Finding Home

Chapter One: The Cookie

Sushi Aka Tombo is a restaurant I frequent in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California or as tourist know the area to be: JapanTown. During summer it could be packed but during the late winter months it was usually only filled with locals such as myself. I entered the small two-story beige with gray trim building and sat at one of the tables as told by one of the waiters who knew me. I ordered the usual: water and the Omakase Sushi. I had always enjoyed the atmosphere of the joint and often ate dinner there not just for the sushi, after all there definitely were better places in the city to get sushi, however, the friendly atmosphere and coziness of the shop made me come back several nights a week to eat dinner and read a book.

After finishing my dinner, I continued to read the book that currently occupied my mind, The Book of Mamie by Duff Brenna. The waiter took my plate and placed my receipt on the table along with a fortune cookie, leaving me to attend to other customers with a pleasant smile. I thanked him as he left, before turning back to my book and finishing the chapter I was currently on, I placed the book on the table to enjoy the not so Japanese cookie. I truthfully hated the taste of fortune cookies, they always seemed stale and tasted of plastic, but I always enjoyed reading the fortunes on the inside as they occasionally were quite interesting and unique.

I pulled the obnoxiously loud clear wrapping off the cookie and broke it in half, throwing half into my mouth while the other portion of the cookie remained in my left hand, I unfolded the small piece of white paper to see the message written in blue. I noticed at first glance that the message was considerably longer than ones I had read before. I finished chewing the first half of the cookie and held the other half in between my lips as I began to read the sliver of paper.

I was shocked by the message, the cookie falling from my mouth and onto the table. The message was clear and definitely did not come from a fortune cookie factor. I picked up the wrapper and finally saw it was blank unlike any of the other fortune cookies I had received before. I looked back at the message which read: “Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return. Repeat: say nothing!” I crumpled the paper in my hand and shoved it into my coat pocket as I stood grabbing my book and receipt.

A waiter bid me farewell at the door as I exited, the door lead out to the plaza the shop sat in, I returned the gesture as I left, trying to act normal as I left the area quickly returning to my apartment, which was nearby. The walk back to my apartment was the scariest experience I had had in my life, the streets seemed darker than usual and it felt as if I was being followed or watched. I soon made it to my small 459 sq. ft. studio apartment and quickly began to pack. I pulled out my black High Sierra Sentinel 65 hiking backpack and L.L. Bean Black Messenger Bag and began packing all my electronics, a few changes of clothes, all the money I had stored in the apartment, and my book. Once packed I changed my clothes so as to be wearing more comfortable and warmer clothes for where I was heading.

As soon as I was ready I pulled on the backpack and messenger bag and exited the building through the back, taking the alleyways until I arrived at the nearest Greyhound station and boarded the next bus heading for New York City. Having paid for the fare in cash I knew I could only be tracked if someone had followed me to the station. I sat down in the last seat in the back of the bus next to the window, putting my bags in the seat next to me and prepared myself for three long days of bus travel and four transfers. I took off my long, black fur-lined trench coat and fleece North Face jacket, folding the fleece jacket to use as a pillow and the trench coat as a blanket I attempted to shift my thoughts to the back of my mind and sleep.