Johnny said, “The Don has to ask me himself
if it’s something serious, you know what I mean? I won’t take your word or
Sonny’s for it.” Hagen was surprised by this good sense. Fontane had some
brains after all. He had sense to know that the Don Football Shirts Wholesale
was too fond of him, and too smart, to ask him to do something foolishly
dangerous, whereas Sonny might. He said to Johnny, “Let me reassure you on one
thing. Your Godfather has given me and Sonny strict instructions not to involve
you in any way in anything that might get you bad publicity, through our fault.
And he will never do that himself. I guarantee you that any favor he asks of
you, you will offer to do before he requests it. OK?” Johnny smiled.”OK,” he
said.
Hagen said, “Also he has faith in
you. He thinks you have brains and so he figures the bank will make money on
the investment; which means he will make money on it. So it’s really a business
deal, never forget that. Don’t go screwing around with the money. You may be
his favorite godson but twenty million bucks is a lot of dough. He has to stick
his neck out to make sure you get it.” “Tell him not to worry,” Johnny said.
“If a guy like Jack Woltz can be a big movie genius, anybody can.” “That’s what
your Godfather National
Football Shirt figures,” Hagen said. “Can you have me driven back to
the airport? I’ve said all I have to say. When you do start signing contracts
for everything, hire your own lawyers, I won’t be in on it. But I’d like to see
everything before you sign, if that’s OK with you. Also, you’ll never have any
labor troubles. That will cut costs on your pictures to some extent, so when
the accountants lump some of that in, disregard those figures.” Johnny said
cautiously, “Do I have to get your OK on anything else, scripts, slats, any of
that?”
Hagen shook his head. “No,” he aid.
“It may happen that the Don would object to something but he’ll object to you
direct if he does. But USA National
Football Shirt I can’t imagine what that would 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 some day 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 USA
Third Red Football Shirt 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.
