yeah!" Rhonda was quick to reply, "Wanna go?"
"I don't know…" Nadine replied back, "My rebellious anti-consumerism tendencies say that shouldn't go anywhere near those kind of places."
"Oh, it's not like you're going to buy anything there. I mean, what's wrong by embracing capitalism once in a while, huh?" Rhonda pleaded, "Please Nadine, at least I have my best friend there with me. All the other mall-going girls are doing their stupid cheerleading practice today."
"So let me get this straight: You invited me just 'cause your other girl friends were busy today?" Nadine asked her accusingly. "And what if they weren't busy? Would you invite me at all?"
Oh snaps. Rhonda stopped, looking at her in stunned surprise while Nadine continued on walking. "No! No! That's not what I meant!" Rhonda then quickly ran to her and stood in front of her to prevent Nadine from walking away from her, "C'mon Nadine! You know I'm not going to ditch my best friend away! Pweeeeeease?"
Nadine rolled her eyes, scoffing, "All right, all right." She finally agreed, reluctantly, "I'm not going to like it, but I'll go just because of your sake, and stop being a baby about it."
Rhonda was elated, "Yay! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
It was like fate. Suddenly, the both group bumped into each other at the front entrance. Nadine and Phoebe greeted each other while Rhonda and Helga averted their eyes and turn their backs against one another. "What's up with them?" Nadine asked Phoebe regarding their respective best friends, even though she already knew the reason was.
"You know… perpetual Cold War and all." Phoebe replied jokingly. "You look like someone who has something in mind. So do you have any plans after school?"
"Yeah," Nadine replied, smiling, "I hafta baby-sit Princess over here—" Rhonda was in disbelief upon hearing the remark, as she slightly turned around to look at her friend and scoffed at her. "—to a mall."
"Which mall? The new one that just opened in the financial district?" Phoebe asked.
"Yep, that's the one."
"What a coincidence!" Phoebe exclaimed, "Both of us are going there too." She gave a hinted, malicious smile. She was implying something to Nadine.
Nadine was quick to acknowledge it, "Yeah, perhaps we should go together!" And upon hearing that, both Helga and Nadine ran to their respective best friend and whispered to them to reconsider it. But the pleas fell on deaf ears as Nadine and Phoebe ignored their wishes.
"I concur!" Phoebe replied, as she and Nadine walked together out of the school building. Rhonda and Helga looked at each other disdainfully. Both of them had a murderous look on their eyes as they gazed at one another in extreme prejudice. "This is going to be a looooong day…" they both thought to themselves.
III
The words 'Francis Turner Ivanovich Mall' graced the front entrance of one of the largest mall in the country. The mall was named after a famous local historical figure and coincidentally, the abbreviation of the FTi Corporation. Most people called the mall the 'FTI Mall' since it was simpler to pronounce. The also familiar 'Change is Good' slogan appeared below the mall's logo, albeit smaller in size. The girls just stood in front of the entrance in awe.
"Just how much cash do you think Scheck make out of this?" Helga asked, after been thoroughly awed by the sheer size of the building.
"If I recall correctly, he is still in prison, is he not?" Phoebe asked back.
"Oh, please." Rhonda said, "He's a powerful, influential white-collar criminal. The worst thing our justice system would do to him is putting him in under house arrest or to some country club type prison for several years."
"Ah… our wonderful Justice System." Nadine said sarcastically. And so, all four of them stepped in. The main foyer was a wide open space adorned with large, fresh plants and large wooden benches. As they scanned around, they saw Sid and Iggy idling in front of the pet store, ogling at girls. Every time when a girl passed them, Sid would run behind them and do some sort of a dance before returning back to Iggy. Sid then turned around, looked at the kitty display behind the window, and started to knock the window repeatedly as he said, "Kitty!" repeatedly. His actions were stopped by Iggy after he saw Park coming towards them.
"Park, man!" Sid greeted him, "Noochies noochies! Didn't expect to see you here."
"Robert got bored so he called me if he wanted to go with him to this mall." Park replied, "And now the unpunctual jerk who asked me to go with him earlier is nowhere to be found. What are you guys doing here?"
"Dude, it's a mall, man." Sid replied, "Hot chicks are always here." And then he saw the girls coming toward them, "And speaking of chicks…"
"Hey Park," Rhonda greeted him, "Is Robbie around?" Rhonda always knew that Robert would always stick around with him, so that was the question that she would always pop to Park if she didn't see Robert around.
"He…" Park tried to find the answer, to save his best friend's skin and not to disappoint Rhonda much, "said he'd be coming soon." Robert never really had any personal feelings attached to Rhonda, since he never felt attracted to her, which to Park's chagrin. Really, the girl practically threw herself onto him, and yet he didn't like it. Robert was either a stupid man, or a stupid man.
"Oh…" Rhonda replied, slightly disappointed.
"Hi Nadine…" Sid greeted her, in a flirty tone.
Nadine rolled her eyes while smiling, slightly amused by him, and replied him with a "Hello," in a sweet, sugary tone.
"So what are you two mischief makers are up to now?" Helga asked Sid, "I can conjure up a notion that you two morons are up to something, simply judging from your giddiness."
"Well, when you're right, you're right, Pataki." Sid replied, smiling.
"Doi, I'm always right." Helga chuckled.
"You see that stage in the middle of the foyer over there that they're going to use for some dumb contest this evening?" Sid pointed at it. "My esteemed compadre Iggy here found the schematics of the stage from some foolish carpenter and found a weakness. He figures you pull this one crossbeam out, and bickety-bam! The whole stage comes down!"
"Your thirst for chaos never ceased to awe me." Park replied sarcastically, although he did hold some awe for them for actually doing this crap. "I just hope this anarchy you're bringing won't get you two into the sights of authority."
"You're kidding man?" Sid playfully smacked Iggy as both of them laughed softly at Park's concern, "Reputable mischief makers like us would never douse our drawers at the sight of a mall security guard!"
Helga's eye began to twitch, "Well," she cut them off, not wanting to hear from them any longer, "Me and Phoebe have shops to go and things to buy, so I bid to you all farewell. You two goons go forth and wreak havoc." To which Phoebe concurred, by nodding her head.
"Yeah, Nadine and I should be going too. Shopping for clothes and all." Rhonda said.
"Not me though. I hate branded clothing." Nadine added. "I'm just here to accompany her. And Sid, though I don't endorse what you are doing, but please keep it safe." She advised him, which warmed Sid's heart.
"Nah, don't worry about me." Sid replied back, smiling. And so with that, he turned around and say goodbye to the kitties. He then smacked Iggy's shoulder and said to him, "For crying out loud Iggy, show some heart." And Iggy said goodbye to the kitties too, and they promptly left them.
"I guess we should split huh?" Nadine asked Phoebe, much to Rhonda and Helga's relief.
"We should," Phoebe agreed. "since we're going to different parts of the mall. How about you, Park?"
"I'll hang around here and wait for Rob. We want to check out this new sports store that just opened here. See ya girls around."
"Okay, bye!" the girls replied and waved at him.
IV
At a bookstore…
"Buy what?" Helga asked her sister through her cellphone, "No, I'm not doing you any favors, Olga." She protested back, but Olga pleaded again, "Ten bucks, or no deal." She delivered her ultimatum, and Olga finally agreed, "Pleasure doing business with you, dearest sister." Helga said sardonically, and ended the conversation. Phoebe shook her head in disbelief, yet amused by her friend. She wondered the intense sibling rivalry between Olga and Helga would ever stop. Helga looked at Phoebe and asked, "How come when I go to a mall with you, we'd always head to the bookstore first Phoebe?"
"Well, considering the fact that you're a writer yourself and you buy books for inspiration and me reading books just for fun, I would have to say that due to our common interest, we would always end up here first."
"Touché. Good point." She replied back, "So, where are we going first?"
"I need to pick up something for Gerald. His birthday is next week." Phoebe said. Helga didn't know Gerald's birthday is next week, so she was kind of surprised to hear that from her. And knowing Phoebe well, she'll definitely give him something very meaningful. "He has been saying this to me for a considerable amount of time now, but he never had the time or money to purchase it. I guess the most proper way for me, as a friend to celebrate his birthday is to give him something that he wants."
Helga assumption was right. Still, she decided to keep it mum, "Which is…?"
"Off we go to the autobiography section." Phoebe said to her, and they walked off. As they continued to walk the said section, Helga tried to guess what Phoebe had in mind, but her guesses were always wrong, as Phoebe chuckled and laughed at Helga's rather comical guesses. They arrived at the section and Phoebe began to search, as Helga looked at her, asking herself whether her best friend needed her help or not.
"You need help, Pheebs?"
"Oh no, thank you. I am perfectly fine." She replied back, after a few seconds of searching, Phoebe finally found the book she was looking for, and showed it to Helga.
"Malcolm X's autobiography, huh?" Helga asked, stating the obvious.
"Indeed." Phoebe replied back, smiling.
"You should buy him the movie version." Helga suggested, although she knew Phoebe won't budge from her decision.
"The book is better." Phoebe replied back, telling her what every elitist book reader would say if a person suggested the movie instead of the book. "Besides, he already has the DVD."
"Hey, I'm just saying." Helga shrugged, "Anything else?"
"Oh yes. I'm looking for a book myself. Come on." Phoebe then walked over to another section as Helga followed her best friend from behind. Phoebe walked over to the 'Children Fiction' shelf and searched for a book called 'A Series of Ill-Fated Events'. To her excitement, she was lucky to find the last copy being displayed on the shelf so she could claim it for herself.
"Oh yeah, you collect the series." Helga asked.
"Yes I do." She replied back, "The series has twelve books. This will be the sixth book in my collection."
"Then you're halfway through." Helga replied with a smile. "Now let's go find my book." And Phoebe went along with her to section called 'Young Adult'. Helga's selection surprised Phoebe quite a bit.
"Your fondness for mushy literature never ceased to astound me, Helga." Phoebe said, to Helga's amusement. "'Loveless?'" Phoebe said again, putting her index finger on her chin, "You know I think I have heard of it before, but I couldn't place my finger on it. Is it from a videogame… no, impossible." She shook her head.
"Eh, don't hurt yourself Pheebes." Helga said, trying to stop Phoebe from thinking about it further, "Besides, this is not a mushy book, it has lots of killings and bloodshed in it. Hence the title, 'Loveless'"
"And your love for violence never ceased to astound me either." She smiled again. "If there's nothing else, then I suggest that we should go to the counter and pay for our purchases. And while we still have the time, I'd like to propose a visit to the food court so we can eat. I'm paying."
The 'I'm paying' line from Phoebe made Helga grin to her ears.
V
Phoebe brought her tray of food to a table chosen by Helga, near some refreshing looking potted plants. She chose a very light meal today, which was a tuna sandwich with diet soda, whereas Phoebe chose a plate of spaghetti and orange juice. "Hey Pheebs," Helga said, "What would Arnold react if he knows about this place?"
"He'd probably be shocked hearing about this mall." Phoebe replied, "Must I remind you that he had gone through an insurmountable ordeal just to make sure this mall wouldn't be built in his neighborhood?"
"Well in the end, his efforts paid off finally. You know, getting that evidence was not an easy task."
"Yeah, I'm very well aware of that."
"Now, look at us. We're at the very mall that was supposed to be built in his neighborhood!"
"So…" Phoebe tried to guess, "You're saying that we should boycott this establishment just to show solidarity to our very friend who petitioned against this place?"
"No… nothing like that, Phoebe. It's just… weird, you know. Arnold strongly opposed the plan and here we are now shopping at very the place that he was fighting against for. Curse that jerk. He's making me guilty about this. If he's in this city right now instead of San Lorenzo, I'd march to house right now and give him a roundhouse kick in the face."
Phoebe chuckled a bit, whilst munching her food, "If it's making you feel any better Helga, I am feeling a sense of guilt too. Arnold poured so much into protesting the project that I still hear his vigor and power in my mind."
"Meh," Helga shrugged, chuckling softly, "I bet he doesn't care about it right now and probably is hanging out at some mall in San Lorenzo as we speak."
Phoebe looked at her in disbelief, with a wry smile carving little by little on her face, "Helga, San Lorenzo is a poor country with its economy in shambles. It would take years for San Lorenzo to get its economy stable again and open its first mall there."
"Yeah, I know." Helga nodding softly, "I'm just testing you to make sure you're listening to my nonsensical rambles." And both girls laughed softly.
"So I passed your test quite exceptionally. So what is our agenda after this, if I may so incline to ask?" Phoebe asked.
"We'd do what any self-respecting mallrat would do: loitering, walking around until our legs are tired or go to the amusement park and try the submarine ride or the rollercoaster out. But then again it wouldn't be fun if it were just the two of us. Well, either those or we could just head back home."
"Hmm… interesting proposals." Phoebe agreed, contemplating on the subject matter. "I wonder what Rhonda and Nadine are doing right now?"
VI
The other two was at an upscale clothing store that only rich or well-to-do people could afford buying their products. Nadine was bored out of her skull, as she waited impatiently on a bench for Rhonda to finish her shopping. Rhonda was not that far away from her friend. She looked and Nadine and felt like she need to open a conversation just to ease her best friend's boredom. "You know Nadine?" Rhonda asked her as she picked some clothes up from their display, "I beginning to hate Arnold for protesting the mall years ago. If he'd just let them build this place up in his neighborhood, it would've save me the trouble from riding the subway."
Nadine was shocked and offended by her friend's statement, and looked at her friend with a disapproval frown, "Rhonda, I can't believe you! Our friend fought so hard to save his house, his neighbors and all the businesses there and you condemned his efforts just because you want a shorter traveling time from your house to this mall?"
Rhonda looked at her back in disbelief, "Hey, I never said that!" she protested. "I'm merely saying that I wish for the mall be nearer to my house, that's all. Nadine, don't you feel a little bit uptight about it? I never knew the subject is so touchy to you."
"Don't you even remember?" Nadine asked her demandingly, and stood up, "My house was in one of the blocks that were supposed to be demolished by Scheck! Of course I was, and still touchy about it! If it wasn't for Arnold, I could've been living in a different county right now! And may I remind you yourself tried to persuade your dad to lobby the City Council so they could put a stop onto FTi's plans, just because you wouldn't your best friend, me, to move away? Don't you remember?"
Rhonda stood aghast. She had forgotten all about it. "Wow… I-I… really don't remember…" she replied, looking at Nadine apologetically. "Now I'm feeling bad for myself." She then looked at the clothes in her hands. After a long gaze, she said, "Well, I guess I'll go change now to see if they fit." And Rhonda walked away from Nadine, taking her embarrassment with her. Nadine scoffed at her friend for making such a stupid statement and hoped she'll withdraw her remark after she has done changing. Nadine sat back on the bench, took her earphones out from her pocket and played her mp3 player.
Meanwhile a few floors up from the stage, Sid and Iggy were preparing their plan, "Okay Broomstick," Sid called Iggy, as he pointed to his crudely drawn blueprint, "Here's what we are going to do. We tie you to the roof and you jump off and sail like a spitfire passing over the crowd. You then swing up to the stage and knock out the pin. When that's gone, the stage is trashed, and we go sm— uh… do a victory dance. You got it?"
Iggy nodded in understanding.
"Now, get your butt up there. And dude, don't forget your helmet. Snoogins." Sid then gave Iggy a colorful toy helmet that would do little to protect his skull. Iggy grabbed it from Sid and he then run to the floor where they placed the rope as he wore the helmet. After attaching the rope on the safety harness, Iggy climbed up the railings and spread his arms wide. Conditions at the main foyer could not be more ideal. So he made a leap of faith, and he soar through the area like a piñata being swing around.
"Fly, jerkface, fly!" Sid shouted enthusiastically. But alas, the plan wasn't working properly. Iggy missed the crossbeam and flew away to a women's clothing store. He crashed through the display window, through some clothing on display, and finally into a changing room, where Rhonda was about to change her clothes.
"WHAT THE HECK!" she shouted in shock and fear. Thankfully she still had her clothes on. Iggy slowly lifted his head up and innocently look at her.
"YOU JERK!" and Rhonda punched his head, and walked away from the fitting room hastily to complain to the manager. By now the crowd was getting bigger and bigger at the crash site, trying to figure out what was going on. Sid looked tense, and innocently walked away from the scene. Since he didn't want to get caught, Iggy quickly made a getaway by squeezing through the crowd. By the time the mall security guards came, both of the delinquents were gone. Two floors up, Park and Robert were looking at the scene below them, chucking disbelievingly.
"Ten bucks say Sid and Iggy are behind this nonsense." Robert said to his best friend.
"Now this is something that you don't see everyday. When will the both of them gonna grow up and stop doing this crap?" Park replied back. And up above one floor from where Robert and Park stood, there was Helga and Phoebe, looking at the scene.
"You think they will get caught by the authorities eventually?" Phoebe asked her best friend.
"Nah." Helga shook her head. "I don't think Rhonda is going to rat out on them since she has better means to deal with those two."
"And what is that?"
"Blackmail."
VII
The both of them didn't get caught, but they have to obey Rhonda's every whim now. Those poor saps. To see a so-called tough guy like Sid got blackmailed by her really made me laugh out loud, but thankfully I didn't roll on the floor laughing my butt off. That would've been just stupid. Then again, I don't think the whole blackmail thing will last long, since Nadine would probably ask Rhonda to stop it, but that's just a hunch since Nadine and Sid… well, you know – or I'm just making some crazy assumptions. Still, I really don't know what does Nadine sees in Sid though. Wait, here I go again, assuming there's something going on between those two. I should stop talking about them right now.
I hope you won't go all angry and stuff about the mall since it doesn't affect you anymore. To assure you, I'm going to tell you that Scheck is still not on the FTi Board of Directors and still serving house arrest for an untold years, your neighborhood is still intact, nobody is being forced out of the community, and there isn't going to be any new developments coming soon to our neighborhood as the City Council still recognizes the historical significance of our neighborhood.
Well, here ends my letter. I don't know where you'd go to pass your idle time in San Lorenzo since there aren't any malls there, but I hope you'll pass your time productively, like volcano diving or whatever fun stuff people are doing in San Lorenzo. I'm outta here.
The girl formerly known as Deep (Whatever),
Helga.
"I'm home everyone!" Someone announced from the front door. It was Olga.
"Aw nuts!" Helga said to herself. She quickly put the letter into her drawer and then she climbed up her desk to jump out of the window to a tree to escape from her sister. She then made her way down as Olga walked into her room.
"Baby sister…" Olga called her in a singsong voice, "Huh? Where is she?"
Barefoot, Helga made her way to the main street and ran to the front door to wear her shoes. She then went out again, with no specific place to go to. She just hoped that by the time she went back home, her sister would've forgotten all about it. Either that, she could run to the nearest store and buy the thing that her sister wanted. She aslo questioned herself why she did not confront her sister like she would do always.
I've given thought of putting some tasteless humor when Helga signed-off her letter, but I decided not to because... it's tasteless. Well, that's about it. Thank you for reading.