Everyone turned toward Ron. Through the sea of faces Ron could see Al up at the head of the crowd. He was almost smiling, as if he was really glad to see Ron.

“Hey, Ron, we thought you was killed.”

Ron wormed his way up to the front of the crowd. “No, I’m all right. I stayed . . .” Don’t tell them who you stayed with! Ron warned himself. “Uh . . . I stayed in the market area, hid out until the Muslims left. I hear there was trouble.”

“I hear there was trouble,” Dino sing-songed, trying to make Ron’s words sound funny. “Humpin’ right there was trouble. And there’s gonna be more. Right?”

“Right!” answered half a dozen guys.

“Cool it,” Al snapped. “Ron, we thought the Muslims killed you. But since they didn’t maybe we don’t have any real reason for fightin’ against ’em.”

“No reason!” Dino shouted. “Them black bastards gonna take over th’ whole humpin’ city if we don’t stop ’em!”

Al made a sour face. “We ain’t gonna stop ’em by runnin’ crazy. Dontcha think they’re ready for us right now? Waitin’ for us?”

“Half th’ gangs between here and th’ market are ready t’ fight,” Dino argued. “We gonna jus’ sit here?”

“Be smarter if we wait ’til all th’ gangs between here and th’ market are ready to march t’gether,” Al said. “An’ all th’ midtown gangs, too.”

“No!” Dino yelled. “I say we fight ’em now. An’ if yer too chicken t’ fight, then I’ll take th’ gang with me!”

Al stayed unruffled. But his eyes blazed. “Dino, you got such hot rocks t’ fight th’ Muslims, go fight ’em. But the Gramercy gang don’t declare war on nobody without a vote.”

Dino stood there looking like a volcano about to blow its top. His face was getting redder and redder.

Al said, “You wanna take a vote?”

“No!” Dino snarled. “I don’t need no vote. I’m goin’ with whoever starts after the Muslims. An’ there’s plenny guys here who’ll go with me. Right?”

This time only a few voices answered, “Right.”

“Go on then,” Al said calmly. “Anytime you wanna. An’ you can come back anytime, too. But th’ Gramercy gang ain’t declarin’ war on nobody. Not today.”

Dino stamped off, pushing through the crowd. He kicked the door open and disappeared down the stairs. The meeting started to break up. Guys began drifting toward the door in groups of two or three, talking among themselves.

Ron waited until everybody else had left the roof, and he was alone with Al.

Al’s tired face almost smiled at him. “I’m glad yer okay. We got plenty worried when you didn’t show up an’ we heard th’ Muslims had taken over th’ market. You see Sylvia? She was pretty shook up about you.”

Nodding, Ron said, “I saw her.”

“Okay.”

For a moment, Ron didn’t know what to say or do. There was something in Al’s eyes, those old-man’s eyes set into his young face, something that Ron couldn’t fathom.