Not that most people would know this, but the sewers are the least pleasant during the summer time. This is mainly due to the intense heat, and humidity that manages to seep in, lingering and intensifying the smell. Because of this, I'm really grateful it's almost November, since it's cooled down a significant amount. Yes, it still smells like a sewer, but at least I'm not sweating buckets.
Mallory is by my side. It's a Saturday evening and what better place to spend one of those, than the turtles' place?
When we get to the lair, Mallory and I are both surprised to find it vacant. Or almost vacant.
"Hi Splinter," I say, looking around. "Where is everybody?"
"Good evening, Alexandra. It's wonderful to see you here." He nods to Mallory. "As well as you, Miss. Kress." He looks back to me. "My sons have gone for a night patrol tonight, but they should be back soon. They left about an hour ago. If tonight is particularly clear, we should be expecting them soon. Feel free to make yourself at home while you wait."
"Thank you," I say, as Mallory sits down and takes the remote. "There are some things that we've found out in the Headquarters, and I wanted to share those things with you all."
Splinter looks curious, but he keeps his arms tightly around his walking stick. "Well, I do look forward to hearing those things. Thank you for coming." He slowly makes his way over to the kitchen, where I realize that he had made a plate of nachos. "If you don't mind, I'm going to sit here and watch my shows." Mallory hands him the remote and he nods a thank you, soon after turning on one of his soap operas.
"So how's school been going?" I ask Mallory.
She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out. "Awful. It's school. You wouldn't know because you quit."
"I didn't quit," I say, shaking my head. "I'm taking a break. I've got a lot of pressure right now."
"Right," she says. "Sorry. No time for stressing over logarithms when you're stressing over getting kidnapped."
We sit there for a while, talking and watching Splinter's show. During commercial breaks, he turns to us and joins in on parts of our conversation. It's the first time in a while that I've been able to talk to Splinter without the guys being around, and it's nice. He's like a grandfather. And he's got lots of stories to tell. After all, he wasn't always a rat.
"Long, long ago, I lived during a time of war. I lived through several times of war. I remember my family and I coming on a large ship, from Japan. I was a young boy, but I remember it vividly. It had been nearly a decade since Pearl Harbor had been bombed, but grudges remained with the Americans against the Japanese." He takes a long sip of his tea. "I remember being ridiculed as a young boy. Discrimination was strong, and persecution even stronger."
"I only had two friends for a great portion of my childhood. And in spite of the bullying, great it was." He smiles. "My two closest and only friends, Seiichi Hashimoto, and Susan Weatherby." Splinter laughs to himself. "Susan would get upset when anyone would call her Susan, so most everyone called her Suzy. Except I called her Susan a lot to upset her. I was...what one would call, obnoxious."
"Without them, I don't know how I would've gotten by. I had my family, yes, but as a little boy moving to a brand new country, it's hard to get by without friends. But likewise, it's hard to make friends. Seiichi had also moved from Japan, only a few years before I had. He was a bit of my mentor for getting through the persecution. And Suzy was certainly something. She was the only little white American girl whose parents didn't restrain her from talking to Japanese boys. It was a sad time that had come, but I'm certainly glad I had them."
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The Rising (final book of The Call series) ~ TMNT Fanfiction
FanfictionA loss of family. A loss of love. A loss of direction & a lot of one's own mind. But because of what hasn't been lost, it goes on.
