Author's Note: Finally finished the chapter. It took me a little bit to nail down exactly how I wanted to portray Cecil. I definitely didn't want him coming across as a Mary Sue, so I tried to give him some humorous flaws, mostly ones that will annoy Helga to hear about.

Review Responses:

The J.A.M. a.k.a. Numbuh i: Oh, the traumatization is just beginning. The most embarrassing day of their lives will have to wait a while, though. As for the sitcom references, I'll give everyone a hint. The sitcom is from the same general time period as Seinfeld, and the timespan it ran only slightly overlaps with when Hey Arnold! ran. Also, thanks for reviewing!

Previously: After waking up in her mother's room and having an embarrassing encounter with Arnold, Helga has breakfast with Olga, Arnold and his grandparents, and the other boarders. After they finish eating, Arnold shows Helga around. Although she isn't impressed by the tour, she is happy when Arnold offers to sit with her and as they read their books.

Previous Married... with Children Reference: A much less specific one in the last chapter. Al Bundy's job as a women's shoe saleman puts him at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to undesirable jobs, hence Oskar being unwilling to take the job (although he might change his mind...)

Chapter Six: Olga and Cecil

Tuesday, August 19, 1997

Six Days Before the Start of Fifth Grade

After several hours of reading, Helga was starting to get hungry. As if on cue, Olga walked into the room. "Helga, honey, I just got done for today. Want me to make you lunch and then we can talk about your father?"

Helga shrugged. "Sure."

Olga then looked at Arnold. "Arnold, would you like to join us?" This got both of the preteens to look at the young adult.

Helga had a small frown. What's she trying to do, give me a heart attack?

Arnold was unsure. "Won't you be talking about things that are kind of private? Shouldn't it be just between you two?"

"I don't mind. As long as it's okay with Helga." She turned to the girl. "Helga?"

"Uhhh... sure." She decided it might be a good idea to have him join them after all. He'd be a good buffer in case Olga said or did something to tick her off.

The trio headed for Olga's room. As they walked in, Olga headed over to the fridge. "So, what do you two want to eat?"

Arnold shrugged. "Whatever Helga wants is fine by me."

Helga wasn't feeling too picky either. "As long as it's not too fancy and it's got meat in it I'm game."

Olga hummed."Hmmmm... guess I'll make hamburgers then. How about you two play a game in the meantime? Just pick one from my bedroom. All of the ones I have are kid friendly."

As the two kids walked into the bedroom, Helga spoke. "Hope you weren't looking forward to a few rounds of Mortal Kombat then, Arnoldo."

Having tried the game a few times before, Arnold wasn't complaining. "That's fine. I stink at fighting games anyway."

As they looked over the games, they were unsure of what to pick. "Any ideas Helga? I mean I visit the arcade every once in a while, but I haven't really played many games on home consoles."

"Me neither. Bob always thought they were a waste of time and money. Probably just frustrated that he stinks at anything more complex than Pong."

"How about we play one from this trilogy?" He pulled out the first of a series called Donkey Kong Country. When Helga saw the cover a chill ran up her spine. Monkeys and apes still gave her a little bit of the creeps since the Monkeynucleosis debacle.

"Uh... no thanks Arnold. Maybe another time."

Suddenly, Olga spoke from the other room. "Please be careful with those boxes. They lose value if they're damaged."

"Dork." Helga mumbled. Then she spotted a title she recognized. "Let's just play Super Mario Bros. Hope it's better than that crappy cartoon based on it."

They went out and managed to get the game set up.

Playing for a while, Helga found herself doing well despite her inexperience. Arnold on the other hand... "Wow, Football Head! I can't believe you've got Luigi killed five times on the same level!"

Arnold got frustrated. "I just keep getting in a rush. I'm worried about the time limit."

Helga shook her head. "Arnold, the time limit is really lenient as long as you don't fart around. Have you seen me have trouble with it? Just watch how I go through this level."

After watching Helga make it through yet another level, Arnold tried the one he was stuck on yet again. Going at a good pace, as Helga did when she played, he managed to get through it. "Thanks Helga! How are you so good at these anyway?"

"Guess I just have a good amount of nerd blood in me." She said, ignoring the warm fuzzy feeling she got in her chest from Arnold's gratitude.

As if on cue, Olga announced that lunch was ready.

The hamburgers were good, not that Helga expected otherwise. Olga had cooked enough extravagant dinners for Bob and Miriam over the years after all.

When they had finished, Olga cleared the table. After sitting back down, she took a deep breath. "Okay... where do I begin."

"How about at the start? You know, where any sane person would begin a story." Helga said, full of sarcasm, causing Arnold to shoot her a look of disapproval. "Sorry."

Olga wasn't bothered. "It's okay, Helga. Anyway, it all started the first day of seventh grade, in homeroom..."

Monday, August 26, 1985

Olga sat at her front row desk, waiting for her English teacher, Mr. Leavitt. To begin teaching. With time to kill, she turned to a girl next to her. "Christina, are you looking forward to the new school year? I'm excited that we're no longer elementary school students!"

The bleach blond looked at her like she was stupid. "Why would I be excited having to be stuck in this crap hole? Unlike you, I actually have a life. Why couldn't I have chosen a chair in the back? Now I have to be stuck next to you."

Turning to the other chair, she saw that it was empty. Looking behind her, she saw a boy wearing a Van Halen shirt. "Hi, David! Nice shirt. I like Van Halen too. What's your favorite song of theirs?"

The boy scoffed. "You like Van Halen? Yeah right. I thought you only liked music made by old dead farts."

Disheartened, Olga turned back towards the front. After the bell rang and they all stood for the pledge of allegiance, the teacher began to speak. The Jewish man sighed. "Well, kids, this is where I would have us welcome our new foreign exchange student from France... but it appears that he's decided not to show up. Anyway, this semester I have planned-"

Just then the door opened, and a brunette boy dashed in – "Désolé! Sorry!" – and promptly tripped, falling flat on his face, spilling the books and papers he had been carrying in his arms all over the floor. Olga got up and ran over to him, helping him sit up.

"You okay?!"

"Uh... oui. Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle."

The two started to pick up the boy's belongings that were all over the floor. Mr. Leavitt sighed. "Good to have you join us, Mr. Ducard. Mind explaining why you're late."

The brunette stood up, having gathered the belongings that Olga hadn't gotten. Olga handed over the rest and took her seat. "I am sorry, Professeur Leavitt. I missed the bus, so I was running late. Then when I went to get my schedule, the printer accidentally cut off the classroom numbers, and I didn't have time to get a new one."

The teacher didn't look happy. "Ah, yes, technology can be a pain. Speaking of which, may I recommend a watch. It is a marvel of modern technology that tells you the time, so you won't miss the bus again... anyway, please take a seat. The one next to Miss Pataki is free."

Olga looked at the boy. He was kind of lanky, had a unibrow much like her dad did, and had on a pair of glasses. He was wearing a button up shirt and khaki pants. Despite all this, she couldn't help but find him the slightest bit cute. He did have pretty blue eyes behind his glasses, after all.

Class went on, and as Mr. Leavitt finished going over the syllabus, he spoke up. "Mr. Ducard, what is your next class? I doubt your second period teacher wants to have you be late as well."

The preteen fumbled through the various papers he had. "Uh... biology... with Mr. Moye."

"Okay. Would someone who also has biology next period like to walk Mr. Ducard there?"

Olga, with a smile on her face, raised her hand. The smile faded when she heard snickers and whispers – "Teacher's pet", "Loser", "Nerd" – behind her.

Mr. Leavitt didn't seem to notice the jeers the girl was getting. "Thank you, Miss Pataki." The bell rang. "Class dismissed."

Olga and the boy walked out of the classroom. As she walked and he followed, he spoke up. "I'd like to thank you again, miss..."

"I'm happy to help. And my name's Olga. You are..."

He blushed. "Oh! Désolé. My name's Cecil."

"I must say your English is really good." She had noticed how he spoke his words clearly, correctly, and without any stumbling, although he did have a noticeable accent. "My dad's been wanting me to start learning another language for a while now, but I'm already so busy..."

"Oh, merci. My mother is from Scotland, so I grew up in a bilingual household. Also, maybe you could learn French? I could teach you some of the basics."

Olga thought about it. "Maybe..."

As they continued walking, there was silence for a little bit. As they started down the stairs to the first floor, he spoke again. "If you don't mind me asking, why do your classmates seem to dislike you so much? You seem smart, nice, and pretty." He blushed and looked away as he realized what he had said.

Olga paid no mind to his compliment, as she was too busy contemplating her shoes. "They see me as the teacher's pet, and they think I make them look bad in comparison. My parents always push me to get the best grades, and I'm too busy with competitions and contests to spend time with the other kids. I... I don't really have any friends."

As they neared Mr. Moye's classroom, Cecil scratched the back of his head. "Olga, I know I just met you, but... I would like to be your friend..."

Olga smiled. "I would like that too, Cecil."

August 1997

"He was the first real friend I had... and the only friend I had until college." Olga finished relating her first encounter with the boy who would father Helga.

Helga frowned. She had thought that Olga would have had a couple of friends over the years. To only have one friend your whole adolescence and even then for only one year... it sounded horrible. Even I have Phoebe, and I've gotten a lot closer to most of the other kids these last few months, especially Arnold and Harold.

"How'd you two become more than just friends?" Arnold asked, distracting Helga from her depressing thoughts.

Helga herself had a question. "First, I'm more interested in how you even managed to get Bob to allow you to hang out with him."

Olga answered her daughter first. "Well, as I mentioned, Daddy had wanted me to learn another language. He thought it would help set me up for college. I told him about Cecil, and that he had offered to help me learn French. Bob agreed to allow Cecil to tutor me, although your grandfather would have preferred for me to learn Hungarian or Ukrainian, as those were the languages of our ancestors... anyway, I used the tutoring as an excuse to spend time with my new friend."

"Ooooo! You lied to Big Bob just to spend time with a boy you liked. I would never have expected that from you." Helga said, approval in her tone. Way to go, past Olga!

"Well, I didn't like him like that right away, he was just a friend at first. Et je ne dirais pas que je n'ai pas appris le Français." Despite not knowing what was said just then, Helga and Arnold got the point: Cecil did indeed teach her the language during their time together.

"Wow! I had a French pen pal for several years, but I didn't learn anywhere near as much French. She mostly just wrote in English..." Unnoticed to the other two, Helga cringed at the mention of Cecile. Arnold then repeated his previous question. "So how did things change?"

Olga shrugged. "Well, it was a gradual thing. We got to know each other. I learned he liked rock and metal like I did. In fact, that's one of the reasons he wanted to visit the states; a lot of the up and coming rock bands of the '80s, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers" – she gestured to her shirt – "are from the US. I also took an interest in the various fantasy books and movies he liked. Oh! And we both were intrigued by video games!"

As she listed the things off, Helga turned to Arnold and mouthed the words "Turbo nerd."

"I never asked when he started to... how do your classmates put it... like me-like me, but I know for me I started to have a crush on him when I realized how happy and carefree he made me feel. Being around him just made me feel like I didn't have to worry about being the best student I could be, or that I had to constantly please my parents to keep them happy. I could just be myself.

"Well, anyway, in late September, the annual cheese festival rolled around. I was busy most of the week, but come Saturday..."

Saturday, September 28, 1985

Olga was waiting outside the home of Cecil's host family. They had agreed to meet at seven in the morning and head for the cheese festival. It was currently 7:10. She had wanted to go earlier in the week when it wasn't as busy, but between piano practices and preparing for a geography bee early next month, she had been busy every afternoon. Since she couldn't get away before now, she and Cecil had settled to go early on Saturday before it got busy.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Cecil rushed out, nearly falling down the steps. Olga gasped, then giggled as he caught himself. "Sorry I'm late. My alarm clock stopped working, and none of my host family was awake."

"It's okay. It doesn't tend to get too busy before noon."

He looked at her. She was wearing a shoulder-less green blouse, and a dark green skirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she had on a small necklace with a pink heart. "Y-you look really nice." He looked down at himself. He simply had on a Led Zeppelin shirt and blue jeans. "I'm sorry I didn't dress better..."

Olga shook her head. "You look fine. It's not like you're taking me on a date or anything..." Her cheeks heated up after she said this. She didn't notice the frown on Cecil's face.

They started to walk towards the location of the festival. "I really am sorry about making you wait. I know you wanted to get there early."

"Cecil, it's okay! It's my fault we had to go today anyway. I should have put my foot down and skipped piano practice. And if we had gone before now, I could have spent today studying for the geography contest. I... I just didn't want to upset Mommy and Daddy..."

"Olga, you know it's your life, not theirs..." They had had this conversation multiple times in the short time frame they had known each other. "And I don't want you worrying about all that today. We're going to ride some rides and eat some cheese. D'accord?"

"D'accord." She agreed.

They arrived at the festival. Unlike in some smaller towns and cities, Hillwood didn't have to close off any streets or make use of parking lots for space. The good size lot of land had been set aside as a historical spot, one of many in the city. It was designated specifically for celebrations and festivals.

Even this early in the morning, there was a fair amount of people already milling about. It was the last day of the festival, after all. Still, the crowds, and more importantly, the lines wouldn't be too bad.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Olga asked. He was the guest in Hillwood, after all, so it was up to him.

"Well, I did rush out of the house without grabbing a bite to eat... how about we get some breakfast?"

"Okay." They made their way over to one of the food vendors, Ed and Katey's Cheesecakes. As they glanced at the menu, Olga smirked. "I bet you want the stinkiest cheesecake they got."

Cecil made a face and gave her a light, playful shove. "C'est dégoutant! You know I'm not the biggest fan of my countrymen's more... exotic tastes."

"I'm just teasing you. How about we both get a slice of strawberry cheesecake?"

He shook his head. "Ne peut pas. I'm allergic. One bite of strawberries and I break out in hives. I'll just have some plain cheesecake."

After they ordered, they sat down and started eating. After a few bites, Cecil started a conversation. "So... you finish The Last Unicorn yet?"

"I did! It was really melancholy, but I liked that about it. I guess not every story can have a happy ending. Thanks for recommending it."

"No problem. We'll have to rent the movie sometime. It's animated, and I know you mentioned enjoying Disney movies."

"That sounds like fun!" After they ate a little more, she brought up something she had heard her dad mention. "Did you hear Nintendo, the company behind Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., is releasing a game console next month? It's only going to be released in New York City at first, but Daddy mentioned that if they do well enough to get a wider release he'll try to order a good amount of them for the store."

Cecil nodded. "I read about it somewhere. Apparently it has been out in Japan a couple years already. Who knows how long it'll take them to release it in France." He grumbled.

Olga looked down. "I actually asked Daddy if we could get one for home. He said he doesn't want 'that junk' at home, he just wants to sell it to 'dumb saps'. Sometimes I hate how mean he is towards people. I know he doesn't intend to, but so often his attitude upsets me and Mom." She frowned.

He put his hand on hers. "Hey... don't think about it. All of that stuff is far away right now. It's just you, me, and this delicious cheesecake." After a moment of them just enjoying being in each other's presence, they both looked down at where his hand rested on hers. He removed his hand as they both looked away, blushing. His hand drifted down to one of his pockets, where a piece of paper rested.

After that, they finished eating in silence.

"So... what ride do you want to go on first?" Olga asked. "Since we just ate, maybe we should try something like the Ferris wheel."

Cecil shook his head. "Hey, just because I'm both French and a klutz doesn't mean I'm a coward." His eyes scanned the various rides, before one caught his eye. "Whoa! They have a Gravitron here! I want to ride that!"

Olga watched the ride spin around and she frowned as she heard the kids currently riding scream. "You sure?"

Cecil grinned. "Absolument!"

Five minutes later Olga was helping a green-around-the-gills Cecil to a seat. "Désolé. I guess we should have gone for something less... extreme, like you suggested."

"It's okay. What should we ride next?" Her eyes scanned the festival grounds, before landing on the Tunnel of Love. She blushed as the gears in her head started to turn. Do I dare? What if it turns out he doesn't feel the same way? Plus, with how they operate the ride, there's no guarantee we'll even ride together.

She turned back to Cecil. Seeing that his complexion was looking better, she asked if he was ready to go on another ride. Getting an affirmative answer, she led him over to the ride.

His eyes widened as he saw where she had taken him. After he sent her a questioning glance, she looked away and started nervously tapping her fingers together. "I, uh, thought you might want to ride something more relaxed... allow your stomach to settle a little more."

"Uh... okay." Since she was looking away, she didn't notice the blush on his face. He looked at the line of boys and the line of girls that was separated by a wooden divider. "So, what's the deal here?"

"Well, there's actually three separate lines." She pointed to a line that was practically nonexistent, having only one couple waiting "One is for existing couples, both kids and adults..." She pointed to the two lines and the divider. "... and the other two are for single kids. It, uh, it means you don't necessarily know who you're going to be riding with."

As they walked up to the lines, Olga turned to Cecil. "Uh... good luck, Cecil."

He told her the same. "Bonne chance, Olga."

As they each stood in line, they both counted the amount of people in front of them. Neither knew how many the other line held, so it was a moot point.

Olga was getting nervous. What if I don't get Cecil? What if I have to spend the ride with some boy I hardly know? Then a thought that made her even more anxious. But what if I do get to ride with him? What will I say? Will I be able to admit I like him?

On the other side of the divider, Cecil was nervous as well. I hope I get to sit with her... geez, some of these kids are young. Some of the kids looked to only be about eight or nine. If she and I don't go together, I just hope I don't have to ride with a third or fourth grader... That would be really awkward.

As the line moved forward, the moment of truth came. Stepping past the end of the divider, they turned their heads and saw each other standing there.

"Hi." She grinned at him.

"Salut." He grinned back.

They walked up to the swan boat and got in. The ride started as the two friends rode the boat into the tunnel. For the first part of the journey, they were both silent. Faces were turned away from each other in shyness, and mouths were closed in nervousness. Finally, both opened.

"Cecil-"

"Olga-"

As both started at the same time, both suddenly stopped. Silence held for a few more seconds, then Olga spoke once more.

"Cecil... this has been one of the best months of my life. You've been the best friend... the only friend I've ever had. But... but I don't want to spend the rest of our short time together as just friends... I like you too much for that." She looked away, afraid to see his reaction.

The silence was deafening, and Olga felt like an icy hand had gripped her heart. Finally, Cecil lightly turned her head, so they were looking at each other as he spoke three simple words. "Je t'aime aussi."

The freezing dread in her chest was obliterated by a warm feeling brought about by those words.

He spoke again. "I... I never imagined that you could feel about me the same way I feel about you." He looked down at his lap. "I mean, you're so smart, and pretty, and nice. I-I'm just a clumsy French dork."

It was Olga's turn to make him look at her. "No, you're not! You're smart, and nice, and I think you're cute, too." They both blushed. "Your friendship has meant so much to me. I feel like my life is so suffocating. I've got so much weighing me down. The contests, the performances, keeping my parents happy. But... but when I'm with you, I can just breathe for once."

She took his hand, and they just sat there enjoying each other's company. The ride came to an end as the boyfriend and girlfriend exited back into the open air.

They left the boat, hand in hand, Cecil nearly stumbling as they stepping from the swan to solid ground.

They grinned at each other as they walked away from the ride. Olga then spoke. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Cecil shrugged. "Whatever you want to do I'm happy with... oh! Une seconde."

He let go of her hand to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "I-I never expected today to go the way it had... so I had planned to give you this..." He handed it to her. "Olga, pour vous."

As she took the paper, she unfolded it to reveal a poem. Reading it slowly (she had learned a lot of French in the last month, but that didn't make it easy), she felt her heart soar. "Oh, Cecil..."

He rubbed his neck. "I tried to keep in mind that you're still learning. I-"

She interrupted him by hugging him tightly. "Thank you so, so much."

As she pulled away, she once again took his hand in hers.

Suddenly a voice called out. "Look at the cute couple! Mind if I take a picture?"

The speaker was an older lady, carrying a polaroid camera.

Olga and Cecil shared a look, and nodded, first to each other, and then to the lady.

They looked in her direction, and as she said "Cheese!", they smiled.

August 1997

Olga held the framed photo in her hand. She had gotten up and quickly retrieved it from the bedroom during her story. It and the rest of the photos from her time with Cecil had been hidden in the album since he had left her, but as she left for college she couldn't bear not to have at least one photo from her time with him, so she had sneaked up to the attic and taken it with her.

Arnold looked at her. "That was a really sweet story, Olga." He frowned and looked at his lap. "I tried to get closer to some of the girls I've had crushes on during the last two cheese festivals, and both times it didn't go well..."

Although Arnold didn't notice the guilty look that crossed Helga's face, Olga did. Hmmm. I bet I know why things went pear-shaped for Arnold... However, instead of throwing her daughter under the bus, she decided to tease her instead "That's too bad, Arnold. Perhaps it was just fate's way of telling you that it wasn't meant to be. Maybe you'll have better luck this year. They do say 'third time's the charm.'"

Arnold smiled. "Thanks, Olga, but there's no girls I really like at the moment."

Olga ignored the glare Helga was sending her way and pushed forward. "I'm sure you'll find someone. After all, it only took me a month. Maybe there's a girl you already know you can ask."

Helga wasn't going to sit here and let her mother blow her secret wide open. "Okay, okay, we get it. You and Cecil had an amazing time at the cheese festival and got together, even though he sounds almost as much of a klutz as Eugene is. Just to think, I'm the daughter of a clumsy nerd."

Olga shook her head. "Cecil wasn't that much of a klutz. Eugene's a sweet, passionate kid, but I swear he must have gotten a curse placed on him somehow."

Arnold chimed in. "Having a clumsy family member is nothing to be ashamed of, Helga. According to my grandparents, my dad was somewhat clumsy as well. In fact, one of his first interactions with my mom was her applying first aid to him after he accidentally slid down a hill."

Helga was shocked. Arnold was infamously tight-lipped about his parents. She understood why, so she tiptoed around the subject, but here he was bringing it up all on his own.

Olga decided to continue talking. She obviously enjoyed reminiscing about everything, as evidenced by the goofy grin on her face. "Anyway, the rest of the school year was wonderful. We went on dates, saw a few concerts, and just spent a lot of quality time together in general."

The grin faded. "But all good things must come to an end. When the end of the school year came, we knew our time together was limited... we had until the last day of June, and then he would leave Hillwood, the United States, and my life. The day before he was to leave, we met for our last date at one of our favorite spots: Slausen's Ice Cream Parlor.

"I just expected it to be a quiet little date where we could reminisce about our short time together. But that wonderful boy had to go and buy me this." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a pendant that was hanging on a necklace around her neck. Helga hadn't even noticed the chain until just now. The pendant was a beautiful gold, much like Helga's locket. Unlike Helga's locket, the pendant was only half a heart, and was quite a bit smaller. Olga opened it to reveal a small picture of Cecil, which she looked at lovingly. "I wore it anytime I could keep it hidden, otherwise Daddy would have a conniption if he saw it. I just hope Cecil still has the other half."

She frowned once more. "I... I felt so horrible about the fact that he had given me this wonderful present, and I had nothing to give him. When I got home, I mostly stayed in bed and cried..."

Sunday, June 29, 1986

Olga had been crying for hours. Her wonderful boyfriend was leaving her. Tomorrow things would go back to how they had been before he entered her life. She would be back to performing the best she could to keep her parents happy, earning the continued resentment of her peers while she did so. She and Cecil would try to stay in contact, but how could love survive such a distance, with them not knowing when (or if) they will ever see each other again.

As she stewed in these horrible feelings, she heard a knock on her door, followed by her mom's voice. "Olga, sweetie, I know you're upset, but would you like to go to dinner? Your dad just closed a big business deal, and he wants to take us to the Lake Union Steakhouse for dinner."

"NO MOM! GO AWAY!" Olga had never yelled at her parents before, but she couldn't stand the thought of going out right now. She just wanted to stay curled up on her bed and continue to wallow in her misery.

"I'm sorry Olga. I'll tell B you're not feeling well. I'll see you in a few hours, honey." And with that she heard mother walk away.

As Olga listened to her parents leave, a thought came into her head. She realized what she could give her beloved. It would be stabbing her parents in the back, but she felt like she had to before the opportunity to show him how much he loved him slipped forever out of her grasp.

Getting up and going to the phone, she dialed his host family's number. After asking for Cecil, she nearly cried in joy when she heard his voice. "Ma chérie?"

"Cecil, I... I need you to come over to my house. I realized I have something I need to give to you after all."

"It'll have to be quick, as I have a lot to pack, but I can make time for you, mon amour. I'll be right over."

As she waited for him to arrive, Olga went through the cabinets, and grabbed several candles. Setting them around her room, she lit them. After a little rearranging, she felt that it was suitably romantic for what she had planned.

Hearing a knock at the door, she looked down at herself. She was wearing a button-up blouse and a skirt. It'll do.

Opening the door, she saw him standing there. "Olga, my love." He pulled her into a hug. Once they separated, he spoke. "So, what did you want to give me?"

She pulled him inside. "It's up here." She nearly dragged him up the stairs. Having him walk into her room, she readied herself mentally for what was about to happen and followed him in. Shutting the door behind her, they looked at each other in the candlelight. As a look of realization came into his eyes of what was about to happen, Olga raised her hands to the top of her blouse and started to unbut-

"OLGA! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP!"

August 1997

At Helga's shout, Olga froze, bringing a sudden stop to her recollection of the events that led to Helga's conception. As the young woman realized what she had almost related to two ten-year-olds, she felt the color drain from her face, which now had a look of horror on it. Oh God, how could I get so distracted that I almost talked about that.

Helga had a similar look of complete mortification on her face, although she had taken on the complexion of a beet. I should never have allowed Arnold to join us.

Arnold... was just confused. "Why'd you stop her Helga? I don't understand what happened. What'd you give Cecil?" This is just like when Gerald's dad interrupted Grandpa's war story. Is it for a similar reason?

Olga tried to salvage the situation. "Nothing important Arnold. Forget it."

"But-" Luckily, before Arnold could press her further, he noticed the time. "Never mind. I've got to go. I promised Grandpa this morning I would help him with some chores." He got up and headed for the door. Before he left, he turned towards the mother-daughter duo. "Thanks for the meal, Olga. See you later, Helga."

And with that, he was gone.

Helga turned to her mother. "What the heck was that Olga! He doesn't need to hear how you got yourself knocked up! I don't need to hear how you got yourself knocked up! Criminy!"

Olga was ashamed that she had created such as embarrassing moment between the three of them. "I am so sorry Helga. I guess I got carried away..."

"Yeah, well. Just be more careful, okay? Arnold already got embarrassed when he saw my bra earlier, I don't need you inadvertently revealing the secrets of sex to him, okay?"

Olga narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "How do you know all about the birds and the bees anyway? Your grandma mentioned you still needed to be given the talk."

Helga scoffed. "Spare me! Bob basically gave me the talk when he got cable and didn't monitor what I watched."

Olga shook her head and sighed. "Let me tell you, that is going to change. A girl your age doesn't need to be exposed to all that sex and violence they put on TV and in the movies nowadays."

"Come on! The genie's out of the bottle! You're not going to let me watch Jason murder a bunch of idiots or Rambo shoot a squad of jerks full of holes? Good luck!"

Olga groaned. "I don't want to have this conversation right now..." Her gaze drifted over to the television as they argued. "In fact, how about you and I have a little fun. You seemed to feel you were pretty good at Super Mario Bros., so how about I show you how a real pro plays?"

Helga smirked. "You're on!"

As they started playing, Helga quickly realized that, at least compared to her mother, she was practically at the same skill level as Arnold, as Olga used all sorts of tricks and secrets, which allowed her to effortlessly blaze through the levels.

As they played, a thought came to Helga. "Hey... I overheard Miriam mention that you wanted to be the one to name me but Bob vetoed your choice. If you had your way, what name would I be signing on my homework?"

Olga smiled. "Well, I was going to name you after your father. Your name would have been Cecile Geraldine Pataki."

Helga was so shocked that she sent Luigi plummeting into lava. "You've got to be kidding me!?" Then a thought came to her. "You cannot tell Arnold that! Promise me you won't mention it to him!"

Olga was confused at first, but seeing the look on her daughter's face, she agreed. "Okay. I won't tell him. But I want to know why I have to keep it a secret."

Helga huffed. "Fine. But you have to promise you won't tell anybody! And I mean anybody, got it?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die, I won't tell anyone." Olga made the corresponding motions to seal her vow, controller still in hand.

Helga watched her mother as she beat the fifth world's boss. "Well, it started during third grade, during Valentine's Day..."

One of the things I enjoyed about making this chapter (and this story in general), is doing a little research on when things released. For example, the NES (or Famicom) released in 1983 in Japan, had a limited rollout in New York City in 1985, had it's full launch here in the States in 1986, and it didn't make it to France until 1987 (proving Cecil right in his grumbling). Meanwhile, the Gravitron ride first appeared in 1983, hence Cecil's excitement seeing one only two years later in Hillwood.

Next time: Baseball Practice