Sixth Grade Beginnings

Chapter 24

Mornings were always hard for Helga, from when she was just in preschool to even now. However, this time instead of attempting to wake her parents to help her get ready and bring her to school, this time she was setting an alarm for 5am to rush down the stairs to a basement she wasn't too familiar with, to retrieve her clothes and throw them in the dryer before anyone awoke. She put her quarters in the machine and forcefully pushed the sliding mechanism, causing it to click and begin its process. It would be about another hour before they were done, but considering they were only a few articles of clothes, she figured it would only be about half the time.

Helga looked around for something comfortable to sit on while she waited. She didn't dare go back upstairs and possibly wake someone up or worse, have to interact with someone. Looking behind her, she noticed there was a stool in front of what seemed to be a folding table for clothes. It wasn't the most comfortable seat but it would do. What am I supposed to do for 30 minutes down here? She wondered while looking around even further. There wasn't much in the laundry room aside from the washer and dryer, folding table and a cupboard with various detergents that she assumed the tenants used. To the left, Helga noticed the Laundry room rules.

"Rules huh? People need rules to wash clothes?" She asked herself with an arch of her eyebrow. "Let's see what we got here... Use quarters only? Well duh." She started with an amused voice. "Fold socks, garters first? I don't even want to know who wears garters in this house... Clean lint trap after every cycle, wash sheets on Mondays only... pretty normal, riding in clothes dryer is forbidden without an adult?! What the heck kind of place is this?!" Helga became astonished the more she read, wondering more and more about the life Arnold led that she wasn't even aware of. "Modern music is not allowed on Thursdays and Saturdays? What difference would it make what music is played? And there isn't even a stereo in here! Do not wash fuzzy slippers? I wonder how Gerald feels about that." She said with a smirk. "No standing in your birthday suit in order to wash everything." Helga looked down at her attire and wondered to herself if anyone else had ever been in the same predicament as herself; having only one pair of clothes. "Last but not least... smoking permitted inside washer on rinse cycle? There is so much to that one I don't even know where to start!" Helga shook her head and leaned her back on the small table. The sides dug into her skin, but she managed to deal with it. Just how long had she been down there? Probably only a few minutes but it was beginning to feel like eternity...

After wandering around the small space, looking at the random detergents and reading their ingredients out of boredom and even some self contemplation, the sound of freedom finally rang through the girl's ears. "Beeeeep!" the small alarm clock she brought with her sang as it signaled that 30 minutes had passed.

"Finally!" She exclaimed as she went over to the dryer and pulled open its door, causing it to suddenly stop. She pulled her clothes out and felt them all over. They were hot but didn't feel damp to her. "Great! Now all I gotta do is change into these bad boys and I'll be all set for school!"

Just as she began to unbutton the oversize shirt Arnold had given her, she heard footsteps above her head. Looking over at her alarm clock and pressing a button to show the time, Helga became nervous. "It's not even 6am yet! Why are there people awake?!"

She knew people probably had to wake up for work but what were the chances of them doing laundry this early? Searching around for a place to conceal herself, Helga noticed that there was a small corridor that lead into the depths of the basement where they stored various furniture. Rushing over to it, Helga managed to duck behind the stairs. It seemed safe enough to change there even if someone did decide to intrude on her private time.

Much to her relief, Helga changed her clothes in peace and walked back upstairs. She quietly opened up the door that lead into the first floor hallway and looked around. There was a light on in the kitchen and she could smell food being made. "Arnold's looney grandma must be cooking..." She whispered to herself, sneaking down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. As she approached its clearing, she noticed a line of people in front of the bathroom. Walking by them to get to her bedroom, Helga overheard them arguing about who was first in line to shower. "Criminy, this place is a walking nut house!"