You scared. You scared I got yr shit.
Lincoln
You aint never gonna do nothing.
Booth
You scared you gonna throw and Ima kick yr ass—like yr boss kicked yr ass like yr wife kicked yr ass—then Ima go out there and do thuh cards like you do and Ima be thuh man and you aint gonna be shit.
(Rest)
Ima set it up. And you gonna throw. Or are you scared?
Lincoln
Im gone.
Lincoln goes to leave.
Booth
Fuck that!
Lincoln
Booth
Lincoln
Damn. I didnt know it went so deep for you lil bro. Set up the cards.
Booth
Thought you was gone.
Lincoln
Set it up.
Booth
Ima kick yr ass.
Lincoln
Set it up!
Booth hurriedly sets up the milk crates and cardboard top.
Lincoln throws the cards.
Lincoln
Lean in close and watch me now: who see thuh black card who see thuh black card I see thuh black card black cards thuh winner pick thuh black card thats thuh winner pick thuh red card thats thuh loser pick thuh other red card thats thuh other loser pick thuh black card you pick thuh winner. Who see thuh black card who see thuh black card? You pick thuh red card you pick a loser you pick that red card you pick a loser you pick thuh black card thuh deuce of spades you pick a winner who sees thuh deuce of spades thuh one who sees it never fades watch me now as I throw thuh cards. Red losers black winner follow thuh deuce of spades chase thuh black deuce. Dark deuce will get you thuh win. 10 will get you 20, 20 will get you 40. One good pickll get you in 2 good picks and you gone win.
(Rest)
Ok, man, wheres thuh black deuce?
Booth points to a card. Lincoln flips it over.
It is the deuce of spades.
Booth
Who thuh man?!
Lincoln turns over the other 2 cards, looking at them confusedly.
Lincoln
Hhhhh.
Booth
Who thuh man, Link?! Huh? Who thuh man, Link?!?!
Lincoln
You thuh man, man.
Booth
I got yr shit down.
Lincoln
Right.
Booth
“Right”? All you saying is “right”?
(Rest)
You was out on the street throwing. Just today. Werent you? You wasnt gonna tell me.
Lincoln
Tell you what?
Booth
That you was out throwing.
Lincoln
I was gonna tell you, sure. Cant go and leave my little bro out thuh loop, can I? Didnt say nothing cause I thought you heard. Did all right today but Im still rusty, I guess. But hey—yr getting good.
Booth
But I’ll get out there on thuh street and still fuck up, wont I?
Lincoln
You seem pretty good, bro.
Booth
You gotta do it for real, man.
Lincoln
I am doing it for real. And yr getting good.
Booth
I dunno. It didnt feel real. Kinda felt—well it didnt feel real.
Lincoln
We’re missing the essential elements. The crowd, the street, thuh traffic sounds, all that.
Booth
We missing something else too, thuh thing thatll really make it real.
Lincoln
Whassat, bro?
Booth
Thuh cash. Its just bullshit without thuh money. Put some money down on thuh table then itd be real, then youd do it for real, then I’d win it for real.
(Rest)
And dont be looking all glum like that. I know you got money. A whole pocketful. Put it down.
Lincoln
Booth
Booth
You scared of losing it to thuh man, chump? Put it down, less you think thuh kid who got two left hands is gonna give you uh left hook. Put it down, bro, put it down.
Lincoln takes the roll of bills from his pocket and places it on the table.
Booth
How much you got there?
Lincoln
500 bucks.
Booth
Cool.
(Rest)
Ready?
Lincoln
Does it feel real?
Booth
Yeah. Clean slate. Take it from the top. “One good pickll get you in 2 good picks and you gone win.”
(Rest)
Go head.
Lincoln
Watch me now:
Booth
Woah, man, woah.
(Rest)
You think Ima chump.
Lincoln
No I dont.
Booth
You aint going full out.
Lincoln
I was just getting started.
Booth
But when you got good and started you wasnt gonna go full out. You wasnt gonna go all out. You was gonna do thuh pussy shit, not thuh real shit.
Lincoln
I put my money down. Money makes it real.
Booth
But not if I dont put no money down tuh match it.
Lincoln
You dont got no money.
Booth
I got money!
Lincoln
You aint worked in years. You dont got shit.
Booth
I got money.
Lincoln
Whatcha been doing, skimming off my weekly paycheck and squirreling it away?
Booth
I got money.
(Rest)
They stand there sizing eachother up. Booth breaks away, going over to his hiding place from which he gets an old nylon stocking with money in the toe, a knot holding the money secure.
Lincoln
Booth
Booth
You know she was putting her stuff in plastic bags? She was just putting her stuff in plastic bags not putting but shoving. She was shoving her stuff in plastic bags and I was standing in thuh doorway watching her and she was so busy shoving thuh shit she didnt see me. “I aint made of money,” thats what he always saying. The guy she had on the side. I would catch them together sometimes. Thuh first time I cut school I got tired of hanging out so I goes home—figured I could tell Mom I was sick and cover my ass. Come in thuh house real slow cause Im sick and moving slow and quiet. He had her bent over. They both had all they clothes on like they was about to do something like go out dancing cause they was dressed to thuh 9s but at thuh last minute his pants had fallen down and her dress had flown up and theyd ended up doing something else.
(Rest)
They didnt see me come in, they didnt see me watching them, they didnt see me going out. That was uh Thursday. Something told me tuh cut school thuh next Thursday and sure enough—. He was her Thursday man. Every Thursday. Yeah. And Thursday nights she was always all cleaned up and fresh and smelling nice. Serving up dinner. And Pops would grab her cause she was all bright and she would look at me, like she didnt know that I knew but she was asking me not to tell nohow. She was asking me to—oh who knows.
(Rest)
She was talking with him one day, her sideman, her Thursday dude, her backdoor man, she needed some money for something, thered been some kind of problem some kind of mistake had been made some kind of mistake that needed cleaning up and she was asking Mr. Thursday for some money to take care of it. “I aint made of money,” he says. He was putting his foot down. And then there she was 2 months later not showing yet, maybe she’d got rid of it maybe she hadnt maybe she’d stuffed it along with all her other things in them plastic bags while he waited outside in thuh car with thuh motor running. She musta known I was gonna walk in on her this time cause she had my payoff—my inheritance—she had it all ready for me. 500 dollars in a nylon stocking. Huh.
He places the stuffed nylon stocking on the table across from Lincolns money roll.
Booth
Now its real.
Lincoln
Dont put that down.
Booth
Throw thuh cards.
Lincoln
I dont want to play.
Booth
Throw thuh fucking cards, man!!
Lincoln
(Rest)
2 red cards but only one black. Pick thuh black you pick thuh winner. All thuh cards are face down you point out thuh cards and then you move them around. Now watch me now, now watch me real close. Put thuh winning deuce down in the center put thuh loser reds on either side then you just move thuh cards around. Move them slow or move them fast, Links thuh king he gonna last.
(Rest)
Wheres thuh deuce of spades?
Booth chooses a card and chooses correctly.
Booth
HA!
Lincoln
One good pickll get you in 2 good picks and you gone win.
Booth
I know man I know.
Lincoln
Im just doing thuh talk.
Booth
Throw thuh fucking cards!
Lincoln throws the cards.
Lincoln
Lean in close and watch me now: who see thuh black card who see thuh black card I see thuh black card black cards thuh winner pick thuh black card thats thuh winner pick thuh red card thats thuh loser pick thuh other red card thats thuh other loser pick thuh black card you pick thuh winner. Watch me as I throw thuh cards. Here we go.
(Rest)
Ima show you thuh cards: 2 red cards but only one spade. Dark winner in thuh center and thuh red losers on thuh sides. Pick uh red card you got a loser pick thuh other red card you got a loser pick thuh black card you got a winner. Watch me watch me watch me now.
(Rest)
Who see thuh black card who see thuh black card? You pick thuh red card you pick a loser you pick that red card you pick a loser you pick thuh black card thuh deuce of spades you pick a winner who sees thuh deuce of spades thuh one who sees it never fades watch me now as I throw thuh cards. Red losers black winner follow thuh deuce of spades chase thuh black deuce. Dark deuce will get you thuh win.
(Rest)
Ok, 3-Card, you know which cards thuh deuce of spades? This is for real now, man. You pick wrong Im in yr wad and I keep mines.
Booth
I pick right I got yr shit.
Lincoln
Yeah.
Booth
Plus I beat you for real.
Lincoln
Yeah.
(Rest)
You think we’re really brothers?
Booth
Huh?
Lincoln
I know we brothers, but is we really brothers, you know, blood brothers or not, you and me, whatduhyathink?
Booth
I think we’re brothers.
Booth
Lincoln
Booth
Lincoln
Booth
Lincoln
Lincoln
Go head man, wheres thuh deuce?
In a flash Booth points out a card.
Lincoln
You sure?
Booth
Im sure!
Lincoln
Yeah? Dont touch thuh cards, now.
Booth
Im sure.
The 2 brothers lock eyes. Lincoln turns over the card that Booth selected and Booth, in a desperate break of concentration, glances down to see that he has chosen the wrong card.
Lincoln
Deuce of hearts, bro. Im sorry. Thuh deuce of spades was this one.
(Rest)
I guess all this is mines.
He slides the money toward himself.
Lincoln
You were almost right. Better luck next time.
(Rest)
Aint yr fault if yr eyes aint fast. And you cant help it if you got 2 left hands, right? Throwing cards aint thuh whole world. You got other shit going for you. You got Grace.
Booth
Right.
Lincoln
Whassamatter?
Booth
Mm.
Lincoln
Whatsup?
Booth
Nothing.
Lincoln
(Rest)
It takes a certain kind of understanding to be able to play this game.
(Rest) I still got thuh moves, dont I?
Booth
Yeah you still got thuh moves.
Lincoln cant help himself. He chuckles.
Lincoln
I aint laughing at you, bro, Im just laughing. Shit there is so much to this game. This game is—there is just so much to it.
Lincoln, still chuckling, flops down in the easy chair. He takes up the nylon stocking and fiddles with the knot.
Lincoln
Woah, she sure did tie this up tight, didnt she?
Booth
Yeah. I aint opened it since she gived it to me.
Lincoln
Yr kidding. 500 and you aint never opened it? Shit. Sure is tied tight. She said heres 500 bucks and you didnt undo thuh knot to get a look at the cash? You aint needed to take a peek in all these years? Shit. I woulda opened it right away. Just a little peek.
Booth
I been saving it.
(Rest) Oh, dont open it, man.
Lincoln
How come?
Booth
You won it man, you dont gotta go opening it.
Lincoln
We gotta see whats in it.
Booth
We know whats in it. Dont open it.
Lincoln
You are a chump, bro. There could be millions in here! There could be nothing! I’ll open it.
Booth
Dont.
Lincoln Booth
(Rest)
Lincoln
Shit this knot aint coming out. I could cut it, but that would spoil the whole effect, wouldnt it? Shit. Sorry. I aint laughing at you Im just laughing. Theres so much about those cards. You think you can learn them just by watching and just by playing but there is more to them cards than that. And—. Tell me something, Mr. 3-Card, she handed you this stocking and she said there was money in it and then she split and you say you didnt open it. Howd you know she was for real?
Booth
She was for real.
Lincoln
How you know? She coulda been jiving you, bro. Jiving you that there really was money in this thing. Jiving you big time. Its like thuh cards. And ooooh you certainly was persistent. But you was in such a hurry to learn thuh last move that you didnt bother learning thuh first one. That was yr mistake. Cause its thuh first move that separates thuh Player from thuh Played. And thuh first move is to know that there aint no winning. Taadaaa! It may look like you got a chance but the only time you pick right is when thuh man lets you. And when its thuh real deal, when its thuh real fucking deal, bro, and thuh moneys on thuh line, thats when thuh man wont want you picking right. He will want you picking wrong so he will make you pick wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Ooooh, you thought you was finally happening, didnt you? You thought yr ship had come in or some shit, huh? Thought you was uh Player. But I played you, bro.
Booth
Fuck you. Fuck you FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!!
Lincoln
Whatever, man. Damn this knot is tough. Ima cut it.
Lincoln reaches in his boot, pulling out a knife.
He chuckles all the while.
Topdog / Underdog Page 8