Sucker Page #6

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Motherf***er!

Something to remember me by.

Riley!

Get him out of here.

You ain't gonna

see me comin'

So take your best shot

LAWRENCE (narrating): Ladies and

gentlemen, the Little Red Riding Hood game.

The Professor stacks his chips dirty

to tell me Rashid's number is up.

First, I signal what cards I have.

This card is a queen.

He goes rabbit-hunting in the

muck to get the cards we need.

Then he goes south

to stack the deck.

He false shuffles with a

push-through or an up-the-ladder

so the deck stays stacked.

He crimps the bottom card

before he gives the deck

to the next player to cut.

And a classic pass gets

the cards back in order.

(clears throat)

With the cowboys we dealt

him, he has to take the bait.

The flop turns both

pairs into trips.

And right now, his three kings

beat my three queens.

Three kings... the

Christmas special.

The Professor bottom

deals, and there she is.

Rashid's money card.

Now he has the boat.

Kings over queens.

Almost nothing beats a full house.

Almost.

Four queens.

The Village People.

(foreign language)

(lighter flicks open)

LAWRENCE (narrating): Con

men don't play games.

They play people.

And people are unpredictable.

To be honest with you,

they were happier times.

Salad days. (chuckles)

I remember them with affection.

I remember differently.

You've done a really good

job with Sarah, you know.

She's a beautiful woman,

just like her mother.

Though she has my eyes.

She's nothing like her mother.

Really?

When she finds a man who gives

her what you can't, she's gone.

ALICE:
Hey!

It's only cheating when you

get caught, right, Professor?

ALICE:
Get him out of here.

I trust that no one else

will insult the house.

She left me too, you know.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

I was the card player,

but she was a better liar.

What are you doing here, kid?

I mean, really,

what the hell are you doing here?

You sure about that?

(chuckling)

Yes. Don't feel bad.

Honesty.

It's a good quality.

(exhales)

You little f***!

(grunts)

Mmm, mmm, yeah, yeah, yeah

Oh, ah

(vocalizing)

Whoa, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

(man rapping on radio)

- (stops)

- (sighs)

I can't do this.

It's our only chance.

I wrote a letter.

I should take it in.

I'll do it.

Back in a minute.

- She finally did it.

- Sh*t!

My little girl's grown up.

She's on her own. Good girl.

Not on her own.

We planned it together.

This note, it's for you.

I think you'll find, my dear boy,

it's for you.

LAWRENCE (narrating):

In a sweetheart con,

the suckers rope themselves.

Listen, anyway, we've

got your wallet, so...

To no f***ing friends at all.

We can do this, Lawrence.

We have to. We can leave him.

I wrote a letter.

I should take it in.

SARAH'S VOICE:
I'm sorry

for leaving like this,

but it's all I know how to do.

I can imagine how you'll feel,

but I just couldn't face good-bye.

Not with you.

You know what they

say... "lucky at cards."

(chuckles)

Thank you for everything.

Say good-bye to him for me.

"I will miss you and think of you often.

Love always, Sarah."

You were great out there tonight, my boy.

You're a real player.

- I let the team down.

- But...

The better man won.

Aren't you angry?

(sighs) I'd have given

it to her if she'd asked.

It's only money.

Mine's a dying art, my boy.

An art of grace and tact.

Nowadays, a chap in a suit

can hit some keys in a machine

and rob honest people of millions

without even lookin' 'em in the eye.

We trick people into giving us money.

We make them dishonest.

They're dishonest to begin with.

Even you.

Chinese lucky money?

You might need it.

How about you?

I'll be fine.

You saw it coming, right? This is

a con movie, you said to yourself,

and all con movies end with a scam.

Well, you're right.

But even though it does end with a scam,

this isn't a con movie.

This is my life.

(voices rewinding)

(breathing deeply) I can't do this.

- Sarah, listen...

- No, Lawrence, you don't understand.

I was going to leave you both.

I'm sorry.

I didn't know what to do.

Sarah.

Children grow up and leave their

parents. It's what's supposed to happen.

He just needs to know

he's been a father to you.

(inhales, exhales)

But what about you?

You're the only friend I've ever had.

LAWRENCE (narrating): Some

things are not quite lies

and not quite truth.

I'll be okay.

They're just what

people need to hear.

PROFESSOR:
"I'm sorry

for leaving like this,

but it's all I know how to do.

I can imagine how you will feel,

but I just couldn't face good-bye.

Not... Not with you.

You know what they say... 'lucky at cards.'

Thank you for everything.

Say good-bye to him for me.

I will miss you

and think of you often.

Love always, Sarah."

You were great out there tonight, my boy.

A real player.

- I let the team down.

- But...

No, the better man won.

No.

He might be the better mechanic,

but you're the better man.

You raised her, even though

you knew she was his daughter.

You gave her a life.

You were her father.

(chuckles, sniffs)

I have confidence in you.

Thanks.

But I'm going home.

Hmm.

Chinese lucky money.

But you might need it.

What about you?

(chuckles) I'll be fine.

LAWRENCE (narrating): You don't

always need to beat the man.

Sometimes it's enough to be the man.

I haven't seen the

Professor since that night.

I'm sure he's still out there,

somewhere,

doing what he does best.

I haven't seen Sarah either.

Someone sent me a photo one time.

But there was no name.

Perhaps she didn't want to lie.

Told any good lies lately?

Lying is a part of human nature.

We all tell lies.

And those of you who

don't... are lying.

(rock intro)

It was summer when

I saw your face

Looked like a

teenage runaway

And God, I never thought

we'd take it that far

Some killer queen you are

Now I'm running

and I can't stop

The beauty of the three-card monte

is that even though

people know it's a scam,

they still play.

Everybody wants to beat the man.

So, who wants to play? Who wants to play?

You can't win if you're not in.

The three-card monte.

Toss the broad, find the lady.

It's a story of two jokers

and a queen.

And it's such a

roller coaster

Some killer queen you are

We took the bones

out from the road

Those endless nights

that we traveled we stole

You let your clothes

fall to the floor

- Hey, man.

- Hey, thanks.

So you know that thing about

your tell? Is that true?

- No, it's all bullshit.

- What about everything else?

Is that what really happened?

Nah.

(chattering)

(pop intro)

WOMAN:
The look on your face

When you lie is something

kind of beautiful, beautiful

Babe, I get played

Every time you

change your mind

Then I better watch

Mark the space

As something

kind of dangerous

Strange as it seems

Where we lay

Soul to soul, this

love was bound to break

Baby, the day you ran away

Was like a bullet

to my heart

Why do we make

the same mistakes

Every time?

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