Donatello
"How's this sir?" one of the movers said as they brought in and placed the island cooktop in the middle of the room.
"Murakami-san?" I asked. Mr. Murakami walked over and started feeling around the cooktop for the knobs and where the island for the guests where they would sit.
"This is perfect! Thank you, my friends," he said.
"No prob." Suddenly, my phone started to ring again.
"Uhhhgggggg!" I moaned.
"Your mother again?" Murakami asked.
"Who else?" I said and ran outside to answered my phone.
"Yes, Ms. Adams. I'm still here with Mr. Yoshi," I said once again. "Can we please make this an every-hour thing? Or maybe every two hours?"
"You're ten minutes over Don. I was starting to get worried," she said.
"It wasn't my fault! The stove was getting installed and they needed some help with getting it into the bar area," I said.
"You're at a bar?!" she screamed in my ear, and I just rolled my eyes.
"No, Ms. Adams. It's a restaurant where the stove is in the middle of the restaurant and everyone sits around the chief as he makes the food," I said in a monotone voice.
"I know, I'm just messing with you, Don. Stop worrying me so much and have fun! I'll see you soon," she said, and then hung up.
"I thought she was kidding when she said she was checking in every half-hour," I said, walking back inside. Mr. Yoshi chuckled.
"A mother's love is always strong, Donatello," Murakami-san said.
"Yeah…" I said quietly. "So, what else needs to be done Murakami-san?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"We are still waiting on a special way I'm going to have guests order so people don't play me for a poor blind man they can take advantage of. That might not be here for a while though as it's coming from Japan. Thanks to you and Yoshi-san putting up the stools, I need you both to pretend to be customers so I may make you a meal as payment for your help," he said.
"I guess I am a little hungry. Is there even anything here? Not to be rude or anything," I asked sheepishly.
"Hai. I was planning on making you a meal anyway to try out the cooktop," Murakami explained. "I may be a little slow because I'm still getting used to feeling it."
"I don't mind. But only if you're okay with doing it," I said, and I could tell he heard my hesitation.
"If not now, then I'll never learn. I can't be afraid if I want to open up a restaurant," he said.
"True," I said and took a seat next to Mr. Yoshi who after helping me with organizing the utensils and dishes was painting something with a paintbrush.
"What are you painting, Mr. Yoshi?" I asked.
"Not painting, Donatello; it is Japanese writing. The machine coming from Japan will require some writing and pictures. I will show you how it works once it arrives but I'm writing them down to be taped inside," he explained.
"Why are you using a paintbrush? Wouldn't you rather type and print them out?" I asked.
"What I am doing is known as calligraphy; an art almost lost through time but very important part of Japanese history," Mr. Yoshi explained.
"What are you writing now?" I asked. Mr. Yoshi put down his brush and allowed me to see his work.
ソーダ
"What does it say?" I asked.
"Soda."
"Wait, it does?!" I said looking at it again. "But…how? So an S in Japanese is just an unfinished Y? No, that can't be right. If the little line at the very beginning is an S, then…this doesn't make any sense!" I yelled. Mr. Yoshi chucked once again.
"You are not the only one who struggled with another language. I struggled for years when I was learning English," he said. "There were so many sounds to memorize and multiple words sounded the same but were spelled differently. Other words had silent letters at the end or sometimes the beginning. Not only that, but I was also learning how to speak my native tongue as well."
"You learned English and Japanese together?"
"Yes. My father insisted that my…brother and I learn them both when we were still children while also attending to our ninjutsu practice. Even then, I struggled and often got flustered. I still did not grasp it fully when I first arrived in this country."
"Well, I can understand you perfectly. I know sometimes when people who learned English as a second language talk to me, it always takes me a minute to fully grasp what they are telling me. You and Murakami-san, I can understand you both perfectly; almost like you're both fluent."
"Thank you Donatello-san. Not many people have told me that," Murakami said.
"If you would like, I could show you the basics. Once you understand the basic rules of Japanese writing, the rest will come easy," Mr. Yoshi explained.
"Really? All right! Add that one to my resume!" I exclaimed.
"I never said it would be something learned overnight easily," Mr. Yoshi said, and my heart sunk.
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An hour later, all three of us now had full bellies, and I was just about to bid goodbye to Mr. Murakami. Mr. Yoshi said he would take me back to Chelsea on the subway, and then come back to help with some other stuff. "I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Murakami," I said.
"Only if it is okay with your mother, Donatello," he said.
"It shouldn't be a problem," I said. If it was, I knew how to talk Ms. Adams into it. I grabbed the paper with the notes that Mr. Yoshi had written down for me about the basic rules, and we left for the subway. On the way back, he and I continued to talk about Japan a little more, but I was mostly telling him all about the hidden gems of NYC; away from the touristy places. Finally, we arrived back at Greenwich Village much to my dismay.
"We're here already?" I whined.
"We will have plenty of time to continue talking, Donatello. Do you need me to walk you home?"
"No!" I said immediately. "I mean, no, I'll be fine. Really." Please don't let him see me starting to sweat. "And besides, I have a knife with me if something happens."
"Very well. Farewell, Donatello," he said.
"Bye, Mr. Yoshi," I said waving at him. With that, I was walking by myself out of the subway after shooting Ms. Adams a quick text that I'd be home after I picked up a book that I had reserved from the library; even if I hadn't found it yet. I walked to Muhlenberg public library and walked right up to the help desk.
"How can I help you today?" the woman asked.
"Do you have any books about learning Japanese?" I asked.
"Let me check," she said and started searching through the computer. We don't have very much, but we have a few. Follow me," she said. I did as I was told, and she took me to the nonfiction section. She scanned the shelf for a second, before pulling out a large yellow book. "This is what we have unless you want to place a reservation."
Japanese for Dummies
'You have got to be kidding me,' I thought. Is this book calling me dumb?! I'm a genius for crying out loud!
"We've also got this one too," she said.
Learning Japanese Kanji Practice Book Volume 1
'Why not?' I thought. 'At least it will keep me busy while I'm waiting for Leo and/or the others.'
"I'll take them," I said.
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After checking out, I arrived back at Ms. Adams's place. I walked into her office where she was talking on the phone with someone. She looked up and smiled at me and gave a quick wave before holding up one finger.
"Yes. You can turn in your application to me, and then we'll get you started on the certification requirements. In the meantime, you can start looking for that job. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me…yes, that's correct…you're welcome and I look forward to working with you. Thank you, sir. Goodbye," she said and hung up the phone. "Well, it's about time you got back."
"I told you I had to pick up some books," I said.
"So I see. When did you suddenly become interested in learning Japanese? Leo? Or was that an excuse to get out of doing your chores that you still are doing," she asked, and I shook my head.
"Mr. Yoshi was telling me about it today. It looks really interesting and he said he would teach me a little. I thought I'd read up on it a little," I said.
"Well, I'm proud that you decided to look into it on your own. Though from what I hear, it's a very complex language to learn," she warned.
"That's what I have Mr. Yoshi for," I said. "Hey, speaking of Leo…"
"Sorry, Don. Nothing yet," she said.
"Damn," I mumbled.
"What was that?" Ms. Adams warned.
"Darn," I said aloud.
"Uh-huh," she said. "But I did hear some news about Raph and Mikey."
"You did?! Where? When?!" I asked, setting my books on the table.
"It happened earlier this morning, but they were spotted in East Harlem near the park. Apparently, Mikey went up and asked a lady how to get to Chelsea," Ms. Adams explained. With that, I smacked my forehead.
"Mikey, you are the worst. Not that I'm complaining right now. Did they pick them up?" I asked.
"No. Raph she ran off with him before the lady had a chance to question them, but it was definitely them. They've got cops looking all over the place for them. Still nothing."
"Why don't they just…?" I asked, but couldn't finish.
"I honestly don't know Donnie, but no matter how Raph likes to look at it, they're still kids. They're probably more scared than anything," Ms. Adams said. I started to bite my lip trying to stop the already forming tears. Ms. Adams came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay to cry, Don." With that, I let a few sobs leave my body. Ms. Adams hugged me tight and I did the same as more rolled down my cheek.
"God, I hate this!" I whined.
"I know, Don," she said and kissed my hair. With that, I pushed her off me and swiped the tears away from my face myself.
"I'm okay. I'm fine. I just needed a minute," I said with a bruised pride.
"Understandable," Ms. Adams said.
"I think I'm gonna go start reading," I said, picking up my books.
"Not before you do your chores for the day," Ms. Adams said.
"Right," I said.
An hour later
After my chores were done, I went back to my room with my books. I grabbed the dummies book and opened the first page, but I couldn't read or comprehend what was on the page. I sighed and closed the book. This time, I went over to the computer and pulled up my email account. Still no friend requests or emails from Leo. Out of boredom, I searched up Leonardo Laird, but nothing came up. With that, I logged out and went over to get a piece of paper and a pencil.
Dear Leo,
It's Donnie again. I can't seem to concentrate on anything, so I'd thought I'd send you another letter. I hope you got the first one. If you didn't, it was just a letter explaining that I'm alright and if you have heard anything from Raph or Mikey. I also have an email account now so you can send me an email anytime you want. My username is RenassanceGenius84. Brilliant huh? I wonder what your username would be. RenassanceNinja? Something like that? Mikey will probably come up with something when he comes back, so you better think of one fast. I've recently been hanging out with a man called Hamato Yoshi. He's Japanese just like Mr. Saki. He saved me from some muggers and we're helping out a good friend of his open up his own Japanese-themed restaurant on the Lower East Side. You and Mr. Saki should stop by some time. Mr. Murakami is Japanese too and I think you'd like him; Mr. Yoshi too. That's kinda all I can think of to write.
Leo, can you please try and keep in contact with me more often? Give me an update or anything about you or Mr. Saki? Just so it's not so lonely here. Don't forget my username:
RenassanceGenius84
I guess I'll see you soon.
Love you,
Donnie
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Earlier:
Michelangelo
I was somehow in a magical place that I had never seen before. It had a flowing river that was the clearest blue you've ever seen. It also had a big mountain that looked almost like it was a backdrop instead of a real mountain. There were hundreds and hundreds of flowers surrounding me with trees and cherry blossoms falling like snow. I watched the cherry blossoms fall and dance in the wind. The wind made the blossoms swirl all around me, and I giggled and started spinning in a circle with them. Suddenly, the wind took them away then over to someone who stood in front of me. It was a woman with long, black hair, had a funny-looking dress on with long sleeves. She was turned away from me, but I couldn't tell what she was looking at.
"Mom?" I called. The lady turned around, smiled, and held her arms open like she always did even though the wind or something was blowing her hair over her face. I hesitated as I remember my promise to Raph about being done with families. I looked back up at her as she still had her arms wide open. I gave a wide grin and ran into her arms. I embraced her as she did with me. "Mom, can you come and get us now? I don't like being on the streets all the time like this," I told her. She let go of me and cupped my face in her soft hands.
"Soon, Michelangelo," she said softly. Then she kissed my head.
"Good. And then all of us can go find that house upstate, right?"
"Come…" she said. She and I started walking down the long path. We talked for a bit until mom came to a stop. In front of us was a giant house almost identical to the one I had been drawing.
"Whoa! Is this our house?!" I asked excitedly. I started running towards it, but with every step I took, the house seemed to get three steps away from me. I ran as fast as I could, but I still couldn't reach it. I turned back around and saw that Mama was gone.
"Mom! Wait! Don't leave yet," I called. I turned back around and the house had completely vanished. "Wait! Come back home! We need you!" I shouted. I was completely left alone. That's when my breathing got heavy and I kept searching around the area for anyone.
"Mom! Guys! Anyone!" I called. No one answered back.
All of a sudden, I jerked awake just as I called out for her again. The garden had disappeared and I was back in the warehouse. I started to catch my breath and noticed Raph had fallen asleep against the wall holding on to Celia and the knife sharpener Casey had brought now was on the floor. Luckily, Raph could sleep through anything and hadn't woken up.
'Okay, Mikey. Raph's still with you. You're not alone. And even if you were, Mom's always gonna be with you like she said. Wait. Mom!' I thought. Quickly, I opened up my book and grabbed a pencil. I started sketching the basic outline of her head and immediately started working on her eyes from memory. I finished one eye and took a quick look, but it wasn't right. I erased and tried again but to no avail.
"Oh man," I whined. I'd completely forgotten what her face looked like; again! With all my eraser marks on the paper, I ripped out the paper and started a new one about what I 'thought' she looked like. After I was satisfied, I saw that the sun was just starting to rise from the high windows near the ceiling. I smiled and grabbed my book, and tip-toed out of the warehouse. It was breakfast time for a party of two. Just as I walked outside, I remembered what Raph was always nagging me about lately.
"You gotta keep your hood up so nobody recognizes us," he said.
"Oh, man. This thing isn't even keeping me warm anymore," I complained, but still put my hood up. I walked outside towards the sound of something 'meowing'. Hidden in some old boxes in a trashcan was a sweet orange kitten. As soon as he saw me, the kitten started meowing faster and tried to climb out of the box
"Sorry I took so long, Klunk," I said and took him out of the box. "I guess you ate the last pieces of the granola bar I left so you could follow us. We made a friend named Casey and he brought us some food, but it's not much." I gave him a little piece of my pop tart. He gobbled it down and then tried to get in my lap to get more. "Klunk, we gotta be more sparing. We're kinda low on food right now and Raph nearly found out about me giving you some of my food," I said petting his face which caused him to purr. "Oh! I even drew you in the house we're gonna live in. You wanna see?" I got out my sketchbook and turned to the page I was working on last night. "This is gonna be my and your room and you get your own little kitty tree palace." I showed him the big palace where he could climb, play, or even go on a mini-adventure. The highest tower even had a mini treasure chest that I would fill with snacks and had enough room where he could stretch out or take a catnap. Get it?
"We're gonna be best friends forever, Klunk. I can't wait for the other to meet you when we're not trying to run from the cops. But once we reach home and are safe, the others will love you!" Suddenly, I heard an ambulance nearby. "I better go back inside before someone sees me or worse; Raph wakes up. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Raph says he's gonna try to go dumpster diving tonight. Don't go too far and you can hide in my backpack if we go anywhere again. Be a good boy, Klunk" I said, and put him back in his little box.
"Meow!" he cried trying to get out of the box.
"I know Klunk. I don't want to leave you here either, but it's only for a little while. You can run around free all you want once we reach the house. You gotta stay quiet though so no one will find us." Klunk meowed at me, but just sat down where he was. "Good kitty," I said, and snuck back into the warehouse.
When I walked back in, Raph was starting to wake up. "Where did you go?" he asked sitting up.
"Just went to the bathroom," I lied. "When's breakfast?"
"Not anytime soon. We're gonna be stuck here just for a little while. Casey's gonna watch the cops and let us know when the best time to leave is. In the meantime, we can keep planning on springing Donnie and getting out of the city."
"Don't we have to do it soon though so Donnie doesn't get adopted?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's the tricky part," he said and pulled out the map from his own backpack. "We may have to plan this with Donnie once we get back to Chelsea since we have to be ready to go through the Lincoln tunnel into Jersey on the same night. I feel like if the search dies down Saturday night, then we might be able to blend in as typical teens. Casey can help us with that. We'll have to cover as much ground as we can." He started marking random places between where we were in East Harlem to Chelsea.
"How are we going to go through the tunnel if we don't have a car or money?" I asked.
"I'm sure we can hitch a ride on a truck or something like that. If not, we'll have to do Leo's ninja thing," he said.
"Cool."
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Casey came back later that night with his hockey mask and golf bag with bats, hockey sticks, and other things.
"Are they still looking for us, Casey?" Raph asked.
"Yeah but their search is expanding every day; especially since you were seen," Casey said.
"Damn. Our plans might have to change, kid," Raph said to me.
"Why?" I asked.
"We'll have to leave and get Donnie earlier than planned if the search for us is expanding," he said and pulled out the map. "Okay. We'll have to go the long way and going through Yorkville to the East Village. Central Park and Midtown are out of the question since they'll be heavily patrolled unless we try to blend in with the rush-hour crowd. I don't think I want to risk it though. It's Thursday now, so I think we should try to get to Chelsea by Saturday, talk to Donnie and make a plan by Sunday so we'll be gone by Monday morning."
"Will we have time to get some food together?" I asked.
"We'll see. We can gather as much as we can tonight but don't expect it to be a lot. We can get more once we're out of the city. After I come back to get Leo, we can get a job so we can have money to get as much food as you can eat." That made me smile. Then I went over and hugged him.
"I can't wait," I said.
"Me too, little brother," Raph said and gave me a one-armed hug. "How about we go get some grub? You in, Casey?"
"Sure. Got nothing else to do. Let's go!" he said and put on his hockey mask.
That's it for right now. Hope you enjoyed it.
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LaurenHardy13