[TheStellarEnsemble.com] The Godfather - Mario Puzo

you. I won’t try to run your life. You do whatever you wanta do. OK, paisan? All you gotta do issing for me and earn me money now that I can’t sing anymore. You got that, old buddy?”Nino straightened up. “I’ll sing for you, Johnny,” he said, his voice slurring so that hecould barely be understood. “I’m a better singer than you now. I was always a better singer thanyou, you know that?”Johnny stood there thinking; so that was it. He knew that when his voice was healthyNino simply wasn’t in the same league with him, never had been in those years they had sungtogether as kids. He saw Nino was waiting for an answer, weaving drunkenly in the Californiamoonlight. “Fuck you,” he said gently, and they both laughed together like the old days whenthey had both been equally young.When Johnny Fontane got word about the shooting of Don Corleone he not only worriedabout his Godfather, but also wondered whether the financing for his movie was still alive. Hehad wanted to go to New York to pay his respects to his Godfather in the hospital but he hadbeen told not to get any bad publicity, that was the last thing Don Corleone would want. So hewaited. A week later a messenger came from Tom Hagen. The financing was still on but for onlyone picture at a time.Meanwhile Johnny let Nino go his own way in Hollywood and California, and Nino wasdoing all right with the young starlets. Sometimes Johnny called him up for a night out togetherbut never leaned on him. When they talked about the Don getting shot, Nino said to Johnny,“You know, once I asked the Don for a job in his organization and he wouldn’t give it to me. Iwas tired of driving a truck and I wanted to make a lot of dough. You know what he told me? Hesays every man has only one destiny and that my destiny was to be an artist. Meaning that Icouldn’t be a racket guy.”Johnny thought that one over. The Godfather must be just about the smartest guy in theworld. He’d known immediately that Nino could never make a racket guy, would only gethimself in trouble or get killed. Get killed with just one of his wisecracks. But how did the Donknow that he would be an artist? Because, goddamn it, he figured that someday I’d help Nino.And how did he, figure that? Because he would drop the word to me and I would try to show mygratitude. Of course he never asked me to do it. He just let me know it would make him happy ifI did it. Johnny Fontane sighed. Now the Godfather was hurt, in trouble, and he could kiss the164