Read Online American Buffalo by David Mamet - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Mamet
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(Hangs up phone. To BOB) He’s not there.
BOB : I told you.
TEACH : (What did I tell you, Don?)
DON : Where is he?
BOB : Somewhere else.
DON : (This makes me nuts . . ) Bobby . . .
BOB : Yeah?
Pause.
They broke his jaw.
DON : Who?
BOB : Some spics. I don’t know.
TEACH snorts.
They did.
DON : Who?
TEACH : Yeah.
DON : Who is this “they,” Bob, that you’re talking about?
TEACH : Bob. . . .
BOB : . . . yeah?
TEACH : Who are these people you’re talking about?
BOB : They broke his jaw.
TEACH : They took it in them all of a sudden they broke his jaw.
BOB : They didn’t care it was him.
TEACH : No?
BOB : No, Teach.
TEACH : So who is it takes him out by accident Huh? Grace and Ruthie?
BOB : They wouldn’t do that.
TEACH : I’m not saying they would.
BOB (to DON ): What is he saying, Donny?
TEACH : Bob, Bob, Bob . . . what am I saying . . .
Pause.
DON : Where’s Fletch, Bobby?
BOB : Hospital.
TEACH : Aside from that.
BOB : All I know, that’s the only place he is, Teach.
TEACH : Now, don’t get smart with me, Bob, don’t get smart with me, you young fuck, we’ve been sweating blood all day on this and I don’t want your smart mouth on it (fuck around with Grace and Ruthie, and you come in here . . . ), so all we want some answers. Do you understand?
Pause.
I told you: Do you understand this?
DON : You better answer him.
BOB : I understand.
TEACH : Then let’s make this clear: Loyalty does not mean shit a situation like this; I don’t know what you and them are up to, and I do not care, but only you come clean with us.
BOB : He might of been a different hospital.
TEACH : Which one?
BOB : Any of ‘em.
DON : So why’d you say “Masonic"?
BOB : I just thought of it.
TEACH : Okay. Okay. . . . Bob?
BOB : . . . yes?
TEACH : I want for you to tell us here and now (and for your own protection) what is going on , what is set up . . . where Fletcher is . . . and everything you know.
DON (sotto voce) : (I can’t believe this.)
BOB : I don’t know anything.
TEACH : You don’t, huh?
BOB : No.
DON : Tell him what you know, Bob.
BOB : I don’t know it, Donny. Grace and Ruthie . . .
TEACH grabs a nearby object and hits BOB viciously on the side of the head.
TEACH : Grace and Ruthie up your ass, you shithead; you don’t fuck with us, I’ll kick your fucking head in. (I don’t give a shit . . . )
Pause.
You twerp . . .
A pause near the end of which BOB starts whimpering.
I don’t give a shit. (Come in here with your fucking stories . . . )
Pause.
Imaginary people in the hospital . . .
BOB starts to cry.
That don’t mean shit to me, you fruit.
BOB : Donny . . .
DON : You brought it on yourself.
TEACH : Sending us out there . . . who the fuck knows what . . .
BOB : He’s in the hospital.
DON : Which hospital?
BOB : I don’t know.
TEACH : Well, then, you better make one up, and quick.
DON : Bob . . .
TEACH : (Don’t back down on this, Don. Don’t back down on me, here.)
DON : Bob . . .
BOB : . . . yeah?
DON : You got to see our point here.
BOB (whimpering) : Yeah, I do.
DON : Now, we don’t want to hit you . . .
TEACH : (No.)
BOB : I know you don’t.
TEACH : No.
DON : But you come in here . . .
BOB : . . . yeah . . .
DON : . . . the only one who knows the score . . .
BOB : Yeah . . . (My ear is bleeding. It’s coming out my ear.) Oh, fuck, I’m real scared.
DON : (Shit.)
BOB : I don’t feel good.
TEACH : (Fuckin’ kid poops out on us . . .)
BOB : Don . . .
TEACH : Now what are we going to do with this?
DON : You know, we didn’t want to do this to you, Bob.
BOB : I know . . .
DON : We didn’t want to do this.
Phone rings.
TEACH : (Great.)
DON (to phone) : What? What the fuck do you want?
TEACH : (It’s the guy?)
DON : (It’s Ruthie.) (To phone) Oh yeah, we heard about that, Ruth.
TEACH : ( She’s got a lot of nerve . . .)
DON (to phone) : From Bobby. Yeah. We’ll all go.
Pause.
I thought he was at Masonic?
BOB : I told you.
TEACH : (What did I tell you, Don?)
DON : Where is he?
BOB : Somewhere else.
DON : (This makes me nuts . . ) Bobby . . .
BOB : Yeah?
Pause.
They broke his jaw.
DON : Who?
BOB : Some spics. I don’t know.
TEACH snorts.
They did.
DON : Who?
TEACH : Yeah.
DON : Who is this “they,” Bob, that you’re talking about?
TEACH : Bob. . . .
BOB : . . . yeah?
TEACH : Who are these people you’re talking about?
BOB : They broke his jaw.
TEACH : They took it in them all of a sudden they broke his jaw.
BOB : They didn’t care it was him.
TEACH : No?
BOB : No, Teach.
TEACH : So who is it takes him out by accident Huh? Grace and Ruthie?
BOB : They wouldn’t do that.
TEACH : I’m not saying they would.
BOB (to DON ): What is he saying, Donny?
TEACH : Bob, Bob, Bob . . . what am I saying . . .
Pause.
DON : Where’s Fletch, Bobby?
BOB : Hospital.
TEACH : Aside from that.
BOB : All I know, that’s the only place he is, Teach.
TEACH : Now, don’t get smart with me, Bob, don’t get smart with me, you young fuck, we’ve been sweating blood all day on this and I don’t want your smart mouth on it (fuck around with Grace and Ruthie, and you come in here . . . ), so all we want some answers. Do you understand?
Pause.
I told you: Do you understand this?
DON : You better answer him.
BOB : I understand.
TEACH : Then let’s make this clear: Loyalty does not mean shit a situation like this; I don’t know what you and them are up to, and I do not care, but only you come clean with us.
BOB : He might of been a different hospital.
TEACH : Which one?
BOB : Any of ‘em.
DON : So why’d you say “Masonic"?
BOB : I just thought of it.
TEACH : Okay. Okay. . . . Bob?
BOB : . . . yes?
TEACH : I want for you to tell us here and now (and for your own protection) what is going on , what is set up . . . where Fletcher is . . . and everything you know.
DON (sotto voce) : (I can’t believe this.)
BOB : I don’t know anything.
TEACH : You don’t, huh?
BOB : No.
DON : Tell him what you know, Bob.
BOB : I don’t know it, Donny. Grace and Ruthie . . .
TEACH grabs a nearby object and hits BOB viciously on the side of the head.
TEACH : Grace and Ruthie up your ass, you shithead; you don’t fuck with us, I’ll kick your fucking head in. (I don’t give a shit . . . )
Pause.
You twerp . . .
A pause near the end of which BOB starts whimpering.
I don’t give a shit. (Come in here with your fucking stories . . . )
Pause.
Imaginary people in the hospital . . .
BOB starts to cry.
That don’t mean shit to me, you fruit.
BOB : Donny . . .
DON : You brought it on yourself.
TEACH : Sending us out there . . . who the fuck knows what . . .
BOB : He’s in the hospital.
DON : Which hospital?
BOB : I don’t know.
TEACH : Well, then, you better make one up, and quick.
DON : Bob . . .
TEACH : (Don’t back down on this, Don. Don’t back down on me, here.)
DON : Bob . . .
BOB : . . . yeah?
DON : You got to see our point here.
BOB (whimpering) : Yeah, I do.
DON : Now, we don’t want to hit you . . .
TEACH : (No.)
BOB : I know you don’t.
TEACH : No.
DON : But you come in here . . .
BOB : . . . yeah . . .
DON : . . . the only one who knows the score . . .
BOB : Yeah . . . (My ear is bleeding. It’s coming out my ear.) Oh, fuck, I’m real scared.
DON : (Shit.)
BOB : I don’t feel good.
TEACH : (Fuckin’ kid poops out on us . . .)
BOB : Don . . .
TEACH : Now what are we going to do with this?
DON : You know, we didn’t want to do this to you, Bob.
BOB : I know . . .
DON : We didn’t want to do this.
Phone rings.
TEACH : (Great.)
DON (to phone) : What? What the fuck do you want?
TEACH : (It’s the guy?)
DON : (It’s Ruthie.) (To phone) Oh yeah, we heard about that, Ruth.
TEACH : ( She’s got a lot of nerve . . .)
DON (to phone) : From Bobby. Yeah. We’ll all go.
Pause.
I thought he was at Masonic?
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