Jennifer had offered to get one of her older brothers to protect and, if wanted, she was willing to tell Miss Haines so she could stop anything from happening. I told her. "No." 1 thought there was a chance John Quinn would have even forgotten the whole incident and wouldn't make good on his revenge threat Nevertheless, my mind was numb with fear all day at school. In very class I went to, It seemed there were a dozen different kids coming over to me and telling me they heard John was going to beat me up after school. At 3 PM, sharp, the bell rang, All the kids started to leave school. I dawdled. I cleaned my desk and look time packing up my books. Jennifer was at my side as we left the main exit of the building "There, across the street a field behind Ronkewitzs Candy Store, was a crowd of about 300 kids standing around like a big, undulating horseshoe. with John Quinn standing at the center bend glaring at me. "You could run." Jennifer suggested. tossing her hair all to the left r face. She looked much more than pretty now. She looked loyal to the bone No, I said I Just walked forward toward my fate, with the l blood in my temples pounding so hard 1 thought I was going to pass out. Moose and Leon and Mike and Conehead and Little Frankfurter were sprinkled out in front of me goading me forward. dn't even hear what they said I saw only their faces distorted an ecstasy and expectation. They looked like the mob I had seen in sixteenth-eent Lury etching where folks in London had bought watch bulldogs autacking water buffalo ckets to John stood with his black e and his fists up ot of kids in stopped a few feet Iron him and put my fists up the crowd started to shout "Kill him. Johnny but 1 may have imag ined that part oser He started to dance on his feet like all father John came trained fighters do. I danced. too. as best I could e crowd began to scream for blood, Jennifer kept shouting, "Hey there's no need to fight! You don't have to fight guys! But John came in for the kill. He was close enough now so any punch he threw could hit me All I thought of was Nonno Frankie couldn't renmember half of what he told me and I didn't think any of it would work anyway Aileeeeeyaaaayeeeeeh!" suddenly screamed at John. He stopped in his tracks and the crowd froze in amazed silence. Instantly. brought back my right foot. and shot it forward to kick John in his left shin. The crowd was shocked. and booed me with mass condemnation for my Sicilian fight technique. I missed John s shin. and kicked vainly again. He threw a punch at me. It barely touched me, but I was so busy kicking. I tripped myself and fell down. The crowd cheered 1 realized everyone including John hought his punch had floored me. decided to go along with it. l groveled in the dirt for a few moments and then stood up slowly holding my head as though I'd received a death blow. John put his fists down. He was satisfied justice had been done and his black eye had been avenged. He turned to leave. but Moose wasn't happy Hey. ya didn't punch him enough. Moose complained to John. It's over," John said, like the decent kid he was No, it's not." Moose yelled, and the crowd began to call for more blood. Now it was Moose coming toward me. and I figured I was dead meat. He came closer and closer. Jennifer shouted for him to stop and threatened to pull his eyeballs out. but he kept coming. And that was when something amazing happened. I was aware of a figure taller than me. running. charging. The ngure had long blond hair. and it struck Moose fron behind. I could see it was a girl and she had her hands right around Moose's neck, choking him. When she let him go. she threw him about ten feet. accidentally tearing off a religious medal froni around his neck. Everyonc stopped dead in their tracks, and I could see my savior was my sister. "lf any of you tries to hurt my brother again, I'll rip your guts out." she announced. Moose was not happy. Conehead and Little Frankfurter were not happy. But the crowd. broke up fast and everyone headed home. I guess that was the first day everybody learned that if nothing else. the Zindel kids stick together. As for Nonno Frankie's Sicilian nghting technique. I came to realize he was ahead of his time. In fact, those days it's called karate.