Five Television Plays (David Mamet) Read Free Page A

courtroom, amidst catcalls. )
    C ONGRESSMAN: What kind of a mother are you?
    L AWYER: You're going to be a convict . . .
    W INNIE: Hey, I'd rather be me than you.
    B AILIFF: You promised the child you'd take him camping.
    D OUG: Mama!
    W INNIE: Well, there's nothing we can do about it . . .
    R ANGER: And so Winnie was taken to the jail, and they took her picture and her fingerprints, and they gave her a uniform and put her in a cell.
    ( In the cell. With another C ONVICT.)
    C ONVICT: You want to play gin?
    W INNIE: Don't bother me.
    R ANGER: And she was full of longing for her son, whom she missed. And she worried about him. And she thought about him.
    (W INNIE sings a song about how incredibly difficult it is to bring up children. And how hard it is to live your life according to first principles. The song ends. )
    C ONVICT: The first night is the hardest.
    W INNIE: I'm sure that's true.
    C ONVICT: It is true. ( Pause. ) How long are you in for?
    W INNIE: I don't know. ‘Til I apologize. ( Sighs. ) And we were supposed to be camped out beneath the stars. ( Pause. ) How long are you in for?
    C ONVICT: Can you keep a secret?
    W INNIE: No . ( Pause. )
    C ONVICT: What's that supposed to mean?
    W INNIE: Nobody can keep a secret. If you don't want me to know your business don't tell it to me.
    C ONVICT: We're breaking out.
    W INNIE: What does that mean?
    C ONVICT: We're breaking out of jail tonight.
    W INNIE: Swell.
    ( There is a huge explosion, and the prison wall collapses. All the C ONVICTS run. She finds herself among them. )
    G UARD: Stop! Stop!
    W INNIE: Look, I just, I was just sitting in my cell. . .
    ( The G UARD fires at her. )
    W INNIE: Oh gosh . . . ! ( She runs. )
    R ANGER: And so Winnie ran from the prison, along with the other convicts. And she wandered in the dark corners of the streets. And she found herself at home.
    ( Outside her apartment. Her son, listening to the radio. )
    A NNOUNCER ( voice over ): And now a medley of Songs That You Love To Dream Along With. From the Fantasy Ballroom.
    ( Old-time music begins to play. W INNIE goes inside. )
    D OUG: Mama! ( They embrace. ) Mama! I knew that you'd come home. I knew that you'd come home!!!
    W INNIE: How are you, Sweetie?
    D OUG: I knew that you'd come back. I knew they'd let you out. So we could go camping.
    W INNIE: Doug, look: I, uh . . . I don't think we can . . .
    A NNOUNCER ( voice over ): We interrupt this program to bring you a special report. Inmates from the Women's Correctional Institute escaped tonight in a mass breakout, wounding five guards in the attempt. Considered armed and dangerous, be on the lookout for . . .
    ( She turns off the radio. )
    W INNIE ( pause ): Um . . .
    D OUG: I'll just get my pack. ( He checks bus schedule. ) And we can catch a bus at . . .
    W INNIE: . . . Doug . . .
    D OUG: We can catch the one forty-five A.M. bus. And tomorrow! . . . Tomorrow . . . that's right: Yellowstone P . . .
    W INNIE: Doug . . . ( Pause. ) Hm. Get your pack.
    R ANGER: They disguised themselves, and got on the bus bound for Yellowstone.
    ( On the bus. In wigs, and so on. )
    D OUG: Will everything be alright?
    W INNIE: Everything is never alright; but the thing of it is you never have to worry about “everything.” And, for the moment, what we're going to do is just go camping. Now you go to sleep.
    ( He goes to sleep, as she sings him a song about Yellowstone, a lullaby, featuring the admonition not to feed the bears, and to look out not to miss Old Faithful. )
    R ANGER: The bus sped West, and they fell asleep rocked to the rhythm of the bus.
    (W INNIE is suddenly awake. To B US D RIVER.)
    W INNIE: Why are we slowing down?
    D RIVER: There's something up ahead. It's a roadblock.
    ( The lights come on in the bus. S TATE T ROOPERS enter. )
    T ROOPER: Would everyone please keep their seats.
    ( They start down the aisle, looking at a picture and at the passengers. )
    D RIVER: What's the trouble?
    T ROOPER: We're looking for some Escaped Convicts . . .
    D