Book One In The Ahh-Ness Of Things Series: April & Donnie were once inseparable, but now almost six years have passed since she left NYC. What if April O'Neil could set the record straight, once & for all! The only girl down enough to chill with the...
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An old subway restroom; three original stalls and a retrofitted shower. The tub in the far corner was a Japanese style, deep oval basin under a bricked up ventilation shaft that created the illusion of a small window in a picturesque way. A long line hung the length of the room for drying things, although there were never really many items of clothing in this house. The hot water heater rattled rhythmically, the iridescent lights blinded, everything was in its place just as I remembered it. There were plants, some candles, cups and toothpaste on the long counter under a row of mirrors. The room was the cleanest like always, typical Japanese bathroom. I noticed a few toys scattered around as I sat down to pee. I thought to myself isn't Mikey a little old to still be playing with bath toys? I laughed out loud to myself; come on it's Mikey, he'll never grow up, but as I strained to pull up my wet jeans I heard of soft little sigh from across the room in the doorway.
"Ano"
I was startled to see a tiny little girl sleepy eyed, peeking over at me. I was hit with a flashback of one of the first times I'd been in this bathroom when Slash was "Spike" and he had clamored up onto my foot, scratching at my ankle, and I had been alarmed to see a baby turtle in the bathroom. This little girl was not a pet. She was not a baby turtle, she was a baby, and we both locked eyes wondering to ourselves who the other was.
She held her little hands together. She was so very dainty and pretty; a plump little thing with thick squishy legs & a round little belly protruding from underneath of a tiny t-shirt covered in hearts and unicorns & little boys underwear; Batman I think. She had a round face and large dark almond eyes that were angled upwards. She was completely bald and a warm purplish green with a big long tail that she now held in her hands, twirling the tip of it in her thumbs nervously; "I need to go potty."
"Okay sweetie", I I reassured her cautiously. "Hey Donnie!"
No response. Now the little girl was rubbing her tail.
"I need to go potty." She said again, this time a little more urgently, so I picked her up and took her to the toilet, but she just stood there.
"Do you need help? I asked leaning down as she did a little bouncing dance. "D, I need you!" I called to donnie over my shoulder.
"I can't get my undies off," She winced at me. I pulled them down for her & over her tail through the hole cut into them. I sat her up on the pot but she began kicking her legs.
"No I need my Elmo seat!"
"Oh. Okay, where is that baby?"
I was frantic, I had no idea how to help her, where the hell were the adults? Where was Donnie. Obviously the girl belonged to someone. She pointed to a child's toilet seat hanging from a hook on the wall. I grabbed it and put it on top of the toilet as quickly as I could. She was still looking at me, I was totally confused. What did this child need? She raised her arms for me to lift her. I put her back on the toilet again and waited. She peed, she smiled, she whispered like a question; "I need to wipe". I pulled off a little bit of toilet paper and handed it to her at arms length to which she only giggled; "no you wipe me, nerd".
Wow, ok.
"Donnie!"
I couldn't help looking at her whose child was this where did she come from? Was she Raph and Mona's; she kind of look like Mona. She had a shell like a turtle's, but only on her back. She was only maybe about 2 or 3 years old. She just sat there looking up at me with ultra deep, dark green eyes. "Um, I'm going to wipe you okay honey"; to which she giggled adorably & let out a long snuggly yawn. Um how do I do this, I thought to myself. As I leaned over her tiny body I realized Donnie was standing in the doorway watching us. I looked over my shoulder at him and, for a moment, I could have sworn he was smiling. If so, that quickly passed & he looked towards her sternly.
"Oji!" she called, hopping quickly off the toilet, running over to Donnie; her little bottom hanging out from under her shirt.
"Oji Oji! The pretty lady helped me go potty!"
The toddler bounced up and down on her tiptoes reaching up to Donnie & he hooked his strong hands beneath her outstretched arms, hugging him tightly as he lifted her high to his chest and held her close.
"I saw. You should have told me you got out of bed." He scolded.
"I called for you, I didn't know what else to do." I explained awkwardly. He glanced at me briefly only to look again at the child in his arms.
"Mei Hana, what have I told you about wandering around at night?"
"You left earlier. I know. I wanted juice, it was too quiet" She was scolding him back!
How warmly he squeezed her and she nestled her face into his neck, her tail curling around his arm. The thought crossed my mind that maybe you she was his child. Wasn't "oji" like "sir" in English? She turned to look at me shyly & whispered again that I was pretty. That I was a human, and asked him where had I come from. They were so charming, the way she pushed back away from him in his arms, looking him straight on, gazing into his face. He looked over at me. Really making eye contact for the first time this whole horrible night.
"Yes she is a human and pretty. Do you know who she is?" he asked; setting her down and then he finished his sentence; "That's April".
The little girl giggled sweetly into her hands; "Our friend in the pictures?"
"Yes cutie pie, our friend in the pictures." He looked up across the distance between us & I couldn't read the meaning, but it wasn't cold if not entirely friendly. "Come on let's go back to bed"; he turned her tiny hand in his and she shuffled along stumbling beside him out of the bathroom and down the hallway to where my old room had been. I followed slowly behind them and stopped in the entrance.
Not much had changed, it still felt like coming home afterschool, but now instead of a teenage girl's room and it was lined with little pictures drawn in crayon and paint. Stickers and toys strewn upon the floor & it suddenly became too much to bare. Donnie's kneeling down beside her on the shikibuton futon on the floor, pulling up the blankets to tuck her in. Why did I feel like he hated me so, why did I feel so uncomfortable. Had it all just been a dream; had I never been so welcome in this room, so close to him? That I could so easily be pushed away, forgotten from their lives. Innocence once had a distinct sway over me here. Who was this little girl that now slept in my room.
Of course I felt a little disgusted with myself , obviously she was his family; this was her home more so than mine, she belonged here with him, and I had no place. What did I expect? I turned and leaned against my old dresser by the door. I wondered if I opened it would my things still be inside , and I was abruptly reminded of all the time we had spent in this little room. Planning our lives, building our friendship. Falling in Love. The antique mirror before me had watched silently as so much of my youth had unfolded in its reflection. I guess I was expecting too much to come back and everything would be the same. My family just waiting here for me. How ridiculous was I standing there in the night light's glow, my back to them. I was feeling the wood of the dresser beneath my palms the smell of the stone walls. I could so easily imagine turning around, falling into his arms.
Like magic, just like Donnie; I looked up into the glass of the little mirror hung from the wall and saw him standing behind me, watching me. I still couldn't read him but for a moment I felt it could all be normal again. Then in that split second it was all but gone again; he turned his eyes away and stepped out the door beside me, striding across the hall back to his workshop without a word.
"Are you going home? Will I see you in the morning?" I heard of the tiny little voice from the bed behind me ask.
