American Buffalo (6 page)

Pause.

BOB
: I got to talk to you.

DON
: Yeah? What?

BOB
: I’m wondering on the thing that maybe I could have a little bit up front.

Pause.

DON
: Do you
need
it?

BOB
: I don’t
need
it . . .

DON
: How much?

BOB
: I was thinking that maybe you might let me have like fifty or something.

Pause.

To sort of
have . . .

TEACH
: You got any cuff links?

DON
: Look in the case.
(To
BOB
) What do you need it for?

BOB
: Nothing.

DON
: Bob . . .

BOB
: You can trust me.

DON
: It’s not a question of that. It’s not a question I go around trusting you, Bob . . .

BOB
: What’s the question?

TEACH
: Procedure.

DON
: Hold on, Teach.

BOB
: I got him all spotted.

Pause.

TEACH
: Who?

BOB
: Some guy.

TEACH
: Yeah?

BOB
: Yeah.

TEACH
: Where’s he live?

BOB
: Around.

TEACH
: Where? Near here?

BOB
: No.

TEACH
: No?

BOB
: He lives like on Lake Shore Drive.

TEACH
: He does.

BOB
: Yeah.

TEACH
(Pause):
What have you got, a job cased?

BOB
: I just went for coffee.

TEACH
: But you didn’t
get
the coffee.

Pause.

Now, did you?

BOB
: No.

TEACH
: Why?

DON
: Hold on, Teach. Bob . . .

BOB
: What?

DON
: You know what?

BOB
: No.

DON
: I was thinking, you know, we might hold off on this thing.

Pause.

BOB
: You wanna hold
off
on it?

DON
: I was thinking that we might.

BOB
: Oh.

DON
: And, on the money, I’ll give you . . . forty, you owe me twenty, and, for now, keep twenty for spotting the guy.

Pause.

Okay?

BOB
: Yeah.

Pause.

You don’t want me to do the job?

DON
: That’s what I
told
you. What am I telling you?

BOB
: I’m not going to do it.

DON
: Not
now.
We aren’t going to do it now.

BOB
: We’ll do it later on?

DON
(shrugs)
: But I’m giving you twenty just for spotting the guy.

BOB
: I need fifty, Donny.

DON
: Well, Fm giving you forty.

BOB
: You said you were giving me twenty.

DON
:
NO
, Bob, I did not. I said I was giving you forty, of
which
you were going to owe me twenty.

Pause.

And you go
keep
twenty.

BOB
: I got to give back twenty.

DON
: That’s the deal.

BOB
: When?

DON
: Soon. When you got it.

Pause.

BOB
: If I don’t
get
it soon?

DON
: Well, what do you call “soon"?

BOB
: I don’t know.

DON
: Could you get it in a . . . day, or a couple of days or so?

BOB
: Maybe. I don’t
think
so. Could you let me have fifty?

DON
: And you’ll give me back thirty?

BOB
: I could just give back the twenty.

DON
: That’s not the deal.

BOB
: We could
make
it the deal.

Pause.

Donny? We could
make
it the deal. Huh?

DON
: Bob, lookit. Here it is: I give you fifty, next week you pay me back twenty-five.

Pause.

You get to keep twenty-five, you pay me back twenty-five.

BOB
: And what about the thing?

DON
: Forget about it.

BOB
: You tell me when you want me to do it.

DON
: I don’t know
that
I want you to do it At this point.

Pause.

You know what I mean?

Pause.

BOB
: No.

DON
: I mean, I’m
giving
you twenty-five, and I’m saying forget the thing.

BOB
: Forget it for me.

DON
: Yes.

BOB
: Oh.

Pause.

Okay. Okay.

DON
: You see what I’m talking about?

BOB
: Yes.

DON
: Like it never happened.

BOB
: I know.

DON
: So you see what I’m saying.

BOB
: Yes.

Pause.

I’m gonna go.

Pause.

I’ll see you later.
(Pause. He looks at
DON.)

DON
: Oh.
(Reaches in pocket and hands bills to
BOB.
To
TEACH
) You got two fives?

TEACH
: No.

DON
(to
BOB
): I got to give you . . . thirty, you owe me back thirty.

BOB
: You said you were giving me fifty.

DON
: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Bob, you’re absolutely right
(He gives
BOB
remainder of money.)

Pause.

BOB
: Thank you.

Pause.

I’ll see you later, huh, Teach?

TEACH
: I’ll see you later, Bobby.

BOB
: I’ll see you, Donny.

DON
: I’ll see you later, Bob.

BOB
: I’ll come back later.

DON
: Okay.

BOB
starts to exit.

TEACH
:
See
you.

Pause.
BOB
is gone.

You’re only doing the right thing by him, Don.

Pause.

Believe me.

Pause.

It’s best for everybody.

Pause.

What’s done is done.

Pause.

So let’s get started. On the thing. Tell me everything.

DON
: Like what?

TEACH
: . . . the
guy . . .
where does he
live . . .

DON
: Around the corner.

TEACH
: Okay, and he’s gone for the weekend.

DON
: We don’t know.

TEACH
: Of course we know. Bob saw him coming out the door. The kid’s not going to lie to you.

DON
: Well, Bob just saw him coming
out . . .

TEACH
: He had a suitcase, Don, he wasn’t going to the A&P. . . He’s going for the weekend . . .

Pause.

Don, (Can you cooperate?) Can we get started? Do you want to tell me something about coins?

Pause.

DON
: What about ‘em?

TEACH
: A crash course. What to look for. What to take. What to
not
take (. . . this they can trace) (that isn’t
worth
nothing . . .)

Pause.

What looks like what but it’s more
valuable. . so on . . .

DON
: First off, I want that nickel back.

TEACH
: Donny . . .

DON
: No, I know, it’s only a fuckin’ nickel. . . I mean big deal, huh? But what I’m saying is I only want it back.

TEACH
: You’re going to get it back. I’m going in there for his coins, what am I going to take ‘em all except your nickel? Wake up. Don, let’s plan this out The
spirit
of the thing?

Pause.

Let’s not be loose on this. People are
loose,
people pay the price . . .

DON
: You’re right

TEACH
: (And I like you like a brother, Don.) So let’s wake up on this.

Pause.

All right? A man, he walks in here, well-dressed . . . (With a briefcase?)

DON
: (No.)

TEACH
: All right. . . . comes into a junkshop looking for coins.

Pause.

He spots a valuable nickel hidden in a pile of shit. He farts around, he picks up this, he farts around, he picks up that.

DON
: (He wants the nickel.)

TEACH
: No shit. He goes to check out, he goes ninety on the nick.

DON
: (He would of gone five times that.)

TEACH
: (Look, don’t kick yourself.) All right, we got a guy knows coins. Where does he keep his coin collection?

DON
: Hidden.

TEACH
: The man hides his coin collection, we’re probably looking the guy has a
study
. . . I mean, he’s not the kind of guy to keep it in the
basement . . .

DON
: No.

TEACH
: So we’re looking for a study.

DON
: (A den.)

TEACH
: And we’re looking, for, he hasn’t got a
safe . . .

DON
: Yeah . . . ?

TEACH
: . . . he’s probably going to keep ‘em . . . where?

Pause.

DON
: I don’t know. His desk drawer.

TEACH
: (You open the middle, the rest of ‘em pop out?)

DON
: (Yeah.)

TEACH
: (Maybe.) Which brings up a point.

DON
: What?

TEACH
: As we’re moving the stuff tonight, we can go in like Gangbusters, huh? We don’t care we wreck the joint up. So what else? We
take
it, or leave it?

DON
: . . . well . . .

TEACH
: I’m not talking
cash,
all I mean, what other stuff do we take . . . for our
trouble . . .

Pause.

DON
: I don’t know.

TEACH
: It’s hard to make up rules about this stuff.

DON
: (You’ll be in there under lots of pressure.)

TEACH
: (Not so much.)

DON
: (Come on, a little, anyway.)

TEACH
: (That’s only natural.)

DON
: (Yeah.)

TEACH
: (It would be unnatural I wasn’t tense. A guy who isn’t tense, I don’t want him on my side.)

DON
: (No.)

TEACH
: (You know
why?
)

DON
: (Yeah.)

TEACH
: (Okay, then.) It’s good to talk this stuff out.

DON
: Yeah.

TEACH
: You
have
to talk it out. Bad feelings, misunderstandings happen on a job. You can’t get away from ‘em, you have to deal with ‘em. You want to quiz me on some coins? You want to show some coins to me?
List
prices . . . the blue book . . . ?

DON
: You want to see the book?

TEACH
: Sure.

DON
(hands large coin-book to
TEACH
): I just picked it up last week.

TEACH
: Uh-hum.

DON
: All the values aren’t
current . . .

TEACH
: Uh-huh . . .

DON
:
Silver . . .

TEACH
(looking at book)
: Uh-huh . . .

DON
: What’s
rarity . . .

TEACH
: Well, that’s got to be fairly steady, huh?

DON
: I’m saying against what
isn’t.

TEACH
: Oh.

DON
: But the book gives you a general idea.

TEACH
: You’ve been looking at it?

DON
: Yeah.

TEACH
: You got to have a feeling for your subject.

DON
: The book can give you that.

TEACH
: This is what I’m saying to you. One thing. Makes all the difference in the world.

DON
: What?

TEACH
: Knowing what the fuck you’re talking about. And it’s so rare, Don. So rare.

What do you think a 1929 S Lincoln-head penny with the wheat on the back is worth?

DON
starts to speak.

Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! We got to know what condition we’re talking about.

DON
(Pause): Okay. What condition?