The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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said, “you’re on. I’ll square it with Mom your not seeing her before you left. And I’ll get a 
message to your girl friend when I think the time is right. OK?” 
“OK,” Mike said. “How long do you think before I can come back?” 
“At least a year,” Sonny said. 
Tom Hagen put in, “The Don might be able to work faster than that, Mike, but don’t 
count on it. The time element hinges on a lot of factors. How well we can plant stories 
with the newsmen. How much the Police Department wants to cover up. How violently 
the other Families react. There’s going to be a hell of a lot of heat and trouble. That’s the 
only thing we can be sure of.” 
Michael shook Hagen’s hand. “Do your best,” he said. “I don’t want to do another 
three-year stretch away from home.” 
Hagen said gently, “It’s not too late to back out, Mike, we can get somebody else, we 
can go back over our alternatives. Maybe it’s not necessary to get rid of Sollozzo.” 
Michael laughed. “We can talk ourselves into any viewpoint,” he said. “But we figured it 
right the first time. I’ve been riding the gravy train all my life, it’s about time I paid my 
dues.” 
“You shouldn’t let that broken jaw influence you,” Hagen said. “McCluskey is a stupid 
man and it was business, not personal.” 
For the second time he saw Michael Corleone’s face freeze into a mask that resembled 
uncannily the Don’s. “Tom, don’t let anybody kid you. It’s all personal, every bit of 
business. Every piece of shit every man has to eat every day of his life is personal. They 
call it business. OK. But it’s personal as hell. You know where I learned that from? The 
Don. My old man. The Godfather. If a bolt of lightning hit a friend of his the old man 
would take it personal. He took my going into the Marines personal. That’s what makes 
him great. The Great Don. He takes everything personal. Like God. He knows every 
feather that falls from the tail of a sparrow or however the hell it goes. Right? And you 
know something? Accidents don’t happen to people who take accidents as a personal 
insult. So I came late, OK, but I’m coming all the way. Damn right, I take that broken jaw 
personal; damn right, I take Sollozzo trying to kill my father personal.” He laughed. “Tell 
the old man I learned it all from him and that I’m glad I had this chance to pay him back 
for all he did for me. He was a good father.” He paused and then he said thoughtfully to 
Hagen, “You know, I can never remember him hitting me. Or Sonny. Or Freddie. And of 
course Connie, he wouldn’t even yell at her. And tell me the truth, Tom, how many men 

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