Stinky doesn't know ch. 3

by

Mastermindhunter

That evening everyone in the boarding house came down for dinner. It was a very tastefull fried chicken dinner, made by Arnold's grandmother. It was finally a chance to have Abby introduce herself to the boarders. She was a bit shy, but at least knew a few. She walked downstairs and sat with her mother. She got a room upstairs which held a Murphy bed. It was the best room that they could get on such short notice. Arnold told her earlier that evening, that his friends Rhonda, and Gerald had stayed in the room a few times themselves. It was a bit small, but the boarding house had plenty of space in the parlor downstairs. Abby didn't need too much room, granted her and her mother were the only two needing the room. The boarders were talking amungst themselves at the table, and everyone turned when they saw the two newest boarders. Abby and her mother stood in the door frame.

"Well there's our newest boarders. Come on in. We saved two seats just for you two." Arnold's Grandpa said.

"Why thank you." Abby's mother chuckled lightly. Abby sat next to Arnold, as Abby's mother sat next to Mr. Hyunh. Everyone dug in, as Abby and her mother made their plate. "Wow this chicken is splendid." Abby's mother smiled at the taste. When Arnold looked over at Abby's mother, she had a scar that went from her left nostril straight down her lip. It looked sort of odd. It wasn't too noticable, but made her lip look ever so slightly crooked.

He leaned over to Abby, and asked really quietly. She looked over at him, as he whispered. "Hey, what is that on your mothers lip?" Abby looked at her mother. She looked at it as if there was nothing there. She shook her head and shrugged. Arnold tried to rephrase. "I mean is that a scar? It goes from her left nostril down to her lip." Abby looked as if she was a bit confused. Then her face turned into one of understanding.

"Oh that." She whispered. "Yeah, my mom was born with a cleft lip." She said holding a finger up to her lip. "It's where your lip sort of looks like this, when your born." She pulled her lip up in an akward looking way. Luckily her mother wasn't turned their way, to see that they were discussing it. "When she was a newborn it was that way, but they fixed it up. Don't worry. Within a few weeks you'll barely even notice it. It will practically dissappear from your sight." Arnold wasn't so sure. She might have just not noticed, because she lived with her, her whole life, and was just used to it. When Abby returned to her plate, Arnold was listening to Abby's mother talking with the boarders.

Ernie was the first to make small talk. "So what's your name miss?"

Abby's mother smiled toward the table that was curious of her name. "My name is Gloria. Gloria Ashby." She said to everyone. She looked down at her daughter, ready to introduce her as well. "This here is my daughter, Abbigale." Abby smiled to everyone at the table. Everybody said hello to her. She blushed darkly, and looked down at her food holding her smile.

Mr. Hyunh looked over at the two newest members of the boarding house. "Gloria and Abbigale. Those are very pretty names. A very pretty name for a very pretty little girl." He said warmly to Abby. "She is a very beautifull young lady. She look just like her mother." He said to Gloria. Gloria smiled and sipped her water. Arnold liked the fact that Mr. Hyunh was making friends with the newest members of the boarding house. He seemed very interested in the two.

The rest of the dinner had gone as planned. The boarders continued to make small talk with Gloria. Arnold loved knowing that the boarding house accepted Abby and her mother. Arnold noticed that Oskar was making a suspicious face at Abby. He apparently didn't like her that much. "Hey Gloria. I noticed that your daughter has not talked at all since she got here. It sort of freaks me out."

Suzie looked at her husband appauled at what he said. "Oskar."

Oskar shrugged not knowing what he did wrong. "What? It's so very weird. What kind of little girl can keep her mouth shut for so long?"

Arnold's grandpa interviened. "Maybe you should keep your big mouth shut, Kokoshka!."

Mr. Hyunh agreed. "He is right Oskar. The little girl, Abbigale can be quiet if she want to. Mind your own business." He lashed out across the table.

Suzie agreed. "Yes. Oskar. Don't be so rude to our newest boarders."

Abby raised her hand slightly. "No. It's alright. I apoligize for my rudeness. I guess I'm just a bit shy." She admitted. She was very shy as Arnold could tell, when he first met her. Still as shy as she was, she seemed to open up to certain people such as Stinky and for example, as well as himself. She had been quiet for the rest of dinner. Suddenly her mother pointed at the clock on the wall. Abby looked at the clock, and she looked at her mother as if she was a bit annoyed by the time.

"Sorry everyone, but I'll be right back." Gloria said they both walked out of the dining room, and left everyone confused.

As soon as they left the room, Oscar reached for their discarded dinner plates. "If you all are so bothered by your dinner, then I will take it for you eh he he he."

Arnold's grandpa pulled their plates back to their seats. "The ladies told you they would be right back, not to please eat their food while their back is turned, you weasel!" He shot toward the bum.

Arnold thought that was a bit odd.

Abby was always quiet. She barely ever said anything about herself. Not only that, but she often stared at nothing in particular. She was talking to the nurse on the first day of school, and now this? If he was going to live with her under the same roof, then he had to know what was wrong with her. He turned towards his grandpa. "Umm grandpa I have a bit of a question."

Meanwhile in the rundown single room, her mother was helping her with a medicine bottle. She filled her small glass with water, and was ready to take her pills. They were not necesarrilly her cup of tea. In one swallow she took the pill, and washed it down with the water. When she rinsed out the glass her mother walked out of the room, and she returned the medicine bottle to the dresser in the room. She was about to walk out when she saw Arnold standing in the doorway.

"Hi Abby."

"Oh Arnold. What are you doing up here?"

He slanted his head, wondering why she was hiding her medicine. "I was just wondering if everything was alright."

"Oh everything is perfectly fine. I was just coming up here to take a few aspirin. I have a bit of a headache." She smiled fakely. Arnold knew when she was lying. He coud see it in her eyes. She sat on the murphy bed, so that things wouldn't seem so akward. He got closer to the dresser to look at the medicine. On the bottom it read Carbamazepine. That was something that definitely wasn't headache medicine.

He sat down on the end next to her. "Abby. My grandpa told me that you had an important medical condition with your nervous system. Would you care to talk about it? It might make you feel better if you tell me." He asked courteously. She looked at him as if he was talking nonsense, then she looked down mournfully, and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Alright, Arnold. You caught me. The truth is that I have something called Epilepsy." She said looking down at the floor.

"Epilepsy? What's that?" He said confused. He apparently wasn't aware of what that was.

She looked up to him so she could explain. "It's where you have these things called seizures. I have mainly three kinds. One is called absence seizure. It's sort of when you sort of loose awareness of what's going on. It seems like I'm staring of into space sometimes. You could say I'm sort of disconected for a while." That must have been what was going on when Arnold noticed that she stared off into space. "The other one is called a complex partial seizure. This one is a bit worse. I tend to do dothings that I don't mean to do. Sometimes I pick at my clothes, or tap on tables or things like that. Other times I just have trouble realising where I am. It's no use in asking if I'm okay, because I won't be able to answer. I sort of have trouble seeing how close or far away when this occours. Afterwards I get really confused" He felt like this was something he should have been told about. "The last one is the worst. It's called tonic–clonic seizures. They are the scary ones. When I have these, I tend to suddenly fall to the floor, and my muscles jerk, and I go into convulsions. Sometimes I bite my tongue while this happens. I can't control myself, and I black out." She said embarrased. "Luckily I take pills for those seizures."

Arnold had no idea how important this was. He just thought she was completely normal. "Wow. I had no idea. Does anyone at school know?"

"No, and I don't want them to. Please don't tell Arnold. Promise me you won't tell." She said begging him to keep it a secret. "If anybody knew that I could have a seizure at any moment, they'd laugh at me." She sighed. "I know for one thing that that one kid will. The one with his belly button sticking out, who is kind of on the big side. I know he'll laugh. it just drives away people. That's why we had to close down our farm, and why my dad left. We had to pay for my medication, and couldn't keep the farm gong. My dad thought it was too much responsibility to take care of me, since my condition was diagnosed. So promise you won't tell?" She asked with bright eyes.

"Okay. I won't tell." Arnold agreed "You know. There are a few people that you can tell, so they won't be confused. There are some people at school you can trust." He smiled to her.

Abby looked confused. "Who should I tell?" Who wouldn't be bothered by my condition. Who could I trust?"

Arnold walked over to the door. "Oh I don't know. Maybe Pheobe, or perhaps Gerald, or Sid." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think you're that much different, you know. You had enough courage to tell me." She smiled, and shrugged.

"You're a bold kid, Arnold." He smirked. As if he hasn't been told that before. He walked over to the door to head to bed. Before he walked out, she asked a very unexpected question. One Arnold had not thought would cross his mind. "Do you think Stinky would still like me?" He turned around and stared at her his eyes wide with surprise.

She looked at him embarrassed by her own question, as she rubbed her elbow. Arnold smiled warmly, and responded. "Of course I do."