(A/N: My apologizes for taking forever and a day to post a new chapter! I hope this new one meets your expectations! I don't want to hold you up any further so without further adieu, please proceed to read and absolutely review!)
Gym class ended with Helga gaining a sense of accomplishment. Still feeling the heat on her cheeks and her heart still in a flutter, she jogged over to her best friend with a little pant still in her lungs.
"Ready to go, Pheebs?" She asked after breathing heavy a little bit.
Phoebe had known that they would be participating in physical activity today and had done well to bring something to occupy herself, as she had a note from her mother excusing her from such sports. Finishing the last few sentences of her chapter book, she closed it with a smile. "Ready!" She replied happily. She analyzed the air surrounding her best friend and tilted her head in curiosity "Did something happen?"
"Happen?" Helga repeated in sudden shock, unsure of what to say. "Whatever could you mean Phoebe? Nothing happened, okay? I ran, we ran, everyone ran and I'm just out of breath, that's all."
Phoebe could feel a chuckle come along and she gathered her things and stood up to meet her best friends gaze. "Okay, if you say so Helga…" She spoke with a little arrogance, "but I'm fully aware of your physical boundaries and know that the little jogging you did wasn't enough to make you this winded."
The blonde, pigtailed girl growled under her breath and waited for her classmates to lead the way so she and Phoebe could tail behind. "It's a blistering hot day, Phoebe! Of course I'm winded! Not everyone gets to sit on the grass and read…" Before finishing her sentence, Helga glanced down at the small book in the young girl's hand, "The Handmaid's Tale?"
"And a shame that is Helga, as this is a very intriguing book. It paints the bleak lives of women who are treated like their only use is to procreate and follow instructions of men." Phoebe explained as she looked up to her companion to make sure she was paying attention. "They aren't even given real names as to show they're just objects; truly tragic but also insightful."
"Insightful?" Helga asked with a raised eyebrow, "It sounds just plain depressing to me. What's got you reading that crap anyway? Thinking of joining an all women's cult to overthrow men and lead a nation of your own?"
Phoebe gave a small pout and clutched her book close to her. "It's not crap, Helga and of course not. Although this is a rather peculiar choice, given my regular novels, I would have to argue that sometimes change is good." She could see that Helga's skepticism was on the rise and let out a small sigh of defeat. "And I suppose my estrogen levels have been peaked as of late, causing me to become a little unpredictable and emotional."
"Ah…" Helga smiled as she noticed they were closer to the school and could only fantasize about the small amount of air conditioning they could budget, "Don't you love being a girl? Thankfully I don't have to deal with all that just yet but I'm sure when I do…" Helga stopped to develop her thought, "I'll probably blow the school up or something." She finished with a shrug.
"Helga!" Phoebe gasped in offence.
"Don't worry; I'll make sure no one I like is here when that happens." Helga replied with a wholesome chuckle and a wink.
After retrieving their normal clothes from their own locker rooms and a quick shower, all of the students from P.S.118 emerged happily from their obligatory confides and ran towards freedom, however save for two of them.
The foursome stood in front of the doors as both Arnold and Helga gulped. The boarding house very rarely had a working air conditioner on account of his grandpa believing "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when in fact, although the air conditioner wasn't exactly broken, it also had to be bashed on with a hammer a few times to even start up and even then didn't blow very cold air. Helga, on the other hand, no longer had the beautiful gift of central cooling inside the Beeper Emporium, as her father no longer had the expenditures to spend on such luxuries.
Gerald grabbed his small girlfriends hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Ready?" He asked her. She nodded in response and with that gave the young man the confidence he needed to begin walking, despite the lack there of motivation behind him. Within a few steps, he looked behind him to see the other two still had their feet planted. "Guys?"
"Huh?" Arnold replied as his brain released him from the dazed thought of enjoying cool air for the rest of the day. "Oh yeah, sorry Gerald." He turned to Helga with a forced smile and his hand out in hopes of her taking it.
"In your dreams, bucko!" She shouted at him before crossing her arms, causing him to frown. Instantly regretting her words, Helga fumbled and reworded herself as she looked at the other couple in front of them. "I mean… If they want to add more heat to themselves by latching on to each other, then that's on them but I don't need the extra heat."
"Oh no… what happened to the central air in the Emporium?" Phoebe asked sadly to her blonde friend.
Narrowing her eyes with a troubled look, Helga sighed "Bob had to cut the extra cost in order to keep up with some financials a few weeks ago." She seethed.
"Times that tough, huh?" Gerald chimed in, attempting to sound sympathetic to the girls' situation.
Helga threw her hands in the air. "Yeah well what do you expect when you have a pig headed dad who would rather continue to make us suffer through this downward slope of a business than just selling the whole thing and cutting his losses?!" She replied as she let her emotions about the topic get the best of her. "I'd rather stay here and enjoy what cool air there is rather than spend another moment in that crapshoot."
The three companions exchanged worrisome looks before coming to a silent contentious on leaving the topic to rest for their friend's sake. There was nothing that could be done to help, and they all knew it.
With a growl, Helga stomped on through the double doors and into the heat while the rest followed. The subject changed into something more pleasant as the four walked towards their regular meeting area before parting ways. She didn't want nor need their pity as she was plenty capable of dealing with her ever changing environment, but the wish of it changing for the better always lingered in her heart. Helga turned her head and watched as the only people close to her slowly made their distance and a small pain twanged her heart. They were all going back to their loving parents and her? Helga turned to look at the gradually decaying building ahead of her. She was going home to that.
Marching towards her destination, Helga noticed something particular in front of the building that caught her attention. In a front parking spot was a rather nice looking shiny car; something that looked like it should be miles away from Big Bobs Beepers. Hastening her steps, she got closer and noticed a woman step out in a small business suit and enter the glass doors. With a sudden strange interest, Helga approached her dwelling and walked inside.
The woman stood looking around aimlessly, as if she was lost. A little taller than Helga, with short gray hair and glasses that hung delicately around her neck, the older woman turned to the young girl with fatigue on her face.
"Oh dear… You'd think with a going out of business sale like this there would be employees around to help customers." She said to Helga with a worrisome look.
Helga placed her hands on her hips and slouched. "You're looking at probably the only alert employee here, lady."
With a look turning from utter exhaustion to a small hint of delight, the woman smiled gently. "Oh I see! Well then, I suppose you'll do…" She said as she turned to lift up the small briefcase she had been carrying. Turning to look for a spot to set it down on, the mysterious lady decided on a small beeper display and opened the case to reveal a stack of papers. "I called about a week ago and spoke to a woman. She informed me that there were still many beepers in stock and my company would be very happy to buy them from you." She explained as she pulled out a small familiar looking flier and handed it to Helga. "We found this in our hospital and my director is very interested in purchasing whatever you have left, so long as they're still useable."
Helga looked the woman up and down before snatching the flier out of her hand. This is the flier that Arnold was passing out around that town! She thought as her eyes grew wide. Looking back at the woman, she could tell that she was indeed serious. "And you want to buy out… our whole stock?" Helga asked in shock.
"Why, yes… I hope that is alright." She smiled at the young girl again.
There was something so simple yet comforting about the woman that stood in front of Helga. She had a very natural grandmother vibe about her and made Helga feel like she could tell this woman anything and not be judged. "Alright? Well of course it is! Take them all for all I care!" She replied to the woman with a snarky tone before looking around to see the very empty store. "But unfortunately one of my parents has to be the one to sign off on them. You know child labor laws and such? So let me go find one of them for you."
The woman nodded in understanding and Helga walked through the showroom and into the back. It was quiet as if no one else was around despite the front door being unlocked. "Bob? Miriam? We have a customer!" Helga called out as she looked into the kitchen. No one. She continued towards her room to see that her bedroom door was cracked open. "Criminy…" She scowled as she approached the room and pushed open the door. In front of her lay her mother, sleeping on her bed. Helga walked over to the sleeping parent and pushed on her shoulders. "Come on, Miriam…" She said with aggravation emanating from her soul, "You have actual work to do! Get up!"
Miriam stirred a little before picking herself up, adjusting the misplaced glasses on her face and looking around dazed and confused. "Huh? Where am I?" She asked.
"My bed, Doi!" The angry preteen replied as she pointed to her bed. "What are you even doing in here? You normally sleep on the couch."
Rubbing some sleep out of her eyes, Miriam let out a small yawn before looking around the room. Her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh yeah! I came in here because your father was complaining about not having clean clothes so I figured I would gather your clothes as well…" She explained as she recalled her memories, "Then I saw your bed and thought it needed to be made but before I could make it, I ended up falling asleep on it! Isn't that funny?"
"Yeah it's hysterical, Miriam…" Helga sighed as she looked behind her, remembering that there was a serious customer waiting for them. "Where's Bob anyway? We have a woman here looking to buy practically the whole store!"
The weathered woman pondered a moment before letting out a small noise of enlightenment. "Oh right! He said he had some errands to run and be back soon… who did you say was here, honey?"
Helga let out a loud growl and stomped her foot. "A customer! Now get your butt out there and take care of her!" Helga demanded as she grabbed her mother's hand and hoisted her on her feet. "She said she talked to you over the phone like a week ago, does that jog your memory?"
Miriam smiled at her daughter's assertive behavior. Her mind was fuzzy but she couldn't help but think that Helga was growing up to be just like her father. "Well look at you, Mrs. Business woman!" She replied with a small giggle before letting her daughter push her out of the room. "Alright, alright I'm going but maybe you should come along and watch for your own educational benefit?"
The thought was absolutely troublesome; however the young girl was interested in such a large transaction. It was possible that this woman was going to really help them financially. "Educational? Criminy Miriam… sure whatever just go help that lady."
As the two entered the showroom, the older woman stood in the same spot Helga had left her and was gazing down at a small handheld computer. Upon hearing their footsteps, she turned the screen off and placed it down inside her suitcase. "Lovely!" She gasped in delight as she saw that Helga had found an adult. "You must be the woman who I spoke with the other day! My name is Diane Winchester." She introduced herself with an applied hand reaching out for a handshake.
Miriam shook the woman's hand and smiled back. "Miriam Pataki, It's very nice to meet you Diane." She then turned to her daughter who looked very disgruntled, "This is my daughter Helga, she told me that you're still interested in buying some of our products?"
Diane nodded and turned back to her briefcase. She pulled out what looked to be a contract and handed it to the now alert woman standing in front of her. "Yes. As I said on the phone, I represent Saint Paul's Hospital and we're in dire need of communication devices however…" Her voice turned depressed and her smile disappeared, "Our Hospital has a very strict budget that we're not allowed to go over, and our doctors and nurses have needs that have been going unmet for quite some time. Many of them require a personal handheld device that lets us contact them quickly when there is an emergency, but it is not within our budget to give them company cell phones just yet. My director noticed a flier of yours inside our building and thought your beepers, as cheap as they are right now, would be a perfect fit for our hospital. This is our budget for this purchase; I hope it is within reason."
"Don't you worry Ms. Diane, You're in good hands." Miriam replied as she took the papers and filed through them. "My memory may be a little bad at times but I do remember the phone call." She then turned to Helga, "Honey, could you go in that back hallway closet and bring me out the box of beepers there?"
The request surprised Helga as she remembered that very box. "Uh, sure." She said as she hurried away, leaving the two adults to discuss business. As Helga came to the closet, she opened the door and saw the box still sitting where she had last seen it. Gingerly, she lifted the box off the floor and did well to lift with her legs and held the box close to her body as to center her gravity; something she had been taught from last year's science class. Mixed emotions went through the girl as she grasped the box tightly. Did Arnold's half baked plan really work? Was it possible that Miriam really had a hand in securing such a large sale that could quite possibly get their family back on even ground? Not only that, but she unearthed and singled out probably one of the best versions of beepers they had left over, just for this company in need? The thought was both compelling and unbelievable. Miriam- the woman who can't even remember to lock the store up at closing time, the woman who gives shaving cream and crackers as a lunch, the woman who accidentally forgets to buy groceries and instead uses the money on her own vices… Helga then remembered the one time in her life where her mother was actually stable and responsible. Wow… It's just like Brainy said, give the woman a purpose and she can be pretty incredible. She recalled silently to herself. Maybe things are really going to be okay for once…
Helga struggled a little but managed to bring the merchandise safely and securely to the two mingling adults. "Here you go, one box of beepers." She announced as she placed the box on the floor between them.
Miriam opened the box and pulled out one of the models. "These right here are the Moterzola LS6000; The last in their line and by far the most reliable. They were built with the highest frequency available and reinforced with premium stainless steel so they're nearly indestructible…" She explained with a very informative voice as she handed the model to the woman.
Taking the little piece of technology in her hand, Diane's head began to swim with advertising buzzwords that meant very little to her. "Will these be able to work around the whole hospital?" She asked patiently, "The hospital itself is quite large and the signal needs to be able to reach not only throughout the inside, but the parking lot and parking garage as well, as some of the staff likes to nap in their vehicles."
Miriam held up her hand as if she was giving her most precious promise. "Of course, ma'am. You're in good hands! Not only will they be able to receive their message as soon as it is sent, but they will be able to take them home as well and still receive the signal."
With a sigh, Diane handed the small device back to the business woman in front of her. "And this premium model… it is still within our budget?"
Nodding, Miriam placed the beeper back in its box. "Absolutely. You're budget is not a problem and I've made sure to include a few extra just in case some get lost. They are a little older than this model, however they should get the job done."
Hope filled the older woman's heart as she grasped the deal she was given. Not only was her director going to be pleased, but she was going to be able to make such a difference in how the hospital was run. She held out her hand to Miriam again. "Thank you so much! You're such a life saver!"
Helga watched in awe as her mother took the woman over to the cash register to sign papers and accept payment. It was simply amazing to see her mother fully coherent and functioning at full capacity, it was almost like she was staring at another person.
"Wow Mom! That was so crazy! I can't believe this just happened!" Helga eagerly asked her mother as they both watched Diane drive off with her new purchase.
Miriam chuckled and patted Helga on the head. "Don't be so surprised, Helga. I handled the business before and I can always do it again."
"Just wait until Bob comes home! He will flip!" Helga let a laugh escape as her body accepted a calm and secure feeling she hadn't experienced in such a long time.
"Let's surprise him!" Miriam shouted out with a clap of her hands as she turned excitedly to her youngest. "I'll go ahead and order us something nice and while we're eating dinner, we can tell him!"
Helga could see the joy in her mother's eyes and started to understand where her older sister had gotten her enthusiasm from.
The Pataki family sat in their makeshift living room around their take out order eating triumphantly. It hadn't taken long for Bob to come home right after the delivery man had made his drop off, and he was beyond surprised to see his favorite Chinese food awaiting him.
"You sure we can afford this right now, Miriam?" He asked skeptically as he opened his container of Kung Pao Chicken.
The older woman turned to her daughter and exchanged brief smiles before turning to her husband and pushing a container of steamed dumplings to him. "Don't worry about it B…" She started, "It will be fine."
"Uh huh…" He replied as he took a bite of food. He could feel there wasn't something quite right in the air.
Unable to contain herself, Helga decided that she would let the cat out of the bag herself. "We might have stumbled into some cash today…"
This immediately caught the man's attention. "Did more college kids come by?" He asked eagerly before shoving another bite of the greasy concoction into his face.
Miriam cleared her throat and placed some rice on her Styrofoam plate. "Not exactly… A nice woman came by the store today and bought a few things…"
"How much is a few things exactly, Miriam?" Bob asked as he began to get impatient.
Deciding it was best to just show him the receipt, Miriam reached into her pocket and showed it to the man. Immediately, his plastic fork dropped to the floor and his face became flush with shock.
"Pretty cool, huh Bob?" Helga asked; proud of her mother's efforts.
"Holy Father of Creation!" He shouted, unable to contain himself. "This is a lot more than a few things, Miriam! With this kind of money, we could put ourselves back on the map!" He continued as he slapped the receipt with the back of his hand. "This is just the kind of money I need!"
Although his reaction seemed appropriate for the situation, Helga couldn't help but feel suspicious at his last sentence. "Yeah, we could probably buy our house back with this money and still have enough left over to hold us over while you sell this place and get a new job."
"You're thinking too small, girl!" He replied in a gruff voice. "I had a meeting with a few men today and they were willing to loan us some money so we could get back out there! Sell more than just beepers but all sorts of electronics!"
"You tried that already, Bob!" Helga shouted in desperation. "Remember your appliances? Your camping equipment? None of that junk sold!"
Miriam could feel anxiety building within her as her family argued. "Why don't we all just relax a second?" She turned to her daughter, "Helga, why don't you let your father say his idea and B…" She then turned to her husband with sad eyes, "…It would be nice to get the house back."
"We'll get the house back, don't you worry!" His boisterous voice echoed around the room, "But first we'll need to invest this money a little and Wham Bam we'll have our store flying off the charts!"
"You're not listening, Bob!" Helga shouted again, this time pounding her fist angrily on the stone floor. "You've already tried that angle in the past and it didn't work! You don't need to invest this money into another business! Just sell this run down hazard of a shop with the rest of its junk, get our house back and find a real job! No more getting us back on the map! No more Big Bobs! Just…" But just as Helga could feel herself beginning to let down her guards and really speak to her father, she was interrupted with a big fat finger in her face.
"You listen here girl…" He said with a voice so sharp it could cut through glass, "I'm Big Bob Pataki and us Pataki's never fail. We may fall but we pick our keister's right back up and get back into the game! Everyone knows that! Look at your sister! She is a true blue Pataki and has never once failed us. She's won every award she set her sights on; excelled in every area of study she put her mind to and has been making us proud for years! That is the vision we strive for and we accept nothing less!"
Feeling as though she was wrong for even attempting to trust her father, Helga stood up and pointed her finger right back in his face. "She hasn't won every award she set her mind on! Remember the spelling bee? And her judgment in people sucks!" It was if her family's little success had become nothing more than another self righteous pat on the back to the man, and it made her blood boil. "If anyone should decide what we use that money on, it's Miriam because she's the one who made the sale! Not you!"
"That… would be nice." The woman said softly, knowing that she wouldn't be heard over the other two's voices.
"Miriam? She doesn't know the first thing about how to invest and where to put our money!" Bob yelled back as he swung his large arm in the air. "I'm the head of this family and the name on the business and bank account! I know what's best of us and that's final!"
Her blood was beginning to boil over and Helga could no longer see straight. Enough was enough. She took a deep breath in and stood up. "If that's how you want it, fine." She said in an eerily calm way. "Destroy this family. Run us far beneath the ground into poverty, all for the sake of your pride. Take away what this woman achieved and claim it as your birthright simply because you're the holder of our last name. But you know what Bob?" She asked as she sneered towards him, "In the end, how much will that pride cost us? Is it worth more than your family?" and with that, she turned and left into her bedroom leaving both adults to sit in silence.
Helga's words did nothing more than cause her father to angrily dig into his food, while they sunk into her mother's soul. The woman slowly stood up and headed towards the kitchen.
"Where are you going? You gonna abandon me too?" Bob asked as he watched his wife slowly walk away.
"I need a smoothie…" She responded in a low drone of a voice.
The next day, everything went on as usual. Helga got up, brushed her teeth, got ready for school and left. She met up with her friends and went to class. Her classes were boring and uneventful, her conversations meaningless and everything seemed to blur into one big dream. The talking that went on around her was nothing more than white noise and her lack of energy, even negative, seemed to concern everyone around her. No matter what she tried to focus on, everything just seemed too pointless and Helga had no energy to deal with any of it. Quietly, she withstood class until the very end. Even in their new Health class where they started the subject of drugs and alcohol didn't seem interesting to her.
Finally the bell rang and Phoebe grabbed on to Helga's arm before she mindlessly left the classroom.
"Helga… did something happen?" She asked seriously and not intending on letting her friend go until an answer was unearthed.
"Huh?" Helga responded back, only partially snapping back into reality. "What do you mean, Pheebs? I'm fine."
"Helga…" Phoebe began, knowing there was no reason to pussyfoot around the obvious. "Don't insult my intelligence or our friendship. You're acting nothing like yourself. You haven't pushed one kid into a locker, yelled or teased anyone… Are you sick? Has it finally become your time of the month?"
Shaking her head and giving off a small chuckle, Helga removed Phoebe's hand from her arm. "I'm sorry Phoebe…" She responded full of exhaustion. "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all. Bed's too hard on my back; had me tossing and turning. I'm just tired."
Her explanation gave a small bit of sense, however Phoebe knew that it wasn't the whole truth- if any truth at all. "Helga, you've had the same bed since you were 6 years old. Why would it start to give you problems now? It never has in the past."
"Maybe I'm getting old?" Helga suggested, a little humor in her words.
"It is very unlikely that someone of our age would experience the aches of that of someone much older." Phoebe stated, a little grateful for Helga's change in tone. "However not impossible, considerably unlikely."
Helga shrugged and attempted to walk out again but was immediately halted once more. Her friend's persistence was beginning to wear on her nerves. "Jeez Phoebe, I'm fine now let me go."
"You are most certainly not fine." Phoebe insisted sternly, "and I'm afraid that if you avoid answering me truthfully any longer, that I might become unstable and do something irrational. I would like to avoid that for both of our sakes so if you would please…"
"Fine!" Helga shouted as she whipped her arm back from its captor. "Let's walk and talk, how about that?"
Phoebe accepted the proposal and immediately began to follow her friend. "Why in such a rush to get home?"
"I'm not." Helga put bluntly.
"Did something happen with Arnold?" Phoebe asked, now just guessing at the possibilities for her friend's behavior.
"Not particularly." Helga sighed with annoyance.
"I noticed that every attempt of him talking to you today was futile… forgive me for assuming but that's also very odd." Phoebe frowned.
The two girls pushed the large metal school doors open and walked down the steps. "Maybe I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone today? I have a right to be in my own mood, Phoebe." Helga noticed that the day was much cooler than it was the day before. She recalled her small uplifting conversation she had had with Arnold, as well as the dread of not spending more time with him but her heart did not stir. She felt dead inside.
Phoebe watched Helga's expression as she answered her and noticed it was still unchanging. The more and more questions she asked, she became no closer to achieving her objective. "Yes, I suppose it is within your right to be as distant as you please but…" Phoebe stopped, causing Helga to do the same. "I'm really worried about you. If not for my sake, then for yours… please tell me what's wrong."
Her words started through Helga like a dull wind; winding and turning through her head until it left a sting somewhere within her. She could see the sadness and concern in her best friends face and knew that her being stubborn wouldn't help either of them at this point as Phoebe was not going to back down. With a final sigh, Helga closed her eyes and pressed her forefinger and thumb up to the bridge of her nose to give herself focus. "Yesterday we sold the majority of our beepers."
"That's… fantastic!" Phoebe's eyes lit up at the information, but then slowly her expression went to confusion. "Isn't it?"
"No…. I mean yes! I mean it's supposed to be but it's not!" Helga tried her best to explain, however fatigue grew on her further and every ounce of her being didn't want to go into the topic. She began to walk again hoping it would bring her stamina back up. "Bob wants to use that money to start our business back up again. It's a stupid idea but nothing I say will change his mind." She began to think back to his speech about her older sister and cringed. "And honestly, I don't even think Olga could change his mind if she tried and you know how she can sweet talk him into anything."
"He's dead set on it, huh?" Phoebe asked, now understanding her best friend's mood.
"Yep." The blonde girl nodded.
Not sure of what to say, they continued their walk in silence as Phoebe thought up reassuring ideas but none of them actually came out of her mouth.
Eventually they came to their parting spot and Helga saw the look of distress on her best friends face. "Don't look at me like that, Pheebs. I'll be fine." She reassured, "I've been living this life for how long?" She chuckled, "You'd think I'd be used to the disappointment but I guess I'm not. It's just… For a moment, for one slight moment I actually believed that everything would be okay; that things would start to look up in my favor. Maybe we'd move out of this dump and back home, maybe we could be a normal family but who am I kidding? That's never going to happen."
"It could one day, Helga." Phoebe coached, trying to be optimistic.
"And one day ice cream will fall from the sky." Helga used the sarcasm to mask the fact that the further they spoke on the subject, the worse she felt. "Dream on, Phoebe. This is just my life: It's how it is now, and it's how it will always be until I'm old enough to get a job and move out on my own." Her words brought little comfort to herself as she had thought on this many times in the past.
"I suppose that is a positive way to look at it…" Phoebe frowned.
Helga placed her hand on her friend's small shoulder in hope of comfort. "Thanks for caring about me, Phoebe." Her voice was warm and kind, despite the negativity and raw emotion she was holding back. "And I'm sorry for keeping these things from you. Something's are just better dealt with by yourself."
Knowing her words were true, Phoebe nodded. "Self contemplation is very important in growing… however, just know if you need anything I'm just a phone call away and my doors are always open to you in case you need to escape."
Helga gave way to a small laugh before turning to the Beeper Emporium. There it's stood in the day's sunlight in all its deteriorating glory with all the unknown going on inside of it. Maybe her father had thought over her words? Maybe he had already signed on a new contract to begin ruining their lives again? Who knows? She turned back to her best friend. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, Phoebe." And with that, she walked off slowly, leaving her best friend full of mixed emotions.
Laying on his bed alone, with only the sound of smooth jazz coming from his stereo to keep his mind at ease, Arnold stared into the sky. He too had been worried about Helga all day, but reflected on her advice the day before. He furrowed his brows as he thought deeply about life. Here he was, about to be 12 years old. He had his parents back, dating the one girl on earth he never imagined himself with, learning new things about his body and coming to grip with the fact that he was growing up. One day, there will come a day where instead of playing catch in the park on a Saturday afternoon with Gerald, he will be studying for the SAT's to get into college. One day, he will be too big to be hoisted up on his father's shoulders. One day, he would exchange his bike for a car. One day, he would be graduating from school and moving out of the boarding house. One day… he would have a family he created along with the family he was brought into. How soon would those days come? Would it happen in a blink of an eye? Or would he actually feel time pass slowly while he took the time to enjoy his current surroundings? He was always told by his grandparents that time passes by in an instant and before you know it, you're eating baby food again and needing others to wipe your butt. Arnold shuttered at the thought and shook the thought out of his head.
A knock on the door startled the boy and caused him to sit up. "Come in." He welcomed the unknown guest.
The door to his bedroom slowly opened and his father emerged. "How you doing there, son?" He asked softly before he entered the room, "You've been up here since you got home from school. Something on your mind?"
Arnold's expression melted into one of gratitude for his father's concern. "Sort of."
Miles gave him a slanted smile and scratched his head nervously. "It's not about the talk we had, is it?" He let out a frustrated sigh, "I know I didn't do very well…"
Patting down the spot next to him, Arnold beckoned his father over to sit down. "No, not exactly. I mean, that's on the list of things I've been thinking about but not the only thing."
The older man walked over to his son and sat down, causing the bed to bounce a little. Looking into the young man's eyes, he could see that Arnold was pondering something heavy. "Serious stuff, huh?" He asked with a playful nudge. "What else is on this list of things you've been up here thinking about?"
After recalling them all briefly in his head, Arnold began to fidget with his thumbs nervously. This was going to be the second father son experience of his life and he wasn't sure what to expect. "Well, mostly just life. Growing up and what to expect…" He started quietly. Silence filled the room as Miles patiently waited for Arnold to continue. "I was just thinking about how my life has changed so much in such a little time. I got you guys back, started a new grade, I'm learning more and more about myself that it's a little overwhelming…"
Miles placed his hand on his sons shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "I see."
"Yeah." Arnold continued, "And there is one more thing that's really been on my mind…"
"Go on." Miles nodded encouragingly.
Fidgeting again, Arnold could feel a blush overcoming his cheeks and took in a deep breath in a failed attempt at relaxing. "I've been thinking about how… everyone's different. I've been noticing lately small things that I never really paid much attention to before. Such as how someone reacts to something I say, or how someone moves a certain way or has little… I don't know, things that they do that I've never noticed before." Arnold looked bashfully at his father, "Is that weird?"
Unable to contain his small chuckle, Miles smirked and patted his son on the back. "No, that's actually pretty normal. It's good that you're very observant of the people around you. It can really help you in the future, especially when it comes to girls. They can be pretty confusing." He finished with an awkward wink.
Feeling that they were both on the same page, Arnold relaxed a little. "I'm starting to see that now." He agreed as he looked down at his hands. "Helga has always been a really confusing person. One day she hates my guts and is calling me names and picking on me, the next she's giving me helpful advice and saving the day. Next day she avoids me completely and then next she's acting all happy when I'm around."
"And what sort of day was today?" Miles asked with genuine curiosity.
With a solemn sigh, Arnold closed his eyes. "Today she didn't even say one word to me. Not just to me, but to anyone." He shook his head and looked up at his father. "She seemed dazed and confused, like if she was in another dimension the entire time. I tried talking to her, but she barely even noticed I was there…"
Placing a hand on his chin, Miles thought for a moment. "Has she ever done this before?"
Arnold shook his head again. "Not that I can remember, but that's also why I came up here to think. I've been recalling a lot of the things that she's done in the past and compared them to now. I think I can finally understand her a little bit better but this seems really far out in left field. Just yesterday she was her usual self and even gave me pretty good advice."
"So something must have happened after that…" Miles thought out loud as he stroked his long chin. "What's her home life like? I know we met her parents briefly on the plane but I don't remember much about them."
The topic was a difficult one, as it wasn't really Arnold's business to tell, however speaking with his father about it might also enlighten him. "Mr. Pataki isn't very nice. He's loud and bossy and always finding shortcuts to get him what he wants even if it means hurting others including his family, Grandpa really doesn't like him. Mrs. Pataki seems rather nice but I don't know much about her. Helga also has an older sister named Olga who is really nice and helpful, however Helga doesn't like her much because they're polar opposites and not in a good way." He explained.
"Uh huh…" Miles commented in between the explanation.
"I've seen her with her family on a number of occasions, and not once did she ever actually look happy. Her father is very overbearing and even I shudder to think what life with Bob Pataki is like." Arnold sighed as he remembered Helga's living situation. "And living in the Beeper Emporium…"
"Beeper Emporium? They're living in a store?" Miles asked, alarmed to hear such a thing. "Have they always lived there?"
"No, they used to live in their own house but things didn't turn out so good once cell phones became more popular and I assume they no longer could keep their house." Arnold replied, still not totally sure exactly how the family ended up there. "Helga doesn't like to talk about it."
"That doesn't sound like a very nice living situation… I could understand if she was grumpy sometimes. I'd be grumpy if I had to live in a store." Miles said thoughtfully.
Arnold thought about Helga's temperament and how she carried herself. Moving into the emporium didn't make her happy; however her attitude never seemed to change… at least on the surface. She was usually grumpy and scowling about something but never completely silent.
Miles could feel that his son wasn't exactly feeling any better and decided to change it a little. "Life can be hard, Arnold." He started, trying to sound more adults than usual. "It's a lot like poker. You're dealt a hand and you need to make do with what you have. Some people have a good poker face, some people don't. It's possible that Helga has been dealing with something that she doesn't want anyone to know about so she puts up a front and walks around like nothing has changed." He could see his lecture was peaking his sons interest, so he continued. "People like you and I… it's difficult to hide how we actually feel." He said as he smiled and tapped him on the shoulder playfully. "We wear our hearts on our sleeves and everyone around us can tell if something's bugging us because we unconsciously show it. The good thing about us though, is we're able to show others that sometimes it's okay to express yourself when you need to. Have you ever talked to her about her personal life?"
"Sort of… but it's not exactly easy." Arnold admitted, feeling a little silly. "She can be pretty defensive."
"Do you want her to be able to trust you and rely on you?" The parent asked with a smile.
Arnold nodded earnestly. "Yes!" He exclaimed before calming back down and regaining composure. "More than anything, actually but…"
"But it's hard." Miles finished his sentence for him. They exchanged looks of understanding and Miles knew that he had succeeded in his conversation with the boy. "People can be hard. Women, especially. But I know if you care enough about her, and show her that, she'll come around and talk to you." He then looked over at Arnold's clock. "It's still early, why not call her to see if she wants to talk now?"
A feeling of uneasiness suddenly washed over the boy. "Right now?" He asked, unsure of himself.
Miles rose up from the bed and headed to the door. "Yeah! Why not?" He retorted, "Maybe a call from you is just what she needs. Maybe talking to you face to face was too hard and over the phone is easier. You never know unless you try, Son."
Arnold watched nervously as his father gave a short laugh and escorted himself out of the room. He could feel his palms begin to sweat. What's wrong with me? Why am I so nervous to call her? He thought as he looked across the room at his phone. I've called her before and it was fine… of course, some of those times she also yelled at me but she's always yelling. He sat there and did is best to convince his nerves to let him stand and walk over to the phone. As he sat there staring at the device next to him, he could feel a ball in his stomach grow. Did something change between the last time he had called her and now? Was it because he was scared of how she might react today specifically? He had no idea but with a large gulp, he grabbed the phone and dialed the number.
A few short rings and he heard someone pick up the phone. "Big Bobs Beepers." He heard the gruff voice of an angry sounding man on the other end. A man he knew to be Mr. Pataki.
Arnold swallowed hard again. "Hello Mr. Pataki, This is Arnold. Is Helga available to talk?" He asked as politely as possible.
The man grumbled something inaudible. "Yeah, I'm sure the girl is here somewhere…" He said before pulling the phone away from his face and shouting. "OLGA ALFRED IS ON THE PHONE"
Pushing back the need to correct the man, Arnold waited patiently while he listened to the jumbled up noises her phone was making while Bob presumably brought the old cordless phone to her door. He heard him bang on a door and yell one more time before her voice echoed into the receiver.
"Fine! I got it!" She yelled before grabbing the phone and slamming her bedroom door. "What is it, Football head?!"
Her voice and regular tone made his heart begin to slow down and his muscles relax. "I never thought I'd ever be happy to hear you call me that but…" He suddenly realized that he had no real objective to calling her other than to hear her voice. "Uhh… how are you?"
"How am I?" She questioned with a course attitude. "I was doing just fine until you called and I was forced to look at Bob's stupid face. What do you want anyway?"
Arnold felt his heart begin to sink at her words. Did she really not want to talk to him? It sounded like she hated him all over again, despite him knowing the honest truth about her feelings. He straightened up his back and clenched his muscles, "To tell you the truth, Helga… I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said with a slow and steady breath, wishing he could see her expression to his words. "You were acting very weird today…. Very distant. Did something happen?" Silence overwhelmed the call but he could still hear her breathing on the other end. "I won't force you to talk about anything you don't want to, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here to listen. Even if it's to talk about nothing."
He could hear her snicker in the background. "Talking about nothing sounds fine for right now." She replied shortly.
With a breath of fresh air, the boy relaxed himself enough to lie backwards on his small red sofa. "That's good…" he said as he exhaled. The topic of nothing was a rather impossible one and Arnold began to roam his mind with possible conversation starters. "The weather was a lot nicer today than it was yesterday."
Another brief silence, "Did you seriously call to talk about the weather?" She asked dully.
Stirring a little to get comfortable, Arnold frowned at the question. Of course he didn't but she was unwilling to talk about what he actually wanted and this was the only thing that he could come up with in such short notice. "No… I'm just working the nothing topic as best as I can."
Helga could hear that he was trying, and the sheer fact that he called was enough to make her heart soar. Admittedly, she felt bad that he had to try so hard but she still wasn't exactly ready to put her frustrations into words for him. "Continue with nothing, I guess."
The two sat in another uncomfortable silence while Arnold thought of nothing to say, literally. He had gotten what he initially wanted; her on the phone with him, but it wasn't exactly enough when she wasn't really willing to talk back. Conversations go two ways and this was currently only a one sided one. "What were you doing before I called?"
"Nothing." She answered, "Laying on my bed and counting the rings in my ceiling. I got to about 57 before you called."
"Interesting." Arnold replied with a small smile. "Do you usually do that in your spare time?"
Helga let out a snort and shuffled around on the receiver. The call wasn't going as planned and Arnold had to think of a new tactic. What can I say to get her to talk to me? He thought as he listened to her small breaths on the other end. He envisioned what she looked like, laying on her bed and counting ring impressions on her ceiling. He knew she no longer slept in the same bedroom he had once been in, in her old house, but since he hadn't seen her new one, he could only vision that one.
"Anymore riveting questions, Arnold? As you know, I'm a very busy person." Helga asked with a sigh of annoyance.
Words from his father suddenly began to replay in his head. The thought of her always having a poker face, the thought of how he was always honest. Maybe if I'm honest with her… she'll be honest with me. Clearing his throat, Arnold finally thought of a new plan. "How about we play a game?"
"Over the phone? What could we possibly play over the phone?!" Her voice sounded angry and impatient, but this only proved to calm Arnold further.
"Not really a traditional type of game… but you could think of it as one." He explained as he tried to find the right words. "You know I want you to be able to trust me so how about you ask me whatever questions you want and I'll answer them truthfully, but in return you have to do the same. Deal?"
The rules of the game were simple enough and Helga knew there were so many things about her beloved that she wanted to know but… the price was also pretty steep. "Anything I want to know?" She asked skeptically, "No matter how personal?"
Her question made the boy feel a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Yes…" He confirmed, "But it's going to be a two way street Helga. If I answer for you, then you must answer me as well."
"You drive a hard bargain, Football head but..." She stopped for a moment and considered the terms once more. "You have yourself a deal but I'll start."
Not fully knowing the agreement the boy had signed, Arnold ventured into a serious game of truths.