Topdog / Underdog (11 page)

Whatsup?

 

Nothing.

 

It takes a certain kind of understanding to be able to play this game.

(Rest)
I still got thuh moves, dont I?

 

Yeah you still got thuh moves.

 

Lincoln cant help himself. He chuckles.

 

I aint laughing at you, bro, Im just laughing. Shit there is so much to this game. This game is—there is just so much to it.

 

Lincoln, still chuckling, flops down in the easy chair. He takes up the nylon stocking and fiddles with the knot.

 

Woah, she sure did tie this up tight, didnt she?

 

Yeah. I aint opened it since she gived it to me.

 

Yr kidding. 500 and you aint never opened it? Shit. Sure is tied tight. She said heres 500 bucks and you didnt undo thuh knot to get a look at the cash? You aint needed to take a peek in all these years? Shit. I woulda opened it right away. Just a little peek.

 

I been saving it.

(Rest)
Oh, dont open it, man.

 

How come?

 

You won it man, you dont gotta go opening it.

 

We gotta see whats in it.

We
know
whats in it. Dont open it.

 

You are a chump, bro. There could be millions in here! There could be nothing! I’ll open it.

 

Dont.

 

 

 

Shit this knot aint coming out. I could cut it, but that would spoil the whole effect, wouldnt it? Shit. Sorry. I aint laughing at you Im just laughing. Theres so much about those cards. You think you can learn them just by watching and just by playing but there is more to them cards than that. And—. Tell me something, Mr. 3-Card, she handed you this stocking and she said there was money in it and then she split and you say you didnt open it. Howd you know she was for real?

 

She was for real.

 

How you know? She coulda been jiving you, bro. Jiving you that there really
was
money in this thing. Jiving you big time. Its like thuh cards. And ooooh you certainly was persistent. But you was in such a hurry to learn thuh last move that you didnt bother learning thuh first one. That was yr mistake. Cause its thuh first move that separates thuh Player from thuh Played. And thuh first move is to know that there aint no winning. Taadaaa! It may look like you got a chance but the only time you pick right is when thuh man lets you. And when its thuh real deal, when its thuh real fucking deal, bro, and thuh moneys on thuh line, thats when
thuh man wont want you picking right. He will want you picking wrong so he will make you pick wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Ooooh, you thought you was finally happening, didnt you? You thought yr ship had come in or some shit, huh? Thought you was uh Player. But I played you, bro.

 

Fuck you. Fuck you FUCK YOU
FUCK YOU
!!

 

Whatever, man. Damn this knot is tough. Ima cut it.

 

Lincoln reaches in his boot, pulling out a knife.

He chuckles all the while.

 

Im not laughing at you, bro, Im just laughing.

 

Booth chuckles with him.

Lincoln holds the knife high, ready to cut the stocking.

 

Turn yr head. You may not wanna look.

 

Booth turns away slightly. They both continue laughing.

Lincoln brings the knife down to cut the stocking.

 

I popped her.

 

Huh?

 

Grace. I popped her. Grace.

Who thuh fuck she think she is doing me like she done? Telling me I dont got nothing going on. I showed her what

I got going on. Popped her good. Twice. 3 times. Whatever.

She aint dead.

She werent wearing my ring I gived her. Said it was too small. Fuck that. Said it hurt her. Fuck that. Said she was into bigger things.
Fuck
that. Shes alive not to worry, she aint going out that easy, shes alive shes shes—.

 

Dead. Shes—

 

Dead.

 

Ima give you back yr stocking, man. Here, bro—

 

Only so long I can stand that little brother shit. Can only take it so long. Im telling you—

 

Take it back, man—

 

That little bro shit had to go—

 

Cool—

 

Like Booth went—

 

Here, 3-Card—

 

That Booth shit is over. 3-Cards thuh man now—

 

Ima give you yr stocking back, 3-Card—

Who thuh man now, huh? Who thuh man now?! Think you can fuck with me, motherfucker think again motherfucker think again! Think you can take me like Im just some chump some two lefthanded pussy dickbreath chump who you can take and then go laugh at. Aint laughing at me you was just laughing bunch uh bullshit and you know it.

 

Here. Take it.

 

I aint gonna be needing it. Go on. You won it you open it.

 

No thanks.

 

Open it open it open it open it.
OPEN IT!!!

Open it up, bro.

 

 

Lincoln brings the knife down to cut the stocking.

In a flash, Booth grabs Lincoln from behind.

He pulls his gun and thrusts it into the left side of Lincolns neck.

They stop there poised.

 

Dont.

 

Booth shoots Lincoln.

Lincoln slumps forward, falling out of his chair and onto the floor. He lies there dead.

Booth paces back and forth, like a panther in a cage, holding his gun.

Think you can take my shit? My shit. That shit was mines.

I kept it. Saved it. All this while. Through thick and through thin. Through fucking thick and through fucking thin, motherfucker. And you just gonna come up in here and mock my shit and call me two lefthanded talking bout how she coulda been jiving me then go steal from me? My
inheritance
. You stole my
inheritance
, man. That aint right. That aint right and you know it. You had yr own. And you blew it. You
blew it
, motherfucker! I saved mines and you blew yrs. Thinking you all that and blew yr shit. And I
saved
mines.

You aint gonna be needing yr fucking money-roll no more, dead motherfucker, so I will pocket it thank you.

Watch me close watch me close now: Ima go out there and make a name for myself that dont have nothing to do with you. And 3-Cards gonna be in everybodys head and in everybodys mouth like Link was.

Ima take back my inheritance too. It was mines anyhow. Even when you stole it from me it was still mines cause she gave it to me. She didnt give it to you. And I been saving it all this while.

 

He bends to pick up the money-filled stocking.

Then he just crumples. As he sits beside Lincolns body, the money-stocking falls away.

Booth holds Lincolns body, hugging him close. He sobs.

 

 

 

End of Play

Topdog/Underdog
is copyright © 1999, 2001, 2002 by Suzan-Lori Parks

 

Topdog/Underdog
is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156.

 

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Parks, Suzan-Lori.

eISBN : 978-1-559-36624-3

1. Brothers—Drama. 2. Sibling rivalry—Drama.
I. Title: Topdog/underdog. II Title.
PS3566.A736 T66 2001
812’.54—dc21 2001027316

 

Text design and composition by Lisa Govan