ERIC Yeah. I guess so …

TODD But she’s not gonna. She won’t be leaving me or fucking those guys. Uh-uh. It’s not gonna happen … (Beat.) It’s just a thing I think she’d do … if she got the chance.

ERIC I see.

TODD Same as me …

ERIC Asian guys?

TODD Motherfucker …

ERIC Kidding! (Changing subjects.) Your “thing,” you mean … which you won’t tell me about. (Beat.) If you got a chance … you’d run off and do that, or be that other person … right? If you could …

TODD … and I wasn’t hurting my kids or anything like that …?

ERIC Right … exactly …

TODD Then yeah. There’s a pretty decent chance I would. (Beat.) Yes.

ERIC Huh.

TODD I mean, over fifty perfect I’d say, so that’s fairly serious …

They think about this and bump elbows, throwing a few punches at each other. Bobbing and weaving.

Finally, they stop and TODD checks his watch. Again.

I should get going, bro …

ERIC Cool.

TODD See you next Saturday?

ERIC Absolutely … I mean … and at work.

TODD Oh, right. True. (Beat.) Duh.

ERIC Alright, good. Thanks, man …

TODD You got it, nigga.

ERIC Dude …

TODD I’m joking! Fuck! Relax …

ERIC Alright, whatever. I’ll see ya.

TODD You too.

ERIC Great.

TODD You taking off soon, or …?

ERIC Nah … Faye has one of her things today … you know … what I said … her college prep things. With some kid. (Beat.) She uses the basement office and it gives me a few hours to do my thing … since all Tracy wants to do is sit on the Internet the whole weekend …

TODD Huh.

ERIC Yeah … I think I’m just gonna hang out here … maybe do a pick-up game or something … see who’s around …

TODD Nice. (Walking off.) Enjoy!

ERIC Thanks, man!

TODD You got it, brother …

TODD picks up his stuff—a gym bag and a towel, a drink bottle, etc.—bundles it together and heads off toward a parking lot in the distance.

ERIC watches him go. One last nod of the head and a smile as his friend disappears from view.

ERIC stretches, looks at his own watch, then picks up the basketball and starts to dribble.

He moves in more elaborate patterns as he works at it. The ball spins and moves through the air as if it were magic.

ERIC concentrates as he bounces the ball, playing a game in his mind in which he is a star and he can do no wrong.

ERIC (To himself.) … there he goes … there he goes … he’s unstoppable today … he’s up and down the court, without even touching the parquet … from downtown, in the paint … it does not matter, he’s on fire today … Eric Johnson is absolutely on fire … oh, and that’s a three! He is un-believable!! With two seconds left on the clock, Johnson has brought his team back to within one … it’s his fifth triple-double of the season and he’s absolutely … he’s stolen the ball! He’s got the ball and he’s moving toward the basket … past one defender, now another … this is just … the crowd goes wild!! Listen to them!! LISTEN TO THEM!! The … crowd … is … going … wild …!