Topdog / Underdog by Suzan Lori Parks Page A

that getup that motherdisfuckinguise anywhere in the daddy-dicksticking vicinity of my humble abode.

    Lincoln takes off the beard.
     
    Lincoln
    Better?
     
    Booth
    Take off the damn coat too. Damn, man. Bad enough you got to wear that shit all day you come up in here wearing it. What my women gonna say?
     
    Lincoln
    What women?
     
    Booth
    I got a date with Grace tomorrow. Shes in love with me again but she dont know it yet. Aint no man can love her the way I can. She sees you in that getup its gonna reflect bad on me. She coulda seen you coming down the street. Shit. Could be standing outside right now taking her ring off and throwing it on the sidewalk.
     
    Booth takes a peek out the window.
     
    Booth
    I got her this ring today. Diamond. Well, diamond-esque, but it looks just as good as the real thing. Asked her what size she wore. She say 7 so I go boost a size 6 and a half, right? Show it to her and she loves it and I shove it on her finger and its a tight fit right, so she cant just take it off on a whim, like she did the last one I gave her. Smooth, right?
     
    Booth takes another peek out the window.
     
    Lincoln
    She out there?
     
    Booth
    Nope. Coast is clear.
     
    Lincoln
    You boosted a ring?

    Booth
    Yeah. I thought about spending my inheritance on it but—take off that damn coat, man, you make me nervous standing there looking like a spook, and that damn face paint, take it off. You should take all of it off at work and leave it there.
     
    Lincoln
    I dont bring it home someone might steal it.
     
    Booth
    At least take it off there, then.
     
    Lincoln
    Yeah.
    (Rest)
     
    Lincoln takes off the frock coat and applies cold cream, removing the whiteface.
     
    Lincoln
    I was riding the bus. Really I only had a minute to make my bus and I was sitting in the arcade thinking, should I change into my street clothes or should I make the bus? Nobody was in there today anyway. Middle of the week middle of winter. Not like on weekends. Weekends the place is packed. So Im riding the bus home. And this kid asked me for my autograph. I pretended I didnt hear him at first. I’d had a long day. But he kept asking. Theyd just done Lincoln in history class and he knew all about him, he’d been to the arcade but, I dunno, for some reason he was tripping cause there was Honest Abe right beside him on the bus. I wanted to tell him to go fuck hisself. But then I got a look at him. A little rich kid. Born on easy street, you know the type. So I waited until I could tell he really wanted it, the autograph, and I told him he could have it for 10 bucks. I was gonna say 5, cause of the Lincoln connection but something in me made me ask for 10.
     
    Booth
    But he didnt have a 10. All he had was a penny. So you took the penny.

    Lincoln
    All he had was a 20 . So I took the 20 and told him to meet me on the bus tomorrow and Honest Abe would give him the change.
     
    Booth
    Shit.
     
    Lincoln
    Shit is right.
    (Rest)
     
    Booth
    Whatd you do with thuh 20?
     
    Lincoln
    Bought drinks at Luckys. A round for everybody. They got a kick out of the getup.
     
    Booth
    You shoulda called me down.
     
    Lincoln
    Next time, bro.
    (Rest)
    You making bookshelves? With the milk crates, you making bookshelves?
     
    Booth
    Yeah, big bro, Im making bookshelves.
     
    Lincoln
    Whats the cardboard part for?
     
    Booth
    Versatility.
     
    Lincoln
    Oh.

    Booth
    I was thinking we dont got no bookshelves we dont got no dining room table so Im making a sorta modular unit you put the books in the bottom and the table top on top. We can eat and store our books. We could put the photo album in there.
     
    Booth gets the raggedy family photo album and puts it in the milk crate.
     
    Booth
    Youd sit there, I’d sit on the edge of the bed. Gathered around the dinner table. Like old times.
     
    Lincoln
    We just gotta get some books but thats great, Booth, thats real great.
     
    Booth
    Dont be calling me Booth no more, K?
     
    Lincoln
    You changing yr