Jen takes Benjamin for a walk

Like everyone else, Jen was going stir crazy. She and Jake were trying to figure out how to keep Benjamin entertained. He had tons of toys. Too many. Sometimes his little cousins would come over to play. But he was restless.

Jen decided to take him for a walk along the Hudson. She let him tear the skin off a hot dog and wolf it down. Maybe he’d get ice cream. It would wind up on his shorts. They were strolling. Everything was fine. She was feeling more secure. Anat hadn’t attacked her in months. Maybe she gave up. Benjamin didn’t want to sit in his stroller. His walking was getting better each day.  The two sat on a bench with ice cream. Rather than it winding up all over his shorts, it splattered all over Jen’s new sundress. Oh well.

Benjamin jumped off the bench and ran off. Thankfully at this point, he wasn’t a marathon runner. Jen had no trouble chasing after him. She picked him and seated him back in the stroller and walked on. “Lady Stardust” was playing in her ear pods. She was feeling happier than she had in a few weeks. Must be the joy of getting out.

She smiled at other parents as they and their kids walked along. It seemed like all was right with the world. All of a sudden she heard a scream. She turned to see what happened and was nailed in the leg with a piece of broken glass. She started to bleed and fell to the ground. She was more worried about Benjamin. She pushed her dress onto her wound and clotted the bleeding. That dress was headed to the incinerator. She started to head home. She heard other people screaming. She figured those people were assaulted with glass. She was in pain. But didn’t think she needs stitches. She started to turn and got hit in the back with glass. The elderly woman a few steps ahead suffered the same fate. Jen managed to remain standing.

Jay was thrilled with himself. His escape from prison was too easy. He knew an APB was put out. But he didn’t care. With the NYPD preoccupied with the Covid-19 mess, he figured he’d get away with anything.

But he didn’t see a jogger passing by. Anat, the jogger was so entranced with her run and her Smiths mix that she didn’t hear any of the screams. But she saw Jen wobbling and an elderly woman on the ground. She knew from Dan that Jay escaped prison. It was expected to be a lead story on NY 1’s website and next broadcast. She saw him a few feet ahead.

She had no desire to fight. But she unleashed dozens of apricots, dates and raisins at Jay. He turned around and fired glass at her. He missed. Anat nailed him in the head. Jen was helping the old lady and watching Anat. She got scared. She was afraid she’d be her next target. Anat hit Jay a few more times. He fired back. But kept missing. He knew he shouldn’t have shot up before he went out. His vision was getting blurry. He started to run. Anat fired away. Jay made a turn and was out of Anat’s sight.

Anat looked right at Jen, who was bleeding. She saw how cute Benjamin is. In her heart, she now felt pleased that Alana stopped Anat’s attack on Jen when she about to give birth. Anat looked at Jen and smiled. She threw her unused towel over to her.