The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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be. Movies don’t affect him at all, in any way, so he has no interest. And he doesn’t 
believe in meddling, that I can tell you from experience.” 
“Good,” Johnny said. “I’ll drive you to the airport myself. And thank the Godfather for me. 
I’d call him up and thank him but he never comes to the phone. Why is that, by the 
way?” 
Hagen shrugged. “He hardly ever talks on the phone. He doesn’t want his voice 
recorded, even saying something perfectly innocent. He’s afraid that they can splice the 
words together so that it sounds as if he says something else. I think that’s what it is. 
Anyway his only worry is that someday he’ll be framed by the authorities. So he doesn’t 
want to give them an edge.” 
They got into Johnny’s car and drove to the airport. Hagen was thinking that Johnny was 
a better guy than he figured. He’d already learned something, just his driving him 
personally to the airport proved that. The personal courtesy, something the Don himself 
always believed in. And the apology. That had been sincere. He had known Johnny a 
long time and he knew the apology would never be made out of fear. Johnny had 
always had guts. That’s why he had always been in trouble, with his movie bosses and 
with his women. He was also one of the few people who was not afraid of the Don. 
Fontane and Michael were maybe the only two men Hagen knew of whom this could be 
said. So the apology was sincere, he would accept it as such. He and Johnny would 
have to see a lot of each other in the next few years. And Johnny would have to pass 
the next test, which would prove how smart he was. He would have to do something for 
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 hang 
around 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 his plans. He knew that what Hagen had told him was extremely important, 
that his whole life was being changed. He had once been a big star but now at the 
young age of thirty-five he was washed up. He didn’t kid himself about that. Even if he 
won the Award as best actor, what the hell 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 

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