They stood in the aisle. Arnold looked pensive. He was scanning the dates. He had already looked but he was checking again. She had her arms crossed. She was wearing the pink sweatshirt again. He hadn't noticed but it had an illustration of a skull on it. Some of the teeth were uneven. Sharp. For some reason it reminded Arnold of a vampire. He looked over at the greens. All the various veggies. He sifted through them, looking at the ones beneath. He found one that was looking kinda bad. He picked it up and put it on the cart. They were low on the Granny Smiths. He told Helga to make note of it for when they went to the back. He looked at the potatoes, they needed some russets. He mentioned it to Helga. They took one last look together. They went to the back of the store. Helga collected the ingredients for snack packs. Arnold got potatoes and the granny smiths and a few other things they needed. He wheeled it out to the front and put the stuff in their various places. It was almost lunch time. Arnold felt the air conditioned air on his skin. It was nice. They kept the store a good temperature.
Arnold hadn't noticed but someone was standing next to him. "Arnold."
Arnold startled, he recognized the voice. "Gerald, sup."
"Want to grab lunch, bud?"
"I was planning on grabbing something with Helga."
"How about we just go find some place to eat. I wanna talk, in private."
"Alright. I'll just go tell Helga." Arnold walked to the back of the store. He knocked on the doorway to the produce room. "Hey, Helga sorry to bounce on you but I'm going for lunch with Gerald."
She looked at him. "Ditching ya girl, huh. It's fine, I think I know where I'll eat. Maybe I'll have a little time to scheme up some stuff for my writing."
"I'll get you next time." She nodded and he left. He was looking forward to lunch with Helga but he was curious about what this is going to be about. He walked to the front and met back up with Gerald. They did their NEW secret handshake the details of which I would be remiss to discuss here. They left the store and got in Gerald's car. It was a red two door with a big trunk. Gerald liked it alot though earlier in the summer it was keyed by somebody while they were at a concert. Gerald nearly cried. Gerald drove them to a food truck he knew about. They served greasy burgers. Arnold got a bacon burger and Gerald just got a normal cheeseburger. They shared an order of fries. "These fries are freaking good."
"Don't eat 'em all." Gerald slapped Arnold's hand away from the box.
"I won't." Arnold rubbed his hand. He tried his burger. The bacon was a little burnt but that's the way he liked bacon. It was a good burger. Gerald took a few bites of his burger. "Good stuff. Never seen this food truck."
"I was lucky to notice it one day driving around."
Arnold relished in the feeling of Gerald's car's air conditioning. It was cool. Almost relaxing. Gerald took a break from his burger and looked at Arnold. "So how have your days been going?"
Arnold looked at Gerald. Gerald was tall. Six foot three. Arnold thought he was handsome as well. His hair was shorter now. A flat top with a fade on the sides. "I've been working."
"Well, I know that."
"I've been working with Helga. We're the two in the produce department. We make a good team honestly. We get our work done pretty fast, but we find things to do."
"You've been spending some time with her too?"
"Yeah, yeah. She's a friend. She's been through a lot but she's still herself."
"I never thought you and Helga G. Pataki would get along. That's the last thing I would've expected. I honestly expected her to remain a jerk like she was."
"She's a bit of a fiery one but she knows where she stands. Who she is. Her dad died apparently."
"How?"
"A jail fight."
"Jeez."
"I know." Arnold looked at him. "This is not what you wanted to talk to me in private about."
"No. No, it's not." Gerald sighed. How would he approach this… He was just going to get started. "You remember how you told me Riley skipped town?"
"Yeah."
"At first I just accepted that. It made sense with what you told me about his father. Then something started to bug me. It didn't make sense. Why would he leave you? I mean he really cared about you. You and him were the real deal. Then it occurred to me. He wasn't going to leave town alone. I expected you to tell me… but time has passed and you haven't. Maybe I'm wrong but I wanna know, am I? Were you planning to go with him, Arnold?"
Arnold felt his stomach turn. He was sweating in the cool air. He let out a breath. "I was. I was going to go with him."
"Jeez, Arnold. You were really planning to leave your parents, your family?"
Arnold couldn't look him in the eye. "I was reluctant. He had big plans for our life and I thought I could go along with it. I was planning on going with him even on the day it happened but as I rode my bike towards the bus station. I don't know… I changed my mind. It was mostly a feeling. Like I was doing something terribly wrong. I just rode my bike around for a while. I eventually found a grocery store. They wanted help and I answered and I guess that's where I am now."
"You know you may have changed your mind, but Arnold do you know what that would've done to your parents?"
"I know."
"You would've left us all."
"I know."
"I'm glad you changed your mind, I don't know what I would've done without you, Arnold."
"I'm glad I changed my mind, but I lost Riley that day and I've heard nothing."
"I don't imagine you will."
"Yep." Arnold stared at the food truck in front of them. "You know what… I'm going to get another burger for later. It's tasty and I don't know what I'm having for dinner."
"Get one then."
Arnold got out of the car and ordered. He took his second burger back to the vehicle. "I gotta get back to work."
Gerald turned the car on. "Alright. You know what you need to do, Arnold?"
"Shave?"
"No, I like the stubble. What I was going to say was learn how to drive."
"Yeah, I'm going to get some lessons during the school year."
"Can't your parents teach how to drive."
"Well, they're going to go away on a trip to Africa so they wouldn't be able to keep it up."
"That sucks."
"Yep."
They talked for a while. Maybe too long. "OK. Let's get you back to the store." They drove back. Gerald drove Arnold in the winter. Arnold tried to give him gas money but Gerald would not take it. Gerald worked too but only part time at a gym. It gave him a free membership so he was in there in his free time. Gerald was built. That Arnold noticed. Arnold went back into the store. He sighed. He didn't want to work right now. He stepped into the aisle. Helga was restocking the shelves already.
She noticed him. She smiled. Her tone was sarcastic. "There's my buddy! You should have gotten back from lunch ten minutes ago."
"Yeah, we talked for a bit. Sorry."
"I hate working alone. I get stuck in my head."
"You know I have the opposite thing. I don't think at all. I just sorta do things robotically."
"I feel crazy."
"You know I have an idea if you're ever working while I'm out."
"What's that?"
"Maybe, maybe you could write poetry in your head. And when it's all worked out you can write it in that little notebook of yours."
"Hmm… not a terrible idea."
"This reminds me that tomorrow I will be gone. I'm going to go with my family to go check out a college."
"Where are you thinking of going?"
"TSU."
"Nice, nice. Have you been accepted?"
Arnold smiled. "Yeah, actually."
"What major are you looking into?"
"Children's psychology."
"You're going to be a therapist?"
"Yep. A lot of kids need help. And my mom tells me I'm good with kids."
"That's noble of you, Arnold."
"Eh, what can I say?"
"Now don't get cocky because I gave you a compliment."
"I can pat myself on the back. It's not illegal."
"It's not." Helga finished stocking the shelves. "Alrighty, you see anything we need?"
Arnold looked at the shelves. He looked at the display with all the onions. "Cabbage and some onions."
"Watermelon snack packs too."
"Yeah."
"Let's get to work."
The day passed uneventfully. At the end of the day the janitor was still there and he started mopping the store. Arnold nodded sagely. All was right in the world now. Arnold picked up his backpack which had lunch that grandpa made for him in it. He was going to put it in the fridge. Helga got her purse from the little closet in the produce room. "Arnold."
"Helga?"
She withdrew a CD from her purse and handed it to him. It was a black cover with dark eyes on the left side. There was a glow behind the letters. The band name at the top read tool, below was the word Lateralus. The text was connected by thick black bars. "I bought this for you."
"This is the band you were playing in the back?"
"Yeah. Listen to this tonight and tell me what you think."
"OK, you know though I could've just bought this myself if you told me to."
"It's a gift, Arnold. I think you'll like it. It's pretty complicated music. A lot of details to relisten to."
"Alright."
Helga started to walk out of the produce room. She turned and gave him a peace sign. Then walked backwards out of the room into the hall towards the front. Arnold chuckled. She was goofy.
He took his bike and rode home. He wheeled the bike up the steps and put it inside. He was thinking about leaving the bike locked up while he was at home too. Though he was not sure where he'd put it. He had a better idea. He wheeled the bike all the way up to his room. He was sure that the bike thief wouldn't enter his room to take it. He walked back downstairs and looked into the living room. His mother and father were on the couch watching television. Miles looked at Arnold. "Grandpa's cooking a chicken."
"Alright, I actually got something for dinner already. What are you two watching?"
"A movie on TV. Back to the Future."
"The first one?"
"Yeah." Arnold sat down in a chair. It was an almost too comfortable recliner that Grandpa bought. Arnold reclined. He watched the rest of the movie with his parents, it was already halfway done. He almost fell asleep in the chair. When he was done he went upstairs to his room. He took out the CD Helga bought him from his backpack. He opened his little portable CD player and put it in. He put his headphones on and laid down on his bed. It was sunset. The sky looked a creamy lemon color. The first song started, it sounded like a switch was pulled then something descended or maybe ascended, then began the instruments with drums, guitar and bass. Arnold took out the burger from his backpack and began to eat. Arnold listened to the album twice and by then the sun was gone. He took off his headphones. He got up and walked down stairs to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and went back upstairs. He looked at his phone. There was a new message. The screen blinked. Arnold picked up the phone. It was a text from Gerald. Good talk. He looked at the message for a few seconds. He went to his contact list and found Helga's name. He pressed the call button.
It rang a few times. She picked up. "Hey, Arnold."
"Hey, Helga."
"What's up, football head?"
"Well, during my lunch break I was eating with Gerald and apparently already figured out what happened with Riley."
"You mean the plan to run away?"
"Yeah. He had guessed it. I told him what happened. How I changed my mind. Then we departed."
"Well, what did he think?"
"He thought it would've been a shame if I had left. My parents and ya know him." Arnold snapped.
"You made the right decision."
"I know. I know."
"That's all? He was OK?"
"Yeah. I expected something worse."
"Why do you do that, Arnold?"
"I don't know. I've been a bit more pessimistic since losing Riley. I should've just told him the plan in the first place."
"Well, it's in the past now."
"I think I have been happier lately."
"Yeah?"
"It's been good to have you as a friend."
Helga blushed. She bit her lip. "It's been good having you. Though Phoebe has been complaining I'm not spending enough time with her."
"Give her the time."
"She's had me."
"Well, I guess I'll not see you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"Night."
"Night, Arnold."
