[TheStellarEnsemble.com] The Godfather - Mario Puzo

He and Johnny would have to see a lot of each other in the next few years. And Johnny wouldhave to pass the next test, which would prove how smart he was. He would have to do somethingfor the Don that the Don would never ask him to do or insist that he do as part of the agreement.Hagen wondered if Johnny Fontane was smart enough to figure out that part of the bargain.After Johnny dropped Hagen off at the airport (Hagen insisted that Johnny not hangaround for his plane with him) he drove back to Ginny’s house. She was surprised to see him.But he wanted to stay at her place so that he would have time to think things out, to make hisplans. He knew that what Hagen had told him was extremely important, that his whole life wasbeing changed. He had once been a big star but now at the young age of thirty-five he waswashed up. He didn’t kid himself about that. Even if he won the Award as best actor, what thehell could it mean at the most? Nothing, if his voice didn’t come back. He’d be just second-rate,with no real power, no real juice. Even that girl turning him down, she had been nice and smartand acting sort of hip, but would she have been so cool if he had really been at the top? Nowwith the Don backing him with dough he could be as big as anybody in Hollywood. He could bea king. Johnny smiled. Hell. He could even be a Don.It would be nice living with Ginny again for a few weeks, maybe longer. He’d take thekids out every day, maybe have a few friends over. He’d stop drinking and smoking, really takecare of himself. Maybe his voice would get strong again. If that happened and with the Don’smoney, he’d be unbeatable. He’d really be as close to an oldtime king or emperor as it waspossible to be in America. And it wouldn’t depend on his voice holding up or how long thepublic cared about him as an actor. It would be an empire rooted in money and the most special,the most coveted kind of power.Ginny had the guest bedroom made up for him. It was understood that he would not shareher room, that they would not live as man and wife. They could never have that relationshipagain. And though the outside world of gossip columnists and movie fans gave the blame for thefailure of their marriage solely to him, yet in a curious way, between the two of them, they bothknew that she was even more to blame for their divorce.When Johnny Fontane became the most popular singer and movie musical comedy star inmotion pictures, it had never occurred to him to desert his wife and children. He was too Italian,still too old-style. Naturally he had been unfaithful. That had been impossible to avoid in his151