Helga and Olga waved goodbye to Louis when he dropped them off. He walked away without looking back, as usual.
"Bye Louis! Call me!" Helga waved with a content grin.
"Hey, stop trying to steal my man!" Olga chided teasingly.
Both sisters laughed and went inside. Helga was happy. She hadn't had a day like that in some time, perhaps ever. Two great meals with wonderful company and great seats to a show she'd been dying to see.
"So is that really true about Louis' family? The things he was telling us about at the Lake Union Steakhouse?" Helga asked as she and Olga hung up their coats.
"Yes." Olga smiled. "Centuries ago King Louis the fourteenth of France sent one of his sons by his mistress Madame de Montespan to govern the French province of Acadia. This son's name was Louis Henri de Bourbon, and the namesake of my...our dear Louis." Olga continued. She was not wary of telling Helga the story of a royal mistress. She knew by now that Helga was not a naive little kid. "At any rate, the French were forced to give up Acadia to the British after the War of the Spanish Succession, and eventually the name was Americanized from de Bourbon to Burbon. Louis and Henry are the ninth generational descendants of Louis Henri de Bourbon. And from what I've been told, they still have his original portrait hanging inside their house in Maine, along with his sword and something called a field marshal's baton. The house has been passed down unbroken from him to them."
"That's cool." Helga smirked as they walked upstairs. "So in a way, you're kind of dating a prince." She grinned.
"Kind of." Olga smiled softly. "But he'd always be a prince to me, no matter his background."
Helga smiled one last time as she opened her door and went inside her room, signaling that she had enjoyed the day. As soon as she had, she heard Big Bob's voice. She had not closed the door yet.
"Olga! You said you were just going out for breakfast!" Big Bob slightly teased.
"Oh hi Daddy!" Olga greeted, immediately putting her mask back on. Helga recognized that easily now.
"So any word from the Philharmonic?" Bob asked with a grin.
"Not yet daddy." Olga responded. "I just got back anyway, but I felt good about the whole thing!"
"That's my girl!" Bob grinned and hugged her. Then he spotted Helga standing in the doorway of your room. "Hey, keep inside your room!" He ordered. "For once I haven't heard a peep from you all day! You're still punished until tomorrow, so be good like you've been today! I don't want to hear any lip!" He ordered and went away.
Helga growled lowly, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
Olga glanced at her and went over to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Just think about the good day we had today, baby sister." She whispered softly.
Helga sighed. Olga still tended to ignore things.
"I'm telling you Phoebe, it was amazing!" Helga gushed as she and Phoebe leaned toward each other before class began. "Seeing Metalhead jump off that ladder was just so exciting! Leave it to Olga to wimp out of the whole thing! Louis and I had to force her to watch it!" She laughed.
"Well Helga, I'm glad that you had such a good time!" Phoebe chimed.
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."
Helga and Phoebe turned to look at Arnold behind them.
"What's it to you, Arnoldo?" Helga asked with an instinctive frown.
"You just seem so much nicer this way, that's all. It's good to see you back this way."
Helga turned toward the front, saying nothing at first, and then swooned in her seat with a gushy expression.
"Now now class!" Mr. Packenham began. "First of all, I want to welcome you back, Helga. I actually have some good news for you!"
Helga perked up at this.
"I've received word from the Playwright Society for Boys and Girls. They really loved your play Helga, and so they want you to write a new one and enter the citywide contest they're having in June!"
Helga gasped as Mr. Packenham came over and handed her the invitation to join the contest. To even greater surprise, a sporadic round of applause broke out for her, begun by Arnold, which made it all that more special. Even Harold, still wearing his protective mask and who had not said much to Helga, was applauding her.
"First prize gets to spend a day with the professional playwrights on Broadway, and five hundred dollars!" Mr. Packenham continued. "So, are you gonna enter the contest, Helga?"
"...Maybe..." Helga trailed, still somewhat at a loss for words.
Helga walked home slowly after getting off the bus. Phoebe seemed excited for her. She still stared at the invitation.
"Two good things in a row." Helga muttered to herself. Maybe times really were changing.
Only three chapters left. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers so far.