The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
344
wrong. And I want Tom settled in Vegas so he won’t be concerned in the affair. I think a 
year from now.” 
“You’ve prepared for everything?” the Don asked. He did not look at Michael when he 
said this. 
Michael said gently, “You have no part. You’re not responsible. I take all responsibility. I 
would refuse to let you even veto. If you tried to do that now, I would leave the Family 
and go my own way. You’re not responsible.” 
The Don was silent for a long time and then he sighed. He said, “So be it. Maybe that’s 
why I retired, maybe that’s why I’ve turned everything over to you. I’ve done my share in 
life, I haven’t got the heart anymore. And there are some duties the best of men can’t 
assume. That’s it then.” 
During that year Kay Adams Corleone was delivered of a second child, another boy. 
She delivered easily, without any trouble whatsoever, and was welcomed back to the 
mall like a royal princess. Connie Corleone presented the baby with a silk layette 
handmade in Italy, enormously expensive and beautiful. She told Kay, “Carlo found it. 
He shopped all over New York to get something extra special after I couldn’t find 
anything I really liked.” Kay smiled her thanks, understood immediately that she was to 
tell Michael this fine tale. She was on her way to becoming a Sicilian. 
Also during that year, Nino Valenti died of a cerebral hemorrhage. His death made the 
front pages of the tabloids because the movie Johnny Fontane had featured him in had 
opened a few weeks before and was a smash hit, establishing Nino as a major star. The 
papers mentioned that Johnny Fontane was handling the funeral arrangements, that the 
funeral would be private, only family and close friends to attend. One sensational story 
even claimed that in an interview Johnny Fontane had blamed himself for his friend’s 
death, that he should have forced his friend to place himself under medical care, but the 
reporter made it sound like the usual self-reproach of the sensitive but innocent 
bystander to a tragedy. Johnny Fontane had made his childhood friend, Nino Valenti, a 
movie star and what more could a friend do? 
No member of the Corleone Family attended the California funeral except Freddie. Lucy 
and Jules Segal attended. The Don himself had wanted to go to California but had 
suffered a slight heart attack, which kept him in his bed for a month. He sent a huge 
floral wreath instead. Albert Neri was also sent West as the official representative of the 
Family. 

---