Read Online The Old Neighborhood by David Mamet - Free Book Online

JOEY : What I remember … what I remember was that time we were at Ka-Ga-Wak we took Howie Greenberg outside.
    BOBBY : Was that Howie Greenberg?
    JOEY : Yeah …
    BOBBY : No …
    JOEY : No? Who was it, then?
    BOBBY : It …
    JOEY : It was Howie Greenberg.
    BOBBY : Red hair …
    JOEY : Yeah. Red hair. Braces.
    BOBBY : That was Howie Greenberg?
    JOEY : Yeah.
    BOBBY : From Temple Zion?
    JOEY : No. He never went to Zion?
    BOBBY : No?
    JOEY : No. Hey, Bob, no, you never went to Zion.
    BOBBY : What’s that mean, I don’t know who went there …?
    JOEY : No. It doesn’t mean that. But you know the time I’m talking of?
    BOBBY : We tied him to the bed. We put him in the snow.
    JOEY : Yeah.
    BOBBY : I got to tell you something, Joey, it was not Howie Greenberg. Howie never went to Winter Camp.
(Pause)
Am I right?
(Pause)
Am I right? Jeff went to Winter Camp. Tell me I’m wrong.
(Pause)
You fuckin’ asshole …
    JOEY : You, you, what the fuck would you know, never even get a Christmas card from you: “What happened to who.” It was Jeff …?
    BOBBY : Yeah.
(Pause)
    JOEY : Isn’t that funny … I’m not sure you’re right … 
(Pause)
Huh …
    BOBBY : Whatever happened to Howie?
    JOEY : Howie.
    BOBBY : Yeah.
    JOEY : Are you ready for this …? Howie turned out to be a fag.
    BOBBY : You’re kidding.
    JOEY : No.
    BOBBY : You’re kidding.
    JOEY : No.
    BOBBY : He’s a fag.
    JOEY : That he is.
    BOBBY : How about that.
    JOEY : Isn’t that something.
    BOBBY : Yeah.
(Pause)
His parents?
    JOEY : Moved to Florida.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : I always liked him.
    JOEY : I did, too.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : Huh.
(Pause)
    JOEY : Yeah.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : What ever happened to Jeff?
    JOEY : He’s still here …
    (Pause)
    JOEY : I was thinking I was up on Devon.… You ’member when we used to take the Ravenswood …?
    BOBBY : When? See the Cubs …?
    JOEY : Yeah.
    BOBBY : Oh yeah … Is that joint still there?
    JOEY : What? Frankels …?
    BOBBY : On Devon …?
    JOEY : The roast beef …?
    BOBBY : Yeah.
    JOEY : Yeah. It’s still there. It isn’t on Devon.
    BOBBY : No?
    JOEY : It’s on Petersen. It’s in Rogers Park.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : You ’member those two broads we had?
    JOEY : The Rogers Park broads?
    BOBBY : The folk dancing broads …
    JOEY : … yeah …
    BOBBY : The two Debbies …
    JOEY : Debbie. Yeah. Right.
    BOBBY : Rubovitz and Rosen.
    JOEY : Debbie Rubovitz and Rosen.
    BOBBY : For five bucks, which one was mine?
    JOEY : I don’t know.
    BOBBY : For ten bucks?
    JOEY : Rosen.
    BOBBY : You’re full of shit.
    JOEY : Rosen. You owe me ten bucks.
    BOBBY : It wasn’t Rosen.
    JOEY : You don’t know, you fuck, you’re bullshitting me. You don’t remember.
    BOBBY : I remember. Mine was Rosen.
    JOEY : That’s what I said.
    BOBBY : No.
    JOEY : You said, “Which one was Rosen.” I said yours.
    BOBBY : She was?
(Pause)
    JOEY : I don’t remember …
    BOBBY : Which was the short one …?
    JOEY : Yours. Right? With the curly hair …?
    BOBBY : And which one was her name?
    JOEY : I don’t know.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : Whatever you think happened to those broads?
    JOEY : I don’t know.
    BOBBY : You ever think about them?
    JOEY : Very seldom. When I go through Rogers Park.
(Pause)
    BOBBY : You think they were dykes?
    JOEY : I don’t know. D’you think that?
    BOBBY : I kind of did.
    JOEY : I kind of did, too.
    BOBBY : At the time?
    JOEY : No. Are you kidding me …? Who knew? I tell you what I think: They were before their time.
    BOBBY : Oh yeah … they were …
    JOEY : They were before their time.…
    BOBBY : Fucking broads.
    JOEY : I tell you how I always knew the broad was yours, the broad she couldn’t find her way outta the bathroom, that was yours …
    BOBBY : And what were you, a head man …?
    JOEY : Except for Deeny, of course.
    BOBBY : … what …?
    JOEY : Except for Deeny. Yes, I was a head man, yeah …
    BOBBY : You wanted to discuss, what …?
    JOEY : … and the broad, she couldn’t find the light switch,