American Buffalo by David Mamet

Author:David Mamet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

*Some portions of the dialogue appear in parentheses, which serve to mark a slight change of outlook on the part of the speaker—perhaps a momentary change to a more introspective regard.—D.M.

ACT II

Don’s Resale Shop. 11:15 that evening. The shop is darkened. DON is alone. He is holding the telephone to his ear.

DON: Great. Great great great great great.

Pause.

(Cocksucking fuckhead . . .)

Pause.

This is greatness.

DON hangs up phone. BOB appears in the door to the shop.

What are you doing here?

BOB: I came here.

DON: For what?

BOB: I got to talk to you.

DON: Why?

BOB: Business.

DON: Yeah?

BOB: I need some money.

DON: What for?

BOB: Nothing. I can pay for it.

DON: For what?

BOB: This guy. I found a coin.

DON: A coin?

BOB: A buffalo-head.

DON: Nickel?

BOB: Yeah. You want it?

Pause.

DON: What are you doing here, Bob?

BOB: I need money.

DON picks up phone and dials. He lets it ring as he talks to BOB.

You want it?

DON: What?

BOB: My buffalo.

DON: Lemme look at it.

Pause.

I got to look at it to know do I want it.

BOB: You don’t know if you want it?

DON: I probably want it . . . what I’m saying, if it’s worth anything.

BOB: It’s a buffalo, it’s worth something.

DON: The question is but what. It’s just like everything else, Bob. Like every other fucking thing. (Pause. He hangs up phone.) Were you at The Riv?

BOB: Before.

DON: Is Fletch over there?

BOB: No.

DON: Teach?

BOB: NO. Ruth and Gracie was there for a minute.

DON: What the fuck does that mean?

Pause.

BOB: Nothing.

Pause.

Only they were there.

Pause.

I didn’t mean anything . . . my nickel . . . I can tell you what it is.

Pause.

I can tell you what it is.

DON: What? What date it is? That don’t mean shit.

BOB: No?

DON: Come on, Bobby? What’s important in a coin . . .

BOB: . . . yeah?

DON: What condition it’s in . . .

BOB: (Great.)

DON: . . . if you can (I don’t know . . .) count the hair on the Indian, something. You got to look it up.

BOB: In the book?

DON: Yes.

BOB: Okay. And then you know.

DON: Well, no. What I’m saying, the book is like you use it like an indicator (I mean, right off with silver prices . . . so on . . .) (He hangs up phone.) Shit.

BOB: What?

DON: What do you want for the coin?

BOB: What it’s worth only.

DON: Okay, we’ll look it up.

BOB: But you still don’t know.

DON: But you got an idea, Bob. You got an idea you can deviate from.

Pause.

BOB: The other guy went ninety bucks.

DON: He was a fuckin’ sucker, Bob.

Pause.

Am I a sucker? (Bob, I’m busy here. You see?)

BOB: Some coins are worth that.

DON: Oddities, Bob. Freak oddities of nature. What are we talking about here? The silver? The silver’s maybe three times face. You want fifteen cents for it?

BOB: No.

DON: So, okay. So what do you want for it?

BOB: What it’s worth.

DON: Let me see it.

BOB: Why?

DON: To look in the goddamn . . . Forget it. Forget it. Don’t let me see it.

BOB: But the book don’t mean shit.

DON: The book gives us ideas, Bob.

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