The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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close the “bite” taken out of the tissue of the redundant angle, insuring that no 
troublesome projections would form. Kellner was trying to insert three fingers into the 
narrowed opening of the lumen, then two. He just managed to get two fingers in, probing 
deeply and for a moment he looked up at Jules and his china-blue eyes over the gauze 
mask twinkled as though asking if that was narrow enough. Then he was busy again 
with his sutures. 
It was all over. They wheeled Lucy out to the recovery room and Jules talked to Kellner. 
Kellner was cheerful, the best sign that everything had gone well. “No complications at 
all, my boy,” he told Jules. “Nothing growing in there, very simple case. She has 
wonderful body tone, unusual in these cases and now she’s in first-class shape for fun 
and games. I envy you, my boy. Of course you’ll have to wait a little while but then I 
guarantee you’ll like my work.” 
Jules laughed. “You’re a true Pygmalion, Doctor. Really, you were marvelous.” 
Dr. Kellner grunted. “That’s all child’s play, like your abortions. If society would only be 
realistic, people like you and I, really talented people, could do important work and leave 
this stuff for the hacks. By the way, I’ll be sending you a girl next week, a very nice girl, 
they seem to be the ones who always get in trouble. That will make us all square for this 
job today.” 
Jules shook his hand. “Thanks, Doctor. Come out yourself sometime and I’ll see that 
you get all the courtesies of the house.” 
Kellner gave him a wry smile. “I gamble every day, I don’t need your roulette wheels and 
crap tables. I knock heads with fate too often as it is. You’re going to waste out there, 
Jules. Another couple of years and you can forget about serious surgery. You won’t be 
up to it.” He turned away. 
Jules knew it was not meant as a reproach but as a warning. Yet it took the heart out of 
him anyway. Since Lucy wouldn’t be out of the recovery room for at least twelve hours, 
he went out on the town and got drunk. Part of getting drunk was his feeling of relief that 
everything had worker out so well with Lucy. 
* * *
The next morning when he went to the hospital to visit her he was surprised to find two 
men at her bedside and flowers all over the room. Lucy was propped up on pillows, her 
face radiant. Jules was surprised because Lucy had broken with her family and had told 
him not to notify them unless something went wrong. Of course Freddie Corleone knew 

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