Blink
Helga Pataki still had troubles remembering the day of the accident, even the days leading up to it were still pretty fuzzy for her. The last thing she remembered crystal clearly was five days before the accident, when Bob and Miriam told her Olga was coming for a visit that weekend and she couldn't go to the beach with Phoebe and her family. She remembered how upset she was and the fit she threw about it. She could remember bitching about how she would see Olga that Thursday and part of that Friday and that she didn't want to spend any more time with her sister than she had to.
Then the next thing she remembered she was waking up in the hospital and it was over three weeks later. She was hooked up to multiple machines and was alone. She quickly learned that she had been in a car accident and had a broken back, a very serious pelvic fracture, and had had a hip replacement. It wasn't until a few hours later, after the initial shock wore off and the daze from being unconscious for over two weeks cleared up a little, that she asked who else was in the accident and if they were okay.
It was then Helga learned that Olga's funeral had been three days earlier.
From what Helga was told Olga had insisted on taking her 'baby sister' out to eat for lunch for some one on one sisterly bonding time before she left. Apparently, Olga had a few drinks during the meal.
Apparently Olga drank a lot during her visit.
When Helga really thought about it Olga and Miriam had shared more and more 'smoothies' during Olga's previous dozen visits. While driving Helga back home she veered off the road, plowed through the guard rail, and flipped the car several times down a very steep and very deep ditch. Olga had not been wearing her seat-belt and had been ejected from the car when she hit the guardrail. She was already dead before paramedics reached her. Helga, on the other hand, had been wearing her seat-belt; the car had been so smashed up that the paramedics didn't even realize there had been another person in the car when they first arrived at the scene. She was barely clinging to life when she was found and freed from what was left of Olga's car.
The accident happened a month before seventh grade let out, luckily Helga's grades were high enough and only had to do a few make up tests while she was laid up in the hospital. Helga's recovery had been a long and painful one. She spent nearly three months in the hospital, her injuries had been severe and she was forced to relearn how to walk.
Helga had been surprised with all the visitors she had gotten. She knew she wasn't always the easiest person to get along with, but each member of their little gang had visited at least once. Phoebe had visited her almost every day until she had to leave for summer camp. After that, Arnold took over the daily visits. He came every day, after lunchtime and just before Helga had to go to physical therapy.
"How did physical therapy go yesterday?" Arnold asked, taking a seat next to her hospital bed. "How are you feeling today?"
"Therapy was fine." Helga winced in pain as she struggled to adjust herself in bed to find a more comfortable position. "I was able to walk a few steps, so I guess that's something." She paused, "I'm pretty sore today though." She admitted. A few days after Helga woke up the doctor's realized she had some nerve damage that they would not be sure the extent of until some of her other injuries healed a little bit more.
"You walked?" Arnold smiled, "Helga, that's fantastic! I'm sorry you're sore today, but I'm so happy you walked."
"It was only a few steps Football Head; it's not that big of deal."
"It's the first steps you took since the accident, of course it's a big deal."
Helga froze. It had been a month since she woke up and as odd as it was barely anyone had spoken of the accident since. When she first woke up everyone offered their condolences for her loss and wished her a speedy recovery. Since than everyone seemed to be only talk about her recovery, not the accident itself. No one ever spoke of Olga. Yes, her parents were sad and depressed during every visit, but they never brought up her dead older sister.
It was like Olga never even existed.
"Can I ask you something?" Helga asked in a hushed tone.
Arnold nodded, "Of course. Anything." He told her. He leaned closer to her, unsure if she was going to continue to speak so quietly.
"What was Olga's funeral like?" No one had told her anything about it and up until that moment she hadn't asked anyone. Though Helga would never admit it out loud, in fear of people thinking she was some kind of heartless robot or something, she hadn't cried over Olga's death yet. She had shed many tears since the accident, but when she was completely honest with herself she knew it wasn't because of her dead sister.
No. When she cried, she cried for herself.
"I wouldn't know actually." Arnold scratched the back of his neck nervously, "I didn't go. I came here instead." He admitted, he sighed heavily knowing after all she's been through she deserved the truth. "I've never been to a funeral and I didn't want to go to one yet, so I came here instead. I told everyone that I didn't want you to be alone, in case you woke up. Which was true, it just wasn't the whole truth."
"Oh." Helga didn't know what else to say. She combed her fingers through her hair and cringed at how greasy it felt. She hadn't had a proper shower in over a month, since before the car accident. She hadn't even seen herself in the mirror since then. She wondered just how awful she looked. She probably reeked like sweat and hospital and wondered how Arnold, or anyone for that matter, could stand being anywhere near her.
"Have your parents not talked to you about this at all?" Arnold asked, surprise etched in his facial features.
"No." Helga shook her head, "They haven't talked about Olga or the accident since the first few days after I woke up. They talk about me about my injuries and being able to get the heck out of here, but we never talk about how I got in here in the first place."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nope."
Helga was in the hospital for nearly three months. When she was finally released she still wasn't able to completely to walk on her own quite yet, so she would be getting around by walker or wheelchair for the time being. Helga knew she was lucky that she wasn't dead or paralyzed for life, but she cried when she found out she had to use a walker. What thirteen year old eighth grader needed to use a walker to get around?
Helga had to prepare herself before she returned home. Since she wouldn't be able to handle all the stairs to her room upstairs Bob and Miriam had moved her room down to the den, AKA Olga's trophy room. Helga could only imagine what it would be like know that she was gone. She imagined the room would be immortalized in shrines in honor of everything Olga.
But when she wheeled herself into the room it was nothing like that. Bob placed her walker next to her bed, telling her if she needed anything he'd be in the living room and left, closing the door behind him. She sat in the middle of the room, gawking at walls of the room. They were completely empty. The trophies, the ribbons, all of the pictures, everything was gone.
It really was like Olga never even existed.
Olga. Helga gasped, blinking away tears. She buried her head into her hands, finally, after nearly three months everything sunk in. Olga was gone, she was dead, and Helga would never ever see her again. Her body began to shake as she sobbed loudly into her hands.
Her sister was dead and Helga couldn't even remember her last conversation with her.
Eight months later the school year was winding down and Helga was able to completely to walk on her own now, albeit with a fairly prominent limp due to the nerve damage she received from the accident. The next month would mark the first anniversary of the accident and the Pataki house hold was even more tense than usual. Bob spent even more time at work than usual, and Miriam was rarely lucid when Helga was home. While at home Helga spent most of her time alone in her new room in the den.
"Thanks for walking me home. You didn't have to do that." Helga cheeks blushed a light pink as she thanked Arnold. The pair had grown closer over the school year. While she was using the walker or wheelchair he had always been the first to help her from class to class or offer to carry her books.
"It's okay. I wanted too." He frowned when he saw her wince, trying to make it up the five stairs leading up to her front door, "Here, let me help you" He offered her an arm. "Are you still in pain a lot?" He asked as he helped her up the stairs.
"Sometimes. Not as bad as when I first got out of the hospital." Helga shrugged, "Its fine. I can suck it suck it up…I'll just walk it off." She joked.
"Have you told your parents?" Arnold asked, "Should you still be in pain like this?"
"I have nerve damage from the accident. The doctors told me I'd experience pain from time to time. They told me I'd probably have this stupid limp too." Helga had been in more pain lately than she had been, but she wasn't about to tell anyone else about it. She didn't want to go back to the hospital; she had spent enough time there in the past year.
"It's not that bad." Arnold tried to assure her.
"It's bad enough I couldn't go out for track this year. Or any sport for that matter." She mumbled, brushing some hair behind her ear. She looked at the door, "I should probably get in there. Thanks again for walk1ing me home."
Before Helga could open the door Arnold gently grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. She blinked up at him, confused. Without saying a word Arnold leaned forward and for a few brief moments his lips brushed up against hers and kissed her. He pulled away, blushing. He smiled nervously, "Bye Helga." With that he hurried down the steps and quickly disappeared around the corner.
Helga watched him jog off with a smile on her face. Arnold just kissed her! Her heart was swooning. Still smiling she hugged her books to her chest as she walked into the house, expecting to find Miriam passed out couch. To her surprise Bob was sitting on the couch and Miriam was nowhere to be seen. "Bob? What are you doing home so early?" She asked, setting her books and backpack down next to her bedroom door. "Where's Miriam?"
"Come take a seat, I gotta talk to you." Bob gestured to an empty spot on the couch. Bob rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his daughter limp her way towards the couch. He tore his eyes away from her, instead looking at his feet instead.
Helga frowned, "What's going on? Where's Miriam?"
Bob took a deep breath, "I don't know really how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it. Your mom left this morning. Your mom and I…We're getting a divorce."
"Oh. Okay." Was all she said, "Well, I'm going to my room and work on some homework." She got up from the couch somewhat unsteadily.
"Helga." Bob's voice made her stop in her tracks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Dad. It's not like you and Miriam have been happy lately. Even when I was a little kid you barely tolerated each other." She continued towards her bedroom, "Do you know who I'm going to live with?"
"Me." Bob quickly answered, "Your mother isn't capable taking care of you. You're going to live with me." He swallowed nervously before dropping the next piece of information, "I don't think you'll being seeing her for a while."
"Good." Helga mumbled before disappearing inside her room. She set down her books on her desk and her backpack next to chair before sitting down on her bed. Her fingers went to her lips, if she closed her eyes she could still feel Arnold's lips on hers. She pushed all thoughts of her mom and the upcoming divorce out of her mind. She refused to let the first time Arnold kissed her be eclipsed by Miriam leaving. It wasn't like Miriam was ever much of a mother to her anyway.
A month later marked the one year anniversary of Olga's death. Bob was already gone when Helga woke up that morning so Helga sat alone at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal that probably had way too much sugar for being so early. She glanced at the clock above the wastebasket. It was quarter to seven and Helga briefly wondered how early Bob had gotten up to avoid her that morning.
Her mind drifted to Miriam as she ate. It was a week after Bob told her that they were getting divorced when Helga found the out the way her mother left. Bob had come home at lunch to find an empty house. Miriam was nowhere to be found. Instead he found a sloppily written note that from what Helga had gathered said that she didn't have any reason to stick around anymore. Or something along those lines. She had yet to admit to herself how much knowing that hurt. Helga hadn't seen the note herself; she had overheard Bob talking on the phone with his divorce lawyer, so she clung to the farfetched idea that she heard wrong.
After finishing her cereal Helga changed to get ready for the day, though she was not going to school. She'd deal with the consequences of ditching with Bob later. Throwing her hair into a messy ponytail Helga grabbed her house keys and some cash and pulled the front door to find Arnold, her sort of boyfriend, his fist raised about to knock. "I should have called you. You don't need to walk me to school today. I'm not going."
Arnold flashed a sympathetic smile. "I know. I kind of figured, I'm not going in either. My mom called in for me and…My dad called you in." He held up a small bouquet of flowers. "I thought we could go together."
She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug before speaking, "Thank you." She wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. "How on earth did you convince your parents to let you stay home today? Did your dad pretend to be Bob? How did you talk him into that?" Helga asked once she released him from her hug.
He shrugged, suddenly looking nervous as he scratched the back of his neck. "I guess we all knew that today would be tough for you and we know how…" He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
"You know how Bob is never around." Helga finished for him.
He nodded, "Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault." She toyed with her ponytail nervously, "Are you sure you want to spend the day with me? I'm probably going to be all mopey…"
"Helga…I want to spend the day with you." He squeezed her hand tightly. "Come on…Let's go see Olga."
Arnold and Helga had placed the bouquet of flowers that Arnold had bought on top of Olga's headstone. Now they stood in silence at Olga's grave.
Arnold wasn't sure what to think. He was more concerned about Helga more than anything else. So he stood in silence watching Helga carefully as he held her hand. He did the only thing he could think of…Be there for when she needed him.
"Did you know her blood alcohol nearly twice the legal limit? What the hell was she thinking getting behind the wheel?" Helga asked, not expecting an answer. "She was supposed to be so smart, but then she drinks and drives? How dumb is that?" She closed her eyes tightly, but a few tears escaped anyway. "It's been a year, but I'm still so mad."
Arnold gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Mad at what…Or who?" He asked.
"Everything…Everyone, I guess…I mad at Bob and Miriam for upholding the Pataki family motto. Sweeping things under the rug…All of us could see that she was drinking more. Miriam was so happy to finally have drinking buddy. They should have seen it was becoming a problem. I'm mad that they didn't just let me to the beach with Pheebs that weekend. If I was with her Olga wouldn't have took my out for lunch and we wouldn't have been in the accident. I'm mad at Olga for dying! I'm mad that I'm angry at her for almost killing me! I'm mad at myself for never giving her a chance. She always wanted to be close. She tried so hard! But I always resisted. I'm mad that I can't remember those last few days with her. Though, maybe it's better that I don't. I probably spent the whole time being a bitchy pain in the ass whining I had spend time with her. And now I miss her so much…I'm mad that I didn't talk her out of driving. I had to have known how drunk she was. Why would I let her drive?" She paused her rant, breathing heavily as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I'm mad at Bob for never being home. And I'm mad at Miriam for leaving. She's supposed to be my mom…Why did she leave me? Why can't I be enough for them?"
She was sobbing now. Arnold didn't have a clue what to do. All he wanted to do was take all her pain away, but he knew that was impossible. So instead he wrapped his arms around her as he let her cry it out, telling her over and over again that she was enough.
They spent the rest of the day at her house, watching movies and eating junk food. Arnold left around 8 and Helga stayed up until shortly after 10 before she gave up waiting up for Bob to get home. She wasn't sure what time Bob got home, but she heard him enter her room sometime that night, or maybe early the next morning. He stood in the room for just a few moments before leaving and shutting the door softly behind him.
The next morning Helga was surprised to see that Bob was home for breakfast. He had gotten up early and bought doughnuts for the two of them for breakfast. They made awkward small talk as they ate, neither of them mentioning Olga or the accident.
It was just a few weeks after Helga's 17th birthday and like every other night Bob was working late. The only time Helga ever really saw him was for a couple hours before she went to bed and weekends, that is when she wasn't out with Arnold or her friends. Helga had seen Miriam once since the divorce. She got an email or text message every few months from her, but other than that they didn't have any contact with one another.
Helga's room remained in the den. Bob even had even added a bathroom and walk in closet for her. The den had plenty of space after all, she still had a pretty good sized room even after the additions. She was thankful, even though it had been a full three years since the accident there were days Helga still felt quite a bit of pain, going up and down stairs wouldn't help any.
As Helga got a little older she found some benefits of Bob working all the time. It left her all alone with her boyfriend, like she was now. The couple was lying on her double bed, kissing. Arnold's shirt was crumpled on the floor near the bed. "Mmm…Arnold…" Helga moaned softly as his lips made contact with that certain spot on her neck. His hand caressed the flesh covering her ribs before venturing up further. One of Helga's hands was rested on the back of his neck as the other massaged his naked back. Another moan escaped her lips as one of his hands groped her breast under her shirt, but over her bra.
This is how Bob Pataki found them. He got home work early that night, just before seven, and could hear noises coming out of his daughter's partially closed bedroom. The sight of the boy on top of his daughter was shocking to say the least. That shock turned to anger as he loudly cleared his throat.
The pair froze. Arnold whipped his head around to see his girlfriend's dad watching them as he had his hand on his daughter's boob. "Mr. Pataki!" He jumped up more quickly than he thought he could move and grabbed his shirt and struggled to get it on as Bob glared.
"Bob!" Helga sat up, pulling her shirt down. Her cheeks flushed in a mix of previous arousal and current embarrassment. "You're home early…"
Bob turned to Arnold. "You need to leave. Right now."
Arnold nodded silently, turning to Helga to make sure she was going to be okay. She nodded, "I'll call you later."
Again, Arnold nodded before stepping past Bob, mumbling an apology on his way out. Bob just stood there for a moment until he heard the front door open and shut, signaling the boy leaving. Bob released a heavy sigh, before taking a seat next to Helga on her bed. "Are you two having sex?" He couldn't believe he just has to ask that.
"What? No! We haven't done that yet." Helga's blush deepened. This was so awkward talking to Big Bob Pataki about. "We were just making out."
"And if I didn't come home when I did? Would you have…?" Bob couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
"…No…" Helga hated that even she could hear the uncertainty in her voice. Things had been getting more hearted than they usually did. Honestly she wasn't sure what Bob would have walked into if he had gotten home twenty minute later.
Bob wasn't sure how to handle this situation. Olga never had boyfriends in her teenage years. A part of him wanted to give her an ultimatum. Break up with the boy or get out of his house, but Bob knew what she would choose. He wouldn't really blame her either. He sighed again, "We'll have to make you an appointment with Doctor Fennal soon. Get you on some kind of birth control. I don't want you to being doing that, but I know I can't exactly stop ya either. But I'm also not ready for that boy to knock you up either." He cleared his throat. "New rule here. He's not allowed in your room when I'm not home. When I'm home that door is open."
Helga scuffed, "Okay. Whatever."
Bob's eyes narrowed, "Do you have a problem with my rules? If it works better for ya I can just not allow him over here anymore."
"How would you ever know if he's here or not let alone in my room? You're never home." She checked the time. It was nearly seven. "This is the earliest you've been home in months."
"Now Helga…" Bob was a little annoyed, "You know I have to work. I'm trying to provide for us. You know because I work so hard you won't have to worry about college. I will have that covered."
"Funny you paid for Olga's college education without working all these hours."
Bob frowned, "Don't bring your sister into this…"
"It's kind of hard not to when she's the reason you're never home!" Helga shot back, raising her voice. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? That I haven't put two and two together? Let's see…When did you start working all this overtime? Oh yeah, after Olga died and Miriam left!" She couldn't stop herself now. These things had been weighing on her for the last two years. "What do you do at the store all night anyway? Just sit in your office until you think I'm going to be in bed soon to avoid me as long as possible? Am I really that hard to be around?" Tears began to escape her eyes, "I wish you'd just admit it. Just tell me you think the wrong daughter died in that accident."
Bob felt like he was sucker punched in the gut. He just stared at his daughter for a long moment. She was hunched over crying. Slowly, trying to find the right words, he touched her shoulder softly. "Is that what you really think? That I wish you were killed in that accident? You can't possibly believe that…"
"Can you really blame me? You've made it pretty clear you don't want to be around me."
"Helga…" Bob took a deep breath. "There has not been a day since the accident that I haven't been thankful you're still here. You think I wish you would have been killed and Olga would have survived? Helga, if it woulda happened like that…I think would have lost two daughters that day. If I had lost you I don't think I could have ever forgiven your sister. She should have known better. She should have never drove drunk with you in the car with her, let alone at all. We found out about her blood alcohol level two days before her funeral…I spent the entire service being so angry with her. When I thought about you laid up in that hospital bed…I think a part of me hated her when we put her in the ground. I think part of me still does for what she did to you…What she did to our family." He paused, he wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to next. He and Helga usually weren't like this, "Come on Helga, you're my little girl…You gotta know I love ya."
Helga shook her head, she wasn't convinced. "Then why aren't you ever around? Why are you avoiding me every chance you get?"
"It's hard to explain…" Bob admitted, "It's been difficult for me to see you the way you've been. Your limp…And I know you're still in pain from time to time. I guess it's been easier for me not to be around you when I know I can't help you."
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Criminy… My sister died and then less than a year later my mom left. Then you spend all the time you can at work because it's hard for you seeing me with a damn limp? Try living with it and being completely alone!" She shook her head, "Do you think I haven't needed you during the past four years? Because I have! I'm only 17. You're the only family I have left. Can't you just be here? Can't you just be my dad?"
Helga was crying again and a moment realized he was too. Though he wasn't good at expressing his emotions seeing his daughter hurt, hurt him too. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Yeah, yeah I can do that." He placed a kiss on top of her head, "I'm so sorry Helga. I'm so sorry. I promise from here on out things are going to change."
It was a promise Bob Pataki kept.
The next morning Bob, refusing to sweep their problems under the rug any longer, made an appointment with Doctor Andrea Bliss. As a child psychiatrist she often met with families as well for group therapy sessions. When Helga was about twelve she stopped seeing Doctor Bliss on a regular basis. Andrea had visited Helga while she was in the hospital after the accident, but it hadn't been an actual therapy session.
Therapy had done wonders for father and daughter. Bob especially had worked through issues he didn't even realize he had. He had been carrying around a lot of guilt for the last four years. He felt guilty for being so angry with his dead daughter. Andrea explained to him and Helga it was okay to be angry with her. It was actually a pretty common occurrence.
Bob had been shocked when Helga revealed she felt partly responsible for the accident, despite not even remembering the days leading up to it, because she didn't talk Olga out of driving. Andrea didn't even get the chance to reassure her, it was Bob who spoke up first. He never for even a millisecond even thought of blaming her. He knew how Olga got when she drank. While Miriam would pretty much ignored the rest of the world when she had a few, Olga got mean. He could only imagine the verbal abuse Olga said must have spouted off towards her before driving.
Over the next year Bob and Helga worked through many of their other issues. Bob made an effort to be home by supper time nearly every day, he even started to invite Arnold over for meals. Better yet he referred to him as Arnold, instead of the boy. It took Helga nearly a year to start calling Bob 'Dad' on a regular basis. By the time Helga graduated high school Bob had been ecstatic with the progress he made with his daughter.
Helga was nineteen when she needed a second hip replacement. Her doctor explained hip replacements were made for the elderly, not nineteen year olds. She had to take things easy. She had to accept the fact she'd always have a limp. It was the semester after her first year in college when she had the operation. Helga hated to admit it to herself but as much as she hated the fact she had go back under the knife, she kind of loved the attention she got afterwards. Bob took two weeks off of work to take care of her and Arnold rarely left her side. She had been with him for five years now and they were still going strong. Their families even spent holidays together.
At twenty one years old Arnold asked to meet Bob out for lunch during his lunch break. "There's a reason I asked you to come here today." Arnold fidgeted nervously in his seat after they both ordered.
Bob nodded, he kind of figured that.
"I think you know how much I love Helga…Or at least I hope you do." Again Bob nodded, "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I know she's the one for me. I want to propose. I would like your blessing. And before I say it I know we're young but-"
"You want to marry my daughter?" Bob was grinning, "She's going to be so happy. When do you plan on doing it?"
Arnold proposed at Chez Paris. He thought it was fitting since that is where they had their first date. Sure, they were nine and he didn't know it was her, but still. It was perfect. He hadn't had any fears she would say no up until he actually popped the question. The few seconds it took her to process what he actually just asked were completely anxiety ridden for Arnold. He released the breath he didn't realize he was holding when she said yes.
Helga tossed a stack of stamped envelopes, that contained her and Arnold's wedding invitations, onto the table. "I think that's the last of them, thank goodness." They were having a small wedding, only fifty people, but as far as Helga was concerned it still felt like too many.
Arnold scanned the list of the guest list. He noticed one name was missing, though he wasn't sure if he should bring it up or not, "Helga?"
"Yeah?" Helga asked as she rubber banned the stack of out of town invites together. Arnold was silent, "What is it?
"Were you planning on inviting you mom?"
Helga shrugged, "I don't know if I really see the point. I haven't seen her in what, five years? I haven't spoken to her in three. I'm not sure she's even at the same address." She paused, "Do you think I should?"
"I don't know." Arnold admitted honestly, "I guess I just don't want you to have any regrets later. I think you should do what you feel is right."
She sighed, "I guess I can think about it."
She didn't tell anyone that she sent Miriam an invitation. She didn't tell anyone how much it hurt when she didn't even get a reply from her.
Helga didn't let that disappointment ruin her big day. Instead, she concentrated on her future with Arnold. As it clichéd as she knew it was her wedding day truly was one the happiest days of her life thus far. Her dad walked her down the aisle, danced with her, and best of all she married the love of her life. She didn't even think of her absent so called mother.
Less than a year into their marriage Helga discovered she was pregnant. Arnold had been ecstatic. During the first appointment they found out she was carrying twins. Her doctor explained that she would need a cesarean section, because of her past injuries to her pelvic region. If she gave birth naturally she could cause further damage.
"How are you feeling kid?" Bob Pataki asked his uncomfortable looking daughter. She was seven and a half months pregnant and it was the middle of July. She was slightly miserable. They were sitting outside of one of Helga's favorite restaurants waiting for Arnold to park the car.
"Tired and sweaty." She rubbed her stomach, "Somehow being pregnant in the middle of one of Hillwood's hottest summers in recorded history isn't as fun as I thought it would be." She waved her hand in front her face as a fan, "Man it's hot." She whined.
Bob gave her a sympathetic nudge. "You only have six weeks left. You got this. Who knows, you might miss these days when your son and daughter are keeping you up all night crying." Bob was beaming. Finding out that he was going to have a granddaughter and grandson made him happier than he ever thought possible. "Have I told you how proud I am of you lately?
"Sorry!" Arnold interrupted Helga before she could answer, "I couldn't find a parking spot." He grabbed his wife's hand helping her to her feet, before lovingly placing a hand on her stomach, "Let's go eat."
Smiling the three of them walked into the café, not noticing the greying blonde woman watching them from just a few yards away. Perhaps even if they did see her they wouldn't even recognize her. Miriam Pataki didn't recognize herself most days, so she wouldn't blame her ex-husband or estranged daughter if they didn't.
Miriam was smiling despite being heartbroken. Oh, how she wished she was a part of Helga's life again. She just didn't know how. Especially now that Helga was expecting. It hurt that she wasn't a part of the whole thing, but she was so, so, so happy that Helga was happy.
Miriam looked down at brown paper bag in her hand. She knew she couldn't have a relationship with Helga while she was still drinking. For a moment she thought about dumping the vodka she just purchased. Instead she hugged it tightly against her chest. Tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow she'd dump her booze and join AA. Again. Yes, tomorrow would be a good day for that. For now, knowing Helga was happy was good enough for her. Squinting one last look at her daughter through the café's front window Miriam made her way back to her apartment. She really wanted to pour herself a smoothie, after all, it wasn't tomorrow yet.
I know the ending with Miriam was probably a bit of a downer, but I feel like it was more realistic than her dumping her booze and just quitting then and there. Alcoholism generally doesn't work that way. I really hope everyone liked this, despite the somber story line. I'm no doctor. so if got some medical things wrong, please forgive me. I actually based Helga's injuries were actually based off my brother in law, who was in a very serious accident about six years ago. (Sorry, personal time here) He was wearing his seat belt, hence the pelvic/hip injuries. If he hand't been wearing his seat belt he would be dead right now. Like I wrote, he had a second hip operation last year and still has a sever limp. Thank you for reading. I you liked this, I'd love to hear your feedback.