"The Godfather" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mario Puzo)

Don Corleone greeted the baker with an embrace. They had played together as children in Italy and had grown up in friendship. Every Easter freshly baked clotted-cheese and wheat-germ pies, their crusts yolk-gold, big around as truck wheels, arrived at Don CorleoneтАЩs home. On Christmas, on family birthdays, rich creamy pastries proclaimed the NazorinesтАЩ respect. And all through the years, lean and fat, Nazorine cheerfully paid his dues to the bakery union organized by the Don in his salad days. Never asking for a favor in return except for the chance to buy black-market OPA sugar coupons during the war. Now the time had come for the baker to claim his rights as a loyal friend, and Don Corleone looked forward with great pleasure to granting his request.

He gave the baker a Di Nobili cigar and a glass of yellow Strega and put his hand on the manтАЩs shoulder to urge him on. That was the mark of the DonтАЩs humanity. He knew from bitter experience what courage it took to ask a favor from a fellow man.

The baker told the story of his daughter and Enzo. A fine Italian lad from Sicily; captured by the American Army; sent to the United States as a prisoner of war; given parole to help our war effort! A pure and honorable love had sprung up between honest Enzo and his sheltered Katherine but now that the war was ended the poor lad would be repatriated to Italy and NazorineтАЩs daughter would surely die of a broken heart. Only Godfather Corleone could help this afflicted couple. He was their last hope.

The Don walked Nazorine up and down the room, his hand on the bakerтАЩs shoulder, his head nodding with understanding to keep up the manтАЩs courage. When the baker had finished, Don Corleone smiled at him and said, тАЬMy dear friend, put all your worries aside.тАЭ He went on to explain very carefully what must be done. The Congressman of the district must be petitioned. The Congressman would propose a special bill that would allow Enzo to become a citizen. The bill would surely pass Congress. A privilege all those rascals extended to each other. Don Corleone explained that this would cost money, the going price was now two thousand dollars. He, Don Corleone, would guarantee performance and accept payment. Did his friend agree?

The baker nodded his head vigorously. He did not expect such a great favor for nothing. That was understood. A special Act of Congress does not come cheap. Nazorine was almost tearful in his thanks. Don Corleone walked him to the door, assuring him that competent people would be sent to the bakery to arrange all details, complete all necessary documents. The baker embraced him before disappearing into the garden.

Hagen smiled at the Don. тАЬThatтАЩs a good investment for Nazorine. A son-in-law and a cheap lifetime helper in his bakery all for two thousand dollars.тАЭ He paused. тАЬWho do I give this job to?тАЭ

Don Corleone frowned in thought. тАЬNot to our paisan. Give it to the Jew in the next district. Have the home addresses changed. I think there might be many such cases now the war is over; we should have extra people in Washington that can handle the overflow and not raise the price.тАЭ Hagen made a note on his pad. тАЬNot Congressman Luteco. Try Fischer.тАЭ

The next man Hagen brought in was a very simple case. His name was Anthony Coppola and he was the son of a man Don Corleone had worked with in the railroad yards in his youth. Coppola needed five hundred dollars to open a pizzeria; for a deposit on fixtures and the special oven. For reasons not gone into, credit was not available. The Don reached into his pocket and took out a roll of bills. It was not quite enough. He grimaced and said to Tom Hagen, тАЬLoan me a hundred dollars, тАШIтАЩll pay you back Monday when I go to the bank.тАЭ The supplicant protested that four hundred dollars would be ample, but Don Corleone patted his shoulder, saying, apologetically, тАЬThis fancy wedding left me a little short of cash.тАЭ He took the money Hagen extended to him and gave it to Anthony Coppola with his own roll of bills.

Hagen watched with quiet admiration. The Don always taught that when a man was generous, he must show the generosity as personal. How flattering to Anthony Coppola that a man like the Don would borrow to loan him money. Not that Coppola did not know that the Don was a millionaire but how many millionaires let themselves be put to even a small inconvenience by a poor friend?

The Don raised his head inquiringly. Hagen said, тАЬHeтАЩs not on the list but Luca Brasi wants to see you. He understands it canтАЩt be public but he wants to congratulate you in person.тАЭ

For the first time the Don seemed displeased. The answer was devious. тАЬIs it necessary?тАЭ he asked.

Hagen shrugged. тАЬYou understand him better than I do. But he was very grateful that you invited him to the wedding. He never expected that. I think he wants to show his gratitude.тАЭ

Don Corleone nodded and gestured that Luca Brasi should be brought to him.

In the garden Kay Adams was struck by the violet fu0001mprinted on the face of Luca Brasi. She asked about him. Michael had brought Kay to the wedding so that she would slowly and perhaps without too much of a shock, absorb the truth about his father. But so far she seemed to regard the Don as a slightly unethical businessman. Michael decided to tell her part of the truth indirectly. He explained that Luca Brasi was one of the most feared men in the Eastern underworld. His great talent, it was said, was that he could do a job of murder all by himself, without confederates, which automatically made discovery and conviction by the law almost impossible. Michael grimaced and said, тАЬI donтАЩt know whether all that stuff is true. I do know he is sort of a friend to my father.тАЭ

For the first time Kay began to understand. She asked a little incredulously, тАЬYouтАЩre not hinting that a man like that works for your father?тАЭ

The hell with it, he thought. He said, straight out, тАЬNearly fifteen years ago some people wanted to take over my fatherтАЩs oil importing business. They tried to kill him and nearly did. Luca Brasi went after them. The story is that he killed six men in two weeks and that ended the famous olive oil war.тАЭ He smiled as if it were a joke.

Kay shuddered. тАЬYou mean your father was shot by gangsters?тАЭ

тАЬFifteen years ago,тАЭ Michael said. тАЬEverythingтАЩs been peaceful since then.тАЭ He was afraid he had gone too far.

тАЬYouтАЩre trying to scare me,тАЭ Kay said. тАЬYou just donтАЩt want me to marry you.тАЭ She smiled at him and poked his ribs with her elbow. тАЬVery clever.тАЭ

Michael smiled back at her. тАЬI want you to think about it,тАЭ he said.

тАЬDid he really kill six men?тАЭ Kay asked.

тАЬThatтАЩs what the newspapers claimed,тАЭ Mike said. тАЬNobody ever proved it. But thereтАЩs another story about him that nobody ever tells. ItтАЩs supposed to be so terrible that even my father wonтАЩt talk about it. Tom Hagen knows the story and he wonтАЩt tell me. Once I kidded him, I said, тАШWhen will I be old enough to hear that story about Luca?тАЩ and Tom said, тАШWhen youтАЩre a hundred.тАЩ тАЬ Michael sipped his glass of wineтАжThat must be some story. That must be some Luca.тАЭ

Luca Brasi was indeed a man to frighten the devil in hell himself. Short, squat, massive-skulled, his presence sent out alarm bells of danger. His face was stamped into a mask of fury. The eyes were brown but with none of the warmth of that color, more a deadly tan. The mouth was not so much cruel as lifeless; thin, rubbery and the color of veal.

BrasiтАЩs reputation for violence was awesome and his devotion to Don Corleone legendary. He was, in himself, one of the great blocks that supported the DonтАЩs power structure. His kind was a rarity.

Luca Brasi did not fear the police, he did not fear society, he did not fear God, he did not fear hell, he did not fear or love his fellow man. But he had elected, he had chosen, to fear and love Don Corleone. Ushered into the presence of the Don, the terrible Brasi held himself stiff with respect. He stuttered over the flowery congratulations he offered and his formal hope that the first grandchild would be masculine. He then handed the Don an envelope stuffed with cash as a gift for the bridal couple.