Welcome all! Hope you enjoy the story. ;) I know I've enjoyed writing it. (Oh, and Ninja Turtles? Don't own it.)

Edited April 2020

Hey guys. It's been a while. I had another big computer issue back when I had last posted that had deleted so much of what I had written here, which had been pretty disheartening. With everything that's been going on I've found myself with lots of time to work on writing and I'm determined to finish this story. ;) Also I'll be editing and fleshing out chapters as I go. I'll go into this a little more in chapter 19.

(It's good to be back)

I watched with amusement as my nephew Kevin, apparently growing bored with the provided entertainment, decided he would find more entertainment in tackling the performer instead.

I could almost see exactly how Kevin's feelings on this matter progressed, just from his facial expressions. Finally his mouth widened into the most evil expression you could ever find on a 7 year-old's face and he leapt forward. "Yahhhhh!" he yelled out as he tangled his small frame amongst the costumed man's legs. The man let out a startled yell as he toppled over. Some of Kevin's more enthusiastic friends took this as an invitation to join in and they too jumped into the fray.

Seeing as I was a safe distance from the commotion, it was hard not to giggle as the boys wrestled with each other, almost as if forgetting that Cowabunga Carl was involved in their struggle. Only Kevin seemed aware of that fact. And he cackled somewhat insanely while keeping a tight grip on the man's ankles. I covered my grin with my hand. I'd had my own chaotic experiences with my nephew.

Taking pity on the man, I decided to call off the boys. "Cake time!" I called out. It worked like a charm. The boys vanished incredibly quickly, heading towards the kitchen. I actually had to move out of the way in order to prevent being stampeded.

I headed after them to help with the distribution; I had a feeling that if left to their own devices some sort of disaster would follow. Probably a good idea based on the expressions on those boys' faces. After the noisy chorus of happy birthday I cut pieces of cake as quickly as I could.

It was funny to see how quickly the boys calmed once they started eating. Of course, once the sugar hit their system they would resume being just as crazy as ever, if not more so. I swiped a slice and poked my head back into the living room. Cowabunga Carl was busy picking up his props. His oversized headed was still crooked and off center from the boys' attack.

I made my way over, stepping over several couch pillows that had found their way halfway across the room. "Sorry about that," I said. "Kevin can be kind of a handful sometimes. And it seems his friends are the same way."

"Eh, it comes with this line of work," Cowabunga Carl responded. "They're just playing. Trust me, it's when they start treating me like a piñata that I start to worry."

His positive and easygoing attitude was contagious, and I could help but smile. However, his tilted costume head was starting to drive me crazy with its lopsided grin. "Oh no!" I giggled, "It certainly sounds like it would be time to worry. I hope that doesn't happen often."

"It's been known to happen," he admitted, "But I have yet prevailed," he declared dramatically, posing in such a way that his head bobbed even further to the right.

I glanced at that askew costume again. "Hold on a sec," I set the cake I was holding down and reached over to adjust his head. It only took a small nudge to get it back to being centered. At the time I didn't really notice how he tensed up.

"Sorry, your head was lopsided," I said with a grin. "After all this craziness I think my brain is just begging for some kind of order." I noticed his arms were slightly raised, hands gripping the bottom of the headpiece. "It's fixed now," I assured him. "Oh, and I brought this out for you." I grabbed the cake and held it out.

His hands reached out automatically before he pulled them back. "Nah, can't eat on the job," he said, the disappointment in his voice at odds with his costumed face's smiling expression.

"Ah, of course. So, do you go by Carl when you're not working?" I asked curiously.

He laughed. "Michelangelo actually."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever actually met a Michelangelo before. I'm Mikayla, by the way." I held out a hand, as what is normal when you introduce yourself, although the three-fingered glove that he wore made the handshake a little different than usual.

"My dad's a Renaissance fan," he replied in explanation. "So what's your job here, dudette?"

"Mostly just a little extra supervision. And dessert, I suppose. But now that everyone's in one place it's being handled fine without me. Kevin, the birthday boy, is my nephew, so that's what brings me here." I laughed. "It also means that I too know from personal experience how much of a handful he can be sometimes. It always ends up being entertaining…" I mused.

"But if he were a zombie we would all die?" Michelangelo finished. This time I was pretty sure that his expression would have matched his costume. There was a playfulness to his voice that hinted at a grin.

My first reaction was to chuckle, and then I laughed again as I thought more about it. The idea rang true. I could very easily Kevin in my mind's eye chasing, attacking, and climbing anyone who happened to catch his interest in what could definitely be called a zombie like manner. "We would probably be doomed," I giggled. "I might not be able to distract him with cake and without that I doubt we'd survive."

My eyes landed on the clock and that drew me out of my laughter. It was almost 7, and I was pretty sure we had told Cowabunga Carl, Michelangelo that is, that we would only need him until 6. "Just a sec, I'll be right back."

I left to find my sister, and hopefully to get the money we owed to Michelangelo. I grabbed the slice of cake as I left the room, determined to cover it and send some home with the party entertainer.

By this time Kevin and his friends had finished eating and were now outside getting ready to attack the piñata. Kevin's dad was outside supervising and patiently explaining that no the boys could not jump of the ladder to hit the piñata in a combination sword attack body slam move. It seemed I was still free to wander about. It didn't take me long to find my sister.

"Hey 'Kayla," she greeted me. "Tired yet?" Our relationship had always been amiable, but we had never been all that close due to the fact that Michelle was eight years older than me. Now that we were both older we were slowly becoming better friends in the short periods of time that Michelle could spare from her work, husband, and child.

"It's been fun!" I insisted with a smile. "And only a little bit crazy." I then reminded her about the time.

Michelle looked at her phone briefly to double-check the time. "It is a bit later than we had planned," she mused, sounding surprised. "Time flies, I guess." She walked over to a small table that was sheltered in a nook away from the birthday chaos to grab her purse.

I watched as she casually grabbed a small stack of twenties and handed them over. "This should cover everything," she said, "There's some for the extra time and there's a nice bonus. He did a good job. And thanks for reminding me."

"No problem," I said with a grin. I stacked a couple more large pieces of cake onto the plate I still held and covered it with plastic wrap. There was still quite a bit of cake left, but somehow I had a feeling that it could vanish in a moment once the boys had run around for a while.

By the time I returned to the living room Michelangelo had finished gathering his props and all the cushions were off the floor and back on their respective couches. He turned as I walked in. "Well, I should probably be heading out. Do you guys need anything else?"

"Nope, that's it," I said, shaking my head. "Sorry we kept you so late," I apologized. "But I think this covers everything." I handed him the wad of cash.

He counted it quickly. "Oh, you gave me too much, even if you calculate the extra hour…"

"No, that's how much we wanted to give you. And here," I proceeded in handing over the plate of cake as well. "Hope you like it, I made it myself." I said with a grin. "Thanks for all your help."

He bowed with a flourish, still keeping the plate of cake evenly balanced. "Thank you, dudette."

The effect was both sweet and slightly comical combined with the large grinning turtlehead he wore, and I noticed that a small smile was still on my face even after his van had driven out of sight.

So there we have it. This is meant to be somewhat of a drabble series…. I'm holding myself to 500-1000 word long chapters. They will generally be longer though, but this way you guys get an update at least once a week. ;) And since it's Friday…I guess it will be Fridays! :D Reviews will make my weekend. ;)