Topdog / Underdog (8 page)

I’ll be thuh Stickman, then.

 

Stickman knows the game inside out. You aint there yet. But you will be. You wanna learn good, be my Sideman. Playing along with the Dealer, moving the Mark to lay his money down. You wanna learn, right?

 

I’ll be thuh Side.

 

Good.

First thing you learn is what is. Next thing you learn is what aint. You dont know what is you dont know what aint, you dont know shit.

 

Right.

 

 

Whatchu looking at?

 

Im sizing you up.

Oh yeah?!

 

Dealer always sizes up thuh crowd.

 

Im yr Side, Link, Im on yr team, you dont go sizing up yr own team. You save looks like that for yr Mark.

 

Dealer always sizes up thuh crowd. Everybody out there is part of the crowd. His crew is part of the crowd, he himself is part of the crowd. Dealer always sizes up thuh crowd.

 

Lincoln looks Booth over some more then looks around at an imaginary crowd.

 

Then what then what?

 

Dealer dont wanna play.

 

Bullshit man! Come on you promised!

 

Thats thuh Dealers attitude. He
acts
like he dont wanna play. He holds back and thuh crowd, with their eagerness to see his skill and their willingness to take a chance, and their greediness to win his cash, the larceny in their hearts, all goad him on and push him to throw his cards, although of course the Dealer has been wanting to throw his cards all along. Only he dont never show it.

 

Thats some sneaky shit, Link.

It sets thuh mood. You wanna have them in yr hand before you deal a hand, K?

 

Cool.—K.

 

Right.

 

 

You sizing me up again?

 

Theres 2 parts to throwing thuh cards. Both parts are fairly complicated. Thuh moves and thuh grooves, thuh talk and thuh walk, thuh patter and thuh pitter pat, thuh flap and thuh rap: what yr doing with yr mouth and what yr doing with yr hands.

 

I got thuh words down pretty good.

 

You need to work on both.

 

K.

 

A goodlooking walk and a dynamite talk captivates their entire attention. The Mark focuses with 2 organs primarily: his eyes and his ears. Leave one out you lose yr shirt. Captivate both, yr golden.

 

So them times I seen you lose, them times I seen thuh Mark best you, that was a time when yr hands werent fast enough or yr patter werent right.

You could say that.

 

So, there was plenty of times—

 

Lincoln moves the cards around.

 

You see what Im doing? Dont look at my hands, man, look at my eyes. Know what is and know what aint.

 

What is?

 

My eyes.

 

What aint?

 

My hands. Look at my eyes not my hands. And you standing there thinking how thuh fuck I gonna learn how tuh throw thuh cards if I be looking in his eyes? Look into my eyes and get yr focus. Dont think about learning how tuh throw thuh cards. Dont think about nothing. Just look into my eyes. Get yr focus.

 

Theyre red.

 

Look into my eyes.

 

You been crying?

 

Just look into my eyes, fool. Now. Look down at thuh cards. I been moving and moving and moving them around. Ready?

Yeah.

 

Ok, Sideman, thuh Marks got his eye on you. Yr gonna show him its easy.

 

K.

 

Pick out thuh deuce of spades. Dont pick it up just point to it.

 

This one, right?

 

Dont ask thuh Dealer if yr right, man, point to yr card with confidence.

 

Booth points.

 

That one.

Flip it over, man.

 

Lincoln flips over the card. It is in fact the deuce of spades. Booth struts around gloating like a rooster. Lincoln is mildly crestfallen.

 

Am I right or am I right?! Make room for 3-Card! Here comes thuh champ!

 

Cool. Stay focused. Now we gonna add the second element. Listen.

 

Lincoln moves the cards and speaks in a low hypnotic voice.

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. One good pickll get you in 2 good picks you gone win. 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. Watch me watch me watch me now.

(Rest)
Ok, 3-Card, you know which cards thuh deuce of spades?

 

Yeah.

 

You sure? Yeah? You sure you sure or you just think you sure? Oh you sure you sure huh? Was you watching Links lighting fast express? Was you watching Link cause he the best? So you sure, huh? Point it out. Now, place yr bet and Linkll turn over yr card.

 

What should I bet?

 

Dont bet nothing man, we just playing. Slap me 5 and point out thuh deuce.

Booth slaps Lincoln 5, then points out a card which Lincoln flips over. It is in fact again the deuce of spades.

 

Yeah, baby! 3-Card got thuh moves! You didnt know lil bro had thuh stuff, huh? Think again, Link, think again.

 

You wanna learn or you wanna run yr mouth?

 

Thought you had fast hands. Wassup? What happened tuh “Links Lightning Fast Express”? Turned into uh local train looks like tuh me.

 

Thats yr whole motherfucking problem. Yr so busy running yr mouth you aint never gonna learn nothing! You think you something but you aint shit.

 

I aint shit, I am
The
Shit. Shit. Wheres thuh dark deuce? Right there! Yes, baby!

 

Ok, 3-Card. Cool. Lets switch. Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got. Go on. Dont touch thuh cards too heavy just—its a light touch. Like yr touching Graces skin. Or, whatever, man, just a light touch. Like uh whisper.

 

Like uh whisper.

 

Booth moves the cards around, in an awkward imitation of his brother.

 

Good.

 

Yeah. All right. Look into my eyes.

Booths speech is loud and his movements are jerky.

He is doing worse than when he threw the cards at the top of the play.

 

Watch-me-close-watch-me-close-now: who-see-thuh-black-card-who-see-thuh-black-card? I-see-thuh-black-card. Here-it-is. Thuh-black-card-is-thuh-winner. Pick-thuh-black-card-and-you-pick-uh-winner. Pick-uh-red-card-and-you-pick-uh-loser. Theres-thuh-loser-yeah-theres-thuh-red-card, theres-thuh-other-loser-and-theres-thuh-black-card, thuh-winner. Watch-me-close-watch-me-close-now: 3-Card-throws-thuh-cards-lightning-fast. 3-Card-thats-me-and-Ima-last. Watch-me-throw-cause-here-I-go. See thuh black card? Yeah? Who see I see you see thuh black card?

 

Hahahahhahahahahahahah!

 

Lincoln doubles over laughing.

Booth puts on his coat and pockets his gun.

 

What?

 

Nothing, man, nothing.

 

 

Yr just, yr just a little wild with it. You talk like that on thuh street cards or no cards and theyll lock you up, man. Shit. Reminds me of that time when you hung with us and we let you try being thuh Stick cause you wanted to so bad. Thuh hustle was so simple. Remember? I told you that when I put my hand in my left pocket you was to get thuh Mark tuh pick thuh card on that side. You got to thinking something like Links left means my left some dyslexic shit and turned thuh wrong card. There was 800 bucks on the line and you fucked it up.

But it was cool, little bro, cause we made the money back. It worked out cool.

So, yeah, I said a light touch, little bro. Throw thuh cards light. Like uh whisper.

 

Like Graces skin.

 

Like Graces skin.

 

What time is it?

 

Lincoln holds up his watch. Booth takes a look.

 

Bitch.
Bitch!
She said she was gonna show up around 8. 8-a-fucking-clock.

 

Maybe she meant 8
a.m
.

 

Yeah. She gonna come all up in my place talking bout how she
love
me. How she cant stop
thinking
bout me. Nother mans shit up in her nother mans thing in her nother mans dick on her breath.

 

Maybe something happened to her.

 

Something happened to her all right. She trying to make a chump outa me. I aint her chump. I aint nobodys chump.

 

Sit. I’ll go to the payphone on the corner. I’ll—

Thuh world puts its foot in yr face and you dont move. You tell thuh world tuh keep on stepping. But Im my own man, Link. I aint you.

 

Booth goes out, slamming the door behind him.

 

You got that right.

 

After a moment Lincoln picks up the cards.

He moves them around fast, faster, faster.

Thursday night.

The room looks empty, as if neither brother is home.

Lincoln comes in.

Hes high on liquor. He strides in, leaving the door slightly ajar.

 

 

Taaadaaaa!

Taadaa, motherfucker. Taadaa!

Booth—uh, 3-Card—you here? Nope. Good. Just as well.

Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha
!

 

He pulls an enormous wad of money from his pocket. He counts it, slowly and luxuriously, arranging and smoothing the bills and sounding the amounts under his breath.

He neatly rolls up the money, secures it with a rubber band and puts it back in his pocket. He relaxes in his chair.

Then he takes the money out again, counting it all over again, but this time quickly, with the touch of an expert hustler.

 

You didnt go back, Link, you got back, you got it back you got yr shit back in thuh saddle, man, you got back in business. Walking in Luckys and you seen how they was
looking at you? Lucky starts pouring for you when you walk in. And the women. You see how they was looking at you? Bought drinks for everybody. Bought drinks for Lucky. Bought drinks for Luckys damn dog. Shit. And thuh women be hanging on me and purring. And I be feeling that old call of thuh wild calling. I got more phone numbers in my pockets between thuh time I walked out that door and thuh time I walked back in than I got in my whole life. Cause my shit is
back
. And back better than it was when it left too. Shoot. Who thuh man? Link. Thats right. Purrrrring all up on me and letting me touch them and promise them shit. 3 of them sweethearts in thuh restroom on my dick all at once and I was
there
my shit was there. And Cookie just went out of my mind which is cool which is very cool. 3 of them. Fighting over it. Shit. Cause they knew I’d been throwing thuh cards. Theyd seen me on thuh corner with thuh old crew or if they aint seed me with they own eyes theyd heard word. Links thuh stink! Theyd heard word and they seed uh sad face on some poor sucker or a tear in thuh eye of some stupid fucking tourist and they figured it was me whod just took thuh suckers last dime, it was me who had all thuh suckers loot. They knew. They knew.