It has been quite some time since I have last written about Helga and her outings with Ralphy. The amount of time spent between this chapter and the previous chapter in no way correlates with the duration of Helga and Ralphy's non-verbal relationship. In fact, the entirety of their **friendship/relationship/courtship lasted less than one month.
**to this day, Helga is still unsure of how to refer to this time spent with Ralphy, but that is beside the point.
I will get on with this chapter now which ultimately ends with the end of Helga and Ralphy. I don't consider that last sentence to be any sort of spoiler, because I am undoubtedly sure that you all had to see it coming. How were things to ever work out with Helga and Ralphy if they didn't speak the same language? This is a question that Helga began asking herself soon after her previously-canceled-but-later-rescheduled-date plan with Ralphy.
They went on that date where they ate at an early-morning eatery and proceeded to a darkly lit bowling alley. I think that it would be safe to say that aside from the few pimply-teenagers that worked there, Helga and Ralphy were the only ones in the bowling alley. One might think that this would be a prime atmosphere to have grand "getting to know you" kind of conversations, but Helga and Ralphy still only communicated in a brief written way.
Helga began to realize that things probably weren't going to work out. She was not only somewhat frustrated with the fact that she couldn't communicate with Ralphy, but she also realized that she wasn't really interested in him as more than a friend. Having never been in a **friendship/relationship/courtship (See previous asterisk) Helga, didn't know how to end things with Ralphy. She likely asked some of her flatmates and friends what to do, and they likely advised her to be open and honest with Ralphy, but Helga was having a hard time mustering up the courage to do such a thing.
Although Helga was and still is a big believer in honesty, she didn't have to "break things off" with Ralphy. And in case you were wondering, Ralphy didn't "break things off" with Helga either. The whole thing truly just fizzled out. The last time they ever saw each other they spent an evening at a school-related program together. They had driven separately, so when the program was over, they walked out to the parking lot together, shared their first and last awkward hug together, waved good-bye and that was that. They never saw each other again.
I apologize if any of you feel cheated that you invested 4-chapters worth of your time in this story that ultimately amounted to nothing. But let me assure you, that as has been the case in all of Helga's other dating adventures, there was a lesson to be learned. Helga discovered early on that communicating in the same language, actually was important. But more importantly, she decided that if in the future she was faced with an "open and honest" type of situation again she would do her dandiest to be open and honest.
So again we end another chapter in the life of our dear friend Helga. You may or may not be wondering if Helga will ever find dating success in her future. I can't say that I have a clear answer to that question, but a few stories come to mind that might help you as a reader decide. Once upon a December time, Helga met a young chap named-- but I better I stop there because that's another story.
