glass – Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc.

The Match is Set. Or is it?

Alana, Anat, and Marc were hanging out at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George. Why did they choose to hang there? They loved Staten Island. They felt it was exotic.

Jay was on the incoming Newhouse boat. Christy A. was across the street from the terminal near Staten Island Borough Hall. She was relatively calm for herself. She had a couple of slices at the nearby pizza place. She quenched her thirst with water.

The boat docked, and the passengers got off. Some walked around to the section for the NYC-bound boats. Several headed to Empire Outlets, the bus stops, or the Staten Island Railway. It was a weekend. So, it was not running express. The fact that it was running at all is a shocker.

Christy was heading towards Empire Outlets. Jay was approaching the Old Navy outlet. His cousin was also approaching it. The good heroes split up. But were in sight of each other.

All of a sudden, glass was flying everywhere. Pieces of moldy bread were knocking it down. Some missed, and the glass hit people. Alana, Anat and Marc furiously texted each other. They wanted to wait before they jumped in. But didn’t want to see people get hurt.

Sadly, a piece of glass hit a little girl in the face. She started bleeding. She screamed. Her mother held her and started pressing herself against her to stop the bleeding. As she squeezed her child tighter, a piece of bread smacked her in the left eye. She fell.

The three had enough. Anat was standing on top of the roof of the Gap Outlet store. Dried fruit was deflecting the glass and bread. Alana raced out of the front door of the Guess outlet and began flooding the area with wine. From the Hagen Dazs store, pomegranates were flying. One nailed Christy A. in the head. Jay fell in a pool of wine. Christy tripped over a few raisins.

Apple seeds hit Jay in the eyes. Barley landed in his mouth. Apricots smacked Christy in the eyes. Some wound up in her nose. People were running to get away. Many jumped onto the departing Senator John J. Marchi boat. Pretty soon only the fighters were at Empire Outlets—those who didn’t get away sheltered in the stores. Anat jumped off the roof. As she landed, she kicked Jay in the head with her Timberlands. Marc pounced on Christy and poked her eyes with pomegranates. Alana kept the wine flowing.

A Quiet Day. Not

It was a pleasant sunny day. Thankfully, the heat wave ended. People were back outside and enjoying the beach and parks. David Benjamin and Sarah were in their joint stroller being pushed by Marc. Alana was humming music from the Bauhaus, the Cure, Depeche Mode, and, for kicks, she tossed in some Bon Jovi. She and Marc saw him the night before at the Garden. Sometimes they needed good, fun rock. It is not as deep as the goth and new wave scene. But has its needs.

All was going well. The kids were enjoying themselves in Prospect Park. They had spent a few minutes at Grand Army Plaza and walked over. Alana and Marc are not the biggest fans of zoos, but they planned to take the kids to park’s zoo. One day, they’d take them to an African safari. But at this point, they knew their younglings would enjoy the sea lions, some wild felines (Alana and Marc are allergic to and hate cats), and maybe even try feeding some of the animals. They are still a little young to understand everything. But we are quickly getting there.

They walked down Flatbush Avenue in the direction of the zoo. They gazed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden across the street. They wanted peace. They sipped their water and made sure the two kids had their milk in their NY Yankees thermos. They were both wearing Yankee t-shirts, shorts, and hats.

They saw the usual crowds on Flatbush – The Homeless, the mentally ill, other families, the street performers and salespersons, and the ice cream trucks. Alana’s phone buzzed. She had no desire to answer it. But it was the blasting of the emergency ringtone by Siouxsie Sioux.

Alana’s eyes lit up. Marc’s phone was on vibrate, and it was vibrating. There was an attack in New Springville near the Staten Island Mall. Glass was flying everywhere. The NYPD was trying to defuse the situation. Dan’s emergency response team was on the scene.

Anat jumped into her Porsche and was making great time on the FDR Drive to the heliport near the South Street Seaport. Dan alerted the police that his wife would be able to negotiate. Although Anat worked in investment banking her negotiation skills were well known in NYC. Dan often had her counsel his staff.

She exited her car and headed into a chopper, and in about five minutes, she was at the mall. Glass almost hit the chopper. Dan knew Anat was not going to use her powers on demand. She and the others kept their secrecy. It has been getting harder. But they’ve been getting smarter.

Jay was in rare form. The officers fired at him. But his glass deflected all the bullets. Alana and Marc were entering the zoo and deciding what to do. They knew they couldn’t get to Staten Island in the manner that Alana did. However, they thought they could be useful. Anat went without Gili and Jerry. So, there’d be no jelly, latkes and olives flying. Dan was getting worried. The NYPD was making some strides but needed something extra.

He looked at his wife. She smiled. She got onto the microphone and asked Jay to stop. More glass flew. Anat said she had to use the ladies’ room. She made that up.

She walked towards Richmond Hill Road and used her senses to sniff out Jay. She fired prunes and apricots at the glass. She knocked most of it down. One piece came awfully close to her. She ducked just at the right moment. She heard Jay’s gravelly voice. She was able to fire in that direction. She stunned him when a raisin hit him between the eyes. He thought he was in total control, and his enemies weren’t gonna get to his location. Wrong he was. Anat fired several more times. Jay fell to the ground. The NYPD closed in. Anat walked away.

The Babies are Named

Eight days later, Alana and Marc left camp and went home. Before they left, Alana nursed her beauties. Marc sat with the Woodsman and listened. On the eighth day, the herd of buffalo approached the babies and blessed them.

Marc got behind the wheel. Alana carefully placed the babies into her Infiniti. Alana put Depeche Mode onto the sound system and signaled it was time to go. They drove straight to the temple. Their parents were waiting. Yes, these two have parents. They are very strange. Anat, Jen, and all of the others were waiting with big smiles and gifts.

The mohel was ready to perform the circumcision on the boy. He stared at the knife. The girl was beside him. She, too, stared at the knife. The mohel gave him some Shiloh wine. Anat knew the owner of the vineyard. She had him make a remarkable vintage. Marc and Alana gave out a bottle to all attendees. The girl snagged some of it. Was this a sign she would be like her mom? As the mohel cut the foreskin, the boy just smiled. His eyes fluttered. They wanted to name him Palpatine. But settled for David Benjamin. He has this funny look in his eyes. Of course, Marc and Alana were waiting to see what he would do. Would he shoot lightning out of them, like Palpatine? The two were quite worried about how powerful their children would be. To the best of their knowledge, they are the only two born to parents who both have powers. The girl was named Sarah. They were thinking of Leia or Ashoka. Or maybe just Tano. They would probably call their kids the Star Wars nicknames. Sarah and David Benjamin seemed happy. They were dressed in cute, all-black baby clothes from Sisley.

They went to the basement of the shul for bagels and lox. Jerry was bouncing around. He was making sure Gillil was ok. A great big brother he is. Suddenly, they heard some loud noises outside.

Jay was bashing cars outside the temple. Anat immediately pelted him with raisins and dates. She was taking care of business. But Jay snuck away and entered the delivery door by the kitchen and started shooting glass. A piece shot off Sarah and Benjamin David. Marc and Alana ran over to their babies. They looked like they were smirking. They were in their strollers. The two kids looked at each other.

Suddenly, the strollers started moving. Marc and Alana got nervous. They knew the kids were ok. They knew some of their friends were waiting for this moment. They wanted it to be delayed. They certainly didn’t want their parents and other relatives to see what would happen next.

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.

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.

Cruising

Alana and Tzipora were cruising. Alana was behind the wheel. That Depeche song had just finished, and for some reason, the women decided to play “Abbey Road.” They were driving. They had no set destination.

They were traveling toward the Delaware River, near Marc’s camp. Alana was up there enough times with her guy that she knew the route. She loved being by the river. For a winter day, the weather was perfect. The sun was shining, and the temperature was right around 50 degrees.

They pulled into an old campsite Marc used to take his camp group to on overnight hikes. Marc remembers when all the kids got poison ivy. He didn’t. He led them right to it. They were aimlessly hiking, and Marc said let’s use this as our supply leanto. The poison ivy plant was growing all around. Several kids fell in it. Later on, most were quite itchy; Marc was fine. He jumped into the Delaware to cool off and bathe. They had no showers at this site; for some, that was fine. For Marc, that was gross.

The women sat in that same leanto. All the plant life was dead for the winter. She met the Woodsman once. He came in with his herd of buffalo to talk to Marc. They were in a different section of the camp. She didn’t expect to see the Woodsman. She knew he likely would only come out for Marc. But she knew he knew she was in camp, and she’d be safe. They opened their sandwiches and stretched.

Tzipora walked to the river and put her feet in. The water was cold. But she didn’t care. Very quickly, she was taking a dip. Alana smiled and was coaxed in. The two frolicked around.

Suddenly, they heard strange moaning noises. At the entry point of the river, they saw Jay. He, of course, knew the camp. He was kicked out many moons ago. Tzipora vaguely knew about the damage he caused. She got scared. The two women were not dressed for a fight. They were sopping wet.

Alana and Tzipora exited the river quietly. Jay was so stoned he didn’t even notice them. They dried off and put their warm clothes on. Jay was still seated by a tree that Marc always loved to hang out by. He was chanting. He had his air pods in and was cranking Judas Priest.

Tzipora looked at Alana. She smiled. They approached Jay. His arms began to shake. As they shook, pieces of glass flew out. Alana thought he was detoxing. She laughed and lodged a few apples at his head. She then shot wine into his eyes. He fell out of his spot. He rolled down toward the river.

The two women jumped into Alana’s Infiniti, kept the Beatles playing, and drove into town.

Kari Continues to Think

Kari was sitting in her bedroom at home. She lived with her mom. She was thinking about life. She didn’t work much. Neither did Jay, for that matter. He worked odd jobs and never stayed at any too long. He lived in a hovel of a basement apartment at his dad’s place. Dad was ancient and likely had dementia. But he muddled along.

Kari was by herself and cranking Love & Rockets. “No New Tale to Tell” was playing. She never had a new tale to tell. She watched her boyfriend get beat up a few times. The guy could not carry on an intelligent conversation. Neither could she. They were a perfect match. Their souls were meant for each other. However, Kari wondered if she could do better. She texted Jay. He sent a few emojis. Kari was not a fan of those. She wanted to chat with her boyfriend in actual text. Not cutesy symbols. She wanted him to put in effort and show he loved her. Kari wanted him to tell her things.

While texting Kari, Jay sat on a Battery Park City bench. He was thinking about shooting glass at someone. He didn’t care that the foursome of Alana, Anat, Jerry, and Marc would probably find him and shut his antics down. He knows Anat is pregnant. He imagined in a few months there would be a fifth.

Jerry and his mom

Jerry and Anat went out for a walk. Anat was feeling good. She was having a healthy pregnancy. She is a little older. Her main concern was using her arsenal of dried fruit before the baby was born. She didn’t want to make crazy movements that could harm her future child.

She knew Jay was out there. Jerry’s biological mom, Diane, was cleaning herself up. She knew Jerry was no longer hers. She knew she should have never married Jay. She was in a bad spot several years ago. She liked him and got hooked on his alcohol and drug-fused lifestyle. She wasn’t innocent. She tried plenty of drugs on her own and with friends. But she was more controlled than Jay. He was utterly out of control. Jerry knew Jay was his dad. They fought in Central Park. He had no real memories of Diane. Remember, he was abandoned when he was three. He spent the first few years of his life being abused. When he got to the child center, he pushed his parents out of his mind.

Anat and Jerry were strolling down Third Avenue in the nineties. All was calm. Diane walked by and noticed the two of them. Jerry gazed at her. He made some connections. Tightly, he squeezed Anat’s hand. Anat remembered the battles she had with her and Jay. She was easy to defeat. She has no powers. Jerry was getting ready to launch his olives at Diane. But he wasn’t sure why. Anat pushed him across the street.

Diane wept. She knew she had no business being his mom. She was doing well in her rehab program and hoped to start over. It was a long way off. But doable.

Meanwhile, Jay was around the corner. Jerry heard him on his iPhone. Their eyes met. Jay was still embarrassed that his then five-year-old son beat him. It was a glass v. olives fight. Jay shot glass at Anat. Jerry jumped in front of it and knocked it down with green olives. Black olives smacked Jay in the head. Anat did not want the two to fight. She didn’t want this to get out of control. She took a deep breath and showered Jay with raisins and dates. Jay tried to fight back with jagged glass. He missed.

Anat and Jerry felt they had done enough damage and walked into Brooks Brothers. Anat had Jerry try on some clothes while wondering if the baby inside her watched this episode and was figuring out his or her powers.