Normally I take the stairs up to my apartment like an old woman. Basically one step at a time measured according to the amount of energy I have for the moment. Which is usually not a lot.
However, this evening, with my two grocery bags firmly entrenched in my arms, I took them as if I were twenty again. The realization that my new friends had intervened on my behalf by retrieving my stolen purse thrilled me like no other. How they were able to manage it was a question I would save for the next time they came over. If they ever did again.
Right now, though, I felt lighter than air and surprisingly happy. Not a common occurrence individually, but to have both happen simultaneously - even less so.
I kept remembering the words that Mikey had written to me. They were going to have pizza for dinner that night because of the bag of empties I had given them. Pizza! Who would have thought they ate such things or considered it such a delicacy? To identify it in the same context as one would a Thanksgiving meal said a great deal about what they expected out of life – which wasn't much.
Well, I was determined to make sure I had at least a couple of boxes of the frozen variety on hand, just in case they 'graced me' with their presence again. It may not be the quality of the delivered type, but if the advertisements held true, I think the brand I picked up would suffice. Personally, I don't think they'll complain.
Opening my apartment I quickly flipped on the lights and immediately felt the chill of the room.
"Blast it," I complained, "The furnace isn't working again."
I shivered out of reflex as I hurried over to the kitchen to set my bags down. I considered putting the frozen foods in the freezer before hot-footing it over to the sups apartment. I realized then that it was so cold in my place that there wasn't any way those pizzas were going to thaw. I really hated living here, but right now it's where I was for the moment.
About two minutes later –
"You know, you could at least make sure the furnace worked properly!" I yelled at the superintendent, "I have frozen pizza on my counter that refuses to thaw out because it's so dang cold."
I really felt sorry for the man; he only managed the rundown place. The real owner probably lived on Fifth Avenue, all nice and cozy in a warm penthouse, more than likely.
"If you don't do something about the heat, there are people living here whose health will be affected! D'ya want that on your conscious?" I continued my abuse.
He meekly nodded at me and closed his apartment door quickly. I heard a few more doors close after that so I was pretty sure I had an audience. Good; maybe some of them will get enough of a backbone to say something, too. But, I doubted that very much. When you live in a place like where I did, you've pretty much given up hope of living anywhere else. Unless, of course, you were young and naïve. Then, the world is your oyster and no one can hold you back. I remember well those days.
Sometimes I miss them, too.
I pulled on another coat while putting the pizzas in the freezer. They barely fit as it turned out. I was half tempted to take them out of their boxes and plastic-wrap them. The boxes were always too large for what was inside anyway. A considerable waste of a good tree, in my opinion. But, I didn't have any wrap for the moment so I just shoved the boxes in the best I could.
I was finishing up putting the rest of my purchases away when I heard a tapping. Hmm…what was that? Then, it dawned on me. I had been so upset with the furnace not being on that I had completely forgotten to check if my friends were outside. I turned to go to my window. It was about then that I saw Mikey hugging the outside sill again.
I smiled.
"Hey, what took you so long?:" he grinned as he eased himself into the room. I looked beyond him for Raph. But, the one who followed him in wore a blue mask. He, too, politely closed the window once he was standing inside.
"Uh oh," I said to myself, "must be one of the others," I thought. "Um, hi?" I ventured. This one looked very serious, almost predatory as he looked at me and then scanned my room. He didn't say anything at first.
"Hey, wha' happened to the heat?" Mikey asked as he rubbed his arms for warmth.
"Oh, the stupid heater's on the fritz. I've already yelled at the sup about it. Need a coat?" I asked.
"Naw, tha's okay. I'm used to it. Just surprised is all – from las'night." He replied.
Mr. Bluemask looked at me asked, "Are you Mindy?"
"Last time I checked my driver license, yep." I answered, smiling.
He didn't. In fact, my sense of humor went right over his head – completely. "Sheesh, who twisted your underwear this morning?" I thought to myself.. I noticed he had weapons, too, but these looked a little more impressive. They were swords and they criss-crossed behind him, obviously sheathed in some sort of holder.
While I was trying to remember what my ex-husband used to call them, Mr. Bluemask moved around my room, almost like he was casing the place.
He then startled me by stating, "You really shouldn't work so late in the evening, you know."
I was speechless. For one, what business was it of his as to when I worked. From what I knew, he lived in a sewer and probably rent-free at that. Second, he hadn't really introduced himself properly.
So, instead of keeping these fine thoughts unsaid, I thought I would share them with him, "First, it's none of your business how late I work . I doubt very much you get billed by the electric company." I crossed my arms in front of me, indignant to his rudeness. "And second, you haven't even told me your name!"
He just stared at me and narrowed his eyes as he studied this very charming and witty – okay, my words here – human. It kind of unnerved me – a lot!
He said very slowly, almost as if I couldn't quite hear fast enough, "Leonardo." This guy was certainly light in conversational skills.
"We call him Leo, though." came Mike's comment.
Leonardo nudged his brother and gave him a look that for all intense and purpose seemed like what an older brother would do to quiet the younger one.
I kind of smirked.
Leo looked back at me and with a little more finesse explained his comments, "It's just that this time of night brings out the worse in your neighborhood. If we hadn't been around that corner…."
And I finished it for him, "I would have been out my tip money. Yes, I am aware of that and Ido appreciate you getting it back for me. But, I always believe that maybe they need it more than I do."
Surprisingly, Leo smiled, "That's a good philosophy," but then he went all serious again, "but one that could get you killed." He paused for a moment and then offered, "Maybe if you had some sort of escort home?"
"Such as? Most of those who eat at that diner are of the same caliber as that young man who tried to rob me – or worse! Thanks but no thanks. I'd much rather survive on my wit and charm!" I replied smugly.
Mike brightened, "See, doesn't she remind you of Raph?"
Leo just rolled his eyes.
Oh, that was low. Really low. "You know, if you want to be welcomed here, Mikey, you'd better stop insulting me!" and I turned to remove my coat. The sup must have kicked that old dinosaur of a heater into working again because now I was getting quite warm.
"Anyway, fellas, if you're hungry I just returned from the grocers and…" I began, but was interrupted by Mikey's exuberant comment.
"Yeah, you bought pizza!"
"How'd you know that?" I asked turning around quickely…and then realized what a stupid question it was, all things considered. These guys followed me, it seemed, and on what seemed to be a regular basis. Why, I haven't a clue, but I was starting to realize that maybe they knew something that I didn't. And I had a strange feeling, maybe a lot of things.
"We slipped in the store while you were talk'n with Gracie. Sometimes we need supplies and instead of scarin' people half ta death, we just take what we need and leave a note with some money. " Mikey explained.
"Ever get caught?" I asked innocently. The look Leo gave me could have curdled my blood, but Mikey's grin suggested that he thought my comment quite funny.
"No." was all Mr. Talks-a lot replied with.
"Never?" I decided to have some fun with Mr. Personality.
"NO!" Leo replied a little more impatiently. Mike was now covering his mouth as he tried to hide his smirk.
"Com'on, you mean you waltz into stores, take what you need, pay for it without going to the cashiers, and NO ONE's ever seen you?" I was nearly laughing. There's no way anyone could do that routinely without the law of averages catching up with them. I was shaking my head like I didn't quite believe what I was hearing.
"Yes." Leonardo answered.
"How?" I asked, folding my arms and expecting some sort of reply. I didn't get one. All I received was a stare and a snort and a rather superior expression like I was a child asking why air was invisible.
"Okay, so you belong to this special club – kind of like a magician's sewing circle – and you keep your tricks to yourselves so that the rest of us are awed and impressed, is that it?" I asked half mockingly.
"Something like that." Leo responded. "Look, all I wanted to do tonight was to make sure you weren't one of these money hungry opportunists who would like nothing better than to catch one of us and…."
"Money hungry is correct; I'd like a few more dollars." I interrupted, "But I don't feel it's fair to take those like yourselves who are obviously sentient and as human as one could get and then feed them to the scientific community. Not that I've had any reason before now to think that way." I backpedaled. "I have to admit, though, when I first saw Mikey and Raph last evening, that thought did occur to me. But, once I was certain of their intelligence, I knew it would be wrong."
I could perfectly understand Leo's position. And, he was right. There were plenty of people out there who would be drooling at the prospect of capturing any of my – now – three friends and parading them into a lab somewhere. It made me sick to think that my own species could be capable of overlooking these turtles' intelligence just for scientific research.
"Good, I'm glad to hear that. As far as being hungry, we've eaten already." Leo said. "Thank you, by the way, for the aluminum cans. To express my appreciation for your generosity was one of my reasons for visiting tonight."
Mikey groaned, "Aw, if she wants to feed us, Leo, shouldn't we let her? After all, didn't you say it always made you feel good to help others? Why deny Mindy that same wonderful feeling?"
Leo only glared at his brother the way a big brother would do.
Once, again, I had to smile.
I believe it was becoming a habit.
And – I rather liked it!
However, this evening, with my two grocery bags firmly entrenched in my arms, I took them as if I were twenty again. The realization that my new friends had intervened on my behalf by retrieving my stolen purse thrilled me like no other. How they were able to manage it was a question I would save for the next time they came over. If they ever did again.
Right now, though, I felt lighter than air and surprisingly happy. Not a common occurrence individually, but to have both happen simultaneously - even less so.
I kept remembering the words that Mikey had written to me. They were going to have pizza for dinner that night because of the bag of empties I had given them. Pizza! Who would have thought they ate such things or considered it such a delicacy? To identify it in the same context as one would a Thanksgiving meal said a great deal about what they expected out of life – which wasn't much.
Well, I was determined to make sure I had at least a couple of boxes of the frozen variety on hand, just in case they 'graced me' with their presence again. It may not be the quality of the delivered type, but if the advertisements held true, I think the brand I picked up would suffice. Personally, I don't think they'll complain.
Opening my apartment I quickly flipped on the lights and immediately felt the chill of the room.
"Blast it," I complained, "The furnace isn't working again."
I shivered out of reflex as I hurried over to the kitchen to set my bags down. I considered putting the frozen foods in the freezer before hot-footing it over to the sups apartment. I realized then that it was so cold in my place that there wasn't any way those pizzas were going to thaw. I really hated living here, but right now it's where I was for the moment.
About two minutes later –
"You know, you could at least make sure the furnace worked properly!" I yelled at the superintendent, "I have frozen pizza on my counter that refuses to thaw out because it's so dang cold."
I really felt sorry for the man; he only managed the rundown place. The real owner probably lived on Fifth Avenue, all nice and cozy in a warm penthouse, more than likely.
"If you don't do something about the heat, there are people living here whose health will be affected! D'ya want that on your conscious?" I continued my abuse.
He meekly nodded at me and closed his apartment door quickly. I heard a few more doors close after that so I was pretty sure I had an audience. Good; maybe some of them will get enough of a backbone to say something, too. But, I doubted that very much. When you live in a place like where I did, you've pretty much given up hope of living anywhere else. Unless, of course, you were young and naïve. Then, the world is your oyster and no one can hold you back. I remember well those days.
Sometimes I miss them, too.
I pulled on another coat while putting the pizzas in the freezer. They barely fit as it turned out. I was half tempted to take them out of their boxes and plastic-wrap them. The boxes were always too large for what was inside anyway. A considerable waste of a good tree, in my opinion. But, I didn't have any wrap for the moment so I just shoved the boxes in the best I could.
I was finishing up putting the rest of my purchases away when I heard a tapping. Hmm…what was that? Then, it dawned on me. I had been so upset with the furnace not being on that I had completely forgotten to check if my friends were outside. I turned to go to my window. It was about then that I saw Mikey hugging the outside sill again.
I smiled.
"Hey, what took you so long?:" he grinned as he eased himself into the room. I looked beyond him for Raph. But, the one who followed him in wore a blue mask. He, too, politely closed the window once he was standing inside.
"Uh oh," I said to myself, "must be one of the others," I thought. "Um, hi?" I ventured. This one looked very serious, almost predatory as he looked at me and then scanned my room. He didn't say anything at first.
"Hey, wha' happened to the heat?" Mikey asked as he rubbed his arms for warmth.
"Oh, the stupid heater's on the fritz. I've already yelled at the sup about it. Need a coat?" I asked.
"Naw, tha's okay. I'm used to it. Just surprised is all – from las'night." He replied.
Mr. Bluemask looked at me asked, "Are you Mindy?"
"Last time I checked my driver license, yep." I answered, smiling.
He didn't. In fact, my sense of humor went right over his head – completely. "Sheesh, who twisted your underwear this morning?" I thought to myself.. I noticed he had weapons, too, but these looked a little more impressive. They were swords and they criss-crossed behind him, obviously sheathed in some sort of holder.
While I was trying to remember what my ex-husband used to call them, Mr. Bluemask moved around my room, almost like he was casing the place.
He then startled me by stating, "You really shouldn't work so late in the evening, you know."
I was speechless. For one, what business was it of his as to when I worked. From what I knew, he lived in a sewer and probably rent-free at that. Second, he hadn't really introduced himself properly.
So, instead of keeping these fine thoughts unsaid, I thought I would share them with him, "First, it's none of your business how late I work . I doubt very much you get billed by the electric company." I crossed my arms in front of me, indignant to his rudeness. "And second, you haven't even told me your name!"
He just stared at me and narrowed his eyes as he studied this very charming and witty – okay, my words here – human. It kind of unnerved me – a lot!
He said very slowly, almost as if I couldn't quite hear fast enough, "Leonardo." This guy was certainly light in conversational skills.
"We call him Leo, though." came Mike's comment.
Leonardo nudged his brother and gave him a look that for all intense and purpose seemed like what an older brother would do to quiet the younger one.
I kind of smirked.
Leo looked back at me and with a little more finesse explained his comments, "It's just that this time of night brings out the worse in your neighborhood. If we hadn't been around that corner…."
And I finished it for him, "I would have been out my tip money. Yes, I am aware of that and Ido appreciate you getting it back for me. But, I always believe that maybe they need it more than I do."
Surprisingly, Leo smiled, "That's a good philosophy," but then he went all serious again, "but one that could get you killed." He paused for a moment and then offered, "Maybe if you had some sort of escort home?"
"Such as? Most of those who eat at that diner are of the same caliber as that young man who tried to rob me – or worse! Thanks but no thanks. I'd much rather survive on my wit and charm!" I replied smugly.
Mike brightened, "See, doesn't she remind you of Raph?"
Leo just rolled his eyes.
Oh, that was low. Really low. "You know, if you want to be welcomed here, Mikey, you'd better stop insulting me!" and I turned to remove my coat. The sup must have kicked that old dinosaur of a heater into working again because now I was getting quite warm.
"Anyway, fellas, if you're hungry I just returned from the grocers and…" I began, but was interrupted by Mikey's exuberant comment.
"Yeah, you bought pizza!"
"How'd you know that?" I asked turning around quickely…and then realized what a stupid question it was, all things considered. These guys followed me, it seemed, and on what seemed to be a regular basis. Why, I haven't a clue, but I was starting to realize that maybe they knew something that I didn't. And I had a strange feeling, maybe a lot of things.
"We slipped in the store while you were talk'n with Gracie. Sometimes we need supplies and instead of scarin' people half ta death, we just take what we need and leave a note with some money. " Mikey explained.
"Ever get caught?" I asked innocently. The look Leo gave me could have curdled my blood, but Mikey's grin suggested that he thought my comment quite funny.
"No." was all Mr. Talks-a lot replied with.
"Never?" I decided to have some fun with Mr. Personality.
"NO!" Leo replied a little more impatiently. Mike was now covering his mouth as he tried to hide his smirk.
"Com'on, you mean you waltz into stores, take what you need, pay for it without going to the cashiers, and NO ONE's ever seen you?" I was nearly laughing. There's no way anyone could do that routinely without the law of averages catching up with them. I was shaking my head like I didn't quite believe what I was hearing.
"Yes." Leonardo answered.
"How?" I asked, folding my arms and expecting some sort of reply. I didn't get one. All I received was a stare and a snort and a rather superior expression like I was a child asking why air was invisible.
"Okay, so you belong to this special club – kind of like a magician's sewing circle – and you keep your tricks to yourselves so that the rest of us are awed and impressed, is that it?" I asked half mockingly.
"Something like that." Leo responded. "Look, all I wanted to do tonight was to make sure you weren't one of these money hungry opportunists who would like nothing better than to catch one of us and…."
"Money hungry is correct; I'd like a few more dollars." I interrupted, "But I don't feel it's fair to take those like yourselves who are obviously sentient and as human as one could get and then feed them to the scientific community. Not that I've had any reason before now to think that way." I backpedaled. "I have to admit, though, when I first saw Mikey and Raph last evening, that thought did occur to me. But, once I was certain of their intelligence, I knew it would be wrong."
I could perfectly understand Leo's position. And, he was right. There were plenty of people out there who would be drooling at the prospect of capturing any of my – now – three friends and parading them into a lab somewhere. It made me sick to think that my own species could be capable of overlooking these turtles' intelligence just for scientific research.
"Good, I'm glad to hear that. As far as being hungry, we've eaten already." Leo said. "Thank you, by the way, for the aluminum cans. To express my appreciation for your generosity was one of my reasons for visiting tonight."
Mikey groaned, "Aw, if she wants to feed us, Leo, shouldn't we let her? After all, didn't you say it always made you feel good to help others? Why deny Mindy that same wonderful feeling?"
Leo only glared at his brother the way a big brother would do.
Once, again, I had to smile.
I believe it was becoming a habit.
And – I rather liked it!
