The tall boy’s feet were spread apart. He was smiling. ‘What’s your hurry?’

I’m …’

‘Heh?’ mocked the big boy.

He felt a hand on his back. He turned around quickly, shocked. ‘Cut that out!’ he ordered sharply. His jaw quivered.

He ‘heard running again behind him, turned, saw the big boy and two others running toward Finkelstein’s store, saw them rushing in, and was hit on the side of his head by a fist. He fell to the ground and scrambled away, seeing feet coming toward his face. He got up with his coat flying open. The older man pushed him from behind toward the two boys who were coming at him. Without drawing back his arm Newman struck out and hit one boy’s arm and the boy looked suddenly angered, fierce, and clubbed him on the ear with a hard blow. He turned around and fell into the gutter and scrambled up again. Again he felt the hands of the older man on his back and was pushed toward the two boys coming at him. He started to raise one arm when he felt his coat rolling up his back. Suddenly realizing, he stripped it off his shoulders and snaked himself out of the sleeves before it could be rolled up over his head … he had seen it done in the movies, was startled that it was being done to him, surged with abhorrence inside that they were doing it to him ….

A moment, a clear moment opened before him. Where was Gertrude ? He had run ten yards and turned. They were dancing toward him now, fists raised. He saw it was very technical with them, felt the directing presence of the older man who now stood between the two boys advancing, muttering to them and wiping his nose with the back of his thumb. They were coming now. He could not run away, could not run to his house with boys chasing him. It was improper and derisive of him and he stood there and he saw then that his hand was pointing, pointing toward the store.

‘Go!’ he shouted, heard his own shout and stopped shouting.

They disregarded his pointing. ‘Go,’ he muttered, his dry mouth gasping for the air. He waved them away, a silly, feminine gesture, he thought, and yet kept waving them away, backing as they fanned out to both sides of him, the older man in front. If they would just turn, go to the store … his knees were ready to collapse into beggary, he felt himself green and disgusting as he waved them toward the lighted window beyond their backs …

The store erupted. From silence to a gigantic monolith of sound from a single throat, a torrential bellowing swept out of the store and Finkelstein leaped a great leap out across the sidewalk, a bat in each hand, the three who had gone in running out after him, missing him with their fists, lunging for his clothes. Like a long-armed machine he smashed at them with the bats, they dodging almost in play, gracefully, eyeing each others’ footwork, jealous of each other, half-smiling, enjoying the play …