Sunday, February 11th 8:17 AM
The two the opposing sides stood facing each other across a metal table. The coldness of the metal on Helga's palms was apropos to the dark brick of the wall and the lack of air vents. The staring continued, slowly evolving into glaring within the silence. Moment by moment ticked by. The current unsettling silence disguised the last couple hours of yelling. Helga, stood anchored in the spot she chose to stand in when she was offered a seat for the fourth time.
Sargent Cole stood with his arms crossed. His suspenders fell tightly against his body. A broad, barrel-chested man. His gray hair, tired eyes, and old fashioned style gave away his age. "He looks like Bob," Helga thought to herself when he removed his jacket almost two hours after he took her into an interrogation room to talk. He had the wide shoulders her father had. Making it easier to continue being defiant.
"Miss Pataki," Sargent Cole began.
"If this is another start to a condescending, pedantic lecture about procedure you're gonna have to arrest me for assaulting an officer," Helga said, arms crossed. Her stance could stop an ocean swell.
Sargent Cole smiled a bit as he looked across the table at Helga. Their similar height allowing their eyes to meet perfectly. "You know the threat is grounds enough for an arrest," He sighed. "You're a very bright young lady. I can see that. Now, why can't you see that you cannot yell your way into releasing someone from custody?" He asked.
"You're a much older gentleman. I can see that. Now, why don't you get it through your thick skull why he shouldn't be in here?" Helga said back.
Sargent Cole pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. "Look we don't want to ruin his future, but-" Cole began.
"Fuck his future, this is about his past. Specifically a night ago. His future is fine, so drop the act," Helga barked.
"Ma'am, I will not tolerate being spoken to like that!" Cole yelled back.
"Well get used to it pal! I'm gonna be here every hour of every day. Right up in your grill. You're gonna know every line in my face before the month is out!" Helga yelled once more. "You have witness statements. You have surveillance video. You have videos that witnesses took. You have the weapons the guys attacked him with. Seems like an open and shut case to me," Helga said, putting her hands on her hips.
"I suppose you'd make a decent cop in another lifetime. One in which you learn to be a bit more patient," Cole said. Another long silence crept back between them.
"I refuse to be dictated to," Cole finally said.
"And I refuse to leave until I get at least one six-foot-two-inch, 170lb blond idiot," Helga said back.
"You know what fine. You wait right here," Cole said. He circled the table and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Oh shit, he could have just locked me in here." Helga thought to herself. "Dammit," she said out loud. She paced back and forth along the length of the room. "I hope he's alright," Helga said out loud. She exhaled, fatigued by her long night. "Fuck, I haven't eaten anything. My legs are killing me, I should have sat down. I can't now," she thought to herself. "I hope Miriam is O.K.," Helga paused for a moment. "Is she even sober enough to know I've been gone?" Helga asked herself. "I fucking hate this!" Helga said out loud, above a whisper. "Oh fuck! Arnold's mom," Helga said out loud pulling out her phone. She turned her phone on and waited for the operating system to load. Finally, her main screen came up. Seven missed calls from Arnold's mom were at the top of her notifications. She scrolled down a little and noticed the names of her missed calls changed. Her mother had called a couple dozen times. Three voicemails were left. She clicked the last one and held the phone to her ear.
"Helga, I don't like this staying out all night and not telling me. Please pick up when I call again. I have no idea where you are and I haven't heard from you. Please, sweetie, I need to make sure you're alright at least. Call me please," The voice mail finished.
"Wow, it's sober sounding Miriam. She sounds like she's really worried. I expected that to be another late night drunken voice mail from mommy dearest," Helga thought to herself. As she went to call her mother back, the door to the room burst open. Cole entered briskly, holding a folder.
"Here, let's take a seat," Cole said heading towards the far chair and sitting down. Helga looked over at him and looked down at her phone once more. She pocketed her phone and went back towards the table. Sargent Cole gestured to the seat. Helga gave some ground and finally sat down.
"Let's take a look-see since you're so eager," Cole said, opening the case folder. Your friend does not have a record, luckily. So that tells me he's never required our services," Cole began flippantly. "Or we've just not caught him," Cole finished.
"He's one of the most decent guys in the world. It's the former, I can assure you," Helga said squinting her eyes and setting her jaw.
"I can believe that. The witness statements all say he took a bunch of blows to the face but insisted on a peaceful solution…. Until he didn't," Cole said looking through the papers. He continued looking through the papers within the folder. He looked once more down at the piles and then looked up once more at Helga.
He folded his arms on the table and his countenance turned reflective. "What is it about this guy that makes you feel like you need to push so hard?" Cole asked.
"What?" Helga asked
"Why are you so insistent on getting him out of here?" Cole asked.
"Why wouldn't I? He didn't do anything wrong," Helga said as she crossed her legs.
"Yeah, but if that's truly the case then he would be released after being processed. It might take a day or two but he'd be out. This seems like something else is going on." Cole said.
"What the hell could you possibly be talking about?" Helga insisted.
"Why are you so dead set on bludgeoning your way into getting your friend released?" Cole asked.
"I'm not bludgeoning through anything. I'm making sure he doesn't pay for a crime he did not commit. He's a friend," Helga thought for a moment. "He's my boyfriend," she said. Helga looked up at Cole. She sighed, and looked back down at the table then she turned her face towards the mirrored window on the wall. She grew silent for a moment, while Cole leaned forward in anticipation. "He's more than that. He sees me, he sees me," she said, still staring into the mirror. "He's the first one I could remember to show me that he cared. We drifted apart. We both grew into different people. Then one day we just start talking again. It's insane, the things that can be right in front of our faces and we can't see it. And I didn't willingly start talking to him, by the way. I thought I was doing someone a favor by hanging out with that sad sack. I thought he was just another boy I grew up around who just got dumber and more abhorrent the older he got. I know plenty of those," Helga stopped for a moment and closed her eyes. She opened them again and looked down at her feet. "I didn't think for a second that just seeing him on a weekly basis would mess with my head so much," Helga continued. She continued almost as if she were alone, speaking to herself. "I didn't think that I would hang out with him more than once or twice. I had no idea that I'd be able to confide in him. Then all of a sudden I have someone else who I could talk to. Without realizing it, my circle got just a little bigger," Helga continued looking at her feet. Her mind started to race to the realization. "It happened so fast," She said after a moment. "So fast I couldn't see it until we were already enmeshed in it. I could talk to him about anything. And we talked about everything," Helga felt her eyes getting wet. "And the crazy thing is, I didn't think for a second that he would leave. Everyone leaves, everyone lets you down, eventually. But with him… I don't worry for a second that he would. He's seen the worst part of me and my life and he's never flinched. He's the bravest man I've ever known. To see all this and still be there. And, by the way, he's not perfect either," Helga said turning back towards Cole who was resting his chin in his palm. "He has his issues. He doesn't believe in himself. I have no idea why. He's the closest freakin thing to perfect. But he has no confidence in any of the things he does. I can only imagine what the hell caused all that. Despite that, I still wanted in. I wanted to know him. I got to know who that sweet boy that was always around grew up to be. He showed me that he could still care," Helga stopped for a moment once more. "I'd do anything for him. And let me tell you, there aren't a lot of people like that in my life. I don't like a lot of people. No one understands, no one cares. Ultimately, they just leave. They go nuts and poof. They're gone forever." Helga said. Cole was silent.
"Arnold though," The smile was back on her face. "That guy…" She chuckled lightly. "That guy cares. He makes me feel safe. I don't need to hide from him." Helga said looking once more back to the mirror, a small smile lived in her face as she looked. Cole waited for her to finish. "He sees me. He really sees me," Helga's eyes began welling up again. "I didn't think…" Helga started before stopping herself. She breathed deeply and summoned it in her to continue. "…anyone could see me. Him though, he sees me," Helga said. Her smile turned into resolve. "And Sargent Cole," Helga said. She slowly stood and put both hands on the table leaning towards Cole. "I would fight until my last breath for him," Helga said.
Cole sat there looking at Helga for a few moments. Studying her face. He cleared his throat and gathered the papers into the folder. He was nodding his head up and down slowly as if grasping the gravity of Helga's words "…I uh, I get it," Cole said. Helga stood straight as Cole stood and grabbed his folder.
He walked slowly towards the door. "Go wait in the lobby. I think a couple of your friends are still here," Cole said. When he saw Helga about to object he said "I'm gonna make a couple calls. I'll see what we can do," Cole said.
Helga's face dropped. "Really?" she said, a little shocked.
"Yeah, I'll come to find you when I have news," Cole said. He walked through the threshold and paused. He turned back towards Helga once more. "You know, he's a very lucky young man for knowing such a passionate and loving young lady," he said.
Helga was a little surprised. "Thank you," was all Helga could say. He nodded his head once and left the room.
Helga stood staring at the open door. She slowly stepped out of the interrogation room and looked down the hallway into the lobby. She walked down to see the full view of the room. The desk officer reading the same book he had been reading when they walked in at 2 AM. Gerald and Phoebe leaning against each other. Gerald fast asleep, leaning his head on top of Phoebe's. Phoebe looked up from her phone to see Helga walking back. She perked up, hitting Gerald's jaw and shocking him awake.
"Helga!" She said as she jumped up and walked towards Helga. "You were gone for so long, I was convinced they just locked you in a room to scream yourself hoarse," she finished.
"If I were in there any longer I'm sure he would have," Helga said.
"So what happened?" Phoebe asked.
"I think I convinced him to speed the process up a bit," Helga said as she smirked.
"Well, that's a relief. Sid and Rhonda took an Uber home. They were exhausted," Phoebe said.
"Looks like you're my ride or die there Phoebes," Helga said smiling down to Phoebe.
"Of course, Helga," Phoebe said returning a smile.
"What about me?" Gerald whined while he rubbed his eyes. "Am I just driving Miss Daisy over here?" Gerald asked.
"Yes. Now stop ruining the moment," Helga said.
Phoebe giggled and walked back over to Gerald. She kissed him tenderly. "It's meritorious that you came to help your friend," Phoebe said looking into his eyes.
Gerald smiled and leaned back into his seat, grabbing Phoebe by the waist and pulling her towards him. "I don't know what meritorious means. But I think it's nice you did the same for your friend," Gerald said and he kissed her back.
Helga looked over at the two enjoying their moment. She smiled. "He's an idiot but he makes her happy," Helga thought to herself. The smile slowly left her face, as she looked towards the floor. She flopped into the closest chair to her. Her legs finally giving out.
"Helga?" Phoebe called.
"Yeah, Phoebes?" Helga looked up and answered.
"You really should let your mom know you're alright. She's called me several times, I couldn't ignore her any longer," Phoebe said.
"Oh crap, I forgot. How'd she sound? She sounded sober in her voicemail," Helga said.
"Sounded fine to my ears," Phoebe said.
"Criminy, this is all it takes and BAM! She's taking one drink to take the edge off. All that work for nothing" Helga got out fumbling for her phone and pressing the call button. The phone rang twice and out of the speaker came a tired voice.
"Helga! Helga? Are you there?" Miriam asked. She sounded worried but sober.
"Mom, I'm here," Helga said.
"Oh thank god, are you alright? What happened? Why are you at a police station?" Miriam pleaded into the phone.
"Everything is alright, mom. There was a fight at the party and they arrested Arnold by mistake," Helga said.
"Were you involved? What happened? Why are you down at the police station?" Miriam asked.
"No, some guys jumped Arnold-" Helga said.
"Oh my god, is he alright? How did he end up down there?" Miriam interrupted.
"Well he fought them off and the police broke up the party and took him in. He…" Helga stopped short of mentioning the weapons. "He was mistaken for the one who started it. They arrested him. I came down here to try and convince them to let him go," Helga.
"Oh Helga, my god. Is he alright?" Miriam asked.
"Yeah, good enough where they dragged him off," Helga said.
"And you're alright? You didn't jump in did you?" Miriam asked.
Helga smiled a bit, "no mom, I didn't jump in. I'm fine. Tired but fine."
"Well, that's a relief. Helga?" Miriam said.
"Yeah, mom?" Helga asked.
"You sure you're alright? Should I come down there? Should I call a lawyer?" Miriam asked.
"No mom. I'm good, I think they're going to let him go. I talked to one of the guys in charge," Helga said.
"Helga, I was so worried about you," Miriam said.
"I'm sorry mom, everything happened so fast and before I knew it I was here and it was 8 AM," Helga said.
"Just call me, I just need to know you're safe. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," Miriam said.
Helga smiled again. "I should feel bad about making her worry," Helga said to herself. "I will mom, I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Helga said.
"Alright sweetheart. You sure you're alright?" Miriam asked once more.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I should be home soon," Helga said.
"Alright, I love you, honey," Miriam said.
"I love you too, mom," Helga said back. The phone went back to the main screen after the call ended. "Well, that's a relief. She sounds like she didn't hit the sauce at the first sign of stress," Helga thought to herself. The call screen light up the phone once more. Helga saw Stella Shortman come across the screen. "Oh criminy, she's gonna be so pissed," Helga said out loud.
"I would answer it," Gerald said from across the aisle, looking at Helga's face and guessing who was calling.
Helga exhaled and clicked the answer icon. "Hello?" she said sheepishly.
"Oh my god, finally! Helga, have you seen Arnold? I've been trying to get a hold of one of you all night long!" Stella's voice was strained and full of panic.
"Hey, Stella. Yeah, I've seen him. There was a fight at the party. Arnold got arrested…" Helga said trailing off.
"What!" Stella yelled on the other side of the line.
"Stella, he was arrested by mistake. That's why I'm down at the police station now. We've been trying to get them to release him," Helga said.
"So hold on, he got into a fight and he got arrested?" Stella asked.
"Yes," Helga went on to explain the events of the party and the last few hours arguing with the police.
"He should be back home soon," Helga finished. The line was silent. "Stella? Are you still there?" Helga asked. The line continued being silent.
"… I don't know what to say. I can't… I can't believe this," Stella said. "Is he alright? Are you alright?" Stella said.
"I'm fine, he's alright. I think," Helga said. "Stella I'm so sorry I just now telling you this, I didn't know what to say," Helga said.
"You say what you just said, you tell me what happened. I've been a basket case all morning because Arnold wasn't in his room!" Stella shouted.
"I'm so sorry Stella," Helga said, her palm on her forehead.
"You said he would be home soon?" Stella said.
"Yeah, one of the officers in charge said he would make some calls," Helga said.
Stella sighed deeply over the phone. "I'm just glad he's alright. Helga, you can always call me. No matter what happened we can deal with it, but I need you to call me. I don't want you to be afraid to tell me something, alright?" Stella said.
"Yeah. I will. I'm so sorry," Helga said as her eyes started to well up. "I'm sorry I let you down," Helga said. Her stomach twisted in knots.
"We can talk about it more when you bring him home. Alright?" Stella asked.
"Yes. I'll get him back to you. I swear," Helga said.
"Alright. Call me if anything changes," Stella said.
"I will," Helga said. The line clicked and the screen went back to the home screen.
Helga exhaled heavily slumping back into the seat. The emotional and physical fatigue started to finally get to her. She closed her eyes for a moment just stop seeing the abrasive fluorescents in this building for a moment. Her world started to go dark, time started to blend.
Helga could not tell how long she had been asleep. She felt a warm hand on her cheek. She leaned into the warmth and sighed peacefully. "Helga?" a deep, gravelly, warm and familiar whisper cut through the darkness like a lightning bolt. Her eyes shot open. When her vision focused, Arnold's richly green eyes looked into hers. "Hey, sorry to wake you," he said.
"Arnold!" She said jumping and encircling his neck with her arms. "Oh my god, are you alright?" Helga asked, fully awake now.
"I'm fine, Helga," Arnold said. Helga captured his lips with hers. She kissed him deeply, she kissed him for a long moment. She broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his. She opened her eyes for a moment and looked back into his.
"God, I'm glad you're alright," she managed to get out before the tears overtook here. She held on to him tightly. Arnold kissed her once more. Tears streamed down her face. She only barely sniffed back a breakdown.
Arnold grabbed her face and held it close to his. He wiped her tears on her cheek with his thumb. "Don't cry, Helga," Arnold said. Helga looked into his eyes which started to water. He smiled at her. Helga felt the large weight she had been carrying all night disappear. He was here, that's all that mattered.
"Oh god, I'm crying like a wuss," Helga said chuckling.
Arnold smiled. "You can be that with me. You can be everything you are, Helga," Arnold said looking into her eyes. She kissed him once more and threw her arms around him once more. Arnold stood with Helga still in his arms.
Helga had her hands on his chest as they both stood straight. "Are you alright?" Helga asked.
"I'm fine. Tired, but fine," Arnold replied still smiling down at her. Helga put her head against his chest and she felt his arms envelop her once more and she held him in return.
"I was so worried," Helga said into Arnold's chest.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Helga," Arnold said. They stood there for a few moments wrapped around each other.
Arnold's voice broke through the moment. "I'm so sorry, Helga. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that. I…," Arnold started.
Helga quickly cut him off. "No," She said abruptly. "You've been beating yourself up all night about this, I'm guessing," Arnold looked down at her in amazement." You didn't do anything wrong," Helga stared sternly back up to Arnold's soaking eyes. Arnold's lips turned into a small smiled and he held her tighter. Helga held him just as tightly. For a moment the room fell silent, they stood alone. Helga felt her entire world, her future, her past, and her present within the radius of the arms around her.
Helga pushed off Arnold and grabbed his arm. She heard a pained grunt from Arnold but ignored it. She examined where the blade went in. The bandage looked like it had browned overnight. Helga looked further down where there were even more stitches covered by a bandage where the bottle had sliced open his arm. "How's the arm?" Helga asked looking worriedly up at Arnold.
Arnold smiled. "I'm fine, Helga," Arnold winced.
"Really?" Helga said looked suspiciously. She punched him in the arm and got a good yelp from Arnold. "Yeah, you're really fine. Come on, we'll change those bandages," Helga said as she grabbed Arnold by the other arm and led him towards their friends.
She pulled him towards Gerald and Phoebe.
"Arnold!" Gerald was the first to perk up and see them. He jumped from his chair and threw his long arms around Arnold's wide shoulders. "Oh man, you scared the shit out of me! What the hell?" Gerald said. Arnold hugged him back just as hard.
"Sorry, Gerald. I guess things got outta hand," Arnold said in his apologetic tone. He held the embrace tightly, not letting Arnold get away without a good moment of physical connection.
"I'm just glad you're O.K. man," Gerald said still wrapped around Arnold.
"I am, a little tired," Arnold said. They separated and Gerald looked Arnold up and down. Gerald's eyebrows furrowed and his face dropped slightly. His jaw suddenly tightened, and Gerald looked as though he was ready to break down.
"I just… I can't believe all this," Gerald said. "I'm still shocked," he said. Helga looked at the scene. She had never seen Gerald distraught, it was a new experience.
"I acted a little… nuts I know," Arnold started to say.
"I don't care about a fight you got in, man," Gerald said, raising his voice now. "I care that you suddenly have an anxiety disorder that you take pills for? When the hell did that happen?" Gerald said indignantly.
Arnold was quiet and suddenly couldn't look his friend in the eyes. "I'm sorry Gerald," Arnold said.
"I-I was so freakin worried, man. I…" Gerald stopped talking suddenly and hugged Arnold once more. "I was worried, man," Gerald said. Gerald let out a long sigh and Arnold hugged him back. "I'm just glad you're alright," Gerald said.
A long moment passed with no separation. Helga smiled. The men in Helga's life rarely expressed emotions other than anger.
"My god, you stink," Arnold said, smiling after Gerald started to laugh.
"Look who's talking. I've been up all night waiting for yo ass to get out of jail," Gerald said through his chuckle. Arnold felt someone else hug him and he looked down to see Phoebe smiling up at him joining the hug.
"Hey Phoebe, sorry I made you all wait all night," Arnold said.
"Nonsense, Arnold. You are among friends who care about you," Phoebe said. She held her grip harder around Arnold's waist. Phoebe raised her head and looked towards Helga. She motioned with her head for Helga to come to join the group hug. Helga rolled her eyes and smiled. She walked towards them and put her arms around Arnold's neck and kissed him on the cheek. All four stood for a moment.
"You think we can take the cheesy stuff out of the police precinct?" Helga finally asked.
"Yeah, let's get out of here. This place makes me nervous," Gerald said. The group grabbed their stuff, and Arnold turned towards the officer at the front desk to get his property back. All four, walked into the parking lot to start the journey back uptown. When Helga got to the car she had yet to let go of Arnold's arm, she smiled and looked into his face once more.
Arnold reached for the door and opened it to let Helga in and smiled. She got in and Arnold followed, with Phoebe taking the front seat of her boyfriend's car. Helga looked over and realized she had started holding onto Arnold's arms unconsciously. She studied him for a moment. He sat up straight, fidgeting every once in a while. Shifting his weight away from his injured arm. Helga frowned seeing him like that. He turned to look at her and saw her looking back at him. Arnold's sideways smirk appeared, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "There's my Arnold," Helga thought. She turned and put her head on his good shoulder. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
The car ride was quiet. All four seemingly depleted by the last twelve hours. Helga stayed glued to Arnold. "He's warm, how is he so warm? My hands are always so cold," Helga thought, as she looked at her hands and tried some blood circulation hand stretches. "I can't believe I'm clinging to him like he's the only heat source in the tundra. He's kissed my hair twice. I'm guessing He feels the same… I could fall asleep here," Helga thought. "God, I'm such an idiot," Helga thought to herself as she smiled.