Donny. ( To DON ) Can I talk to you? ( Pause. To DON .) I came here . . .
DON : yeah?
BOB : . . . The Riverside?
DON : Yeah?
BOB : Grace and Ruthie . . . he’s in the hospital. Fletch.
Pause.
I only wanted to, like, come here. I know you guys are only playing cards this . . . now. I didn’t want to disturb you like up, but they just I found out he was in the hospital and I came over here to . . . tell you.
Pause.
TEACH : With what?
BOB : He got mugged.
TEACH : You’re so full of shit.
BOB : I think some Mexicans.
TEACH snorts.
He did. He’s in the hospital.
TEACH : You see this, Don?
DON : He’s mugged?
BOB : Yeah, Grace, they just got back. They broke his jaw.
TEACH : They broke his jaw.
BOB : Yeah. Broke.
TEACH : And now he’s in the hospital. Grace and Ruthie just got back. You thought that you’d come over.
BOB : Yeah.
TEACH : Well, how about this, Don? Here Fletch is in Masonic Hospital a needle in his arm, huh. How about this?
DON : How bad is he?
BOB : They broke his jaw.
DON : What else?
BOB : I don’t know.
TEACH : Would you believe this if I told you this this afternoon?
DON : When did it happen, Bob?
BOB : Like before.
DON : Before, huh?
BOB : Yeah.
TEACH : How about this, Don?
BOB : We’re going to see him tomorrow.
DON : When?
BOB : I don’t know. In the morning.
DON : They got hours in the morning?
BOB : I guess so.
TEACH : Hey, thanks for coming here. You did real good in coming here.
BOB : Yeah?
TEACH (to DON) : He did real good in coming here, huh, Donny? (To BOB) We really owe you something.
BOB : What for?
TEACH : Coming here.
BOB : What?
TEACH : Something.
BOB : Like what?
DON : He don’t know. He’s saying that he thinks we owe you something, but right now he can’t think what it is.
BOB : Thanks, Teach.
TEACH : It’s okay, Bob.
Pause, BOB starts to exit.
Stick around.
BOB : Okay. For a minute.
TEACH : What? You’re busy?
BOB : I got, like, some things to do.
TEACH : Whaddaya got, a “date"?
BOB : No.
TEACH : What, then?
BOB : Business.
Pause.
DON : Where did they take him, Bob?
Pause.
BOB : Uh, Masonic.
DON : I don’t think that they got hours start til after lunch.
BOB : Then we’ll go then. I’m gonna go now.
TEACH : Hold on a second, Bob. I feel we should take care of you for coming here.
BOB : That’s okay. I’ll see you guys.
DON : Come here a minute, Bobby.
BOB : What, Donny?
DON : What’s going on here?
BOB : Here?
DON : Yes.
Pause.
BOB : Nothing.
DON : I’m saying what’s happening, Bob?
BOB : I don’t know.
DON : Where did you get that nickel from?
BOB : What nickel?
DON : You know what nickel, Bob, the nickel I’m talking about.
BOB : I got it off a guy.
DON : What guy?
BOB : I met downtown.
TEACH : What was he wearing?
BOB : Things.
Pause.
DON : How’d you get it off him, Bob?
BOB : We kinda talked.
Pause.
DON : You know what, you look funny, Bob.
BOB : I’m late.
DON : It’s after midnight, Bob. What are you late for?
BOB : Nothing.
DON (very sadly) : Jesus. Are you fucking with me here?
BOB : No.
DON : (Bobby.)
BOB : I’m not fucking with you, Donny.
Pause.
DON : Where’s Fletcher?
Pause.
BOB : Masonic.
DON goes to telephone and dials information.
DON (into phone) : For Masonic Hospital, please.
BOB : . . . I think . . .
DON (to BOB) : What?
BOB : He might not be Masonic.
DON (to phone) : Thank you. (Hangs up phone. To BOB) Now , what ?
BOB : He might not be there . . .
DON : You said he was there.
BOB : Yeah, I just, like, I said it. I really don’t remember what they said, Ruthie.
TEACH : (Ruthie.)
BOB : . . . so I just . . . said Masonic.
DON : Why?
BOB : I thought of it.
Pause.
DON : Uh-huh. (To phone) Yes. I’m looking for a guy was just admitted. Fletcher Post.
Pause.
Just a short time ago.
Pause.
Thank you.( Pause. To BOB and TEACH ) She’s looking for it. (To phone) No?
BOB : (I told you . . . )
DON : You’re sure?
Pause.
Thank you.
DON : yeah?
BOB : . . . The Riverside?
DON : Yeah?
BOB : Grace and Ruthie . . . he’s in the hospital. Fletch.
Pause.
I only wanted to, like, come here. I know you guys are only playing cards this . . . now. I didn’t want to disturb you like up, but they just I found out he was in the hospital and I came over here to . . . tell you.
Pause.
TEACH : With what?
BOB : He got mugged.
TEACH : You’re so full of shit.
BOB : I think some Mexicans.
TEACH snorts.
He did. He’s in the hospital.
TEACH : You see this, Don?
DON : He’s mugged?
BOB : Yeah, Grace, they just got back. They broke his jaw.
TEACH : They broke his jaw.
BOB : Yeah. Broke.
TEACH : And now he’s in the hospital. Grace and Ruthie just got back. You thought that you’d come over.
BOB : Yeah.
TEACH : Well, how about this, Don? Here Fletch is in Masonic Hospital a needle in his arm, huh. How about this?
DON : How bad is he?
BOB : They broke his jaw.
DON : What else?
BOB : I don’t know.
TEACH : Would you believe this if I told you this this afternoon?
DON : When did it happen, Bob?
BOB : Like before.
DON : Before, huh?
BOB : Yeah.
TEACH : How about this, Don?
BOB : We’re going to see him tomorrow.
DON : When?
BOB : I don’t know. In the morning.
DON : They got hours in the morning?
BOB : I guess so.
TEACH : Hey, thanks for coming here. You did real good in coming here.
BOB : Yeah?
TEACH (to DON) : He did real good in coming here, huh, Donny? (To BOB) We really owe you something.
BOB : What for?
TEACH : Coming here.
BOB : What?
TEACH : Something.
BOB : Like what?
DON : He don’t know. He’s saying that he thinks we owe you something, but right now he can’t think what it is.
BOB : Thanks, Teach.
TEACH : It’s okay, Bob.
Pause, BOB starts to exit.
Stick around.
BOB : Okay. For a minute.
TEACH : What? You’re busy?
BOB : I got, like, some things to do.
TEACH : Whaddaya got, a “date"?
BOB : No.
TEACH : What, then?
BOB : Business.
Pause.
DON : Where did they take him, Bob?
Pause.
BOB : Uh, Masonic.
DON : I don’t think that they got hours start til after lunch.
BOB : Then we’ll go then. I’m gonna go now.
TEACH : Hold on a second, Bob. I feel we should take care of you for coming here.
BOB : That’s okay. I’ll see you guys.
DON : Come here a minute, Bobby.
BOB : What, Donny?
DON : What’s going on here?
BOB : Here?
DON : Yes.
Pause.
BOB : Nothing.
DON : I’m saying what’s happening, Bob?
BOB : I don’t know.
DON : Where did you get that nickel from?
BOB : What nickel?
DON : You know what nickel, Bob, the nickel I’m talking about.
BOB : I got it off a guy.
DON : What guy?
BOB : I met downtown.
TEACH : What was he wearing?
BOB : Things.
Pause.
DON : How’d you get it off him, Bob?
BOB : We kinda talked.
Pause.
DON : You know what, you look funny, Bob.
BOB : I’m late.
DON : It’s after midnight, Bob. What are you late for?
BOB : Nothing.
DON (very sadly) : Jesus. Are you fucking with me here?
BOB : No.
DON : (Bobby.)
BOB : I’m not fucking with you, Donny.
Pause.
DON : Where’s Fletcher?
Pause.
BOB : Masonic.
DON goes to telephone and dials information.
DON (into phone) : For Masonic Hospital, please.
BOB : . . . I think . . .
DON (to BOB) : What?
BOB : He might not be Masonic.
DON (to phone) : Thank you. (Hangs up phone. To BOB) Now , what ?
BOB : He might not be there . . .
DON : You said he was there.
BOB : Yeah, I just, like, I said it. I really don’t remember what they said, Ruthie.
TEACH : (Ruthie.)
BOB : . . . so I just . . . said Masonic.
DON : Why?
BOB : I thought of it.
Pause.
DON : Uh-huh. (To phone) Yes. I’m looking for a guy was just admitted. Fletcher Post.
Pause.
Just a short time ago.
Pause.
Thank you.( Pause. To BOB and TEACH ) She’s looking for it. (To phone) No?
BOB : (I told you . . . )
DON : You’re sure?
Pause.
Thank you.
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