Marc Gets Home. Kari Thinks. Or Does She?

Marc got home to his apartment. He was right. Alana ordered pizza. She thought he’d be home earlier. It was ice cold by the time he strolled in. She warmed it up in the oven. She said she made him pizza. He laughed. He preferred it cold. It reminded him of eating it in camp or in the dorms. They smiled. Marc enjoyed his warm pizza with a glass of Ramat Naftaly Petit Verdot. He loved the boutique Israeli wineries. They chatted a little about her hangout with Tzipora. She was doing well. As a neuro-ophthalmologist, she was the busiest of their gang. One day, they would go to one of the vampire bars Tzipora used to hang out in. Sometimes, she still goes for a drink. She loved their bloody cocktails. 

Meanwhile, Kari was hanging at the South Street Seaport. She was outside on Pier 17, sitting by the boats. She walked over to the boat sidebar and bought a beer. She was wondering if she was in the right place with Jay. She watched him get beat up by a female. She liked how strong women are. But was not happy watching one making mincemeat out of her guy. She knows his kid beat him up. Then she got beat up by the same woman who beat him. 

She sipped her Sierra Nevada and thought more. For some reason, she figured she’d stay with him. They had exciting dates. He didn’t have the cash to take her to excellent restaurants, galleries, or fantastic shows. But there was something about this loser she liked. She was worried he’d get beaten again. She knows he has an arrest record.

Jay strolled up to her and kissed her lips as she was sitting there. She responded. They embraced. Tzipora and Eran were nearby. The two had the day off and went to the Seaport to chill. And chill, they did. It wasn’t a warm day. But they enjoyed each other’s company and were always warm when they were together.

For once, Jay was mellow. All of a sudden, he got up and bumped into Eran. They stared at each other. Jay walked away. Eran sat down. Jay came back and started screaming. Eran and Tzipora decided to walk away. Jay tried to punch Eran. Jay’s punch was blocked. Eran kicked him in the chest. Eran, like Marc, had a few black belts. One is in Krav Maga, one is in Shotokan, and a few are from Banana Republic, the Gap, and J. Crew. Both of them thought the ones from the retailers were more important. Jay started firing glass. Eran got closer and kicked his hands. Jay fired harder and almost hit Tzipora. Eran got pissed. He landed a few punches. Tzipora texted Alana. She knows how strong her hubby is. But she was worried Jay might have the upper hand. 

Alana heard her phone play “Rio,” and she knew it was Tzipora. She read the text, raced out of her office, and ran to the Seaport. Kari was loving watching her guy hold his own in the fight. She was excited. She was proud.

Her proudness did not last long. Kari’s smiles and cheers were broken when she saw figs fly into Jay’s head. Next, the two of them were drenched in Rosé. Kari started to cry. Eran kicked Jay a few more times. He went down. Alana smiled. Eran thanked her. Tzipora hugged Alana. They held each other tightly. Their lips locked. Eran knows about his wife’s activities. She swore she was done. She and Alana smiled at each other. Tzipora jumped into Eran’s arms and kissed him. Alana walked off.

Pomegranate — 15

Jen was loafing aimlessly around the city. She has her music blasting on her iPhone. She went to J.Crew to buy a skirt and some other items. She was thinking about reaching out to Marc again. But was confused. She knew she liked him. And she knew she didn’t. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. She knew he probably wasn’t her match.

He was acting weird lately. She knew it was because of Alana. She thought to herself they think I am so dumb and daffy. Daffy, I am. But not dumb. I know they have something going. They always will. But so do I.

She got some ice cream and looked at shots of her and Marc on her iPhone. They were from many years ago. She saw the shots of them at concerts and their Delaware rafting trip.

She wanted to be happy and break away from her current situation.

Just as she wanted to break away so did Marc and Alana. But the three of them have been entangled in their web for years. What will it take to spin out?

Meanwhile, Marc was heading up to watch his beloved Yankees take on the Red Sox. As always the two teams were fighting for the division. Marc was walking along the sacred grounds where the old stadium resided. Tears were in his eyes. They always were at this holy spot.

His mind was set on the game. But as always he was thinking about Jen and Alana. He thought his couple of days in the camp would break him away. His break lasted for about two weeks. He went into the Stadium and purchased his hot dog, Pepsi, and knish. He washed his hands, went to his seat, and dug in. He hoped the game would change the course of his life. Baseball can do that.

 

 

Pomegranate — Book 2

It was partly cloudy Thursday afternoon. Marc was bored at work. He had some time to kill. He usually brings lunch and eats at his desk. He decided to take a walk to mincha services (Jewish afternoon prayers). He liked the spirituality of the services. He also loves the rituals he did in the scouts based on the Lenni Lenape Indians. He quickly walked over to the temple. He often wondered which he liked better and mean more to him.

He listened to the rabbi speak after services for a few minutes and left. He took a call on the walk back to his office. He strolled along Madison Avenue and made it back to the dump he worked in.

About two hours later he went to the gym. He trained and had his usual discussions with his fellow gym rats.

He decided to run to J.Crew after the gym. As he walked through Rockefeller Center to the store, he heard a little girl crying. He kept walking. But her screams got louder. He figured it was nothing. She must have tripped or didn’t get ice cream. It happens every day over there. The kids run around too much.

He went into the store and tried on a few pairs of pants. He bought two and went outside. He still heard the kid shrieking. He heard her saying, “Please mommy. No more. Not again. Leave me alone.”

He turned his head and saw the poor child in a corner near the ice skating rink being slapped around. He was never one to rubberneck. But he did look for a moment. He walked over and asked the kid if she was ok.

“Mind your own business,” shouted her mom.

“No., mister, please help me. I get hit a lot. Mommy is so mean. I miss my daddy. We tried so hard to be a family. But mommy wasn’t nice to any of us. She lied so much. Daddy left,” cried out the little girl.

“He was bad,” yelled the mom.

“No. He went to work every day and was nice to everyone. You spent your days drinking. He tried to ask you to stop. But you wouldn’t listen. I can’t wait to see him this weekend. We are going to Bronx Zoo and getting ice cream.”

“No, you’re not going. I won’t let you,” she blurted out as she punched the kid again.”

“I am going. Daddy gets to see me. And I am going to live with him. And you can never see me.”

The mom stared at Marc. “Why don’t you walk away? My daughter and I need to be alone.”

“No. Please help me. She’s only going to take me home and lock me in the closet. She won’t even let me out to go to the bathroom. The last time I had to go in my pants. And they were the new ones that daddy bought me,” she started to cry.

The woman reached into her purse and pulled out a makeup case. She lunged it at Marc. Onlookers were waiting for what was going to happen next. Someone called the police to report the woman. The 911 operator promised they’d get an officer over there right away.

Meanwhile, the enraged woman tossed more junk from her handbag at Marc.

Someone yelled over to him to see if she is ok. He didn’t hear that. His neck started bulging. His fingers got slightly longer, while the tips of them opened. He swallowed a few times. Then he began shooting date honey out of the openings in his fingers. The honey spattered all over the woman. He shot so much it was strangling her. She lost her grip on her daughter. The girl ran toward Marc. But he shot one more blurb of honey that knocked mom on her butt. The cops were arriving. The crowd made way for them to walk through. As they did, Marc walked away. They never even looked at each other.pomengrante