Chapter 2 Section 1(2)

Amerigo Bonasera followed Hagen into the room and saw Don Corleone sitting behind the big desk.Sonny Corleone stood at the window, looking out into the garden.The old man was very cold, he did not hug or shake hands with the guests.The sallow undertaker got the invitation because his wife was the closest friend of the old man's.Don Corleone had always had an aversion to Amerigo Bonasera himself. Bonasera began to obliquely and subtly formulate her request: "You must forgive my daughter, your wife's goddaughter, for not coming to congratulate you today. She is still in the hospital."

He glanced at Sonny Corleone and Tom Hagen, suggesting that he did not wish to speak further in their presence.But the old man paid no attention. "We know your daughter's misfortune," said Don Corleone. "If there's anything I can do to help you just say so. My wife is her godmother anyway. I never forgot the honor." It was a slap in the face.It was only because the undertaker, who had never followed the custom, called Don Corleone "Godfather." Bonasera's face turned ashen, and she couldn't help but ask directly, "May I have a private talk with you?"

Don Corleone shook his head and said, "I trust these two men. I trust them with my life. They are my right and left hands. I can't bear to send them away and insult them." The undertaker closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.His voice is quiet, and he usually uses this quiet voice to comfort the family members of the deceased. "I raised my daughter to be American. I believed in America. America gave me the opportunity to have a little family business. I let my daughter move freely, but I also taught her never to insult her family. She found A 'boyfriend' but not Italian. She goes to the movies with him and comes home late at night. But he never comes to meet her parents. I put up with it all without objecting, it's all Blame me. Two months ago he took her for a ride in the car with a friend of his, a stout kid. They lured her to drink whiskey and then tried to play tricks on her. She resisted and kept her Honor. They beat her inappropriately. I went to the hospital and saw that her eyes were blacked out, the bridge of her nose was broken, and her lower jaw was comminuted. They had to use steel wire She was crying in pain: 'Daddy, Daddy, why are they doing this? Why are they doing this to me?' I cried too."

Bonasera could say no more.He cried, but his voice was still very quiet, never showing his emotion too much. Don Corleone, as if against his will, made a gesture of sympathy; Bonasera went on,his voice human with suffering. "Why should I weep? She was the light of my life, a lovely daughter, a beautiful girl. She believed people, and she never will. She will never be beautiful." He trembled, and his sallow face was a terrible crimson; "I went to the police as a dutiful American, and those two boys were arrested. They were brought to court and tried, and they pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison, suspended, in On the day of the verdict they were free. I stood in the courtroom like a fool; the bastards were still smiling at me. Then I said to my wife, 'We must seek justice from Don Corleone.' '"

The old man bowed his head, appreciating the man's suffering, but when he spoke, every word he uttered seemed cruel and offended by his dignity. "Why did you go to the police? Why didn't you go to me in the first place?" Bonasera grunted, "What do you want from me? Tell me what you want. But please do what I ask you to do." His words were barbed, almost arrogant. Don Corleone scowled and said, "What does that mean?" Bonasera glanced at Hagen and Sonny Corleone, then shook his head.The old man, still sitting at his desk, leaned over towards the undertaker.Bonasera hesitated, then stooped and pressed her mouth against the old man's shaggy ear.Don Corleone listened like a priest in a confessional, gazing into the distance, impassive and indifferent.They stood like this for a long time, and Bonasera finally straightened up after finishing her whisper.The old man looked up and looked at Bonasera seriously.Bonasera blushed, but gazed at him unflinchingly.

The old man finally said: "Then, I can't do it. You are dreaming." Bonasera raised her voice and said clearly, "I'll give you what you want." Hearing this sentence, Hagen flinched a little, his brain tensed for a while.Sonny Corleone, arms folded, sneered as he turned from the window to watch the interior scene for the first time. Don Corleone rose from behind the desk.He remained emotionless, but his voice sounded like cold death. "We've known each other for years," he said to the undertaker, "but it's only today that you've come to me for advice and help. Although my wife is godmother to your only daughter, I don't recall you ever asking I'm coming over to your house for coffee. Let's talk straight. You kick my friendship away lest you take my favor."

Bonasera grunted, "That's because I didn't want to get in trouble." The old man raised his hand up: "Forget it, don't talk about it. You thought America was heaven. You have a good business and a good life, and you think the world is carefree, and you can enjoy it as you like. You never want loyal friends as yourself With the police protecting you and the courts, you and your wife and children can do no harm. You don't need Don Corleone. Well, I hurt my feelings, but I'm not the kind of person who I impose my friendship on those who don't value it—those who think I'm of little importance."

The old man stopped and smiled politely but mockingly at the undertaker: "If next time you come to me and say, 'Don Corleone give me justice.' And, when you make this request, you're still impious, you'd better not be friendly to me. You're My daughter came to my house on the wedding day and asked me to assassinate others, and you still..." Here the old man imitated Bonasera's voice with deliberate contempt: "'I'll pay you back anything.' I'm not offended, but I want to ask you, what did I do that you were so rude to me?" Bonasera, in pain and terror, exclaimed:

"America has always been good to me. I want to be a good citizen. I want my kids to be American." The old man clapped his hands together, expressing his firm approval. "Excellent point. Then, you have nothing to complain about. The judge has control. The state has control. When you go to the hospital to see your daughter, please bring her flowers, a box of candy. That would comfort her. That's all, take it easy. Besides, it wasn't a big deal after all, the boys were young and fresh, and one of them was the son of a powerful politician. Well, dear Amerigo, you have been honest, and though you have trampled upon our friendship, I must confess: I trust Bonasera's promises more than I trust anyone else's. Therefore, I Please promise me a word, you will get rid of that crazy idea, which is not in keeping with the American style. Be tolerant and forget, life is full of misfortunes!"

The cruel sarcasm and sarcasm contained in the old man's restrained angry words tormented the undertaker, who was trembling and bewildered.But he mustered up his courage, and said again: "I ask you to do justice." Corleone said bluntly: "The court has given you justice long ago." Bonasera shook his head and said stubbornly, "No. They only administered 'justice' to those two young boys, but not to me." The old man nodded in agreement.At the same time, he expressed his appreciation for this clear-cut attitude before asking: "What justice do you demand?"

"An eye for an eye," Bonasera said. "But your specific demands are too high," said the old man. "Your daughter is still alive." Bonasera grudgingly said, "Whatever my daughter suffers, let them suffer as well." The old man waited for him to speak further.Bonasera summoned up his last courage and said: "How much do you want me to pay?" It was simply a cry of despair. Don Corleone turned his back on him, and that was the eviction order.Bonasera stood there, motionless. Finally Don Corleone, with a sigh, turned to face the undertaker.The undertaker was as pale now as he was with dead bodies: a well-meaning man like the old man would not be long angry with a misguided and lost friend.He is bold and unrestrained, but also tolerant of others. "Why don't you dare to be loyal to me first?" he said. "You go to court and you wait months. You spend your money on a lawyer who knows full well that you're going to end up being fooled. You accept the sentence of a judge who acts like the nastiest whore on the street Selling yourself. A few years ago, when you needed money, you went to the bank to borrow it and paid a devastating high interest rate; Respectfully like a beggar, stand aside and wait." The old man paused for a moment, then continued, in a more severe voice: "But if you had come to me to borrow money, my money would have been yours. If you had come to me earlier to demand justice, the scum of society who destroyed your daughter would have shed bitter tears today, Crying all the time. If an honest man like you offends anyone, your enemy will be my enemy." Here the old man stretched out his arm; pointing his finger at Bonasera, "then, Believe me, they will be afraid of you too." Bonasera lowered his head and said in a subdued voice, "Make friends, I accept your opinion." Don Corleone put his hand on Bonasera's shoulder. "Okay!" he said, "I'm responsible for the justice you will get. When the time comes, maybe that day will never come, I may ask you to do something small. Before that day comes, please put this justice, As a gift from my wife, she is your daughter's godmother." When the grateful undertaker went out and closed the door behind him, Don Corleone turned to Hagen and said: "Give this to Clemenza and tell him to be sure, to use reliable people, to use people who won't be disoriented by the smell of blood. We're not murderers anyway, And don't care what's going on in the foolish head of that servant who waits on the corpse." He only now noticed that his eldest son had been gazing out of the window at the feast in the garden.It was disappointing, Don Corleone thought.If Sandino refused to be taught, he would never be able to manage the house, never be an old man.He had to find someone else, and he had to hurry.Because he himself cannot live forever. To the great astonishment of all three, there was an earth-shattering cheer from the garden.Sonny Corleone, peering out the window, saw that and hurried to the door with a broad smile on his face. "It's Johnny. He's at the wedding. What did I report to you?" Hagen went to the window. "It's really your godson," he said to Don Corleone. "Shall I bring him to you at once?" "No," said the old man, "let's see him and have fun, and let him see me when he's ready." He smiled at Hagen. "You understand? He's a good godson. " Hagen felt a twinge of jealousy and said dryly, "It's been two years. It's likely he's in some trouble again and asked for your help." "If he doesn't look for his godfather, who should he look for?" Don Corleone asked back. Connie Corleone was the first to see Johnny Fontane enter the garden.She forgot her dignity as a bride and screamed, "Johnny—" She draws out the last syllable very long.Then, she ran over and threw herself into his arms, letting him hug her.He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the mouth.When others gathered around to greet him, his arm never let go of her.They were all his old friends, old companions who had grown up together on the West Side.Connie dragged him to meet her groom.John was amused to see the blond young man showing jealousy that he was no longer the star of the day.With all his charm, Johnny shook the groom's hand generously and congratulated him with a glass of wine. A familiar voice called from the bandstand: "Sing us a song, how about it, Johnny?" He looked up and saw Nino Valenti smiling at him from above.Johnny Fontane jumped onto the bandstand, threw his arms around Nino.They used to be inseparable, singing and playing together.Johnny became famous and was often invited to sing on the radio, and they parted ways.After Johnny went to Hollywood to shoot a movie, he called Nino twice, just to talk.He had promised to arrange a day for him to go to the club to sing, but he never made such an arrangement.Seeing Nino still so jovial, teasing, drunk, and grinning now, their old friendship came back to them all at once. Nino played the mandolin absently.Johnny Fontane put a hand on Nino's shoulder. "This song is dedicated to the bride," he said. Then he kicked and stomped and hummed an obscene Sicilian love song over and over again.He was singing, and Nino used his body to make gestures according to the meaning of the lyrics.The bride blushed with embarrassment, but also looked triumphant; the guests cheered in unison, expressing their approval.As they sang, they all stomped and stomped their feet and roared out the line of puns at the end of each verse.When it was over, they continued to applaud until Johnny cleared his throat and sang another song. They are all proud of him.They considered him their own; he had become a famous singer, a movie star, and slept with the most desirable women in the world.Nevertheless, he paid a fitting tribute to his godfather by traveling three thousand miles to attend the wedding.He still loves old friends like Nino Valenti.Many in the crowd had seen Johnny and Nino singing together as babies, and no one would have guessed that Johnny Fontane would grow up to hold the hearts of fifty million women in his hands. Johnny Fontane reached down and grabbed the bride, Connie, and dragged her to the bandstand, placing her between him and Nino.The two men squatted down, facing each other, and Nino waved and played the mandolin, and some piercing trios were about to come.It was their daily routine, a mock battle of proposals.Their voices are swords, and the chorus is everyone roaring for a while in turn.With the most subtle courtesy, Johnny let Nino's voice over his own, let Nino snatch the bride from his arms, let Nino transition to the final verse of victory, and His own voice gradually lowered.Disappeared.There was bursts of applause at the banquet, and the three of them hugged each other at the end.The guests begged for another song. Only Don Corleone, standing at the door of the house, felt that something was wrong.With frank and friendly humor, and with all his care not to annoy his guests, he exclaimed: "My godson came from three thousand miles away to congratulate him. Didn't anyone think of moistening his throat?" As soon as the words were finished, a dozen glasses filled with wine were handed to Johnny Fontane.He took a sip from each glass before he threw himself on his godfather and hugged him.As he embraced the godfather, he whispered something into the elder's ear, and the old man led him into the house. Tom Hagen shook hands with Johnny when he entered the house.Johnny shook the hand that Tom offered, and said: "Hello, Tom!" His tone lacked his usual sincere and enthusiastic charm.This indifferent performance made Hagen feel that his self-esteem was hurt, but he just shrugged his shoulders and let it go. Johnny Fontane said to the old man: "When I got the invitation, I said to myself, 'My godfather is not mad at me anymore.' I called you five times after my divorce, and Tom tells me every time you're out or busy, so I think you're still mad at me." Don Corleone filled the glasses from the yellow leather basket. "The past has long been forgotten. The question is, what else can I do for you now? Could it be that you are so famous and rich that even I can't do anything to help you?" Bar? " Johnny drained the glass of the orange-yellow and reddish wine in one gulp, and held out the glass for another to be poured for him.He began to speak, trying to sound casual. "I'm not rich, godfather! I'm going downhill now. You're right. I shouldn't have left my wife and children to marry that bitch. You're mad at me, but I don't blame you." The old man shrugged: "I was worried about you, because you are my godson, that's all, why not!" Johnny walked up and down the room with square steps. "I was fascinated by this stinky bitch back then, the biggest star in Hollywood, she looked like an angel, you know what she does after a movie? If a male make-up artist makes her face amazing , she lets people play with her. If a male photographer takes a particularly good picture of her, she takes him to her private dressing room to be raped. Any man will do, she treats her body As much as I look at the change in my pocket for tipping, what a bloody whore." Don Corleone cut in bluntly, "How about your old wife and children?" Johnny sighed: "I worry about them. After the divorce, I gave Ginny and the children more money than the court stipulated. I visit them once a week and miss them very much. Sometimes , I feel like I'm going crazy." He drank another drink: "Nowadays, my second wife always laughs at me. I ask my wife to listen to her husband, and she doesn't understand at all, saying I'm old-fashioned. I sing, and she makes fun of me. Before I leave, I tell her I beat her hard, but not in the face, because she was in a movie. I beat her so badly, I beat her arms and legs with my fists, like a child, and she gave me Keep laughing." He lit a cigarette and smoked: "Godfather, there is no point in living." Don Corleone said bluntly, "I can't help you with these difficulties!" He paused for a while, then asked again: "How is your throat?" The charm and the self-mockery had vanished from Johnny Fontane's face, and he said almost despondently: "Godfather, I can't sing any more. There's something wrong with my throat, and the doctors don't know what it is." Hagen and the old man looked him up in surprise. Fontane had always been quite strong back then. Fang Tan went on to say: "The two films I participated in made a lot of money, and I became a famous star."But now they've thrown me out, and the studio director hates me so much, and he's trying to pay me some money to pay me off. " Don Corleone stood before his godson and asked sternly, "Why doesn't this man like you?" "I've sung some songs for liberal groups in the past. Those songs, you know, are all the stuff you never like me to sing. Hey, Jack Woltz doesn't like me singing those songs either. He calls me a communist , but he didn't let the title stick to me. Later, I got hold of one of the girls he kept. It was just a one-night relationship, and then she chased me. I, fuck , what can I do at that time? Later, my second wife made me miserable. Ginny and the children don't want me to go back. And I can't sing anymore. Godfather, what should I do manage?" Don Corleone's face turned icy, without even a hint of sympathy.He said contemptuously: "You should act like a man and start a new life." Suddenly, anger deformed his face.He roared loudly: "Like a big-husband!" He flung himself across the table and grabbed Johnny Fontane's hair, his movements were violent and loving: "Is it reasonable that you have stayed with me for so long and you ended up like this? A Hollywood Is it fair for the red man to weep and beg for mercy? And cry like a woman—'What shall I do? Oh, what shall I do?'” The Don's mime was so extraordinary, so unexpected, that both Hagen and John were taken aback, and laughed again.Don Corleone was also smug.Now he was thinking how much he loved his godson!How would his own three sons react to such a complaint?Sandino would be stern-faced for weeks; Fredo, always terrified; Michael?Would sneer at him, step out the door, and not show up for months.But, Johnny, what a good boy he is, he is still smiling and cheering up, he has already understood the true intention of the godfather. Don Corleone went on to say, "You took your boss's woman. He's a man more powerful than you! And then you complained that he wouldn't do you any favors. It's ridiculous: you abandoned your wife and children , to marry a whore, so that the children have no father; people do not extend their hands to welcome you, and you cry again. That whore, you think she is participating in a movie without hitting her face, and then, when she smiles at you Then you're charmed again. You live like a fool and end up like a fool." Don Corleone stopped and asked in a very patient tone: "Will you accept my advice this time?" Johnny Fontane shrugged. "I can't remarry Qidianni, and I can't remarry in the way she wants. I can't quit gambling, I can't quit drinking, and I can't go out with male dolls. Beautiful nasty women keep chasing me, and I really can't say no." They. So I always feel like a thief when I go back to Ginny. God! I've miscalculated, and I can't bear to have to go through this again." For the first time, Don Corleone showed annoyed expression: "I didn't say I want you to remarry. You can do whatever you want. You want to continue to be a father to your daughter, which is fine. A man who doesn't show the bearing of being a father in front of his own children is absolutely impossible. A real man. But on the other hand, you have to try to get their mother to forgive you. Who said you can't visit them every day? Who said you can't live in the same house? Who said you shouldn't stick to your own Want to live your own life?" Johnny Fontane laughed loudly. "Godfather, not all women are like old-fashioned Italian wives. Ginny won't put up with that." The old man was sarcasm again: "It's only because you acted like a god of wealth. You paid her more money than the courts stipulated. In terms of treating another woman, just because she is in a movie, you Don't slap her in the face, you let women control your behavior. And they have no such qualifications in this world, although it is certain that they will go to heaven as saints, and men will go to hell and be burned. In addition, these few I've been watching you for years." The old man's tone became serious: "You've always been a good godson. You've shown me the utmost respect. But what do you do with other old friends? Hang out with this guy this year and another next year. That Italian guy on screen He's so funny, but he's kind of unlucky. You never see him because you're more famous. What do you do with that guy you used to go to school and sing with? I'm talking about Nino. He often drinks too much out of disappointment, but he never complains. He does coolies, drives a truck, pulls rocks, and sings every weekend for a few bucks. He never says a bad word about you. You can't help him A hand? Why not? He sings very well!" Johnny Fontane said patiently, "Godfather, he just doesn't have enough talent. He's good, but not outstanding." Don Corleone, drooping his eyelids, almost squinting his eyes, said: "And you, godson, it's you, just because you don't have enough talent. Shall I find you a job on the gravel truck, just like Nino?" Johnny didn't answer.The old man went on to say: "Friendship is everything, it is more important than talent. Friends are more important than the government. Friends are like family members, don't forget this. If you build a line of defense with the friendship of friends, you will also You won't ask me for help. Now tell me why you can't sing. You sang very well in the garden just now. As well as Nino."