Chapter 35 23-2

Even though Michael had lived on the island for several months, he still couldn't get used to the fact that Sicilians were so emotional when it came to relationships between men and women.And the present situation, even as far as Sicilians are concerned, is extreme.However, the two herdsmen seemed to take this for granted and waited for him to leave together. Fabrizio said: "The old bastard just said he had two sons, and all he had to do was whistle, and there came those strong boys. Let's go." Michael gave him a cold look.Until then, he had acted like a taciturn, urbane young man, a typical American.If it wasn't for the refugee, he would have fought hard to show his prestige.For the first time, the two herdsmen saw the traditional stare of the Corleone family.Old man Tomasino knew Michael's background and deeds, and he was always cautious towards him, considering him a "respectable person" like himself. However, these two simple-minded shepherds formed their own attitude toward Michael A unique view, a very unwise view.Michael's stern, pale face, his grim look, the anger that emanated from him like cold air from a block of ice, frightened the two of them from laughing, and at the same time extinguished their exuding The kind of familiar and informal enthusiasm.

Michael found that the two of them were waiting for his order respectfully, so he ordered: "Call that person out and come here to see me!" After hearing this, the two of them acted immediately, shouldered their big guns, and walked into the dark and gloomy cafe.In a few seconds they reappeared, with the café owner in their midst.The dumpy man showed no sign of fear, on the contrary, there was a look of vigilance in his angry expression. Michael leaned back in his chair, looked at the man carefully for a moment, and then said very calmly, "I understand now: I made you angry when I talked about your girl just now. I apologize. I I have lived in your country for two years, and I don't know much about your customs here. Let me make this clear. If I lost touch with you or her just now, it was not on purpose."

The two bodyguards were extremely impressed.Michael's tone of voice to the two of them had never been like this before.Although he said he was apologizing just now, his tone contained the power to control everything and the confidence to control everything.The coffee shop owner shrugged and became more vigilant.He understood now that he was not dealing with a farm boy. "Who are you and what do you want from my daughter?" Without hesitation, Michael cut straight to the point and said, "I'm an American. I came to Sicily for asylum and to escape the pursuit of the police in our country. My name is Michael. You can inform the police and make a fortune. But, in that case, instead of gaining a husband, your daughter will lose a father. In any case, I want to get to know your daughter. With your permission, under the supervision of your whole family , get to know each other, get to know each other decently, with mutual respect. I'm a man of honor, and I would never do anything to discredit your daughter. I want to meet her and have a talk with her. In the end if If both of us are satisfied, then we will marry. If we are not satisfied and we don't get married, then you will never see me bothering you again. In the end, she may also have an aversion to me. This, any man can take Find a remedy. But then again, if the weather is good, then, if a father-in-law should know everything about me, I will definitely tell you everything. "

All three looked at him in surprise.Fabrizio whispered to him in awe: "It was a real bolt from the blue." The coffee shop owner's expression was neither conceited nor arrogant.His angry look was also less obvious.In the end, he asked: "Are you a friend of your friends?" Because the word "gangster" is absolutely impossible for an ordinary Ximian person to say, so what the coffee shop owner said just now is almost equivalent to asking Michael if he is a member of a gangster.Whether or not the same person belongs to a gang is the usual way, that's what it is, but the question is usually not raised directly with the person concerned.

"No," Michael replied, "I'm a duo in your country." The coffee shop owner looked him over carefully again, looked at his battered left cheek, and looked at those long legs that were rarely seen in Sicily.He also looked at the two nomads who were fearlessly and completely openly carrying their big guns, and recalled how they both had walked into his café and told him that their master wanted to talk to him.The café owner growled, saying he wanted that son of a bitch off his deck.At that time, one of the herdsmen said: "Listen to me, you'd better go out and talk to him." At that time, a feeling drove him out.At this moment, another feeling drove him to realize that it would be best to show a little courtesy to this distant visitor.Reluctantly he said: "Come on Sunday afternoon, my name is Viteri. My family lives on the hillside, high up at the other end of the village. But come to the cafe first, and I'll show you up." "

When Fabrizio was about to speak, Michael gave him a glare, and the herdsman's tongue seemed to be frozen in his mouth, and he became dumb all of a sudden.This, Vitali also saw.Thus, when Michael stood up and held out his hand, the cafe owner held out his hand too, smiling and shaking his hand.He wanted to inquire about it.If there is any discrepancy with what Michael just said, then he can let his two sons also carry big shotguns to greet him. Cafe owners are not without connections among "friends of friends" .However, he always felt that this was the kind of unexpected good luck that Sicilians always believe in.He also felt that his daughter's beauty would bring her good luck and help her family live a stable life, so let's just do it now.Some local young boys are already making noise around her.And this outlander with a bruised face can just be used to accomplish a necessary task, which is to scare them away.In order to show his kindness, Vitelli specially sent a bottle of the best and purest wine to these uninvited guests.He noticed that one of the nomads had paid.This made it clear to him that Michael was really the boss of those two.

Michael was no longer interested in hiking.The three of them found a taxi stand and hired a car and a driver to take them back to Corleone Town.Sometime before supper, Dr. Tacha must have heard the two nomads report to him the adventures of the day.That evening, Dr. Tatcha, who was sitting in the garden, said to Don Tomasino: "Our friend was struck by a thunderbolt today." Don Tomasino showed no surprise, he snorted: "I wish those young boys in Palermo would be hit by a bolt from the blue; maybe they would be hit by a bolt from the blue, so I could have some peace. ’ he was talking to himself, speaking of a new breed of gangsters emerging from the big city of Palermo, who challenged the authority of the old system like his.

Michael said to Tomasino, "I want you to tell those two shepherds not to follow me on Sunday. I'm going to dine at this girl's house, and don't let them bother me." Old man Tomasino shook his head: "I am responsible to you and your father, don't make such a request. Another thing, I heard you even talked about getting married. I can't agree to this. It will have to wait I can only make a decision after consulting your father." Michael Corleone spoke very carefully at the moment, for after all he was speaking to a man worthy of respect. "Old man Tomasino, you know my papa's temper. He's a man who goes deaf if anyone says 'no' to him. Only when he's answered 'yes' does he He will recover his hearing. Hey, he has heard me say 'no' several times. It makes sense to send these two bodyguards. I don't want to cause trouble for you. Go, but if I'm going to get married, I'll get married. If I don't allow my father to interfere in my private life, then it would be an insult to him to agree to you interfering in my private life. This is the obvious reason. "

The gang leader let out a long sigh: "Well, then, marriage seems to be imperative. I understand that you were hit by a bolt from the blue. She is a good girl from a decent family, and you want to insult such a girl You won't be able to do it without the father risking his life to kill you, and you will definitely bleed. Besides, I know this family well, and I can't let things develop to that point." Michael said, "She might not be able to stand seeing me like this. She's young and might think I'm old." He saw the two men smiling at him. "I need some money for presents; I think I need a car."

The old man nodded. "It's all Fabrizio, a clever boy who was taught mechanics in the navy. I'll give you some money tomorrow morning. I'll tell your father what's going on. , this is what I must do." Michael said to Dr. Tucha, "Do you have any medicine that will stop this nasty runny nose of mine? I can't let that girl see me wiping my nose all the time." Dr. Tacha said: "You can put on a temporary medicine before you go to see her. This medicine will make you a little numb when you put it on, but don't worry, you can't kiss her just yet." The doctor himself Both the old man and the old man laughed at the joke.

Towards Sunday, Michael got a "little Romeo," which, though a little bruised, was passable.He also went to Guilemot to buy some presents for the girl and her family.He found out that the girl's name was Apollonia, and every night he thought of her lovely face and her lovely name.He had to drink a lot to get some sleep, so he had a cold bottle of wine by his bed.He had to finish that bottle of wine every night. On Sundays, as soon as the bells of the churches dotted all over Sicily rang, he drove straight to the village in his little Romeo, where he parked just outside the café.Gallo and Farigio both sat in the back seat with muskets.Michael told them both to wait in the cafe and not to go to the girl's house.The café was closed today, and Vitelli was waiting for them, leaning against the railing. After they shook hands with each other one by one, Michael took three big packages of presents and followed Viteri to the mountain with difficulty. Vitali's house seemed to be larger than ordinary cottages, and his family was not very poor. The arrangement of the room is familiar: there are several statues of the Madonna in glass enclosures; at the feet of these statues there are several red votive lamps.Both sons, also in their best black suits, were waiting at home.They were all well-built young men who looked to be in their early twenties, but they all looked old because of their hard work on the farm.The mother was also a vigorous woman, as strong as her husband.However, the girl was nowhere to be seen. ' Michael didn't hear the introduction at all, and afterwards they sat in a room that was probably the living room, and just as likely the formal dining room.The room was cluttered with all kinds of furniture.The room is not very big, but in Sicily, this is already the luxury and wealth that only the middle class can enjoy. Michael sent gifts to Mr. and Mrs. Vitelli respectively: a gold pistachio cutter for the father; and the best quality one can buy in Palermo for the mother. cloth.There is also a package that is going to be given to the girl. His gift was accepted with implicit thanks.These gifts came a little too early, and nothing should have been given until his second visit. The father said to him in the tone of a countryman: "Don't think that we are so contemptuous and welcome strangers to our house so casually. It's just because old man Tomasino has sponsored you, so we You are welcome, but I must say something first. If you are serious about my daughter's intentions, then we must know a little more about you and your family. This, you can understand, your family was originally from Did you go to this country?" Michael nodded, and he said politely: “Whatever you want to know, I can tell you at any time.” M. Vitelli raised a hand. "I'm not an inquisitor. We'll have to think about it first and see if it's necessary. At present, you are welcome in our house as a friend of Tomasino. " Michael could actually smell the girl in the room, despite the medicine in his nose.He turned and saw, ah, she was standing in the archway leading to the back yard.The smell he smelled was flowers, lemon blossoms, but there were no flowers in her curly black hair.Her plain black dress (apparently her best) had no flowers on it.She glanced at him quickly, smiled at him slightly, and then silently looked down at the ground and sat down beside her mother. Michael was out of breath again, a surge of possessiveness rather than longing that surged through him.For the first time he experienced the well-deserved greed of Italian men.At this moment, if anyone touches this girl, if anyone tries to possess this girl and pull her away from him, then he can finish this person immediately. He wanted to possess her as madly as a miser wanted to possess the gold market, as hungry and thirsty as a second landlord wanted to possess arable land.Nothing could stop him from possessing the girl.Take this girl into his own hands, lock her at home, lock her up like a prisoner, and stay with him all day.Even if anyone wanted to look at her, he didn't want to. When she smiled back at one of her older brothers, Michael gave the young man a murderous look for no apparent reason. The whole family can see clearly that this is a typical manifestation of being hit by a "bolt from the blue", so they all feel relieved.This young lad will be the dough that their daughter kneads at will.Of course it would be like this before the two of them got married, of course things would change after they got married, but that didn't matter much either. Michael had bought himself some new clothes in Palermo, and he was no longer a slovenly peasant.Now the whole family feels that the problem is clear at a glance, at least he is some kind of old man.His broken half of the face made him look not as ugly as he imagined.Because the other half of the face is still very delicate, it is even interesting to set off the deformed face here.In short, in this country, if you are said to be disfigured, then you have to compare it with many people who have suffered extreme physical misfortune. Under such a comparison, you may not be called disfigured. Michael stared straight at the girl, at her lovely egg-shaped face.Now he saw that her lips were purple, and the blood flowing in her lips was that purple.He didn't dare to call her by her name directly, he just said in general: "I saw you the other day by the orange grove, just when you were about to run away. I'm afraid I surprised you?" The girl raised her eyes and scanned him for a moment.She shook her head.However, Michael couldn't stand the charming look in those eyes, and he couldn't help turning his face away.But his mother said to him sourly: "Apolonia, just say a few words to this poor man, he came here from a long way to see you." However, her long eyelashes still drooped motionlessly. It is like a bird's wings covering its eyes.Michael took the opportunity to hand her the present, wrapped in gold paper; the girl placed it on her lap.The father said: "Daughter, open it and have a look." However, her hands did not move.Her hands were small and hazel, almost like the hands of an urchin.Mother stretched out her hand, and patiently opened the package, but she was very careful because she was afraid of tearing the precious wrapping paper.She opened it and saw that it was a red velvet jewelry box, and she was stunned.Her hands had never touched such a precious thing, and she did not know how to open it.However, she opened the box purely on instinct and took out the gift inside. The gift was a gold chain, a necklace worn around the neck.The gift filled the family with surprise and awe.Not only because of the value of the gift, but also because, in this society, a gift of choice of gold is tantamount to an expression of the most serious intentions.This is tantamount to a marriage proposal, or to be more precise, it is tantamount to a signal of intention to propose.This time, they could no longer doubt the serious intentions of the stranger, nor the circumstances of his family. Apollonia still did not touch her gift.His mother held the present up high for her to see; she lifted her long eyelashes for a moment, then stared straight at Michael, her shy brown eyes serious, as she said, "Gra Gia." For the first time he heard her voice. Her voice fully embodies the characteristics of young shyness and tenderness, and it echoes in Michael's ears for a long time.He was still not looking at her, he was still talking to her parents, for a simple reason: just looking at her would make him bewildered with excitement. However, he still noticed that even though her clothes were conservative and careless, the seductive sensuality of her body seemed to shine through the clothes like light.He also noticed that her skin was a deep red with embarrassment: the creamy smoothness of her skin, which was red and fruity, was even redder and darker with the hot blood rushing to her face. When it was over, Michael stood up to leave, and the family also stood up.They bid farewell to each other according to normal etiquette.The girl finally stood in front of him and shook hands with him.As soon as her skin touched his, he felt a numbness like an electric shock.Her hands were warm and rough, the skin of a peasant.When his father accompanied him down the mountain, sent him to the car, and invited him to come to his family's Sunday family dinner next week.Michael nodded, but he knew in his heart that he couldn't bear to see the girl a week later. He didn't bear it that long.The next day, without the company of the two herdsmen, he drove to the village alone, sat on the terrace in the garden in front of the cafe, and chatted with her father.M. Vitelli sent for his wife and daughter to come down and join them in a café.This meeting was not as embarrassing as last time, Apollonia was no longer so shy and talked more.She was wearing the flowered tights she always wore, which suited her complexion better. Then on the third day, he came again.But this time Apollonia wore a gold necklace from him.He smiled at her as soon as he saw it, and he knew it was a signal to him.He accompanied her up the hill, and her mother followed closely behind them.However, it is simply impossible for the bodies of this pair of young people not to collide with each other.Once, Apollonia fell and fell right on top of him, so that he had to catch her with his hands.His hands felt her body so hot, so alive.The two of them couldn't help laughing when they saw their mother behind, because she knew she was a kid and she hadn't stumbled on the road since she was a baby in a diaper.This, she knew, was the only way he could touch her with his hands before they were married. After two weeks like this, Michael always brought her some presents every time he came, and she gradually lost her shyness.However, the two of them could not meet in private without the woman's company.She is a full-fledged rural girl, without much culture, and has never seen the world, but she has a fresh charm and a yearning for life.These two advantages, coupled with the somewhat language barrier, make her seem to be able to stimulate people's curiosity.Everything went very smoothly as Michael requested.Because the girl was fascinated by him, and because she knew that he was rich, the wedding day was fixed for a day two weeks later. Now Don Tomasino was behind the scenes.He received a word from the United States: Although Michael disobeyed the order, some basic measures must be taken.Therefore, the old man Tomasino claimed to be the father of the groom, thus ensuring that his bodyguards could have the opportunity to appear.Gallo and Fabrizio, the human Tatcha doctors, were also counted as members of the Corleone family attending the wedding.The bride and groom planned to live in Dr. Tacha's villa surrounded by stone walls. The wedding is an ordinary peasant wedding.When escorting the bride's entourage, main guests, and ordinary guests walk back to the bride's home from the church, the villagers stand on both sides of the street and sprinkle flowers on the people who come by.People in the wedding procession tossed traditional wedding sweets, candied almonds, at nearby onlookers.Leftover candy piled up in a sugar mountain on the newlyweds' bed.In this case, the bridal chamber is merely symbolic, as in reality the wedding night will be spent at a villa outside the town of Corleone.The wedding banquet will last until midnight, but the bride and groom will leave the banquet in "Little Romeo" before midnight.When it was time to leave, Michael was surprised to learn that the mother, at the bride's request, was going with them to the villa.When the father explained that the daughter was too young and a virgin, he was a little scared and needed someone to talk to her.If something went wrong, she was taught to have the right attitude.These kinds of questions are sometimes very subtle.Michael found Apollonia, with her large, doe-like brown eyes, looking at Michael uncertainly.He smiled at her and nodded. As a result, they drove the car, and the mother-in-law also sat in the car, to the villa on the outskirts of Corleone Town.However, after whispering to Dr. Tacha's servant for a while, the old lady hugged and kissed her daughter again and left the scene.At this time, Michael and his new wife were allowed to enter the spacious new house alone. Apollonia was still in the bridal gown, with a cloak over it.Her suitcase and purse had been brought from the car to the house.On the little table lay a bottle of wine and a small tray of wedding cake, and the bed with its canopy was never out of sight for a moment.The young woman stood in the middle of the room waiting for Michael to make the first move. Now he was with her at last, now he had her legally and there was nothing in the way.Michael was stunned and couldn't get close to her.He watched as she removed the bridal veil, draped it over the chair, and placed the bridal wreath on the small dressing table.On the small dressing table, there are also various perfumes and creams that Michael asked to buy from Palermo.The bride checked the cosmetics with her eyes. Michael turned off all the lights in the house.He wanted the room to be darker while she was undressing, to hide her nakedness.But the room was brightly lit by moonlight filtering in through the shutters that were left open.So Michael went to close the shutters, but left them open because it was so stuffy in the room. The new daughter-in-law is still standing in front of the dressing table.Michael walked out of the house and went downstairs to the bathroom.While the women were getting ready for bed, he had a glass of wine in the garden with Dr. Tatcha and Don Tommasino. He had expected that when he came back, he would see Apollonia in her pajamas and already lying in bed.He was amazed that the mother hadn't taught her daughter this.Maybe Apollonia wanted him to undress her. But he was sure she was too shy, too naive, to think of such a thing. When he returned to the new house, he found that it was pitch dark inside, and someone had already closed the shutters tightly.He touched the edge of the bed, and also felt Apollonia's body lying under the quilt. Her back was facing him, and her body was curled up and curled up into a ball.He took off his clothes and huddled under the bed... The moment she came, she broke the dreary, male-only monotony of the villa and enlivened it.She sent her mother home the day after their wedding night, and she has presided over group dinners ever since with her bright, vivacious demeanor. Don Tommasino dined with them every night.As they drank together in the garden, Dr. Tacha told his old stories.The statues all over the garden wear blood-red flowers on their heads.They had a very pleasant evening. During the night, the newlyweds have hours of frenzied sex. When she was asleep, her face was also lovely, a flawless face like this, which Michael had only seen before in the oil painting albums of Italian girls.Those oil paintings of young girls have no exaggerated traces of the artist's skills, and they can be regarded as virgins at a glance. In the first week of their marriage, they often drove "Little Romeo" out for picnics and short-distance family trips.However, at this moment Don Tomasino took Michael aside and explained: "The marriage has made him a household name in Sicily, and something must be done to prevent the enemies of the Corleone family, because The enemy's hand stretched far enough to reach the sanctuary of the island, and Don Tomasino placed armed guards around the villa, and at the same time decided to keep the two shepherds Gallo and Fabrizio on duty inside the walls. Therefore, Michael and his wife must stay within the confines of the villa. To pass the time, Michael taught Apollonia English and at the same time taught her to drive a car around the inside of the villa's fence.At this time, the old man Tomasino seemed to be too busy to spend, and he seldom accompanied them.According to Dr. Tacha, the old man was still at odds with the new Palermo mafia. One evening, in the garden, an old maid brought a plate of fresh olives, looked back at Michael and said: "Everyone is saying that you are the son of Don Corleone, the godfather of New York City, is that true? Michael saw Don Tomasino shaking his head, disturbed that their secret had become a household word.But the shriveled, wrinkled old woman looked at him with great concern, as if it was important to let her know the truth, and Michael nodded. "Do you know my dad?" he asked. The old woman's name was Filopina: her face was wrinkled and brown, resembling a large walnut; and her brown teeth showed between her upper and lower lips, which were like walnut shells.She had been in the villa for so long, and it was the first time she smiled at him. "The godfather once saved my life," she said, "by saving my head." She pointed to her own head. It looked like she had something else to say, so Michael smiled and encouraged her to continue.Almost tremblingly, she said, "Is it true that Luke Brasi is dead?" Michael nodded again, surprised to see the relieved look on the old lady's face.Filopina made a sign of the cross on her chest and said: "God forgive me, but I still hope that his soul will suffer forever in hell." Michael had always felt a mystery about the character of Blasey, and at the same time had a sudden intuition that the old woman must know the story Hagen and Sonny had been refusing to tell him.He poured the old woman a glass of wine and made her sit down. "Tell me about my papa and Luke Brasi's past," he said politely. Then bow your head and stick to your ears? Don’t be afraid, just tell me slowly, " Filopina's wrinkled face and dark, raisin-colored eyes turned to Don Tommasino.He indirectly agreed to let her go on.So Filopina passed the evening with them; and told them what had happened to her. Thirty years ago, Filopina was a midwife on Eleventh Street in New York City, specializing in delivering babies in the Italian immigrant district. Her business is booming.When the doctors encountered dystocia, she also taught them some tricks.Her husband was the owner of a thriving grocery store.Now that the poor man is dead, she blesses him.But he was also a poker player and a whimsical client who had no desire to save money. Without further ado, one unlucky night thirty years ago, when all decent people had gone to bed, there was a sudden knock at Filopina's door.She wasn't afraid at all, it was the still of the night, the time most babies choose shrewdly to enter this world of sin, so she dressed and went to open the door.At first glance, it was Luke Brasi, whose reputation was also chilling at the time.It is reported that he was a bachelor at the time.Filopina was immediately alarmed.She thought it was a bad comer, he must have come to harm her husband, maybe because her husband had foolishly refused Brasi's request. But Blasey did it this time for a normal task.He said to Filopina: A woman is about to give birth.The woman's home was some distance from the settlement, and she had to go there with him.Filopina immediately felt that this question was a bit strange.Brasi's savage face that night was that of a madman, he was obviously possessed by the devil, and she made a desperate statement that she only delivered babies to women who knew the truth.But he thrusts her a handful of green bills and roughly orders her to follow him.She was too scared to say "no". There was a Ford parked in the street, driven by the same breed as Luke Brasi.Within three minutes of driving we were in a small board house in Long Island Town, once a two-family home, apparently rented entirely by Brasi and his gang of crooks.At that time, several other hooligans were playing poker and drinking in the kitchen.Brasi took Filopina upstairs to a bedroom where on the bed lay a beautiful young Irish-looking girl with a distended belly.The poor girl looked terrified.When she saw Blasey, she turned her head away in terror.In truth, the murderous look on Brassey's savage face was the scariest look she had ever seen in her life. (At this point, Filopina crosses herself again.) Long story short, Brasi left the bedroom and two men came to assist the midwife.The baby was born, and the mother, exhausted, fell into a drowsy sleep.Brasi arrived and Filopina wrapped the newborn baby in a blanket, handed it to him, and said, "If you are her father, please take this girl. My work is done." .” Blasey stared at her like a madman. "Yes, I'm her father," he said, "but I don't want to live with this stuff. Take it to the basement and throw it in the fire." For a moment Filopina felt that she didn't quite understand what he meant, and she was really puzzled by his use of the word "kind".Did he mean that the girl was not Italian?Otherwise, could he mean that this girl's status is the most despicable?Or simply he said, think she is a prostitute?At the time, she decided that he had played a wild joke.She simply said to him: "The child is yours, you can do whatever you like." At the same time, she tried to hand him the stuff wrapped in it. Just at that moment, the exhausted mother woke up and turned around to face them on her side.She turned her head just in time to see Blasi pounding the packaged thing so viciously with his fist that he nearly smashed the newborn baby into Filopina's arms.When the mother was weak, he said, "I'm so chilled." So Blasey turned and faced her. According to Filopina, the situation was dire, very dire.They were like a pair of mad beasts.他们的仇恨弥漫着整个房间。在那个时刻，对他俩来说，别的什么东西统统都不存在了，甚至连新生的婴儿也不再存在。只存在着一种不寻常的感情，一种残忍的色鬼的欲望，实在违背人之常情。你们知道，他们俩已经永远给打入地狱了。当时，路加·布拉西回头望着斐洛必娜，粗声粗气他说：“我叫你怎么办你就怎么办吧，我会让你发财的。” 斐洛窟娜给吓得一句话也说不出，只摇了摇头。最后她打起精神说：“你自己去办吧，你是她爸爸，随你怎么办吧。” 布拉西一言不发，他从衬衣里掏出了一把刀。 “我要割断你的喉咙，”他说。 她当时一定是被吓得休克了，因为关于以后的情况她只记得大家都站在地下室的方形铁炉面前。斐洛必娜仍然抱着用毯子裹着的婴儿，婴儿一声不响。（斐洛必娜说，要是婴儿哭起来，要是我当时动动脑筋把婴儿掐一下，婴儿哭起来，那个恶魔也许会表现出一点恻隐之心。）这时，肯定有一个男人把炉门打开了，里面的烈火已经看得清洁楚楚了。地下室里只留下她同布拉西。烟筒发了潮，地下室里弥漫着焦臭味。布拉西又把刀抽了出来，毋庸置疑，他想杀死她。一边是炉子里的熊熊烈火，一边是布拉西那对凶恶的眼睛。他的脸简直就像魔鬼模样的屋檐滴水嘴。他把她推向开着的炉门。 说到这里，斐洛必娜嘎然而止。她双手并起，放在膝上，直盯盯地望着迈克尔。他明白她需要什么，他明白她是多么需要用沉默的方式向他说明问题。他轻轻地问她：“当时你怕吗？”她点了点头。 她又喝了一杯葡萄酒，又在自己胸前划了个十字，叽叽咕咕地念了一段经，然后才又继续讲述自己的故事。当时，人家给了她一沓钞票用汽车把她送回家了。她心中有数，要是她吐露一个字，她就会遭到杀害。但是，两天之后，布拉西把那个年轻的爱尔兰姑娘杀死了。 接着他就被警察逮捕了。斐洛必娜给吓得不知如何是好，就来到教父跟前，讲了这件事。他命令她严守机密，别的一切都归他负责处理。当时，布拉西还不是考利昂的人。 在考利昂老头子把事情疏通之前，路加·布拉西企图在牢房里自杀，想用一片玻璃割断自己的喉咙。他被转到了监狱医院。当他复原的时候，考利昂老头子把一切都安排就绪了。 结果，警察把布拉西犯了谋杀一案拿到手里，却无法在法庭上证明布拉西是有罪的，于是布拉西获释了。 虽然考利昂老头向斐洛必娜保证，她既没有必要害怕路加·布拉西，也没有必要害怕警察，但她还是心神不安，从此再也不干接生的老本行了。最后，她说服丈夫，把那个食品杂货店卖掉，然后他们夫妇就回到了意大利。她丈夫是个很精明的人，给他说什么他都能正确地理解。不过，他却是个随波逐流的人。在意大利，他竟把他们夫妇俩在美国当牛作马积蓄下来的财产全花光了。因此，他死了之后，她就给人家当了佣人。到此，斐洛必娜就讲完了她的故事。她又喝了一杯葡萄酒之后，对迈克尔说：“我祝福你爸爸，我每次提出要求，他都要给我寄钱来。他把我从布拉西的魔爪里救·了出来。你转告他吧，我每天晚上都为他的灵魂祷告，他根本用不着怕死。” 她走后，迈克尔问托马辛诺老头子：“她讲的是真的吗？” 这位黑帮头目点了点头。迈克尔想：难怪没有人愿意给他讲这个故事。非凡的故事，非凡的路加。 第二夭早晨，迈克尔本来想同托马辛诺老头子进行一次全面讨论，但却听说有个信使送来了急件，因而老头子有事到巴勒莫去了。那天傍晚，托马辛诺老头于回来后，把迈克尔拉到一旁去谈话。他说，从美国传来了消息，这个消息使他很伤心，桑地诺·考利昂被杀害了。