Glengarry Glen Ross (7 page)

Roma:
Three
business
days. They mean three
business
days.

Lingk:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Roma:
I don’t understand.

Lingk:
That’s what they are. Three business . . . if I wait till Monday, my time limit runs out.

Roma:
You don’t count Saturday.

Lingk:
I’m not.

Roma:
No, I’m saying you don’t include Saturday . . . in your three days. It’s not a
business
day.

Lingk:
But I’m not
counting
it.
(Pause.)
Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. So it would have elapsed.

Roma:
What would have elapsed?

Lingk:
If we wait till Mon . . .

Roma:
When did you write the check?

Lingk:
Yest . . .

Roma:
What was yesterday?

Lingk:
Tuesday.

Roma:
And when was that check cashed?

Lingk:
I don’t know.

Roma:
What was the
earliest
it could have been cashed?
(Pause.)

Lingk:
I don’t know.

Roma:
Today. (Pause.) Today.
Which, in any case, it was not, as there were a couple of points on the agreement I wanted to go over with you in any case.

Lingk:
The check wasn’t cashed?

Roma:
I just called downtown, and it’s on their desk.

Levene:
Rick . . .

Roma:
One moment, I’ll be right with you.
(To
Lingk
:)
In fact, a . . .
one
point, which I spoke to you of which
(Looks around.)
I can’t talk to you about here.

Detective
puts his head out of the doorway.

Baylen:
Levene!!!

Lingk:
I, I . . .

Roma:
Listen to me, the
statute,
it’s for your protection. I have no complaints with that, in fact: I was a member of the board when we
drafted
it, so quite the
opposite.
It
says
that you can change your
mind three working days from the time the deal is closed.

Baylen:
Levene!

Roma:
Which, wait a second, which is not until the check is cashed.

Baylen:
Levene!!

Aaronow
comes out of the
Detective’s
office.

Aaronow:
I’m
through,
with
this
fucking meshugaas. No one should talk to a man that way. How are you
talking
to me that . . . ?

Baylen:
Levene! (Williamson
puts his head out of the office
.
)

Aaronow:
. . . how can you
talk
to me that . . . that . . .

Levene
(To
Roma
):
Rick, I’m going to flag a cab.

Aaronow:
I
didn’t rob . . .

Williamson
sees
Levene.

Williamson:
Shelly: get in the office.

Aaronow:
I
didn’t . . . why should
I
. . . “Where were you last . . .” Is anybody listening to me . . . ? Where’s Moss . . . ? Where . . . ?

Baylen:
Levene?
(To
Williamson
:)
Is this Lev . . . (Baylen
accosts
Lingk.)

Levene
(Taking
Baylen
into the office):
Ah. Ah. Perhaps I can advise you on that. . . .
(To
Roma
and
Lingk,
as he exits:) Excuse
us, will you . . . ?

Aaronow
(Simultaneous with
Levene’s
speech above)
: . . . Come in here . . . I
work
here, I don’t come in here to be
mistreated
. . .

Williamson:
Go to
lunch,
will you . . .

Aaronow:
I want to
work
today, that’s why I came

Williamson:
The leads come in, I’ll let . . .

Aaronow:
. . . that’s why I came in. I thought I . . .

Williamson:
Just go to lunch.

Aaronow:
I don’t
want
to go to lunch.

Williamson:
Go to lunch, George.

Aaronow:
Where does he get off to talk that way to a working man? It’s not . . .

Williamson
(Buttonholes him):
Will you take it outside, we have people trying to do
business
here . . .

Aaronow:
That’s what, that’s what, that’s what
I
was trying to do.
(Pause.)
That’s why I came
in
. . . I meet
gestapo
tac . . .

Williamson
(Going back into his office):
Excuse me . . .

Aaronow:
I meet
gestapo
tactics . . . I meet
gestapo
tactics . . . . That’s not right. . . . No man has the right to . . . “Call an attorney,” that means you’re guilt . . . you’re under sus . . . “Co . . . ,” he says, “cooperate” or we’ll go downtown.
That’s
not . . . as long as I’ve . . .

Williamson
(Bursting out of his office):
Will you get out of here. Will you get
out
of here. Will you. I’m trying to run an
office
here. Will you go to lunch? Go to lunch. Will you go to lunch?
(Retreats into office
.
)

Roma
(To
Aaronow
):
Will you excuse . . .

Aaronow:
Where did Moss . . . ? I . . .

Roma:
Will you excuse us please?

Aaronow:
Uh, uh, did he go to the restaurant?
(Pause.)
I . . . I . . .
(Exits.)

Roma:
I’m
very
sorry, Jimmy. I apologize to you.

Lingk:
It’s not me, it’s my wife.

Roma
(Pause.):
What is?

Lingk:
I told you.

Roma:
Tell me again.

Lingk:
What’s going on here?

Roma:
Tell me again. Your wife.

Lingk:
I told you.

Roma:
You tell me again.

Lingk:
She wants her money back.

Roma:
We’re going to speak to her.

Lingk:
No. She told me “right now.”

Roma:
We’ll speak to her, Jim . . .

Lingk:
She won’t listen.

Detective
sticks his head out.

Baylen:
Roma.

Lingk:
She told me if not, I have to call the State’s attorney.

Roma:
No, no. That’s just something she “said.” We don’t have to do that.

Lingk:
She told me I
have
to.

Roma:
No, Jim.

Lingk:
I
do.
If I don’t get my
money
back . . .

Williamson
points out
Roma
to
Baylen.

Baylen:
Roma!
(To
Roma
:)
I’m talking to you . . .

Roma:
I’ve . . . look.
(Generally:)
Will someone get this guy off my back.

Baylen:
You have a problem?

Roma:
Yes, I have a problem. Yes, I
do,
my fr . . . It’s not me that ripped the joint off, I’m doing
business.
I’ll be with you in a
while.
You got it . . . ?
(Looks back.
Lingk
is heading for the door.)
Where are you going?

Lingk:
I’m . . .

Roma:
Where are you going . . . ? This is
me.
. . . This is Ricky, Jim. Jim, anything you
want,
you
want
it, you
have
it. You understand? This is
me.
Something
upset
you. Sit down, now sit down. You tell me what it is.
(Pause.)
Am I going to help you fix it? You’re goddamned right I am. Sit down. Tell you something . . . ?
Sometimes
we need someone from
outside.
It’s . . . no, sit down. . . . Now
talk
to me.

Lingk:
I can’t negotiate.

Roma:
What does that mean?

Lingk:
That . . .

Roma:
. . . what, what,
say
it. Say it to me . . .

Lingk:
I . . .

Roma:
What . . . ?

Lingk:
I . . .

Roma:
What . . . ? Say the words.

Lingk:
I don’t have the
power. (Pause.)
I said it.

Roma:
What power?

Lingk:
The power to negotiate.

Roma:
To negotiate what?
(Pause.)
To negotiate what?

Lingk:
This.

Roma:
What, “this"?
(Pause.)

Lingk:
The deal.

Roma:
The “deal,”
forget
the deal.
Forget
the deal, you’ve got something on your mind, Jim, what is it?

Lingk
(rising):
I can’t talk to you,
you
met my wife, I . . .
(Pause.)

Roma:
What?
(Pause.)
What?
(Pause.)
What, Jim: I tell you what, let’s get out of here . . . let’s go get a drink.

Lingk:
She told me not to talk to you.

Roma:
Let’s . . . no one’s going to know, let’s go around the
corner
and we ‘ll get a drink.

Lingk:
She told me I had to get back the check or call the State’s att . . .

Roma:
Forget
the deal, Jimmy.
(Pause.) Forget
the deal . . . you know me. The deal’s
dead.
Am I talking about the
deal
? That’s
over.
Please. Let’s talk about
you.
Come on.
(Pause.
Roma
rises and starts walking toward the front door.)
Come on.
(Pause.)
Come on, Jim.
(Pause.)
I want to tell you something. Your life is your own. You have a contract with your wife. You have certain things you do
jointly,
you have a
bond
there . . . and there are
other
things. Those things are yours. You needn’t feel
ashamed,
you needn’t feel that you’re being
untrue
. . . or that she would abandon you if she knew. This is your life.
(Pause.) Yes.
Now I want to
talk
to you because you’re obviously upset and that
concerns
me. Now let’s go. Right now.

Lingk
gets up and they start for the door.

Baylen
(Sticks his head out of the door):
Roma . . .

Lingk:
. . . and . . . and . . .
(Pause.)

Roma:
What?

Lingk:
And the check is . . .

Roma:
What did I
tell
you?
(Pause.)
What did I say about the three days . . . ?

Baylen:
Roma, would you, I’d like to get some lunch . . .

Roma:
I’m talking with Mr. Lingk. If you please, I’ll be back in.
(Checks watch.)
I’ll be back in a while. . . . I told you, check with Mr. Williamson.

Baylen:
The people downtown said . . .

Roma:
You call them again. Mr. Williamson . . . !

Williamson:
Yes.

Roma:
Mr. Lingk and I are going to . . .

Williamson:
Yes. Please. Please.
(To
Lingk
:)
The police
(Shrugs.)
can be . . .

Lingk:
What are the police doing?

Roma:
It’s nothing.

Lingk:
What are the
police
doing here . . . ?

Williamson:
We had a slight burglary last night.

Roma:
It was nothing . . . I was assuring Mr. Lingk . . .

Williamson:
Mr. Lingk. James Lingk. Your contract went out. Nothing to . . .

Roma:
John . . .

Williamson:
Your contract went out to the bank.

Lingk:
You cashed the check?

Williamson:
We . . .

Roma:
. . . Mr. Williamson . . .

Williamson:
Your check was cashed yesterday afternoon. And we’re completely insured, as you know, in
any
case.
(Pause.)

Lingk
(
To
Roma): You cashed the check?

Roma:
Not to my knowledge, no . . .

Williamson:
I’m sure we can . . .

Lingk:
Oh, Christ . . .
(Starts out the door.)
Don’t follow me. . . . Oh, Christ.
(Pause. To
Roma
:)
I know I’ve let you down. I’m sorry. For . . . Forgive . . . for . . . I don’t know anymore.
(Pause.)
Forgive me. (Lingk
exits. Pause.)