Chapter 16 | Stubborn Love

"Are you sure that I look alright Arnold?" Helga questioned, smoothing out the front of her soft blush pink dress. Her long, wavy blonde hair falling softly down her back.

"You look great." Arnold responded, placing his hand at the small of her back. "I don't know what you're so worried about. It's just dinner with my family."

"Exactly Arnold, its dinner with your family." Helga exclaimed, "I just want everything to go smoothly."

"Have you forgotten what my family is like?" Arnold laughed, as they walked up the steps to the boarding house. "You'll be just fine."

Arnold opened the door to the boarding house and called out to his family. Arnold's grandmother, Gertie was the first to walk into the living room.

"Eleanor! So glad that you could accompany young Kimba to our feast tonight." Gertie stated, hugging Helga and giving her a kiss on both cheeks.

"Ahh, Arnold and his little friend Helga." Phil smiled in Helga's direction, causing Helga to blush slightly. "I guess, I should say girlfriend now, huh Shortman."

"Grandpa!" Arnold snapped.

"Welcome to our home." Arnold's mother, Stella warmly welcomed her. "It is so nice to finally have you for dinner."

"I can see why you didn't want to let this one get away." Miles chuckled, shooting Arnold a knowing glance.

"Well, dinner is almost ready if you two want to have a seat at the dinner table." Stella remarked, "Although, I must warn you—Mr. Kokoschka is already there."

"Isn't he always?" Arnold responded, before grabbing Helga's hand and leading her towards the dining room. Soon, the large dining room was filled and Stella presented the dinner that she made; a beautifully large dish of paella and a tossed salad.

"This is delicious!" Helga commented, taking a large bite of paella.

"Thank you, I got the recipe from a wonderful woman when I lived in the Philippines briefly after college. I'm surprised that I can still make the dish after all of these years." Stella commented, eliciting a small giggle from Helga.

"So what do you do Helga?" Ernie Potts asked from across the table.

"Um, well. Right now I'm an assistant at a publishing firm but I'll only be there until school starts." Helga responded.

"Where will you be attending school?" Miles questioned.

"University of Washington." Helga responded.

"Helga actually received a partial scholarship from the Young Arts Society for one of her creative writing pieces." Arnold remarked. Helga shot him a look and Arnold responded with a smirk.

"Congratulations that's really something to be proud of." Stella remarked.

"You should suggest a book for my book club." Mr. Kokoschka commented.

"Oh hush, you're not a part of any book club." Phil responded.

"Yes I am! We meet the first Tuesday of every month and discuss the books that we are reading." Mr. Kokoschka insisted.

"It's true. They're not the best group of characters though and I really wish they would go to one of their houses instead of coming here all of the time." Suzie interjected, supporting Oskar's claim.

"Well I'll be damned." Ernie remarked.

"That's great Mr. Kokoschka." Arnold commented.

"Arnold, you really should think about what you are going to do once summer is over." Stella remarked in his direction.

"Well, actually, I applied to take a few classes at Hillwood Community College this fall." Arnold responded.

"Arnold, that's awesome!" Helga commented warmly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it slightly.

"Wonderful news son." Miles remarked.

"Okay, let's break out the champagne since we have so much good news today! He He." Mr. Kokoschka chuckled.

"Oskar! What is wrong with you?" Phil commented shaking his head before turning towards Arnold and Helga, "Ignore him, he lost his marbles back in the 90s and he's not playing with a full set."

Once dinner and dessert began to wind down and the boarders began to disperse, Arnold took Helga up to the roof of the boarding house. He'd prepared a small quilt and a few pillows near the middle of the roof so that they could lie down and stargaze together. The cool breeze of the night air gently caressed their faces as they looked up into the clear sky.

"It means a lot that you came to dinner tonight Helga." Arnold commented after a few moments of comfortable silence. .

"Yeah, it really wasn't bad at all. I've always thought your family was pretty cool."

"My mom really likes you."

"Hmmmm."

"I really like you." Arnold leaned over and faced his girlfriend. She rolled to her side to face him too.

"I really like you too." Helga responded as Arnold grabbed her chin and pulled her in for a kiss that started soft and gentle but rapidly became more passionate. When their faces finally separated, Helga laid her head onto his chest and let out a small sigh. Life couldn't get any better.

Patty just stepped out of the shower when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly wrapped a towel around her wet hair and threw on a bathrobe before heading towards the door. She glanced through the peephole and saw Harold standing on her doorstep.

"What's going on?" Patty questioned. Harold walked into the living room and took a seat.

"Is someone here?" Harold asked.

"Who would be here?" Patty answered.

"Right." Harold said knowingly, raising his eyebrow at his wife.

"Are you okay?" Patty asked, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Well, I've hired more people than Mr. Green used to. I know that the place will run well with or without me." Harold answered.

"Is that really such a good idea?" Patty questioned, thinking about how much of both of their money was tied up into the business. "I mean, spending all of that additional money on labor cannot be good for the budget."

"Let me worry about that." Harold remarked.

"Okay." Patty responded with an uneasy tone to her voice. "What brings you here?"

"I thought we were friends." Harold answered.

"I mean—I guess that's one way to put it." Patty responded. Harold shuffled around the room pondering his next move.

"I was wondering if you were willing to renegotiate our terms regarding Chase." Harold answered.

"No." Patty bluntly responded. "I'm glad that the two of you had a good weekend and you're welcome to come by here throughout the week to see him—but no, I'm not interested in changing our arrangement right now."

"Come on Patty, think about all of the free time you could have." Harold responded, "You could spend more time with your friends, like that guy Jason."

Harold looked up at Patty so he could see her reaction when she mentioned his name. Her eyes got wide for a moment before they squinted slightly in anger, her face became slightly flushed.

"Is that what all of this is about?" Patty demanded.

"We just broke up two months ago!" Harold blurted out. "Now, you're meeting new people and hanging out with some guy who had his arm wrapped around you."

"Give me a break Harold. You were having sex with one of my best friends for years. Now you're upset because I went to dinner with a guy and his friends!?" Patty exclaimed, "You really have some nerve."

"I'm sorry." Harold admitted, realizing his hypocritical overreaction of the entire situation.

"You know, I really thought that we were doing a good job of communicating and putting our issues aside for Chase—but I guess not." Patty responded.

"We are." Harold pleaded.

"Harold, get the hell out of my house." Patty demanded, gesturing towards the door. "I cannot stand the sight of your face right now."

"I'm sorry." Harold said before the door slammed behind him. He whipped out his cell phone before stepping off of Patty's front porch and pulled up Jason Miller's Facebook profile. Harold let out a huge sigh, if Patty said that nothing was going on between her and Jason he'd have to believe it for now, but it wouldn't stop him from researching in the meantime.

"So, I got a Facebook invitation that Arnold is throwing a barbecue for Labor Day." Thaddeus commented, as he sat on the small couch in the living area of his hotel suite. "How about you and I make an appearance, toots?"

"Thad, I'm a social pariah. No one wants to see me at that party, everyone hates me." Rhonda said, plopping down on the couch next to Thaddeus as she held an oversized bag of low-calorie popcorn. She shoved the bag towards Thaddeus offering him some, but he shook his head no.

"Hate is a rather strong word." Thaddeus remarked.

"You disagree?" Rhonda questioned, "You honestly don't think that half of Hillwood hates me?"

"Can I plead the fifth?" Thaddeus responded with a chuckle but Rhonda's facial expression suggested that she didn't find it funny. "Okay, I'm sorry. We've got a few weeks before Labor Day rolls around—I can either go by myself or we can do something that day instead."

"Fine." Rhonda responded sarcastically.

Rhonda smiled at her new friend. She'd found that she enjoyed spending time with him the past few weeks. She liked that he didn't take life too seriously. She relished in the fact that he didn't judge her for her past. She looked at him, his signature red frames were sitting on the end table and she noticed how beautiful his hazel-brown eyes were. She also couldn't help but notice how soft his lips looked. She shook the thoughts from her mind and popped another handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"You can't take back the things that you did in the past," Thaddeus remarked, placing a light hand on Rhonda's thigh. "but have you even tried to make amends?"

"I told Patty that I was sorry and I would stop having sex with Harold," Rhonda admitted, "and I did tell Nadine that if she left I would be upset."

"You realize that's not really how normal people apologize." Thaddeus commented, his wide eyes forming into a confused squint.

"Where's your laptop?" Rhonda asked, jumping up from her seat on the couch and beginning to search for it.

"Hold your horses. It's right on the counter, I'll grab it for you." Thaddeus offered, Rhonda reclaimed her seat on the couch and Thaddeus placed the laptop on Rhonda's lap. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

After a few minutes of frantically typing a smile spread across Rhonda's face.

"Okay, I did it!" Rhonda explained, "Things should be fine soon."

"What did you do Rhonda?" Thaddeus responded with a skeptical voice.

"I sent some gifts to Patty and Nadine. Once they see them, they're going to be so happy that they'll forget all about being angry and hopefully they'll want to be friends again." Rhonda stated enthusiastically.

"Rhonda, that's not going to work."

"That's how Lloyds apologize."

"Good grief." Curly face palmed himself. "Rhonda, I don't doubt that they will appreciate your gifts but an apology requires an actual conversation and you're going to have to admit that you were wrong. A gift is a very nice gesture but you need to talk to these ladies."

Rhonda's face fell slightly before she looked up and saw Thaddeus looking down at her. The sight caused a small smirk to wipe across her face.

"What?" Thaddeus asked.

"Nothing, I'm just really glad you're here." Rhonda responded causing a smile to transform Thaddeus' face as well.

"Helga, your sister is going to be here any moment now. Can you please help me set the table?" Miriam called from the bottom of the staircase. Helga rolled her eyes as she tossed aside her notebook and headed downstairs.

"Olga hasn't been home in over six months, can you please put on something more polished?" Miriam requested.

"Mom, do you want me to help you set the table or do you want me to change?" Helga asked, placing her hand on her hip, staring at her mother with clear exasperation.

"Helga, help your mom set the table. You look fine, Miriam stop harassing the poor girl." Bob said, as he waltzed into the dining room wearing a grey Big Bob's Beepers t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Miriam looked at her husband up and down and let out a defeated sigh as she decided that this battle of the outfits wasn't a battle worth fighting for.

Helga was placing the silverware on the table when she heard the doorbell ring. Bob opened the door and she could hear her sister's high-pitched voice fill the room.

"Mummy, Daddy!" Olga exclaimed, holding three wrapped packages in one hand and her other arm outstretched, ready to receive hugs of affection.

"So glad to see you!" Miriam exclaimed.

"Mummy, I have so much to tell you! But first, where is my baby sister?" Olga questioned, Helga walked out of the kitchen and saw her older sister. "Oh my goodness Helga, where is the time going!?" Olga exclaimed, running her hands through her younger sister's blonde hair and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I swear, everyone in this family thinks I'm twelve or something." Helga joked, as she gave her sister a hug.

"You came here on a bit of a short notice. I hope everything is going okay." Bob mentioned, raising his eyebrow at his daughter.

"I just missed my family and I brought you all goodies that you can open over dinner." Olga remarked, as she wandered towards the dining room, "Ooh, is that pot roast that I smell!?"

Bob and Olga took their seats at the dining room table, as Miriam and Helga brought the meal of Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy and Carrots out to the table before taking their seats.

"Okay, okay, I can't wait any longer. I have two very important things to tell you!" Olga said excitedly. Miriam's ears perked up, Helga diverted her attention to her sister and Bob continued to serve his meal.

"Daddy!" Olga chastised.

"What!? I can't make myself a plate while I listen to your news!?" Bob exclaimed. Miriam and Helga shot him a look as he placed down the serving spoon. "Alright, Alright! I'm all ears."

"I'm moving back to Washington!" Olga revealed, Miriam's face lit up with happiness and Helga stared at her sister with a blank look on her face. "I've missed my family so much that I can't bear to be that far apart any longer."

"When are you moving back Olga?" Helga questioned, she was confused. Helga and Olga weren't the best of friends, but their relationship had gotten a lot closer over the years. She figured that if something major was happening in her life she would at least have mentioned it during one of their conversations.

"Well baby sister, I bought a one way ticket— I'm staying at the Westwood Hotel for now until I find an apartment." Olga responded.

"Don't be ridiculous, your bedroom is still upstairs. I don't want you wasting your money on a hotel!" Bob exclaimed.

"Oh Daddy, that won't be necessary." Olga giggled, "I suppose that brings me to my next point." Olga remarked, as she grabbed the wrapped packages from under her seat. "Everyone open at the same time!"

Helga looked at the gift box, in typical Olga style, her box was carefully wrapped with pink wrapping paper and tied with white bows and ribbon. As she unwrapped the gift she noticed her sister was focused on her in particular. She carefully opened the top of the box and put aside the matching tissue paper to reveal a beautiful white and pink coffee tumbler that read AUNT HELGA. Helga gasped and looked at her sister who was looking at her with wide eyes that were quickly welling with tears.

"Olga, what the hell is this!?" Bob questioned, holding up a t-shirt that read ONLY THE BEST FATHERS GET PROMOTED TO GRANDFATHER. Miriam looked over at Bob and back at Olga.

"Sweetie, I think your father and I are just a little—confused." Miriam said. "I didn't even know you were seeing anyone!"

"What's there to be confused about? Olga is knocked up." Helga said bluntly, "Will you excuse me?" She remarked pushing her seat away from the table, grabbing her tumbler and heading upstairs. Helga knew that she had no right to be upset but despite her sister calling her to come back down, she kept marching upstairs.

Helga tossed the tumbler onto the bed and paced around her room in a small circle. Soon there was a knock on her door.

"Olga, I'm not in the mood to talk right now. Just leave me alone okay." Helga responded to the knock.

"It's not Olga. Can I come in?" Bob asked from the other side of the door. Helga sighed before opening the door to allow her father in. Bob looked around the room awkwardly before taking a seat on Helga's bed. He picked up the purple notebook sitting next to him.

"Don't read that. It's not finished." Helga said, before removing the notebook from her father's hand and tossing it to the side."What are you doing up here, did Miriam send you up to chastise me for being rude to Olga?"

"No. I came up here because I wanted to check on you." Bob admitted. "I'm not good at this whole parenting thing but I saw you were upset so I came up here."

"I'm not upset." Helga remarked.

"You don't have to lie to your old man Helga." Bob remarked, "Remember what Dr. Bliss said, we need open lines of communication to survive in this family. I know you're upset kid. Hell, I am too."

"I'm not upset." Helga reiterated, before taking a long pause. "I'm just frustrated that our family is finally doing well and Olga comes along and pulls something like this. I'll be in college next year while you're all here fawning over a pregnant Olga and then when she has the baby, oh boy, just kick me to the curb. Again."

Bob saw the tears beginning to well in his daughter's eyes, he knew that he wasn't the best parent but he'd been trying his hardest the past few years and he thought he'd made vast improvements. But if his daughter still felt this way after years of trying, then he still had a lot of work to do. He grabbed Helga and pulled her in for a hug.

"No one is ever going to kick you to the curb or replace you." Bob said before releasing his daughter and looking into her eyes, he wiped a tear from her face. "Helga, you're my daughter and I love you."

"You mean that Bob—er—Dad?" Helga asked and Bob shook his head with a firm yes.

"How about this, we go downstairs and offer your sister some much needed support and then the two of us will go get some ice cream. What's that place you kids are always going to, Softies?" Bob offered.

"Slausen's?" Helga asked with a small chuckle.

"Yeah that's the one!" Bob responded, enthusiastically. "How about it kid? Some quality time, just the two of us."

"Sounds great." Helga responded, as Bob began to make his exit from the bedroom. She grabbed her new 'Aunt Helga' coffee tumbler from her bed. "Um, Dad—how do you feel about coffee instead?"

AN: One more chapter! Happy reading!