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Anat Gives Birth

Anat’s water broke. Dan was by her side. They were both nervous. Anat knew she could handle this. She did not understand how her powers would interact with the birthing process. She had no clue if it would be harder or easier. She went to the hospital. Funny, she remembers how she attacked Jen when she was giving birth to Ben. Anat was so upset that the girl who teased her in camp was married and having a kid.

Anat texted Marc and Alana to tell them what was going on. The two rushed to the hospital. She texted Jen, who raced to pick up and babysit Jerry.

With Dan by her side, Anat gave birth to a girl. Anat held her and started to cry. Dan was happier than ever. They would do the naming soon, and Anat sent images to all her friends. She asked them not to post on social media. She hated it. She held the little kid with all of her heart. She looked into the baby’s eyes. She spoke to her. She was so happy. But she had to figure out what powers this infant possessed. She knows what it’s like with Jerry and his abilities. She wondered if her new child would be more powerful. The doctor gave the baby a clean bill of health and said they could go home in a little while. Anat had a black baby basket and outfit ready. Dan hoped he could paint his daughter’s room pink and was worried the first music she’d hear would be the Cure or Bauhaus. Ultimately, he didn’t care. Dan was so happy to have a baby with Anat and knew what a great mother she already was. He had to work on the party after the naming.

The family left the hospital and headed home to show Jerry his sisters. Jay was lingering around outside and started throwing glass. Dan pulled his gun out and wanted to apprehend him. Suddenly, he saw his newborn shake in her basket. She was spinning; out of the basket came potato pancakes and jelly. The kid was shooting them out of her eyes. Jay was nailed in the head and fell to the ground. The baby raised her tiny arm and opened her hands. Lentils and rice flew out of her little hands. Jay ran. Dan knew he had his hands full.

Marc and Alana Travel Back to Camp

It was a warm winter weekend. The two woke up and decided to go to camp. They jumped into Alana’s Infiniti and quickly got to Marc’s camp. They played “Tommy” and “October” on the ride up.

Marc and Alana made camp in Marc’s leanto. It was no longer where it was in Marc’s younger years. Marc started to build a fire. Alana changed into her bathing suit and told Marc to do the same. They hiked down to the lake and jumped in. They swam for about 20 minutes and hiked back up to their campsite. Marc remembered years ago when a good friend walked up to the site after gouging junk food at the lake. He had a pleasurable experience on his walk.

The two lovebirds also had a pleasurable experience walking back together while holding hands and being alone. At least, they thought they were. They got to the site, and Marc saw the fire burning quite high. He knew who lit it. Sitting in Marc’s leanto sipping Genny cream ale and munching on Freihofers was the Woodsman. Marc ran up and gave him the official handshake.

The Woodsman smiled and hugged Alana. She knew she was now in. They sat in silence for about 30 minutes. The Woodsman got up, and he took a small piece of wood out of his pocket. He explained that he’s been carrying this wood around for decades. It came from a tree near a throne. He told the two that this magical piece of timber has helped lead him to great heights. He said he believed the two of them would get even stronger. He warned them to continue to be careful with their powers. He passed around a can of Genny and had them all take a swig of the “lish” ale. After that, he yelled out, and his herd of bison appeared. He rode off.

Marc Gets Worked Up

Marc was busy at the office. All was going well. Most of his stuff was approved with minor revisions. He was gonna meet Alana for dinner. He was just in a bad mood. Marc is on many volunteer boards. He chairs one. He is tired of the dead wood. All of the boards have dead wood. Some are deader than dead. Marc was on an even keel. But at times, he thought he wanted to attack the dead wood with honey and pomegranates.

An attack would probably piss off Marc more than the victims. They’d get knocked down and not even understand why they were attacked. They are that stupid. Marc mulled this over for a few minutes, opened his Excel sheet and popped in his successful marketing campaign results.

A few hours passed, and he sat with Alana and sipped a Stella. Nothing could be better. Marc was with his two favorite girls, Alana and Stella. Alana knew of his frustration and just told him to have another Stella and kiss her. He obliged.

Anat’s Baby Shower

Who would have thought Anat would be married and getting ready to give birth to her second child? We all know this is the first time she is giving birth. It is still amazing how she rescued Jerry when she adopted him. The bigger question is, did Jerry rescue her? He is responsible for her transformation and giving her a happy life. She believes she’d still be the same dark villain if she never saved him. She’s still dark, mostly in her goth clothing and music.

Even a more significant win was Jen was planning the baby shower. The two now laugh about how, back in camp, Jen was one of the nasty campers who tossed Anat into the lake and tried to destroy her boots. Alana helped plan to party with Jen. The two got along. Jen was married and in love with Jake. Marc and Alana saved the wedding from Anat’s mischievous ways. Jen always remembers when she dated Marc. In her heart, Jen still held a spot for him. She always wanted to compare notes on him with Alana. But she feared for her life. She knew Alana would destroy her for wanting to do that. Alana was one hundred percent into him. And Marc felt the same for Alana.

Dan dropped Anat off at the shower. He and Jerry stayed for a few minutes and then went bowling. Jerry was becoming a regular Fred Flintstone.

Diane saw Anat and all her friends. Diane knew Anat had problems and knew she overcame them. Diane was positive if she stayed drug-free and away from alcohol, she’d be fine. She was doing well in school.

Kari, on the other hand, was still being abused by Jay. She had no clue why she put up with this. But she did.

Anat was super surprised at the shower. She started crying. She was showered with love and gifts. She didn’t need the presents. She had more money than all of them. She needs the friendship. She had no idea if her parents even knew she was pregnant, and she did not care.

Diane Goes For A Run

It was Friday morning. Diane decided to go for a run. She was getting back into shape and feeling great. Her job was going well. She was back at school. She went to the park where she and Jay had their fight, where they abandoned Jerry. This fight ultimately led to their divorce. It was a cool morning. The air was clear.

She has not been to this area since that sad moment with Jay. She was having a good time. She saw the famous bench that Jay dumped Jerry on. On the next bench was Jay and Diane. It was early for them to be up. They were yelling at each other. Diane didn’t care that he was with someone. At this point, she was better off alone. She saw Jay push Kari off the bench. He kicked her in the rear of her left leg. She got up. She kissed Jay. He slapped her across the face and threw her to the ground. Diane just ran by. Jay saw her and screamed out some nonsensical stuff. Jay started shooting glass at Kari. She was bloody. Kari started to cry. She pushed herself up and threw herself onto Jay, and they locked lips.

Meanwhile, Marc and Alan were figuring out their Friday plans. They weren’t sure where they’d pray. Marc was getting tired of going. He liked the spiritual side. However, he felt he got nothing out of it. Nothing changed. Alana felt the same. The two kissed and went off to the gym. They returned, logged into their office accounts, and began working.

Diane is Doing Better

Diane was taking to cleaning up. She joined a few groups to help herself clean up. She’s been drug and alcohol-free for a few months. She made new friends. This afternoon, she was in Central Park planting trees for Tu B’Shevat. She even bought a few in Israel. She knows that’s the key place to plant. However, she wanted to help usher in spring in her neighborhood. It is still cold in NYC. But she knew the trees would start to blossom in the spring.

Diane knew she was doing the right thing. She knew Jay was dating someone. She didn’t care. She saw Kari a few weeks ago. She decided she was in the process of becoming a new and better person. Diane wanted nothing to do with Jay. She finally came to terms with the fact that she should have never married him. She does feel bad that in her messed-up days, she and Jay abandoned Jerry in the park. She wished he was still with her. But Diane knows Jerry is in a better place with Anat. She dreamed she’d be ready to meet someone new in a year or so. Diane wondered about motherhood. She sometimes saw Marc and Alana bouncing around the city and their entourage of Tzipora, Jen, Stacey, and Ellen. Stacey and Ellen have not been out much. They were part of Alana’s crew. They were there when she unleashed her powers on the dumb jock in the bar in Alphabet City. They were lucky. That guy was drunk and could have them.

Meanwhile, Kari sat again in her room, brooding over her life. As Morrissey sings, life is long when you’re lonely. That’s probably why she stayed with Jay. He was getting abusive. She was a little bruised. But she figured she’d stay with the loser. There was no one else.

Marc and Alana at Times Square

While Kari was weeping on a bench at Hudson River Park, Marc and Alana emerged from Times Square Station. Marc got Alana front one orchestra seats for Sweeney Todd. The two weren’t sure where they’d go for dinner after. They weren’t sure if they would go anywhere.

They probably had the relationship Kari dreamed of. They treated each other to things. They liked the same music. Marc was obsessed with the Yankees. Alana could care less about sports. She did favor the Yankees and occasionally accompanied Marc to the Stadium. Of course, they stopped in Stan’s pregame for a couple of Yankee Pilsners and excellent company and music.

Jay was still sitting there. Kari decided she had enough and got up and walked back toward Times Square. Kari knew she would probably meet Jay for another exciting date in a day or so. She wondered which bench he would choose to meet her at. Oh well.

Marc and Alana went into the theater and began the show. The curtain closed, and happy theatergoers exited. Alana and Marc headed toward the east side to a bar for beer. As they walked, they noticed a group of people hanging around. They looked distressed. Marc and Alana looked at each other. They decided they would see what was happening and if they could help.

They saw a crazy lady screaming and throwing things. The two looked at each other. They whispered this is sadly part of the norm in NYC now. They assessed the situation. Marc and Alana didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Of course, they also wanted their Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Stella Artois. They decided to handle this quickly. Alana shot some apples from a slight distance out of her eyes while Marc set a few pomegranates in flight. All were a direct hit at the woman, causing the ruckus. She went down. The crowd drifted away, and the two lovebirds continued to the bar and got their beer.

Kari is Excited to Go to Times Square

Kari was excited to meet Jay when she arrived in Times Square in her new black dress, stockings and sweater. Kari’s nails were polished with fresh black polish and her black lipstick and eyeliner was perfectly applied. She was playing Joy Division on her iPhone. She hoped Jay would surprise her with orchestra seats to Sweeney Todd and dinner. She saw him in his raggy jeans, Motley Crue t-shirt and beat up Nikes. Ok, she thought he may need to dress better. But he can charm her with theater tickets and dinner. He kissed her hello. She hoped he brought her flowers with the tops chopped off. Or just a lovely bouquet. He handed her a can of coke and a hot pretzel from a vendor. She asked what they were gonna do. He smiled. He said let’s walk. They walked down toward the West Side Highway. She was worried. She knew he beat his ex-wife Diane and that the two of them abandoned Jerry in Riverside Park.

They found a bench and Jay just sat there and pulled out a joint. She took a hit. She didn’t want to. But she wanted to be with someone. She wondered why she was sitting there. The other guys who liked her tried to take her to goth and other shows. She turned them down. Jay took her to Riis Park, Coney Island, and the Seaport. All they did was sit and have a beer or two. Where was the romance she thought? Jay was higher than a kite. Not from the joint. But from whatever he did before he met Kari.

She asked him about taking her to a play and dinner. He didn’t respond. He was so out of it he had no idea she was talking to him. She kissed him and thought some affection would get him to honor her wishes. He pushed her away. She tried again and again. This went on for a few minutes. A few benches away, she saw a young couple kissing and sharing a turkey sandwich. Kari was jealous and started to weep.

Kari Continues to Think

Once again, Kari was sitting in her bedroom. As usual, she was depressed. She wished she had a job. She had a few during her life. She never lasted. They were menial jobs. But they were jobs and paid her. Not enough for the things she wanted. However, she was able to get much of what she needed.

Kari thought about Jay. He didn’t listen to the music she liked. He followed a bunch of sports. She couldn’t care less about sports. She knows Jay is a loser. He is her loser. She dreamed of doing better. She probably could have. There have been a few educated and classier guys who liked her for some strange reason. Sadly, most of her boyfriends have been like Jay. He’s the first of her guys to have a police record. And the first with superpowers. Of course, he uses them for evil. She met the band of heroes who only used their powers to protect. She does think it is incredible that Jay has powers. She loved watching him train. Kari remembered thinking she could not wait to see him go up against people. Then she saw what had happened when he fought Anat, Alana, and Marc. He was an embarrassment. A tear fell from her eyes as she thought about this. She fixed her black eyeliner and got ready to meet Jay at Times Square.

Tzipora is Home with her Sweet Daughter

Tzipora loved spending time in the woods and river. But she was glad to be home with her little girl. Tamar Hannah was getting big. She was already speaking decent English, Hebrew, and Ladino. She seemed to grasp things very quickly. Eran was out grocery shopping. Tzipora had her bundle of joy all to herself.

All was well. The little girl was in pink. She remembered when she was pregnant, and Alana pushed for her to paint the kid’s room black and said no matter the sex of your child, it should only wear black. Tzipora, being girly, decided on pink and several light colors. She did dress, Tamar Hannah in black at times. Mostly, when she was hanging out with Alana, Tzipora wished Alana would have a kid. But she has heard time and time again that she and Marc are not meant to be parents. They have too much to do to keep the world safe. And they cling to the beliefs of the Force despite the fact that they are not Sith Lords or Jedi. Tzipora believed they wanted to be.

The kid was bouncing around. Tzipora fed her. Soon enough, it would be time for her to drink regular milk and juice from a glass. Tzipora was anxious for her baby to eat real food, too. But she cherished the moments she had with her as a baby.