This chapter is filler for the most part, but it is a necessary bridge for the events later on. Enjoy!
(April's POV)
"Then you just use the derivative of sine and you get your answer." Donnie explains simply.
I just stared at my homework. This happened every time I asked Donnie to help me with any kind of math problem. He always made it look so easy.. and also making me feel like an idiot, but almost anyone compared to Donnie when it comes to intelligence looks like a drooling moron.
This also brings up something that I think about when it comes to him.
Donnie has never been put through any sort of formal education.
Master Splinter taught Donnie and his brothers basic education; reading, writing, and basic math… but Donnie learned everything beyond that on his own.
Donnie wasn't like his brothers… Donnie, although a great and skilled ninja like the rest of his brothers, prefers not to pay much attention to physical skills. I mean, Donnie is athletic but he prefers to exercise his brain more.
From the beginning, I was always blown away by the things Donnie was able to create from nothing but garbage and scrap metal. He created marvels of modern technology all by himself and using only the help of his brain and his own two hands.
He was able to do all of this without ever setting foot in a classroom. Most people would've loved to be in his position and have an excuse not to go to school, but Donnie would've probably given anything to be able to go to school.
Sometimes I feel like I'm part of that group of unappreciative people. Look, I may be in the top 20 of my graduating class… but I complain about school all the time. Then I think deeper and see how much of an ungrateful snob I am when I look at Donnie.
Here I am complaining about going to school and literally counting my days until I graduate in the spring… and Donnie would've gladly given almost anything to go to school when he was younger.
"April?" I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw Donnie looking at me slightly concerned. "Donnie, can I ask you something?" He gave me an intrigued look before replying, "What's going on April?" I was finally able to come up with a sentence that would make sense.
"Donnie… doesn't all of this seem unfair? Here I am going to you constantly for help on my homework and getting rewarded for it at school, yet you've never had a chance to even go?" I say, feeling guilty.
I knew it wasn't really even my fault at all, but I still felt bad that I totally unappreciate school so often and how Donnie deserved to be in my spot so much more than I do.
Then I saw him just start grinning to himself and then he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at me. "If I show you something… do you promise not to tell anyone?" He asks, looking a little mischievous.
I quirked an eyebrow up in confusion. What does showing me something have to do with anything? I just nod at him as he grabs my hand and starts to lead me to this back area of his lab and there was this old file cabinet.
Donnie let go of my hand and unlocked the bottom drawer of the cabinet and started to page through several folders with his fingers. Then he pulled out these two sheets of paper.
"About a month after I became human… I actually started to dabble a little bit in the academic world." He says vaguely with a smile when he handed me the sheets of paper and I noticed now they were documents… but then my eyes went wide in shock when I saw what was written on the one right in front of me:
This certifies that Donatello Hamato has completed the necessary requirements of the New York board of Education to be entitled to this High School Diploma.
Attached to the diploma was a sheet that I saw was Donnie's test scores in every basic educational category imaginable and he received 100% in every one. I was about to say something when I was further shocked by what was behind it, it was another document:
Given recommendation by the board of trustees and faculty, Donatello Hamato has completed the necessary requirements and courses to receive an Associates in Mechanical Engineering.
I couldn't believe it. Donnie actually had both a high school diploma and an associates degree in mechanical engineering?!
"Donnie, how did you do this?" I ask, still in shock as to how he even got both of these diplomas.
"Well… after I became human, I decided to do something I've always wanted to do that I couldn't exactly do before… long story short I was able to earn both my high school diploma and my associates degree online. I hope to get my bachelors and doctorate in mechanical engineering at some point too." He explains.
"I mean, this is really great Donnie but how were you able to do this? Don't these online programs still require birth certificates and social security numbers?" I was still in slight shock.
I mean, I felt proud of him for doing this, but I just couldn't believe he did all that in less than a year with everything else that's been going on and that he was able to get in without having an government issued documents of any kind.
"My skills aren't just limited to making state ID's like I did for me and my brothers." He says a little slyly with a matching grin and I was able to shoot a similar expression back at him.
It really is a good thing that Donnie was a goodnatured and sweet guy, because if Donnie ended up being some evil mad scientist… I'm pretty sure he would've probably taken over the world by now.
"Donnie, what brought all this on, anyway… I mean, I'm really proud of you for doing this but what's the sudden want to get a doctorate?" I ask.
I mean… I'm still writing college applications and I'm 17 and my 16 year old boyfriend was already able to get a 2 year college degree… That's kind of crazy.
He looked at me, slightly serious but still smiling slightly at me, "Well, I've just been thinking about what I want to do with my life in the future. My brothers might be content to being vigilantes for the rest of their lives and I like it too… but I want to do more with my life. I want to at some point, at least when the Kraang are finally gone, to finally be able to have a normal life. Maybe live in an actual house, have an actual job, have my own life… I finally at some point just want to be normal."
I was frozen at what he just told me. I didn't know what to say to that. He literally just told me his number one life goal and it was so simple, a lot of people had it and totally took it for granite; just wanting to be a normal guy.
I still didn't know what to say.
Then I felt him grab my hand again. I looked up and saw him smiling at me. Then he hugged me.
As I returned the hug, I kept on thinking about what he said and deep down I was kind of there with him. At some point in the future, I wanted my life to become a little less complicated too.
Also, I know Donnie will definitely get his doctorate if he keeps this up. Besides, Dr. Donatello Hamato… that's a title that Donnie definitely deserves.
({No POV})
Splinter was walking up to Hazel's apartment, still not believing that he was actually in this situation.
He hadn't been in a courting type situation with a woman in an extremely long period of time. He was actually felt a little nervous, but he really did like and somewhat admire Hazel in someway and he really wanted to get to know her more.
That and he was also given a huge push by a certain someone. Splinter smiled to himself as he thought of that. Although he felt uncomfortable at first with Mona's determination in this area, he also admired her immensely.
He may have lost a daughter all that time ago, but now he gained a new one. He did think of her as a daughter and loved her in that sense as well. In a way… he also saw Tang Shen in Mona as well.
She was smart, strong, and full of spirit… it was a slight comfort to him in someway.
He laughed to himself how Mona and even April helped him get ready for tonight. Now that he thought about it, he in actuality had two daughters in a way now. It was like the old saying went to him; have all daughters, they shall bring you sons and your sons shall in turn bring you daughters.
That saying did seem to be proved true.
Splinter still had clothes from his previous life, all of them still fit to his surprise. Mona was even slightly impressed that he actually had a lot of decent clothes for a man of his age and not being able to wear almost any of it for almost 17 years.
He was wearing tan slacks with a button up shirt and an old sport coat that he had. He didn't want to over dress since they were just meeting for basically drinks and conversation, but he still wanted to look like he made an effort.
He even bought her flowers.
It was something he always felt was important when it came to women and dates. Dates were about first impressions, especially for men, and it was nice to get the person you are taking out a token to show that the date had meaning for everyone involved. It was also something taught to him by his own father and Splinter even told that piece of advice to his own sons at one point and at times wondered if any of them actually took his advice on that score.
He was looking at the small arrangement of flowers in his hand, orchids.
They just seemed like the perfect thing that suited her to him. Roses seemed a little too up front but orchids also had beauty to them and actually had a meaning of beauty and refinement to them.
He felt nervous as he finally entered her apartment building and knocked on her door and he also felt a certain anxiousness that he hadn't felt in really long time. The door opened.
"Hello Yoshi." She says confidently with a smile. She looked even more stunning than when he saw her the last time at the college. Her hair was down and she was wearing a black dress that went down a little past her knees and flowed at the bottom. It looked semi formal, but perfect for the occasion.
He smiled at her, "Hello Hazel, you look… very lovely, if you don't mind me saying so." He was saying his completely honest opinion.
He remembered when he was younger with Tang Shen and how he used to be nervous telling her things like that, but it was like he finally had the confidence with his feelings that he wished he had all those years ago.
"Thank you, you look very handsome yourself." She says, with almost no nerves at all. She was just a very confident spirit.
"Oh, these are for you." He says, holding the flowers out to her with a smile. Her face looked surprised for a split second before returning to it's usual expression as she accepted them.
"Yoshi, you really didn't have to." She says, still sort of surprised and rather humble.
"I wanted to. I insist. Why do you not like…" "No, Yoshi, they're very beautiful, really. Orchids are actually my favorite… Thank you." She says genuine and smiles at him again.
"You're welcome." He replies as he made a mental note of that fact to himself.
"Would you like to come in? I just want to put these in water right away before we go." She says. "Thank you." He responds with a slight smile. He stepped in and watched her walk down the hall and into what he assumed was her kitchen.
As he waited he looked at what he could see of her decorating style in her apartment. Her decorating consisted of stunning Japanese paintings and a beautiful tapestry of a pagoda nestled in the mountains.
"I see you found my favorite possession." She says as she walks back over to Splinter. "This is very beautiful, it looks hand painted." He comments.
"It is. I got it from this very talented elderly woman from a nearby village while I was studying in Japan. I saw her shop and told her how beautiful I thought all of her work was and she gave me this one 'as a gift' from her exact words. It's my favorite thing to look at before I go to work in the morning." She explains.
"So are you ready to go?" She asks. Splinter smiled as he opened her door and motioned for her to go first.
They walked to this cafe a couple blocks from her apartment and Splinter really felt like he was enjoying himself. She was just so easy for him to talk to. He's only officially met her in person two times counting this one, but he just really adored her in some way.
She was intelligent, charismatic, calming, approachable, elegant, and just in general a beautiful person inside and out.
After they were done in the cafe she asked him if he wouldn't mind walking around for awhile and they somehow ended up at this public boardwalk. They were two of the few people there.
As they walked and and continued chatting, he felt her grab his hand carefully yet confidently and he slowly returned the gesture. This was something that he missed but he was glad that she was willing to display that subtle affection to him.
It felt very comfortable to him. Then they hit a period of silence for several seconds.
"So, you said you had sons?" She inquires. "Yes, four of them." He replies. "Four? How old are they?" She asks. "All of them are 16. They are actually adopted but I think of them as my own." He explains.
"Still, four 16 year old boys, that must be more than a handful." She comments, causing him to smile.
"At times yes, but they are good boys. You've probably seen my son Raphael." He says. "I have and I knew he was right from when you told me that he was dating Mona because I see her with him sometimes on campus. He looks like a very… sturdy young man… does he play football or anything?" She asks.
Splinter smiled again and replied, "No, but all of my sons are pretty athletically inclined though."
There was silence again.
"You know… I'm a bit surprised by the fact you're single." She admits. "Really?" He asks, slightly surprised by her comment.
"Well, yes. A handsome, smart, in shape, kind, and eloquent man like you with no wife or lady friend of any kind… I'm surprised women don't just constantly throw themselves at you." She compliments, but he sensed her almost flirting with him in a way.
Splinter felt slightly taken aback. "Well… I'm not used to feeling that way." He admits. "I mean it, Yoshi. It's just a little surprising to me… Were you ever married, if you don't mind me asking?" She asks curiously.
"I was, a long time ago… What about you? Were you ever married or have children?" He asks, hoping not to dive into that subject on his end.
"Well, I don't have any children, but I was married once. But, I was young and foolish." She says.
"Why? What happened?" Splinter asks curious, but felt bad once he said it because she looked almost painfully embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be impertinent." He apologizes.
"No, it's fine, really. But… when I was 21 in my senior year of college, I met and instantly fell in love with this guy in one of my classes. We dated for a year and got married when we were 22 and my parents thought I was foolish, but I was just so in love with him that I didn't care what they thought. Then about 8 months into our marriage I started to notice things. I'd be doing the laundry and it was literally the lipstick stain on the collar situation, but I was in denial. I was still so in love with him that I just remained ignorant to everything. But, then one day, he vanished. He drained our accounts, taking my money with him too, and took off. They were never able to find him. I was left broke, lost, and completely broken hearted and then had to move back in with my parents on top of that. I was depressed for several months and I kept blaming all that happened on myself, like I wasn't good enough and that was why he left me. It was not fun." She explains.
Splinter was looking at her slightly stunned. He couldn't believe anything she just told him. He could not comprehend how any man could mistreat a woman as beautiful and lovely as her.
"I am very sorry." Splinter expresses. He felt her grip tighten on his hand as she smiled at him.
"Well, it wasn't all that negative. My mother eventually convinced me to go on a sabbatical to Japan like I always wanted to and that was how I earned my doctorate and spent my time studying in Japan. It really helped me refresh myself. It was just an overall positive experience after such a negative time in my life… but I don't want to keep playing my own world's smallest violin… what about you?" She asks, directing all the attention to him. Splinter, as much as he didn't want to, he had to tell her now.
After she opened up to him like that, it seemed only honorable and right to return that trust and respect to her.
"I was married, very happily married actually. From the moment I saw my wife, I knew she was the woman I wanted to marry. We also had a daughter together, Miwa." He explained, still trying not to delve too deep into it.
"Why? What happened? Did you separate?" She asks.
Splinter was trying come up with the words to explain it without just making the black and white statement of saying that they were both dead.
"No… but they were both separated from me, forever." He vaguely explains.
"Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up for you." She apologizes. He knew she was probably thinking they died by more of a normal circumstance like a childbirth complication or a car accident. But he knew that this was a story that was not to be told unless absolutely necessary.
"It is perfectly alright. There's no need to apologize. Besides, life is the acquisition of memories and in my opinion, it is better to face them than dodge them." He explains.
"Isn't that the truth? But, it reminds me of something my mother told me during my depression to reassure me in my then present situation. She said that in life everyone has their heart broken once or twice; one way or another before we're done." She says.
"That is sad but also quite true." He agrees. There was a long thirty second pause.
"Have you ever thought of marrying again?" He asks her.
"Sometimes, but I'm just kind of letting life take me wherever. If I get married, that's great and if I don't that's fine. It just all depends on how things play out." She explains.
"I know how you feel. I'm at that point as well." He says. They stayed silent until they got to the end of the pier.
"I may not have ever met your wife, but I'm sure she was a very beautiful person and… she was a very lucky woman." She says, completely honestly, tightening her grip on his hand again.
Splinter looked in her direction and saw the sincerity in her expression as she smiled at him. He didn't know what to really do to respond.
All he felt in himself was a need to do something that he hadn't done in so long. It was something so simple. He noticed that the feeling was mutual as he saw her slowly inching toward him. Then he finally just went for it.
It felt strange, yet invigorating to have this type of connection with a woman again.
This was something he never anticipated ever happening again in his life. He never thought he would ever have something like this after being confined to a sewer for so long.
But now, he actually felt hope, a chance to start again.
I know it seems like everything is in a lull right now… but things are just getting started. Thanks for reading and please leave a review if you can.
