The Gambler Page #3

"A++, see me"?

Then you never see me.

Yeah, well, I don't want to see you.

Because I've seen you in your other life?

No.

No, it isn't that.

Do you know why I'm in trouble here?

Because I tell the truth. That's what I do.

Do you want me to split the atom,

succumb to velocity,

and tell you the truth?

Physiology doesn't lie.

Everything else does.

Everybody else does.

Physiology doesn't.

It's post-intellectual.

What are you trying to say to me?

I'm not in any position to say anything.

Try.

Why should I try?

Because what you said before.

I need you to leave.

Right now. All right,

this is not happening.

I'm serious. Go. You have to go.

I want you to sign this.

Absolutely f***ing not.

I want you to f***ing sign it.

Look, I am not being dramatic, okay?

But that was somebody else.

You are being dramatic.

Which is fine, because

the novel's basically okay,

but that's what you are, a dramatist.

Did you write this

because you believed in it,

or because you thought

this is what people wanted?

Well, what do you propose

we move on to?

When was the last time

that somebody told you

that you're a genius?

We're not having this conversation.

I want to go to a restaurant.

There's a whole bunch of things

I don't do any more, and that's...

kind of up there.

Guy with no money speaking.

How may I direct your call?

I'm reading your book.

Not bad.

If you want to get into producing,

there's only about

a hundred grand against it

at Warner Brothers.

Good script. I know the guy who did it.

It's an indie at best.

Yeah.

Yeah. That's what they thought.

I hear you went to Little Frankie

for some money.

He wouldn't loan it to you.

Well, you heard wrong, because

he did try to loan it to me

and I didn't take it.

You didn't like the terms?

No, the terms weren't acceptable.

But you're in to me.

And I ain't Fannie Mae. Ain't no bailouts.

Oh, yeah, then why'd you

loan me the money?

A gamble between two players

who like to play.

Me and you.

Double header.

Let me give you a bit of advice here.

What's that?

You owe somebody money,

you don't f*** around.

I want the money by Monday.

I'll take that car of yours.

Consider it collateral.

In The Stranger...

...Camus's protagonist fires five shots.

The sixth shot of the revolver

he is reserving,

symbolically, for himself.

Noticing that, originally,

is why I'm here now.

Lamar.

Lamar.

You're taking notes or you're texting?

You have anything you want to add?

What do you think?

Maybe the dude had a hammer

on an empty chamber or something,

or a weird French piece

that only took five.

No, my idea works better

if he has a full six.

I don't understand suicide.

Well, that's because you're happy.

You got a BMW M1. How you unhappy?

Do I look happy?

I'm not happy.

You know why?

Because I'm teaching the Modern Novel

to a classroom full of students

who don't give a f***.

You know,

you really should have gone

for American Realism.

I mean, let's have more f***ing realism.

I mean, shouldn't I be

teaching you things?

Nah, I should. I know all you're here for

is a sufficiency of English credits,

but, Jesus, if I'm here,

I ought to be doing better. Right?

I could stand here stark naked...

...and I could yell as loud as I want,

and nobody cares.

When you leave here today,

call your parents,

and tell them you apologise

for wasting their time,

and more importantly,

wasting their money,

sitting in this classroom,

learning absolutely nothing.

Let's start fresh.

Let's clean the slate right now.

Let me introduce myself.

My name is James Bennett.

I'm here pretending to teach.

And you've been here

pretending to learn.

This is what I want you to do.

Write down

that he saves the sixth shot

symbolically for himself.

You're not going to find

a reference anywhere, okay?

Because I am the only one

who thought of it, all right?

It's in a monograph somewhere

that got me into this situation...

Where I can't, so I pretend to teach!

And you pretend to learn.

Lamar! The f***ing phone!

You stay after. Everybody else, just go.

Go.

Go!

I guess, we should go.

Coming?

What do I have to do?

What do I do? Get ten guys,

some weapons, take out

a life insurance policy,

and try to put that phone up your ass?

Because I will.

I need you to pay attention!

Is that too much to ask for?

You come into this class

and you pay attention

for a f***ing hour?

You know, they expect me

to pass you, regardless.

Regardless! They want me

to give you a passing grade,

so you can keep going out there

and bouncing that basketball around.

I need you to put the phone down

for a second.

You're not the only one losing his sh*t!

I was going to talk to you anyway.

Because I can't talk

to anybody over there.

'Cause all they going to say

is what keeps me in line

for what they want me to be.

Which is "Lamar,"

but I don't want to be "Lamar."

I done all that.

I just want to be another

f***ing dude in the universe,

or do more than just being "Lamar."

Yeah, I know all about it.

But the f***ing coach

don't know about it.

There's more than being "Lamar."

I stick with this sh*t, man,

I'll go out of my mind!

Probably be one of those brothers

that talks to himself in,

like, third person and sh*t.

Talk about how, "Lamar is

at ease with his celebrity."

They got me in a box

where they want me.

Trapped by talent, imagine that.

You know, man, in here it's all

existential situations and sh*t.

No matter what you start talking about,

you come around

to be free or not to be free.

How to be yourself or nothing at all.

Is that what I talk about? All or nothing?

I've never heard you

talk about anything else

but to be or not to be.

And I've had four classes with you.

Maybe you got me.

I need to go pro.

I don't think you're going to

have any trouble, Lamar.

I don't mean later.

I mean now. I need to go pro.

I already got a knee.

Nobody knows about it,

'cause I don't say anything.

But I already got a knee.

See, I'm not going to

sit here and tell you

that my mom needs an operation,

or my little sister has spina bifida.

But I am going to tell you

that I got a knee.

I got a knee. I'm a junior.

And whenever I tell somebody

I don't wanna play college ball

in my senior year, nobody listens to me.

It's like I'm talking Chinese

on another f***ing planet!

And then the coach tells me

I don't have the market value

I would have

if I don't play out my senior year.

But what he doesn't know

is I got a f***ing knee.

You have it looked at

away from the department?

Yeah.

Yeah, that's right. All right,

here's Allen bringing it up

the court on a fast break.

Moves to the top of the key.

Lamar drives.

Throws it down, and he's fouled! Yes!

Allen at the line

to complete the three-point play.

After what's happened in

the last two and a half minutes,

there is no way Lamar

is missing this free throw.

And swish. His eyes on the prize.

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