The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
137
and play my cards right, I can make it big again even without the singing. Then maybe I 
can give you and the kids more dough.” 
“We have more than enough,” Ginny said. 
“I wants see more of the kids too,” Johnny said. “I want to settle down a little bit. Why 
can’t I come every Friday night for dinner here? I swear I’ll never miss one Friday, I don’t 
care how far away I am or how busy I am. And then whenever I can I’ll spend weekends 
or maybe the kids can spend some part of their vacations with me.” 
Ginny put an ashtray on his chest. “It’s OK with me,” she said. “I never got married 
because I wanted you to keep being their father.” She said this without any kind of 
emotion, but Johnny Fontane, staring up at the ceiling, knew she said it as an 
atonement for those other things, the cruel things she had once said to him when their 
marriage had broken up, when his career had started going down the drain. 
“By the way, guess who called me,” she said. 
Johnny wouldn’t play that game, he never did. “Who?” he asked. 
Ginny said, “You could take at least one lousy guess.” Johnny didn’t answer. “Your 
Godfather,” she said. 
Johnny was really surprised. “He never talks to anybody on the phone. What did he say 
to you?” 
“He told me to help you,” Ginny said. “He said you could be as big as you ever were, 
that you were on your way back, but that you needed people to believe in you. I asked 
him why should I? And he said because you’re the father of my children. He’s such a 
sweet old guy and they tell such horrible stories about him.” 
Virginia hated phones and she had had all the extensions taken out except for the one 
in her bedroom and one in the kitchen. Now they could hear the kitchen phone ringing. 
She went to answer it. When she came back into the living room there was a look of 
surprise on her face. “It’s for you, Johnny,” she said. “It’s Tom Hagen. He says it’s 
important.” 
Johnny went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. “Yeah, Tom,” he said. 
Tom Hagen’s voice was cool. “Johnny, the Godfather wants me to come out and see 
you and set some things up that can help you out now that the picture is finished. He 
wants me to catch the morning plane. Can you meet it in Los Angeles? I have to fly back 
to New York the same night so you won’t have to worry about keeping your night free for 

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