We aw turn away fae him being sick n there’s a mighty uproar, loads ae shoutin n bawlin. The rest ae the Young Team appears fae up the lane. Big Kenzie is at the front wae an aluminium baseball bat. They stop their stampede n survey the scene fae across the road. Their mate Taz standin the middle ae his wee brur’s pals battered fuck oot ae. We aw swagger across the road, faces stingin n red n bloody, but proud. The troops spot the Toi wans walkin doon the road n a few heads start sprintin doon after them but they’re long gone. The rest ae them stand roon our wee squad.

Danny turns tae me n whispers. ‘Look, sir! It’s fuckin Joe DiMaggio!’

A laugh before we reach them. Big Kenzie is first tae speak wae his usual growl.

‘Fuck happened here then, Taz?’

‘A git fuckin jumped walkin up the road, mate.’

‘Aye, they fuckin Toi wans?’

‘Aye, man, there wis six ae them, n just me maself.’

‘Well, no just yirsel,’ he says, lookin at Wee Kenzie n the rest ae us.

‘Fuckin right, mate, your wee brur n his pals backed us right up.’

Big Kenzie n the tap men survey us, wan at a time. They look at our clothes, builds n war wounds. Most ae them ir quiet, waitin fur Big Kenzie n Eck Green tae deliver their verdict. Eck is Big Tam’s best mate. Big bruiser ae a cunt, easy six fit two n aboot fourteen stone. Some ae the elder wans huv git jeans on n duffle coats n parkas. Big Kenzie isnae the eldest there. It’s fae aboot eighteen, nineteen doonwards, finally tae us at the bottom ae the peckin order. A few ae the eldest stand at the back, swiggin at cans ae Tennent’s n rollin a joint. They didnae really seem interested in the troubles ae the young team.

‘Wit fuckin even happened then?’ Eck says. Taz goes in tae great detail in the tellin ae the tale. He acts oot the sound effects ae the firework, n each punch, kick and flyin bottle. The audience sways n oohs n ahs at the right points, playin their part in the retellin ae our tale. There’s nae need tae exaggerate this story. It’s enough on its own. It wid live on in memory and legend.

‘So who the fuck ir these wee guys?’ another wan ae the elder wans says.

‘They’re the younger wans, fuck sake,’ Big Kenzie says.

‘Awright, nae bother.’

‘Fuckin proud ae yees, wee team, yees done well,’ Big Kenzie says as he grabs ma hand n shakes it hard wae his big paw. The two groups merge. Every wan ae us is buzzin. A few ae the elder Young Team wans stand tae a younger wan, aw givin us our due n listenin respectfully tae our wee story. ‘Wit’s yir name, wee man?’ echoes throughout the group. Hands ir shook n bottles and joints ir passed between them n us. No initiation here, just prove yirsel tae yir troops. They tell us aboot other battles n the elder burds we’ve only heard n dreamt ae.