by David Mamet
Levene: Why?
Williamson: Because I don’t like you.
Levene: John: John: . . . my daughter . . .
Williamson: Fuck you. (Roma comes out of the Detective’s door. Williamson goes in.)
Roma (To Baylen): Asshole . . . (To Levene:) Guy couldn’t find his fuckin’ couch the living room . . . Ah, Christ . . . what a day, what a day . . . I haven’t even had a cup of coffee. . . . Jagoff John opens his mouth he blows my Cadillac. . . . (Sighs.) I swear . . . it’s not a world of men . . . it’s not a world of men, Machine . . . it’s a world of clock watchers, bureaucrats, officeholders . . . what it is, it’s a fucked-up world . . . there’s no adventure to it. (Pause.) Dying breed. Yes it is. (Pause.) We are the members of a dying breed. That’s . . . that’s . . . that’s why we have to stick together. Shel: I want to talk to you. I’ve wanted to talk to you for some time. For a long time, actually. I said, “The Machine, there’s a man I would work with. There’s a man. . . .” You know? I never said a thing, I should have, don’t know why I didn’t. And that shit you were slinging on my guy today was so good . . . it . . . it was, and, excuse me, ‘cause it isn’t even my place to say it. It was admirable . . . it was the old stuff. Hey, I’ve been on a hot streak, so what? There’s things that I could learn from you. You eat today?
Levene: Me.
Roma: Yeah.
Levene: Mm.
Roma: Well, you want to swing by the Chinks, watch me eat, we’ll talk?
Levene: I think I’d better stay here for a while.
Baylen sticks his head out of the room:
Baylen: Mr. Levene . . . ?
Roma: You’re done, come down and let’s . . .
Baylen: Would you come in here, please?
Roma: And let’s put this together. Okay? Shel? Say okay. (Pause.)
Levene (Softly, to himself): Huh.
Baylen: Mr. Levene, I think we have to talk.
Roma: I’m going to the Chinks. You’re done, come down, we’re going to smoke a cigarette.
Levene: I . . .
Baylen (Comes over):. . . Get in the room.
Roma: Hey, hey, hey, easy friend, That’s the “Machine.” That is Shelly “The Machine” Lev . . .
Baylen: Get in the goddamn room. (Baylen starts manhandling Shelly into the room.)
Levene: Ricky, I . . .
Roma: Okay, okay, I’ll be at the resta . . .
Levene: Ricky . . .
Baylen: “Ricky” can’t help you, pal.
Levene: . . . I only want to . . .
Baylen: Yeah. What do you want? You want to what? (He pushes Levene into the room, closes the door behind him. Pause.)
Roma: Williamson: listen to me: when the leads come in . . . listen to me: when the leads come in I want my top two off the list. For me. My usual two. Anything you give Levene . . .
Williamson: . . . I wouldn’t worry about it.
Roma: Well I’m going to worry about it, and so are you, so shut up and listen. (Pause.) I GET HIS ACTION. My stuff is mine, whatever he gets for himself, I’m talking half. You put me in with him.
Aaronow enters.
Aaronow: Did they . . . ?
Roma: You understand?
Aaronow: Did they catch . . . ?
Roma: Do you understand? My stuff is mine, his stuff is ours. I’m taking half of his commissions—now, you work it out.
Williamson: Mmm.
Aaronow: Did they find the guy who broke into the office yet?
Roma: No. I don’t know. (Pause.)
Aaronow: Did the leads come in yet?
Roma: No.
Aaronow (Settling into a desk chair): Oh, God, I hate this job.
Roma (Simultaneous with “job,” exiting the office): I’ll be at the restaurant.
