Read Online August: Osage County by Tracy Letts - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tracy Letts
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just stupid now—
VIOLET: Now listen to me: you don’t know how to attract a man. I do. That’s something I’ve always—
IVY: It’s a funeral! We just buried my father, I’m not trying to attract—!
VIOLET: I’m not talking about today, dummy, this is something you can wear some—
IVY: I have a man. All right? I have a man.
(Mattie Fae turns her attention to Ivy.)
VIOLET: You said . . . you told me you weren’t looking for a man—
IVY: And I’m not. Because I have one. Okay? Now will you leave it alone?
(Pause.)
VIOLET: No, I won’t leave it alone.
MATTIE FAE: No, let’s not leave it alone.
IVY: I wish you both could see the brainsick looks on your faces—
VIOLET: Who is it?
IVY: Nobody. Forget it—
VIOLET: No, no you don’t, I want to know who you’re—
IVY: I’m not talking about this—
MATTIE FAE: Ivy, please tell us—
IVY: No.
MATTIE FAE: Is he someone from school?
VIOLET: Tell me you’re not back with Loser Barry.
IVY: No, it isn’t Barry.
VIOLET: Thank you, Jesus.
MATTIE FAE: Tell us something, how old is he, what does he do?—
IVY: I’m not telling you anything, either of you, so you might as well—
MATTIE FAE: You have to tell us something !
IVY: No, I really don’t.
VIOLET: Are you in love, Ivy?
IVY (Stunned) : I . . . I don’t . . . I’m . . .
(She bursts into awkward laughter and exits down the second-floor hallway. Violet and Mattie Fae squeal and follow Ivy off.
Lights crossfade to the front porch as Jean zips inside. She races to the TV, turns it on, finds a channel, and sits improbably close. Bill and Steve Heidebrecht follow, dressed in dark suits and laden with paper grocery bags.)
STEVE: No, we maintain the accounts offshore, just until we get approvals.
BILL: To get around approvals?
STEVE: To get around approvals until we get approvals. There’s a lot of red tape, a lot of bureaucracy. I don’t know how much you know about Florida, Florida politics—
BILL: Only what I read and that’s—
STEVE: Right, right, and this kind of business in particular—
BILL: I’m sorry, what is the business again? I don’t—
STEVE: You know, it’s essentially security work. The situation in the Middle East is perpetually dangerous, so there’s a tremendous amount of money involved—
BILL: Security work. You mean . . . mercenary?
(Barbara enters from the kitchen.)
BARBARA: Give. Me. The wine.
(She pulls a bottle of wine from Bill’s grocery bag.)
STEVE: I think of it more like “missionary” than “mercenary.”
BARBARA (To Jean, regarding the TV) : Is that what you were in such a hurry to get home for?
JEAN: Yeah.
BARBARA: What the hell is on TV that’s so important you can’t—?
JEAN: Phantom of the Opera , 1925. Lon Chaney.
BILL: Cool.
BARBARA: For God’s sake, Jean, you can get it at any video store.
JEAN: No, but they’re showing it with the scene in color restored.
BILL: Oh, no kidding, from the . . . what’s that scene called again, sweetie? “The Masked Ball”?
JEAN: Yeah.
BARBARA: Let me make sure I’ve got this: when you threw a fit about going to the store with your father—hey. Look at me.
(She does.)
And you were so very distraught over the start time of your grandpa’s funeral. Was this your concern? Getting back here in time to watch the Phantom of the Fucking Opera ?
JEAN: I guess.
(Barbara gives Jean a withering look, exits.)
BILL (To Steve) : I’ll take these into the kitchen.
STEVE: No, I can.
BILL: I’ve got it.
(Bill takes Steve’s grocery bag and follows Barbara into the kitchen.)
STEVE: Movie buff?
JEAN: Yeah.
STEVE: Right, right, me too. You ever seen this?
JEAN: Huh-uh.
STEVE: It’s a great
VIOLET: Now listen to me: you don’t know how to attract a man. I do. That’s something I’ve always—
IVY: It’s a funeral! We just buried my father, I’m not trying to attract—!
VIOLET: I’m not talking about today, dummy, this is something you can wear some—
IVY: I have a man. All right? I have a man.
(Mattie Fae turns her attention to Ivy.)
VIOLET: You said . . . you told me you weren’t looking for a man—
IVY: And I’m not. Because I have one. Okay? Now will you leave it alone?
(Pause.)
VIOLET: No, I won’t leave it alone.
MATTIE FAE: No, let’s not leave it alone.
IVY: I wish you both could see the brainsick looks on your faces—
VIOLET: Who is it?
IVY: Nobody. Forget it—
VIOLET: No, no you don’t, I want to know who you’re—
IVY: I’m not talking about this—
MATTIE FAE: Ivy, please tell us—
IVY: No.
MATTIE FAE: Is he someone from school?
VIOLET: Tell me you’re not back with Loser Barry.
IVY: No, it isn’t Barry.
VIOLET: Thank you, Jesus.
MATTIE FAE: Tell us something, how old is he, what does he do?—
IVY: I’m not telling you anything, either of you, so you might as well—
MATTIE FAE: You have to tell us something !
IVY: No, I really don’t.
VIOLET: Are you in love, Ivy?
IVY (Stunned) : I . . . I don’t . . . I’m . . .
(She bursts into awkward laughter and exits down the second-floor hallway. Violet and Mattie Fae squeal and follow Ivy off.
Lights crossfade to the front porch as Jean zips inside. She races to the TV, turns it on, finds a channel, and sits improbably close. Bill and Steve Heidebrecht follow, dressed in dark suits and laden with paper grocery bags.)
STEVE: No, we maintain the accounts offshore, just until we get approvals.
BILL: To get around approvals?
STEVE: To get around approvals until we get approvals. There’s a lot of red tape, a lot of bureaucracy. I don’t know how much you know about Florida, Florida politics—
BILL: Only what I read and that’s—
STEVE: Right, right, and this kind of business in particular—
BILL: I’m sorry, what is the business again? I don’t—
STEVE: You know, it’s essentially security work. The situation in the Middle East is perpetually dangerous, so there’s a tremendous amount of money involved—
BILL: Security work. You mean . . . mercenary?
(Barbara enters from the kitchen.)
BARBARA: Give. Me. The wine.
(She pulls a bottle of wine from Bill’s grocery bag.)
STEVE: I think of it more like “missionary” than “mercenary.”
BARBARA (To Jean, regarding the TV) : Is that what you were in such a hurry to get home for?
JEAN: Yeah.
BARBARA: What the hell is on TV that’s so important you can’t—?
JEAN: Phantom of the Opera , 1925. Lon Chaney.
BILL: Cool.
BARBARA: For God’s sake, Jean, you can get it at any video store.
JEAN: No, but they’re showing it with the scene in color restored.
BILL: Oh, no kidding, from the . . . what’s that scene called again, sweetie? “The Masked Ball”?
JEAN: Yeah.
BARBARA: Let me make sure I’ve got this: when you threw a fit about going to the store with your father—hey. Look at me.
(She does.)
And you were so very distraught over the start time of your grandpa’s funeral. Was this your concern? Getting back here in time to watch the Phantom of the Fucking Opera ?
JEAN: I guess.
(Barbara gives Jean a withering look, exits.)
BILL (To Steve) : I’ll take these into the kitchen.
STEVE: No, I can.
BILL: I’ve got it.
(Bill takes Steve’s grocery bag and follows Barbara into the kitchen.)
STEVE: Movie buff?
JEAN: Yeah.
STEVE: Right, right, me too. You ever seen this?
JEAN: Huh-uh.
STEVE: It’s a great
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