Friday, January 26th 6:30 PM
"Well this is just freakin perfect," Helga said out loud. Looking at her outfit unsatisfied. "What the fuck am I supposed to wear?" Helga said out loud. She looked exasperated at her closet like it had let her down. She rummaged through her clothes throwing all the shirts she owned onto the floor. "Alright, last try. He'll be here any fucking minute," Helga said to herself grabbing a couple shirts at random. She threw on her light pink and white tank top, then slipped on her blue cowl necked pullover. She looked over in the mirror in her selected shirt and pink underwear. "Pants would help, although he'd probably prefer me like this," Helga thought to herself as she smiled slightly. Helga looked again in the mirror. She shifted her weight a little as she crossed her arms. She knew men found her attractive and she was usually good at dismissing their "gross intentions" as she refereed them. She smiled. She loved the feeling she got when Arnold called her pretty. Which he did often. "I like it when he does it," Helga thought to herself. She picked up her hip hugger jeans she knew Arnold liked and her favorite sneakers. If she was going to be outside, she wanted to be comfortable.
Helga, finishing her outfit with a belt and necklace she loved wearing. She heard the sound of loud motorcycle outside her house. "Fuckin asshole," she said as she rolled her eyes at the motorist. She was finishing up brushing her hair when she heard the bell ring. A slight panic went through her. She grabbed her jacket, phone, wallet, and keys and rushed down the stairs before the bell rang again. She peaked into the living room seeing her father asleep on the couch. Her mother no where to be seen. She opened the door and looked up to see the wild green eyes she loved seeing. She smiled and pushed on his chest so he backed away from the door. "Step back a bit, loser. Last thing I want to is to wake Bob," She closed the door behind her and locked it. She turned back to Arnold and jump into his arms throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him deeply, moaning a little as he lifted her up. "Hey there beautiful," Arnold said as their lips parted. "Hey there Football Head," Helga replied, smiling up at him. Her arms still around his neck. He looked back down at her, placed his arms around her hips and pulled her close to him. He rested his forehead on hers and ran his hand through her hair. "God, you're pretty," He whispered to her and kissed her again. Helga giggled as she kissed him back.
The two pulled apart. "So what's this bug surprise?" Helga asked as she rested her hands on his chest. Arnold let her go and walked down her stoop. Helga felt cold for a moment see him walk away. She felt a little warmer when grabbed her hand leading her down with him. Arnold led Helga to the motorcycle he parked on the sidewalk. She froze for a moment at the realization looking at the bike and then back at her smiling boyfriend. "That was you riding that beast down the road. I thought it was some rude asshole. You're the rude asshole!" Helga said. Arnold laughed and leaned against the bike, putting his hands in his pockets. He was wearing blue jeans the went down over his black boots, and leather jacket that looked padded. He had his hair down as he ran his hand through it. "He looks like freakin James Dean. I just want to fuck him on top of that thing," Helga thought to herself. "It that our ride?" Helga asked. "Uh yeah. It's gonna be a nice night, I thought we would live a little." Arnold said smiling at her. Helga shook her head in confusion. "When the fuck did you start riding a motorcycle?" She asked indignantly. "Well I've been riding on and off for a while now. I finished rebuilding this and wanted to stretch it's legs," Arnold said. Helga was speechless for a moment as she shook her head at him.
"What?" He asked. "I just never pictured you riding a motorcycle is all," Helga said. "Well, I do. I've always loved riding and I couldn't wait to try it. So the second I got my hands on a bike to rebuild I went for it," Arnold said. "Wow, is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Helga asked. "Not that I can think of," Arnold said. "Well alright. Arnold rides a motorcycle, this is weird. You're not expecting me to get on that thing are you?" Helga asked. "I do, I got you a helmet and everything," Arnold said holding up a helmet, presumably for Helga. "Yeah, I'm not getting on that thing. People die on those. Stupid people, usually. Which you are one of if you get on one of those things," Helga said putting her hands on her hips. "Come on Helga. I'm a decent rider, and I'm always safe," Arnold said leaning against the bike, pleading with Helga. "How nice for you, I'm not getting on that thing. Do your parents know about this?" Helga asked. "My mom does yeah. Helga I'm not hiding anything. Come on, we're on a schedule," Arnold pushed off the bike and swung his leg over. He held out his hand to her. "Do you trust me?" He asked, his hand extended as if he were reaching to take her on a magic carpet ride. Helga looked at him for a while. "I trust him more than anyone," Helga thought to herself. She reached out and took his hand. He lead her to the seat behind him. She tepidly put her leg over the seat, tripping momentarily underestimating the height of the bike. Arnold caught her and smiled at her. "Put your feet here, alright? Try not to shift your legs too much. Here," Arnold handed her the helmet. She looked at it a moment and forced it onto her head. It was snug, and she fumbled with the strap. Arnold shifted his body so he faced her. He grabbed the straps and made sure they were secured. He smiled at her, and she smiled back though the open visor. "Alright, the helmet is supposed to be tight so don't worry," Arnold shifted back so his back was to her. He reached behind him with both hands. "Let me see your hands," Arnold said. Helga reached and put her hands in his. He grabbed her hands and wrapped them around his waist. "Now this is important, lean your body against mine and wrap your hands all the way around my waist alright?" Arnold said. "Yeah, can you even hear me in this thing?" Helga asked. Arnold laughed. "I can Helga. Last thing is when I make a turn I'll lean left or right. Just lean with me, alright?" Arnold said. Helga nodded her head. Her hands shakily went around his waist. He grabbed her hands and kissed them. "Don't be scared, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. I swear," Arnold said as he kissed her hands again and placed them back around his waist. Helga was terrified as she had never ridden a motorcycle. The closer she held onto Arnold the less scared she became.
Arnold grabbed his helmet and popped it onto his head strapping it in. He balanced the bike and Helga felt it wobble as he backed it away from the curb. He kicked back the stand and turned on the bike. Helga felt an intense vibration run through her body as the machine came back to life. Arnold tugged on the throttle a couple times and the vibrations rushed through her again. "Fuck the spin cycle, I'm masturbating on this thing," Helga said out load. She heard a laugh come from Arnold. "Just hang on, alright. If you're too scared let me know," Arnold said. Helga tightened her grip around his waist. Arnold throttled again and the bike lurched forward. Helga stomach was doing flips inside her body as the bike started to gain speed. Soon they were riding easily down the road. Helga felt like she was flying. She kept shifting her head back and forth seeing the city she grew up in pass by her so quickly. Whenever she started feeling more comfortable she would look around and realize the lack of a car body around her. If he hit something they're both be really flying.
The road they were on was without traffic or stop lights. Helga slowly got used to the vibrating machine below her. "Arnold really is safe on this thing, he's barely to the speed limit," Helga though to herself. They had reached the outer limits of the city when Arnold began turning off towards a side street. Helga leaned with him as she had been instructed. Arnold started to slow the bike and came to a stop at a Korean barbecue place. He parked the bike and turned it off. He pulled his helmet off and Helga followed. "Didn't we come to this place before?" Helga asked. "We did. You said you would kill a few school teachers to try their beef again," Arnold said smiling over his shoulder. Arnold walked into the restaurant. The hostess looked up seeing Arnold. "Mr Shortman, correct?" The women said. "Yes that's me. I left something here earlier, and said I would be back. Did the food get to where it needed to be?" Arnold asked. Helga looked between the two of them confused. "Yes! Of course. One moment, I'll be right back," the hostess said smiling and walking towards the kitchen. "What are you up pal?" Helga asked putting herself in between Arnold and the counter. "You'll see," Arnold said smiling down at her. She scrunched her face at him, trying to get an answer. He leaned down and pecked her on the lips. "You're so damn pretty when you're mad," Arnold said. Helga rolled her eyes and sighed.
The hostess came back with a packed bag that Arnold had left for them. Arnold grabbed the bag and paid. He grabbed Helga's hand and lead her out of the restaurant. He went to his motorcycle and put the bag into one the empty satchels on the back. "Come on, we don't want the food to get cold," Arnold said getting back on the motorcycle. Helga mounted behind him and they were off.
Arnold had driven for sometime. Helga had lost track as she started to enjoy her time on the motorcycle. "I get to fly and spoon Arnold at the same time. This isn't too bad," she thought. She looked around noticing that they were well away from the city, and they were driving on a country road. Helga didn't recognize the road but noticed that the road was going uphill. She looked over and noticed the sun starting to set. "The road looks so beautiful," she called to Arnold. "I know, I love riding around this time. It's gorgeous to watch the sun set from here," Arnold replied.
They had finally turned off to a street. They were surrounded by what looked like farm land and cornfields. Helga noticed they were coming to what looked like a patch of land with a few picnic tables strewn about. Arnold pulled up to the side area parking lot and parked the bike. He got off and offered his hand to Helga. Helga turned red under the helmet and accepted his hand getting off the motorcycle. Arnold helped her get the strap off. She slowly lifted the helmet off her head and she lifted her head up to him, meeting his stunning bright green eyes. She smiled at him. Arnold took her face into her hands and kissed her. "Sorry, you looked so beautiful right then. I couldn't resist," he said against her lips. He kissed her again and took the helmet Helga offered. "Wow, that was intense," Helga thought to herself. "So, that's what riding a motorcycle is like?" Helga said, fidgeting and trying to find her words. "Yep! See it's not that bad," Arnold said strapping the helmets onto the bikes and grabbing the food bag. "Come on," Arnold said holding out his hand to Helga. Helga looked down and noticed he had two bags now. "What are you planning?" Helga said narrowing her eyes at Arnold and crossing her arms. "Well obviously a nice dinner by the sunset. In one of the best spots to see it," Arnold said. "What's the other bag for?" Helga asked. "Don't worry about it," Arnold said with an impish grin on his face. Helga hesitated for a moment. Her body started to move forward. "I just want to hold his hand," Helga thought to herself as she inched forward and took his hand.
Arnold led them passed the tables and towards the peak of the cliff the area rested on. The sunset directly in front of them. The sky was painted a cavalcade of colors. Purples, oranges, hints of greens and blues painted the sky. Helga kept looking around seeing the faint twinkle of stars as the sun was setting. Arnold behind her put his hand on her shoulder and pointed towards the brighter star. "That's Venus right there," He said. Helga followed his arm and looked seeing the planet's glow. "It just completed its flyby behind the sun so now we can start seeing it again," Arnold said. Helga looked on, she looked up at Arnold and met his eyes. He smiled down at her. The light of Venus only bested by the twinkle in his eyes. Arnold went back to what he was doing. Helga turned around and saw Arnold setting up a picnic blanket and a couple of sturdy camping candles. Helga smiled and breathed in the smell of the food, still warm from the insulated bag it came from. "Suddenly I'm starving," Helga said as she went to sit next to Arnold. Arnold offered her a plate and started to put some of the container's food onto her plate.
"I love this food so much. Good call Football Head," Helga said chewing some of her favorite beef strips from the restaurant. Arnold smiled. "I figured you'd like it. Next time I want to ride the hog with you I'll know what to bribe you with," Arnold said eating some of the rice from his plate. "You buy me this I'll ride your hog all day long," Helga said without thinking. She froze for a moment and looked over at Arnold realizing her gaffe. Arnold burst out into laughter hearing her say that. Helga smiled, and starting to laugh with her mouth full of food.
They finished their food and Arnold was cleaning up the area. Helga saw and started to sulk. "We're not leaving yet are we?" Helga asked. "No, I'm just making sure to clean up our mess. We can't leave yet. The best part is coming up," Arnold said. Helga sat looking up at the sky. The sun had long set. The only light around them the camping candles Arnold had set out, the moon and the stars. Unencumbered by the usual lights of the city, the heavens were in full view. All the galaxies and groups of stars in complete view. Helga was no astronomer, but she loved looking up at the sky at night. It's stirred the creative muse in her. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her small notebook she carried with her everywhere. She scribbled some ideas and lines for her next poem on there. She was engrossed in her sudden inspiration that she didn't notice Arnold sitting himself down right next to her with his mysterious second bag.
She looked up and over at Arnold smiling next to her. She teasingly turned her shoulder towards him hiding what she may have been writing. "Why don't you mind your own beeswax Arnoldo?" she snidely said to him. Arnold's smile grew wider and she smiled at well. "If you like to look at the stars then you might like this," Arnold said. As he said it he reached into his bag and pulled out a mid sized case. He popped open the locks and opened it. He took out what looked like a cylinder of some kind. Helga tried to make out what it was in the dark. When Arnold set up the tripod she realized he had brought a mini telescope with him. Helga's eyes widened as he set it up. "Check this out," Arnold said waving her to lean over and look through the view finder. Helga took a look and saw the planet Venus Arnold had pointed out earlier. The planet beige and bright had to lines of red encircling the planet. "It's so clear!" Helga said looking into the scope. "I know, this is the perfect spot for star gazing," Arnold said.
Helga took her time looking at the planet. She looked up from the scope to see Arnold sketching the planet that she had seen. "What else can we see?" Helga asked. Arnold's face broke into a large toothy grin. He looked down at the scope and started looking around. "Let's see Antares is right there, which means…" Arnold trailed off. Helga watched him with anticipation. "Here it is," Arnold said. He looked up and offered Helga a look. Helga leaned forward peering into the scope. She struggled to see for a second. Her sight adjusted and she was able to make out the shape of a orb surrounded by rings. "Oh my god! It's Saturn! That's so fucking cool!" She yelled seeing the shape of distant world. She was entranced by it's natural beauty. She continued peering at the alien planet. Living proof of the smallness of her own world. Helga continued effusing her excitement. "You saw it right?!" She asked Arnold, becoming more excited the more she looked. "Yeah, I see it often. It's so beautiful. It's really out there. It's not just something we learn about as a kid and never think about it again," Arnold started. "It's proof," Helga said looking up at Arnold. "Proof of what?" Arnold asked. "Proof that we exist in something that will never fail to inspire," Helga said almost realizing her point as she said it. "Yeah," Arnold said nodding his head and looking back up. Helga sat up on her knees and looked at Arnold looking up at the sky. "It's why painters paint," Helga said. "It's why writers write," he said in response. Smiling back at her. Helga scooted passed the telescope and sidled up next to Arnold. She put her arms around his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed her on the forehead and nuzzled her nose with his own. "You're so corny," she said giggling as his nose tickled hers.
They sat there holding each other for a long time. The pair feeling content in each other's arms. Arnold stretched his arm out and looked at his watch. "Best part is coming up," he said. "Which part is that?" Helga asked. Arnold smiled the same wicked smile from before. He broke from her and laid down looking up at the sky. He gestured for her to join him. Helga laid down next to him. They laid for a few minutes when Helga finally said, "Arnold we've been looking at the sky this whole time. I can see it, you know?" Arnold looked over and smiled. "Just give it a minute, pay attention," Arnold said. Helga rolled her eyes and sighed looking up at the sky.
They sat looking up at the sky for a few more minutes. "What the hell is he thinking?" Helga thought. "Wait… what the fuck was that?" Helga said seeing a faint streak go across the sky. She saw another faint streak, followed by another. "Oh my good look! It's a shooting star! Holy shit another one!" she continued to shout in child like wonder. "It's a meteor shower Pataki," Arnold said smiling. "Holy crap! Look at all of them," Helga said as she pointed to all the traveling beams of light. The sky lit up with thousands of small beams bursting from the blanket of black between the stars. Her excitement grew with each flash of light traveling across the sky.
With the final streaks flying across the sky Helga turned towards Arnold. "You've been planning this for a while haven't you?" Helga asked. "I just heard about it, and thought you'd be interested," Arnold said, slyly. Helga moved closer to him and kissed him. "I love you, Arnold," Helga said. Arnold put his hand on her cheek and kissed her back. "I love you, Helga," he said softly. They continued kissing under the stars. Helga rested her head on Arnold's chest. He felt warm, and she pressed her body into his. They laid for a while. Arnold stroking her hair and Helga rubbing his chest. "You getting cold?" Arnold asked. No doubt he had noticed Helga starting to shiver. "Yeah," Helga said. She didn't want to move from where she was. Arnold looked at his watch again. "Come on, I'll take you home. It's getting pretty late," Arnold said starting to get up. Helga got up as well. Arnold packed up their area and strapped everything to his motorcycle. He helped Helga get her helmet on and helped her get on the bike. He put on his own and started the bike. Helga felt the vibration run through her body. Slightly less intense. "Remember, hold on to me. Alright?" Arnold said to her. "Oh I think I can follow that rule," Helga said. She wrapped her arms tightly around Arnold's mid section. The ride home she felt the same flying sensation. She was holding on tight to Arnold. She felt as if the feeling of flying came more from being with Arnold than being on the bike.