Free Topdog / Underdog by Suzan Lori Parks

yr eyes aint fast. And you cant help it if you got 2 left hands, right? Throwing cards aint thuh whole world. You got other shit going for you. You got Grace.
     
    Booth
    Right.
     
    Lincoln
    Whassamatter?
     
    Booth
    Mm.
     
    Lincoln
    Whatsup?
     
    Booth
    Nothing.
     
    Lincoln
    (Rest)
    It takes a certain kind of understanding to be able to play this game.

    (Rest) I still got thuh moves, dont I?
     
    Booth
    Yeah you still got thuh moves.
     
    Lincoln cant help himself. He chuckles.
     
    Lincoln
    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.
     
    Lincoln
    Woah, she sure did tie this up tight, didnt she?
     
    Booth
    Yeah. I aint opened it since she gived it to me.
     
    Lincoln
    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.
     
    Booth
    I been saving it.
    (Rest) Oh, dont open it, man.
     
    Lincoln
    How come?
     
    Booth
    You won it man, you dont gotta go opening it.
     
    Lincoln
    We gotta see whats in it.

    Booth
    We know whats in it. Dont open it.
     
    Lincoln
    You are a chump, bro. There could be millions in here! There could be nothing! I’ll open it.
     
    Booth
    Dont.
     
    Lincoln Booth
     
    (Rest)
     
    Lincoln
    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?
     
    Booth
    She was for real.
     
    Lincoln
    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.
     
    Booth
    Fuck you. Fuck you FUCK YOU FUCK YOU !!
     
    Lincoln
    Whatever, man. Damn this knot is tough. Ima cut it.
     
    Lincoln reaches in his boot, pulling out a knife.
    He chuckles all the while.
     
    Lincoln
    Im not laughing at you, bro, Im just laughing.
     
    Booth chuckles with him.
    Lincoln holds the knife high, ready to cut the stocking.
     
    Lincoln
    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.
     
    Booth
    I popped her.
     
    Lincoln
    Huh?
     
    Booth
    Grace. I popped her. Grace.
    (Rest)
    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.
    (Rest)

    She aint dead.
    (Rest)
    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