Topdog / Underdog (6 page)

 

Sure you could.

 

No.

Night, man.

 

Yeah.

 

Lincoln stretches out in his recliner.

Booth stands over him waiting for him to get up, to change his mind. But Lincoln is fast asleep.

Booth covers him with a blanket then goes to his bed, turning off the lights as he goes. He quietly rummages underneath his bed for a girlie magazine which, as the lights fade, he reads with great interest.

Saturday.

Just before dawn.

Lincoln gets up. Looks around.

Booth is fast asleep, dead to the world.

 

No fucking running water.

 

He stumbles around the room looking for something which he finally finds: a plastic cup, which he uses as a urinal.

He finishes peeing and finds an out of the way place to stow the cup. He claws at his Lincoln getup, removing it and tearing it in the process.

He strips down to his t-shirt and shorts.

 

Hate falling asleep in this damn shit. Shit. Ripped the beard. I can just hear em tomorrow. Busiest day of the week. They looking me over to make sure Im presentable. They got a slew of guys working but Im the only one they look over every day. “Yr beards ripped, pal. Sure, we’ll getcha new one but its gonna be coming outa yr pay.” Shit. I should quit right then and there. I’d yank off the beard, throw it on the ground and stomp it, then go strangle the fucking boss. Thatd be good. My hands around his neck and his bug eyes bugging out. You been ripping me off since I took this job and now Im gonna have to take it outa
yr
pay, motherfucker. Shit.

Sit down job. With benefits.

Hustling. Shit, I was good. I was great. Hell I was the be all end all. I was throwing cards like throwing cards was made for me. Made for me and me alone. I was the best anyone ever seen. Coast to coast. Everybody said so. And I never lost. Not once. Not one time. Not never. Thats how much them cards was mines. I was the be all end all. I was that good.

Then you woke up one day and you didnt have the taste for it no more. Like something in you knew—. Like something in you knew it was time to quit. Quit while you was still ahead. Something in you was telling you—. But hells no. Not Link thuh stink. So I went out there and threw one more time. What thuh fuck. And Lonny died.

Got yrself a good job. And when the arcade lets you go yll get another good job. I dont gotta spend my whole life hustling. Theres more to Link than that. More to me than some cheap hustle. More to life than cheating some idiot out of his paycheck or his life savings.

Like that joker and his wife from out of town. Always wanted to see the big city. I said you could see the bigger end of the big city with a little more cash. And if they was fast enough, faster than me, and here I slowed down my moves I slowed em way down and my Lonny, my right hand, my Stickman, Lonny could draw a customer in like nothing else, Lonny could draw a fly from fresh shit, he could draw Adam outa Eve just with that look he had, Lonny always got folks playing.

Somebody shot him. They dont know who. Nobody knows nobody cares.

We took that man and his wife for hundreds. No, thousands. We took them for everything they had and everything they ever wanted to have. We took a father for the money he was gonna get his kids new bike with and he cried in the street while we vanished. We took a mothers welfare check, she pulled a knife on us and we ran. She threw it but her aim werent shit. People shopping. Greedy. Thinking they could take me and they got took instead.

Swore off thuh cards. Something inside me telling me—. But I was good.

 

 

He sees a packet of cards.

He studies them like an alcoholic would study a drink. Then he reaches for them, delicately picking them up and choosing 3 cards.

 

Still got my moves. Still got my touch. Still got my chops. Thuh feel of it. And I aint hurting no one, God. Link is just here hustling hisself.

Lets see whatcha got.

 

He stands over the monte setup. Then he bends over it placing the cards down and moving them around.

Slowly at first, aimlessly, as if hes just making little ripples in water.

But then the game draws him in.

Unlike Booth, Lincolns patter and moves are deft, dangerous, electric.

 

(((Lean in close and watch me now: who see thuh black card who see thuh black card I see thuh black card black cards thuh winner pick thuh black card thats thuh winner pick thuh red card thats thuh loser pick thuh other red card thats thuh other loser pick thuh black card you pick thuh winner. Watch me as I throw thuh cards. Here we go.)))

(((Who see thuh black card who see thuh black card? You pick thuh red card you pick a loser you pick that red card you pick a loser you pick thuh black card thuh deuce of spades you pick a winner who sees thuh deuce of spades thuh one who sees it never fades watch me now as I throw
thuh cards. Red losers black winner follow thuh deuce of spades chase thuh black deuce. Dark deuce will get you thuh win.)))

 

Even though Lincoln speaks softly, Booth wakes and, unbeknownst to Lincoln, listens intently.

 

 

 

((10 will get you 20, 20 will get you 40.))

((Ima show you thuh cards: 2 red cards but only one spade. Dark winner in thuh center and thuh red losers on thuh sides. Pick uh red card you got a loser pick thuh other red card you got a loser pick thuh black card you got a winner. One good pickll get you in, 2 good picks and you gone win. Watch me come on watch me now.))

((Who sees thuh winner who knows where its at? You do? You sure? Go on then, put yr money where yr mouth is. Put yr money down you aint no clown. No? Ah, you had thuh card but you didnt have thuh heart.))

((Watch me now as I throw thuh cards watch me real close. Ok, man, you know which card is the deuce of spades? Was you watching Links lighting fast express? Was you watching Link cause he the best? So you sure, huh? Point it out first, then place yr bet and Linkll show you yr winner.))

((500 dollars? You thuh man of thuh hour you thuh man with thuh power. You musta been watching Link real close. You must be thuh man who know thuh most. Ok. Lay the cash in my hand cause Link the man. Thank you, mister. This card you say?))

((Wrong! Ha!))

((Thats thuh show. We gotta go.))

Lincoln puts the cards down. He moves away from the monte setup.

He sits on the edge of his easy chair, but he can’t take his eyes off the cards.

 

 

Intermission

Several days have passed.

Its now Wednesday night.

Booth is sitting in his brand-new suit. The monte setup is nowhere in sight.

In its place is a table with two nice chairs.

The table is covered with a lovely tablecloth and there are nice plates, silverware, champagne glasses and candles.

All the makings of a very romantic dinner for two.

The whole apartment in fact takes its cue from the table.

Its been cleaned up considerably.

New curtains on the windows, a doily-like object on the recliner.

Booth sits at the table darting his eyes around, making sure everything is looking good.

 

Shit.

 

He notices some of his girlie magazines visible from underneath his bed. He goes over and nudges them out of sight. He sits back down.

He notices that theyre still visible. He goes over and nudges them some more, kicking at them finally. Then he takes the spread from his bed and pulls it down, hiding them.

He sits back down. He gets up.

Checks the champagne on much melted ice.

Checks the food.

Foods getting cold, Grace!! Dont worry man, she’ll get here, she’ll get here.

 

He sits back down.

He goes over to the bed. Checks it for springiness.

Smoothes down the bedspread. Double-checks 2 matching silk dressing gowns, very expensive, marked “His” and “Hers.”

Lays the dressing gowns across the bed again.

He sits back down. He cant help but notice the visibility of the girlie magazines again. He goes to the bed, kicks them fiercely, then on his hands and knees shoves them. Then he begins to get under the bed to push them, but he remembers his nice clothing and takes off his jacket. After a beat he removes his pants and, in this half-dressed way, he crawls under the bed to give those telltale magazines a good and final shove.

Lincoln comes in.

At first Booth, still stripped down to his underwear, thinks its his date. When he realizes its his brother, he does his best to keep Lincoln from entering the apartment. Lincoln wears his frock coat and carries the rest of his getup in a plastic bag.

 

You in the middle of it?

 

What the hell you doing here?

 

If yr in thuh middle of it I can go. Or I can just be real quiet and just—sing a song in my head or something.

 

The casas off limits to you tonight.

 

You know when we lived in that 2-room place with the cement backyard and the frontyard with nothing but trash in
it, Mom and Pops would do it in the middle of the night and I would always hear them but I would sing in my head, cause, I dunno, I couldnt bear to listen.

 

You gotta get out of here.

 

I would make up all kinds of songs. Oh, sorry, yr all up in it. No sweat, bro. No sweat. Hey, Grace, howyadoing?!

 

She aint here yet, man. Shes running late. And its a good thing too cause I aint all dressed yet. Yr gonna spend thuh night with friends?

 

Yeah.

 

Booth waits for Lincoln to leave. Lincoln stands his ground.

 

I lost my job.

 

Hunh.

 

I come in there right on time like I do every day and that motherfucker gives me some song and dance about cutbacks and too many folks complaining.

 

Hunh.

 

Showd me thuh wax dummy—hes buying it right out of a catalog.

I walked out still wearing my getup.

I could go back in tomorrow. I could tell him I’ll take another pay cut. Thatll get him to take me back.

 

Link. Yr free. Dont go crawling back. Yr free at last! Now you can do anything you want. Yr not tied down by that job. You can—you can do something else. Something that pays better maybe.

 

You mean Hustle.

 

Maybe. Hey, Graces on her way. You gotta go.

 

Lincoln flops into his chair.

Booth is waiting for him to move. Lincoln doesnt budge.

 

I’ll stay until she gets here. I’ll act nice. I wont embarrass you.

 

You gotta go.

 

What time she coming?

 

Shes late. She could be here any second.

 

I’ll meet her. I met her years ago. I’ll meet her again.

How late is she?

 

She was supposed to be here at 8.

 

Its after 2 a.m. Shes—shes late.

Maybe when she comes you could put the blanket over me and I’ll just pretend like Im not here.

I’ll wait. And when she comes I’ll go. I need to sit down. I been walking around all day.

 

 

Booth goes to his bed and dresses hurriedly.

 

Pretty nice, right? The china thuh silver thuh crystal.

 

Its great.

Boosted?

 

Yeah.

 

Thought you went and spent yr inheritance for a minute, you had me going I was thinking shit, Booth—3-Card—that 3-Cards gone and spent his inheritance and the gal is—late.