He tilts his head. "You…" he stutters, his eyes going wide.

"I know, I know. I didn't really tell anybody…" I say, my voice trailing off.

He nods his head. He offers me a seat, so I sit down, pulling Caressa into my lap. "Honey," I whisper to her, "can you say Arnold?"

"Awnold!" she squeaks loudly. He smiles widely.

"She's absolutely adorable, Helga." He lets her play with one of his fingers. "How old is she?"

"She's one and a half. Aren't you sweetie?" I say, tickling her belly.

"Wow. So, you've been…I guess, busy?" he laughs.

I giggle and shrug my shoulders. "You could say that, I suppose."

"Is she Rob's?" he asks bluntly. I know he doesn't realize how touchy of a subject rob is, so I try to keep my voice as stable as I can.

"Yea…she is." I look down at Caressa, avoiding the awkward eye contact.

"How is Rob? Haven't seen or heard from him since graduation." The waitress places two cups of coffee, both steaming.

"Um," I say after that waitress ahs left. "Rob and I divorced a couple months ago."

He looks up midway through sipping his coffee and places it on the table between us. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. But, I know its better this way." I grab the coffee to relieve some of the awkwardness. "So how have you been doing? Since graduation?"

"Well," he says quietly, "Grandpa died two years ago, so we had to sell the boarding house."

I place my hand on his. "Arnold, I'm so sorry. I know how much he, and the boarding house, meant to you."

"It's okay. Grandma is in the hospital right now. I visit her every few weeks now. She has severe memory loss, so they say that me coming every now and again is helping her," he says solemnly. "She's been doing a lot better lately though," he adds.

"That's great," I say, removing my hand from his. He looks at me and smiles shyly.

He begins to laugh. He's staring at Caressa, who somehow grabbed a plastic milk container from the table and dumped it all over herself. I laugh along.

"Well, I better go wash this little tike up." I begin to stand, but Arnold beckons me to sit.

"I'll do it. You wait right here." I nod my head slightly and pass her to Arnold, who holds her with caution.

I see him walk into the bathrooms, Caressa not really knowing what's going on.

He's so sweet…and cute…and…what are you doing, Helga? This kid broke your heart! Do you want him to do it again? I don't know what to think. Do I befriend him? Will we become something more?

A few minutes later, Arnold comes out, his shirt soaking. I try to hide my laughter, but it's too funny to ignore. He laughs slightly, and then hands Caressa over to me. "Well, I can conclude one thing." He grabs some napkins from the table. "She is just like her mother; stubborn." I laugh even louder now, getting weird looks from other customers.

The night continues, and we end having to be kicked out for staying past the closing time. He walks me home, holding Caressa the whole way back. It's nice for someone to hold her for once. She's getting so heavy.

When I reach my apartment door, I reach into my bag and pull out my keys. "I had a really great time tonight, Arnold. Thank you."

He smiles and hands me Caressa. "You probably want your daughter back."

I laugh and open the door. "Come on in. You can call your roommate to come pick you up. I'll be right back. I'm just going to change her and put her to bed."

"Alright," he says and closes the door behind him.

I dress and put Caressa to bed as quickly as possible. I close her door quietly, and then walk back into living room. Arnold is standing by a bookshelf, looking at the photos sitting on the wood. "Well," he says, sounding defeated. "My roommate isn't going to pick me up. The jerk is drunk right now, so it looks I'll be walking back. I better get going before it gets too dark." He turns around and opens the front door.

I walk towards him, and he pulls me into an embrace. I wrap my arms around his waist, feeling safe and warm. I release him. "Arnold?"

He faces me. "Yea?"

"Do you want to stay the night?" His eyes widen. "Donner gets really creepy at night. I don't want you walking home by yourself."

He shakes his head. "I'm alright, Helga. Really, I can just walk."

"Please," I say, looking into his eyes.

He smiles. "If you insist."

I lead him in and point to the couch. "The couch is a pull out and there are some blankets on the couch. I would offer you some pajamas, but I highly doubt my clothes would fit. Make yourself at home."

"Thank you," he says. "Good night, Helga."

"Good night…Football Head." I giggle as I walk into my bedroom.