American Buffalo (10 page)

TEACH
: Because of the way
things
are.
(He looks out window.)
Hold on a second.

DON
: Fletcher?

TEACH
: Cops.

DON
: What are they doing?

TEACH
: Cruising.

Pause.

DON
: They turn the corner?

TEACH
: Hold on.

Pause.

Yes.

They have the right idea. Armed to the hilt. Sticks, Mace, knives . . . who knows
what
the fuck they got. They have the right idea. Social customs break down, next thing
everybody’s
lying in the gutter.

A knocking is heard at the door.

(Get down.) (Douse the light.)

DON
: (Lemme see who it is . . .)

TEACH
: Don’t answer it.

BOB
(from behind door)
: Donny?

TEACH
: (Great.)

DON
: (It’s Bobby.)

TEACH
: (I know.)

BOB
: Donny?

Pause.

TEACH
: (Don’t let him in.)

DON
: (He knows we’re in here.)

TEACH
:
(
So let him go away, then.)

BOB
: I got to talk to you.

DON
looks at
TEACH.

DON
(to
BOB)
: What is it?

BOB
: I can’t come in?

TEACH
: (Get him outta here.)

Pause.

DON
: Bob . . .

BOB
: Yeah?

DON
: We’re busy here.

BOB
: I got to talk to you.

DON
looks at
TEACH.

TEACH
: (Is he alone?)

DON
: (I think.)

TEACH
(Pause)
: (Hold on.)

TEACH
opens door and pulls
BOB
in.

What, Bob? What do you want? You know we got work to do here, we don’t need you to do it, so what are you doing here and what do you want?

BOB
: To talk to Don.

TEACH
: Well, Don does not want to talk to you.

BOB
: I
got
to talk to him.

TEACH
: You do not have to do anything, Bob. You do not have to do anything that we tell you that you have to do.

BOB
: I got to talk to Donny. (
To
DON
) Can I talk to you? (
Pause. To
DON
.) I came here . . .

DON
: yeah?

BOB
: . . . The Riverside?

DON
: Yeah?

BOB
: Grace and Ruthie . . . he’s in the hospital. Fletch.

Pause.

I only wanted to, like,
come
here. I know you guys are only playing
cards
this . . . now. I didn’t want to disturb you like
up,
but they just I found out he was in the hospital and I came over here to . . . tell you.

Pause.

TEACH
: With what?

BOB
: He got mugged.

TEACH
: You’re so full of shit.

BOB
: I think some Mexicans.

TEACH
snorts.

He did. He’s in the hospital.

TEACH
: You see this, Don?

DON
: He’s mugged?

BOB
: Yeah, Grace, they just got back. They broke his jaw.

TEACH
: They broke his jaw.

BOB
: Yeah. Broke.

TEACH
: And now he’s in the hospital. Grace and Ruthie just got back. You thought that you’d come over.

BOB
: Yeah.

TEACH
: Well, how about this, Don? Here Fletch is in Masonic Hospital a needle in his arm, huh. How about this?

DON
: How bad is he?

BOB
: They broke his jaw.

DON
: What else?

BOB
: I don’t know.

TEACH
: Would you believe this if I told you this this afternoon?

DON
: When did it happen, Bob?

BOB
: Like before.

DON
: Before, huh?

BOB
: Yeah.

TEACH
: How about this, Don?

BOB
: We’re going to see him tomorrow.

DON
: When?

BOB
: I don’t know. In the morning.

DON
: They got hours in the morning?

BOB
: I guess so.

TEACH
: Hey, thanks for coming here. You did real good in coming here.

BOB
: Yeah?

TEACH
(to
DON)
: He did real good in coming here, huh, Donny?
(To
BOB)
We really owe you something.

BOB
: What for?

TEACH
: Coming here.

BOB
: What?

TEACH
: Something.

BOB
: Like what?

DON
: He don’t know. He’s saying that he thinks we owe you something, but right now he can’t think what it is.

BOB
: Thanks, Teach.

TEACH
: It’s okay, Bob.

Pause,
BOB
starts to exit.

Stick around.

BOB
: Okay. For a minute.

TEACH
: What? You’re busy?

BOB
: I got, like, some things to do.

TEACH
: Whaddaya got, a “date"?

BOB
: No.

TEACH
: What, then?

BOB
: Business.

Pause.

DON
: Where did they take him, Bob?

Pause.

BOB
: Uh, Masonic.

DON
: I don’t think that they got hours start til after lunch.

BOB
: Then we’ll go then. I’m gonna go now.

TEACH
: Hold on a second, Bob. I feel we should take care of you for coming here.

BOB
: That’s okay. I’ll see you guys.

DON
: Come here a minute, Bobby.

BOB
: What, Donny?

DON
: What’s going on here?

BOB
: Here?

DON
: Yes.

Pause.

BOB
: Nothing.

DON
: I’m saying what’s happening, Bob?

BOB
: I don’t know.

DON
: Where did you get that nickel from?

BOB
: What nickel?

DON
: You know what nickel, Bob, the nickel I’m talking about.

BOB
: I got it off a guy.

DON
: What guy?

BOB
: I met downtown.

TEACH
: What was he wearing?

BOB
: Things.

Pause.

DON
: How’d you get it off him, Bob?

BOB
: We kinda talked.

Pause.

DON
: You know what, you look funny, Bob.

BOB
: I’m late.

DON
: It’s after midnight, Bob. What are you late for?

BOB
: Nothing.

DON
(very sadly)
: Jesus. Are you fucking with me here?

BOB
: No.

DON
: (Bobby.)

BOB
: I’m not fucking with you, Donny.

Pause.

DON
: Where’s Fletcher?

Pause.

BOB
: Masonic.

DON
goes to telephone and dials information.

DON
(into phone)
: For Masonic Hospital, please.

BOB
: . . . I
think
. . .

DON
(to
BOB)
: What?

BOB
: He might not be Masonic.

DON
(to phone)
: Thank you.
(Hangs up phone. To
BOB)
Now
,
what
?

BOB
: He might not
be
there . . .

DON
: You said he was there.

BOB
: Yeah, I just, like, I
said
it. I really don’t remember what they said, Ruthie.

TEACH
: (Ruthie.)

BOB
: . . . so I just . . .
said
Masonic.

DON
: Why?

BOB
: I thought of it.

Pause.

DON
: Uh-huh. (To
phone)
Yes. I’m looking for a guy was just admitted. Fletcher Post.

Pause.

Just a short time ago.

Pause.

Thank you.
(
Pause. To
BOB
and
TEACH
) She’s looking for it.
(To phone)
No?

BOB
: (I told you . . . )

DON
: You’re sure?

Pause.

Thank you.
(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.