My name is Shortman

It only took once. She knew he had an absurdly short temper. But, she never thought he would lay his hands on her. She said to herself that if it ever happened, she was gone. No questions, no forgiveness. Just gone. And today was that day.

Helga was 18 and now, a high school graduate. Today was the best day of her life. She was moving out. In a few hours, his home would be "their" home. She had been slowly moving out over the past six months. Nothng really large. The largest item being her box of journals. Years of poems, stories and personal thoughts that she would never give up. And, she would be damned if she would leave something like that there. They would hardly notice she was gone. In the past that would have been a depressing thought. But, at age 11 she got something she had wanted since she was 3 years old. It wasn't exactly what she wanted at first, but over the course of 7 years it developed into something stronger than she could have imagined. She had the love and affections of Arnold, she also had his non-conventional family to go with it. They loved and accepted her. She was treated like family. She rubbed her locket at the thought and smiled. As the thought crossed her mind, she said to herself "Let's go home".

Helga grabbed her last bag, a large pink duffel, then walked out of the room. She hadn't spent too much time in here over that past 4 years. She didn't consider this place home. It was just a place where she kept stuff. There were no happy memories, no family moments. Three people lived here. Occasionally four. As she walked downstairs, she looked in the kitchen and sighed. Miriam was passed out on the kitchen table. Sifter in one hand, vodka bottle in the other. The days of the smoothies were gone. She drank her liquor straight now. And, she drank a lot of it. She walked over and kissed her mother on the forehead, knowing she couldn't feel it. "Bye Mom," she said. She long ago figured out why her mom drank. Helga tried to help her several times. It didn't work because "he" didn't want the world to know how fucked up his family truly was.

As she opened the front door, he spoke. "Where do you think you're going? What's with the bag?". She hoped not to have to deal with him today. She sighed, then said "I am going home Bob. You finally get your wish. I am moving out."

"How are you moving out? You are only 15!" he yelled.

"No Bob" she said in a sarcastic tone. "I am 18, a high school graduate, and I got accepted into college on a full scholarship. Not that you would notice. I'm not Olga." She tried to keep her temper down. That comment got to her. It showed how much this guy really knew.

"Hey Hey little missy!" he stated and stood approaching her. "You will not talk to me in my house like that".

Though her temper had leveled out in the past few years, he was getting to her. If today was her last day in this hell hole, she was going to let this bastard have it. "You know what Bob?" she said, controlling the anger that was about to spill out of her. "Fuck you and your house! You are a horrible father, a worthless excuse for a husband, and the lowest level of a human being! You wanna know the worst thing about you. You bring down everyone around you!" You think you're the king. You're a fucking disgrace! You're a bitter, angry, lazy, disgusting individual. I hope and pray that I never see you again!

Before she knew it a giant hand was around her throat, lifting her off the ground. "No one talks to me like that!" He yelled, anger radiating from his body. "Who do you think you are talking to me like that!?" You're a disgrace to yourself, to this family and the Pataki name."

Helga struggled for air, but his grip was too tight. She did the only think she could think of, she kicked him in the groin. Bob screamed, then collapsed on the floor. His grip going slack, allowing Helga to run to the door. She turned and yelled "Then it's a good thing my last name has been Shortman for that past two years!" She slammed the door so hard, the glass panel in the middle shattered. "Good riddance" she thought to herself as she headed to her real home…The Sunset Arms.

This thought made her smile despite the fact that her throat was hurting. She knew that she would not go back, now he had given her a reason to NEVER go back. Eighteen years of neglect, he deserved to hear every word and the kick to the balls. She hoped that one day her mom would have the courage to leave him. She wanted to help her mom, she understood that sometimes people have to pick themselves up.

Back at the Pataki household Bob was still on the floor reeling in pain from Helga's boot. Standing up shakily "I hate that girl, didn't want Miriam to have her anyway" he said coldly. Walking to the refrigerator to get a bag of cold vegetables to place on his "jewels". He bumped into Miriam's chair, startling her. "What, I'm up, I'm up...B, what's wrong?" she slurred.

"That damn girl of yours kicked me in the nuts! She called me all kinds of names, flat out disrespected me Miriam!" He sat down at the table, placing the frozen peas on his tender area. "It doesn't matter, she said she was moving out anyway. Broke the damn door on the way out. Now I have to spend money to get that fixed. Never understood why you had her anyway."

She may have been drunk, her senses fuzzy but she heard his last words. Even though she had heard them before, today it they stung more than usual. She thought about her daughter's final actions towards Bob. "

"She has done what I couldn't" she mused. She knew Helga was independent and strong. She knew that one day she would leave, but today she freed herself from the prison what was Big Bob Pataki. Causing him not only physical pain, but also causing damage to his castle. Not listening to her complaining husband, she smiled at the simple thought repeating in her head "I could learn something from that girl."

Helga smiled as she looked at her home, "their home", The Sunset Arms boarding house. She walked up to the door, stepped to the side and opened it. Letting a stampede of cats, dogs, and other assorted wildlife out. She smiled as two pigs stopped, greeting her by snuggling her legs.

"Hi Abner, Hi Abby" she said lovingly. "Is daddy home?" Both pigs snorted accepting her rubs behind the ears, then ran to join the rest of the "wildlife crew" as Helga affectionately named the herd of animals.

She noticed the house was empty as she walked to what today could officially called "their room". She could hear slow jazz playing from the open steps leading up to the attic. She smiled knowing who was on the other side, waiting for her. She walked through the door. Arnold was sitting at his computer letting the music sway his odd shaped head. There wasn't a day she wasn't grateful to have him in her life. She smiled thinking to herself. "I love that man."

"Hey football head" she said affectionately, wrapping her arms around his neck. Inhaling his scent.

"Hello to you too, Guerra. How did things go?"

"Quiet, up until Bob opened his mouth." She said.

"What happened?" Arnold asked.

After giving a recap of the events in full detail, and after Arnold's temper calmed. They started to unpack the rest of her things.

Later…..

"Are you sure you don't want do something about that situation?" He asked. Helga was laying on his chest listing to his heartbeat.

"No, my love. It doesn't matter, I am never going back there again." She said calmly.

"I am finally home."