Sixth Grade Beginnings

Chapter 6

The car ride home was about as expected with awkward silence as thick as peanut butter. Phil had done his best to perk up the kids with his usual antics and jokes, however not even his usually playful grandson really responded back. Instead, Arnold sat in the passenger's seat with his head propped up with his hand and stared longingly out the car window. Not that there was anything interesting outside as all it was, was fast pace passing cars, people and buildings, but because he had a hanging objective on his mind. With his grandfather's voice as white noise in the background, Arnold pondered thoughtfully.

Are we an item? He thought, looking at himself in his own reflection from the window. The sky had turned dark and night time finally hit the city of Hillwood. Street lights began to turn on around him, as well as cars turning on their low beams. Is Helga... my girlfriend? Sure, he was now well aware of the feelings he was harboring along with at least a partial understanding of her own feelings; extreme as they may come out, but what did it really mean to become boyfriend and girlfriend? Did he have to formerly ask her out, or was it just implied with them acting as a couple around others? Images of them holding hands together, going out to the movies and possibly sharing small romantic moments began to flood the young man's mind and a smile graced his lips. He could fill the warmth begin to well up inside and his brain becoming a little foggy.

Phil looked over at the boy with concern due to his lack of spunk and briefly examined his face before back to the road. He smiled to himself. He had known Arnold since he was born. Known all the shenanigans he had gotten into, all his do-good schemes, known all his friends; good and bad ones. Phil knew the expression plastered on his face, as it was one he was all too familiar with.

Soon, all of his classmates had been dropped off at their respected households, said their goodbye's and Arnold and his Grandpa were on route home.

"Whatcha fantasizing about there, Short man?" Phil asked as he nudged the boy for his attention.

Snapping back into reality, Arnold jumped. "Huh? What do you mean, Grandpa?"

"Oh, you know! You've been quiet ever since I picked you and your little friends up. Got something on your mind?" Phil asked warmly as he stopped at a stop sign and looked over at his youthful passenger.

Arnold heard the question but remained quiet for a moment. He gathered up all his feelings and thoughts and tried to put them into a sequence that would make sense. He had always confided in his elder, and knew even though he could have some pretty wild advice, most of the time it was sane and well thought out. "Grandpa, how do you know when you're dating someone?" He asked innocently, looking up at his Grandfather with hope.

"When you got out on a date." Phil plainly said, cocking and eyebrow and peering over at the youth.

The answer had been so obvious, it hit Arnold in the head like a ton of bricks and he sat there and blinked for a few moments. "Is it that simple though?" Arnold continued, "You just go out on a date then suddenly become boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Aren't you a little too young to be asking these sort of questions already, Arnold?" Phil asked with his voice full of both concern and bewilderment. "Don't you have some sorta baseball tournament to be thinking about or something?"

Arnold replied with a sigh of irritation and turned back to the window. "Never mind..."

The old man looked over at the boy and could see his clear disappointment and immediately began to regret his reactions. "Oh, I'm sorry Arnold. I was just joking." He explained as his put his free hand on the boys lap with a pat. "You really wanna talk about something like this with some old guy like me? I haven't been on the dating scene since the 1940's!" His face became soft as he started to remember. "Oh those were such good times though. Simpler too! Going out for walks in the park, getting your Grandma a milkshake with what little pocket change I had..."