American Buffalo by David Mamet Read Free Book Online

watch.
    TEACH : Yes. I am, Donny. What am I, you’re my keeper all a sudden?
    DON : I’m paying you to do a thing, Teach, I expect to know where you are when.
    TEACH : Donny. You aren’t paying me to do a thing. We are doing something together. I know we are. My watch broke, that is my concern. The thing is your and my concern. And the concern of Fletcher. You want to find a reason we should jump all over each other all of a sudden like we work in a bloodbank , fine. But it’s not good business.
    Pause.
    And so who knows what time it is offhand? Jerks on the radio? The phone broad?
    Pause.
    Now, I understand nerves.
    DON : There’s no fuckin’ nerves involved in this. Teach.
    TEACH : No, huh?
    DON : No.
    TEACH : Well, great. That’s great, then. So what are we talking about? A little lateness? Some excusable fucking lateness? And a couple of guys they’re understandably a bit excited?
    Pause.
    DON : I don’t like it.
    TEACH : Then don’t like it, then. Let’s do this. Let’s everybody get a writ. I got a case. You got a case. Bobby—I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing here . . .
    DON : Leave him alone.
    TEACH : Now I’m picking on him.
    DON : Leave him alone.
    TEACH : What’s he doing here?
    DON : He came in.
    BOB : I found a nickel.
    TEACH : Hey, that’s fantastic.
    BOB : You want to see it?
    TEACH : Yes, please let me see it.
    BOB (hands nickel, wrapped in cloth, to TEACH ): I like ‘em because of the art on it.
    TEACH : Uh-huh.
    BOB : Because it looks like something.
    TEACH (to DON ): Is this worth anything?
    BOB : We don’t know yet.
    TEACH : Oh.
    BOB : We’re going to look it up.
    TEACH : Oh, what? Tonight?
    BOB : I think so.
    DON (hangs up phone) : Fuck.
    TEACH : So where is he?
    DON : How the fuck do I know?
    TEACH : He said he’d be here?
    DON : Yes, he did, Teach.
    BOB : Fletcher?
    TEACH : So where is he, then? And what’s he doing here?
    DON : Leave him alone. He’ll leave.
    TEACH : He’s going to leave, huh?
    DON : Yes.
    TEACH : You’re sure it isn’t like the bowling league, Fletch doesn’t show up, we just suit up Bobby, give him a shot and he goes in?
    Pause.
    Aaah, fuck. I’m sorry. I spoke in anger. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. (Everybody can make mistakes around here but me.) I’m sorry, Bob, I’m very sorry.
    BOB : That’s okay, Teach.
    TEACH : All I meant to say, we’d give you a fuckin’ suit, like in football . . .
    Pause.
    and you’d (You know, like, whatever . . . ) and you’d go in. (Pause. To DON ) So what do you want me to do? Dress up and lick him all over? I said I was sorry, what’s going on here. Huh? In the first place. I come in, I’m late . . . he’s here . . .
    Pause.
    DON : Bobby, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? (He picks phone up and dials.)
    BOB : I need some money.
    TEACH (digging in pockets) : What do you need?
    BOB : I want to sell the buffalo nickel.
    TEACH : I’ll buy it myself.
    BOB : We don’t know what it’s worth.
    TEACH : What do you want for it?
    BOB : Fifty dollars.
    TEACH : You’re outta your fuckin’ mind.
    Pause.
    Look. Here’s a fin. Get lost. Okay?
    Pause.
    BOB : It’s worth more than that.
    TEACH : How the fuck do you know that?
    BOB : I think it is.
    Pause.
    TEACH : Okay. You keep the fin like a loan. You keep the fuckin’ nickel, and we’ll call it a loan. Now go on. (He hands nickel back to BOB .)
    DON (hangs up phone): Fuck.
    BOB : I need more.
    TEACH (to DON ): Give the kid a couple of bucks.
    DON : What?
    TEACH : Give him some money.
    DON : What for?
    TEACH : The nickel.
    Pause.
    BOB : We can look in the book tomorrow.
    DON (to TEACH ): You bought the nickel?
    TEACH : Don’t worry about it. Give him some money. Get him out of here.
    DON : How much?
    TEACH : What? I don’t care . . .
    DON (to BOB) : How much . . . (To TEACH ) What the fuck am I giving him money for?
    TEACH : Just give it to him.
    DON : What? Ten? (Pause. Digs in pocket, hands bill to BOB . ) How is that, Bob? (Pause. Hands additional bill to BOB. )