[1964] With the corner of his eye he saw Larry, he carried a light coat, it was early summer, he looked as if he came from a baseball game, there were several of them that came down the stairs to the basement party, uninvited, to invade the party. Larry had punched out a wise guy earlier at the party and now he wanted his friends to get revenge for him. John saw them all coming down the stairs, and the big guy, the heavy one, asked, "Where is Larry? ? but had saw Larry from the corner of his eye anyway, he knew him by instinct. Larry was half drunk, fumbling about, and he remarked, across the dance floor, softly, watching the man sidle past a few guys to get to him. John looked like he was ready to pass out but watched what was about to unfold closely, as I did, and was flinging his hands about. The party members were swaying with the music, flashing lights; the basement party was cramped, eager. "I've seen what you've done to my nephew (whom was brushed badly, beaten like hamburger), ? said the big man about two inches taller than Larry, who was perhaps six-foot one inch tall, and the big man perhaps forty pounds heavier than Larry, whom was all of 190-pounds himself. Most of the kids at the party were part of the Cayuga Street, unofficial gang, part of what the Police called; " Donkeyland. ? "I'm Larry, ? said Larry to the big guy. A punch came from the big guy's right hand, it stunned Larry ?then he grabbed Larry like a wrestler and hit him again, but then Larry checked him, and with speed, a jerk here and there, he hit the guy four times, but the big guy absorbed the punches, and Larry could not dance and box like he wanted. Everything was too cramped, too hot, Larry was too drunk; as a result, the man hit Larry again, and his head jerked back. I had never seen Larry beaten in a fight before, and this was looking like a defeat in the makings. I was at this time 16-years old, in three months, I'd be all of 17, and my friend John, the same age, a relative of Larry's joined in on the fight, with one of the friends of the big guy, and got slaughtered in the corner of the basement: a puffy face to boot. A few others got involved with the fight, then Larry who had fell to his knees, got back up, his lightening punches did not put the man out only punish him to the point of using his bruit force to push him down again, but he was puffing like a train, losing his breath; but he anticipated, Larry anticipated this I think, said, "Let's go outside and fight, I got more room there. ? And everyone, perhaps twenty kids, everyone from fourteen to twenty-five, went outside in the backyard, University Avenue was close by, a busy street, and behind that was the house were an alley divided the house and a bar. Now outside, Larry waved the guy on to fight, and he started to and Larry got into his dance, like Clay, and the man before throwing a punch, trying to lift those heavy arms, received two from Larry; thus, Larry was now the aggressor, on longer on the protective side of the fight; hence, the big guy quickly picked up his coat from where he threw it on the ground, threw it over his shoulder, jumped in a car that had pulled up, jumped on the seat quick, as Larry picked up a long board, and chased the car, smashing the sides of it several times, but it got away. The fight was over, Larry leaned back, caught his breath, "Let's go back to the neighborhood, ? and we all left to get drunk down in Donkeyland, on what was called: Indian's Hill; as usual. Written 6/3/06 [Part One: Donkeyland; the Cayuga Street Gang of the 60s] |
