Some may not like me for the rest of this chapter. I did name this story because it is just some of the things that occur in life. I have additional notes at the end of this chapter.
Her back was pretty bruised up also her upper leg when she was tossed against the staircase. Helga felt humiliated. Helga had a hard time acting normal at school on monday as she decided to wear clothes that didn't brush against her skin too much, but being a girl wearing a bra was a horrid bitch when you are trying to fight hard in being comfortable.
Helga wondered if Arnold figured something out when he went over the speed bump too fast and she complained when she normally didn't. Helga really fought hard not to, but the way it went though her body caused her tear up a little. On Tuesday when it happened again, and Arnold parked the truck he surprised her by lifting the back of her shirt up.
Arnold was horrified as he saw how bruised up she was. "Helga! What happened?!"
"Please Arnold." She begged mostly hoping no one was seeing him look at her like this. "We are at school and people will talk."
"Tinted windows remember." Arnold reminded her as he lifted her shirt up more. "I thought I smelled the lavender more heavily yesterday and the way you reacted to that speed bump yesterday made me wonder."
"What so you thought to have fun with hitting it hard again?" Helga was trying to sound sarcastic but knew she sounded like a bitch. "Please Arnold this is humiliating."
Putting the shirt down he turned her towards him gently. "Did your dad do this?" With the way she looked down confirmed it. "When?"
"After the party. He was really drunk. The house smelled thick of alcohol."
Putting a strand back behind her ear, Arnold kept speaking softly to her so he didn't scare her. "Where are all the bruises?"
"All over my back, left shoulder and upper thigh from landing on the stairs." Looks down. "My mom took pictures and was gone in the morning."
"She didn't tell you why, did she?" Arnold wanted to hold her right now.
"No. I don't know why not." She laughed a bit. "I need more lavender I used a lot."
"Point me in the direction to where you buy it and I'll take you there. I know just regular lotion wouldn't cut it." Kisses her forehead. "If you have to I want you to sneak out of that house to come to the boarding house to stay. We want you safe."
"Phil gave me a key on saturday. Told me I was part of the family." She smiled at the thought. "Talk about the sweetest thing I have ever heard."
"Well that room is yours whenever you are ready to move in there full time." Arnold offered. "We can paint it any way you wish to make it really yours."
Helga paused just to keep in check with her emotions. "We should head in so I don't start spilling tears in your cab right now." Grabbing the handle she slid out before he could object. "Sorry I won the gentleman race."
Besides pain, school, regular gossip mills, and the like that goes on in school it soon turned into the ever faithful day of October 5th. Gerald drove Phoebe and Helga to school that day. Helga saw the noticeable difference of him not being there and hated it. Ever since he told her about that day she had been researching San Lorenzo and pulling up anything on his parents. She was sure Arnold was doing his own search, but just to insure anything Helga did some of her own with hopes of good news for him. All in all the school day was long and as she was at home hearing her parents going at it, Helga snuck out of her room just having this urge pull her towards the boarding house where instead of going through the front door she ended up going up the fire escape.
She was nervous the second her foot met the top. She remembered what he said, but hoped he would understand that something called her from deep within to be there for him. It was like a voice like no other that beckoned to her to help this miracle out.
Helga silently went to the window where his hatch was and immediately saw him in a fitful state laying on his side with a picture clutched against him. Popping the window open she went down quietly careful to not touch his mattress as she gingerly made her way to the floor. Helga could hear him talking in his sleep. Could see that he cried at some point since his cheeks were stained with tears. She hated seeing him like this as she drew near to sit at the edge so as not to jostle him so with the first thought in mind she sung what popped up in her head.
Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Smiles await you when you rise. Sleep, Pretty baby, Do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby. Cares you know not, Therefore sleep, While over you a watch I'll keep. Sleep, Pretty darling, Do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby.
Arnold quieted up and untensed himself loosening up the picture he was holding close to him. Arnold is really such a good person to deserve so many amazing things for himself so as quietly as she came she left just the same.
In the morning, Helga came outside her house to see Arnold by the truck readying the door to be opened. She hopped in wondering how he was, but afraid to ask even as he stepped in and they were well on their way. They didn't say a word and she figured if he wanted to talk he would so when they got into the parking lot and he stopped his truck Helga felt a gentle hand on hers as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"Thank you for coming and singing to me." Was all he said as he quickly left the drivers side to come over to help her out.
"You knew?" She asked when her feet hit the pavement. "I hope you aren't mad. I felt this urge deep within to come over and I saw you were having a horrible time sleeping so..."
Arnold stopped her from going on. "I'm happy for that urge and I'm glad you had it because it felt right when you did it."
It warmed her when he said that. Arnold had a special way of making you feel good about yourself too. "Oh hey I get to borrow my mom's car tomorrow because I have to do some out of the way errands for the business. At least it is for extra cash."
"Is it safe?" Arnold asked out of concern.
"Yep. Done it before. My dad is a jerk, but he knows I can sniff out the bull when it comes to a product." Helga waited till they were relatively free of people around them. "Mystery shopper."
"Oh I get it. Sure no problem, but I'll admit that I enjoy driving you."
"Same here. Not many girls get a Football Headed chauffeur in their lives."
He almost picked her up at that crack. "And not many guys drive Swans around in their trucks."
"Probably." Helga grinned. "Well at least what some guys aren't saying if you get my drift." She winks.
"Oh that's sick." Reaches under her arm to tickle her. "Brat."
"Takes one to know one." Helga stuck out her tongue before hopping away from him.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
In the early morning, Helga passed her mother as she headed to the bathroom before taking a shower. They said their greeting before she went in to take her shower. After she went into her bedroom to just put a pair of jeans and long sleeves on. Tossing her beanie on the bed she slipped on a pair of pink converses, combed her hair out before putting her beanie on her head. Never did she put make up on her unless she was covering something up, but she always needed her journal and a couple of her school books that she slipped into her book bag before heading downstairs.
Putting the bag down near the door, Helga started to walk towards the kitchen when something struck her as entirely too wrong as she stood still staring straight into the living room towards where her mother always sat.
"Mom?" Helga's voice sounded unlike herself. It was full of fear as she took a step forward. "Mom?" She repeated. Another step forward this time her voice was full of hesitance. "M-m-mom?"
The coffee mug was on the ground with the contents spilled all over to her left while Miriam's eyes and mouth were wide open. The house felt suddenly so cold. Helga whimpered out.
"Please no. Please. Mom." Steps even closer. "Mom." She's on top of her slowly dropping to her knees as her hands come clutching up close to her chest in a silent prayer. "Mom?" Still no response.
Tears start streaming down her pale cheeks as Helga places her head on her lap. "Mom, please no. Please no. Come back to me. No. No. No." Pulls away Helga screams out at the top of her lungs. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Mom! MOM!"
Getting up quickly, Helga runs up to the phone to dial 911. "Please help my mom. Please she's not moving. Please. Please." Falling to the ground the phone clatters to the ground away from her as Helga is overcome with grief. "Mom! Miriam! Please wake up!" Wracked with sobs she didn't hear the operator at all asking her questions.
That last part was hard to write. In Miriam's thoughts when Helga came home with her new phone in one of the previous chapters she hinted at something more going on with herself.