Race by David Mamet Read Free Book Online

. . you ready . . . ?
    (Henry produces a letter.)
    JACK : What is it?
    HENRY : Letter messengered to Greenstein.
    JACK : Alright.
    HENRY : And forwarded to us.
    JACK : From whom?
    HENRY : A well-wisher.
    JACK : Okay . . .
    HENRY : Our client’s college roommate. A postcard, from our client to his friend. Trip to the Caribbean, college days.
    JACK : Read it.
    HENRY (Reads) : “Bermuda . . .” Our client writes: “Getting off the plane at night. And the heat and the salt air wraps around you.” (Pause) “It’s like being in some hot, black . . .” What is that word? Can you read that word? . . .
    (He shows the letter to Jack.)
    JACK : Well. That’s fucking terrific.

SCENE THREE
    The office.
    Henry, Jack and Charles.
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    HENRY (Showing the postcard to Charles) : Z’at your handwriting?
    CHARLES : What is this?
    JACK : Did you write it?
    CHARLES : Yes.
    HENRY : You did write it.
    CHARLES : Yes. I wrote it.
    HENRY : Alright.
    CHARLES : How did you get this?
    HENRY : That is your handwriting.
    CHARLES : It was, that was decades ago, I . . .
    HENRY : Who is this “Bill”? Who is “Bill”?
    CHARLES : Bill was my roommate.
    HENRY : . . . you went to the Caribbean . . .
    CHARLES : I . . . we were . . . I was in college. Yes. I wrote him. From the Caribbean.
    HENRY : Long time ago.

    CHARLES : That’s right.
    HENRY : Have you had any contact since?
    CHARLES : No.
    JACK : What you ever do to him?
    CHARLES : Do to him? Nothing. We were friends. I wrote to him. From my trip.
    JACK (Reads) : “Getting off the plane at night. The heat and wet salt air hits you. It’s like being in some hot black . . .” What is that word?
    CHARLES : That’s, that’s . . . I was speaking. About the heat at night. He . . . isn’t that obvious ?
    HENRY : Listen to the words. “A hot black cunt.”
    CHARLES : But, that’s not what the words mean.
    HENRY : What’s not what the words mean?
    CHARLES : It. It’s not a racial epithet.
    HENRY : It’s not a racial epithet . . .
    JACK : You want to hear that quote in court?
    CHARLES : But it would be taken out of context.
    JACK : Well that is the definition of a quote. (Pause)
    HENRY : Why did he save the letter?
    CHARLES : I don’t know.
    HENRY : That’s quite a while ago. Why would he do that?
    CHARLES : We save things.
    HENRY : Yes, we do.
    CHARLES : We . . .
    HENRY : We put them in the attic. Yes. We put them in boxes .
    CHARLES : That’s right.
    HENRY : And forget them.
    CHARLES : Yes.
    HENRY : We forget about them.
    CHARLES : That’s right.
    HENRY : But your friend remembered this. (Pause) Why ?
    CHARLES : He saw my name in the . . . I don’t have to fucking defend myself to you.
    HENRY : No, but we have to defend you . To defend you .
    CHARLES : He . . .
    HENRY : . . . alright.
    CHARLES : He saved the letter. Because.

    HENRY : Help me through this.
    CHARLES : I have a certain . . . a certain celebrity .
    HENRY : . . . that’s good.
    CHARLES : Due to my position , due . . .
    HENRY : Alright.
    CHARLES : I . . . he saved the letter because. I am wealthy . . . I am . . .
    HENRY : Yes.
    CHARLES : And when the . . .
    HENRY : When the accusation occurred . . .
    CHARLES : That’s right. (Pause) He. (Pause) I don’t know why he saved the letter.
    JACK : You have some “notoriety.”
    CHARLES : I have, for some time . . .
    JACK : But you did not in college . . .
    CHARLES : Not particularly, no.
    JACK : Or for some time afterward.
    CHARLES : I . . . No, I . . . Not at all.
    HENRY : You fuck some black women while you were down there. In the Caribbean.
    CHARLES : Why would he do this to me?
    HENRY : What is that?
    CHARLES : Why would he save the letter?
    HENRY : You can’t think of any reason?
    CHARLES : No.
    HENRY : You fuck some black woman down there?
    CHARLES : . . . why would he do this to me?
    HENRY : Is he black? (Pause) Z’he a black man? This