mp.godfather-第76节

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ical　first'　operation？　You　know；　the　Before　and　After。　I'm　going　to　enjoy　writing　it　up　for　the　journals。　Let's　see；　'while　the　Before　was　distinctly　pleasurable　for　psychological　reasons　and　the　sophistication　of　the　surgeon…instructor；　the　post…operative　coitus　was　extremely　rewarding　strictly　for　its　neurological〃…　he　stopped　talking　because　Lucy　had　yanked　on　his　hair　hard　enough　for　him　to　yell　with　pain。
　
　She　smiled　down　at　him。　〃If　you're　not　satisfied　tonight　I　can　really　say　it's　your　fault；〃　she　said。
　
　〃I　guarantee　my　work。　I　planned　it　even　though　I　just　let　old　Kellner　do　the　manual　labor；〃　Jules　said。　〃Now　let's　just　rest　up；　we　have　a　long　night　of　research　ahead。〃
　
　When　they　went　up　to　their　suite…　they　were　living　together　now…　Lucy　found　a　surprise　waiting：　a　gourmet　supper　and　next　to　her　champagne　glass；　a　jeweler's　box　with　a　huge　diamond　engagement　ring　inside　it。
　
　〃That　shows　you　how　much　confidence　I　have　in　my　work；〃　Jules　said。　〃Now　let's　see　you　earn　it。〃
　
　He　was　very　tender；　very　gentle　with　her。　She　was　a　little　scary　at　first；　her　flesh　jumping　away　from　his　touch　but　then；　reassured；　she　felt　her　body　building　up　to　a　passion　she　had　never　known；　and　when　they　were　done　the　first　time　and　Jules　whispered；　〃I　do　good　work；〃　she　whispered　back；　〃Oh；　yes；　you　do；　yes；　you　do。〃　And　they　both　laughed　to　each　other　as　they　started　making　love　again。
　
　Book　six
　
　Chapter　23
　
　After　five　months　of　exile　in　Sicily；　Michael　Corleone　came　finally　to　understand　his　father's　character　and　his　destiny。　He　came　to　understand　men　like　Luca　Brasi；　the　ruthless　caporegime　Clemenza；　his　mother's　resignation　and　acceptance　of　her　role。　For　in　Sicily　he　saw　what　they　would　have　been　if　they　had　chosen　not　to　struggle　against　their　fate。　He　understood　why　the　Don　always　said；　〃A　man　has　only　one　destiny。〃　He　came　to　understand　the　contempt　for　authority　and　legal　government；　the　hatred　for　any　man　who　broke　omerta；　the　law　of　silence。
　
　Dressed　in　old　clothes　and　a　billed　cap；　Michael　had　been　transported　from　the　ship　docked　at　Palermo　to　the　interior　of　the　Sicilian　island；　to　the　very　heart　of　a　province　controlled　by　the　Mafia；　where　the　local　capo…mafioso　was　greatly　indebted　to　his　father　for　some　past　service。　The　province　held　the　town　of　Corleone；　whose　name　the　Don　had　taken　when　he　emigrated　to　America　so　long　ago。　But　there　were　no　longer　any　of　the　Don's　relatives　alive。　The　women　had　died　of　old　age。　All　the　men　had　been　killed　in　vendettas　or　had　also　emigrated；　either　to　America；　Brazil　or　to　some　other　province　on　the　Italian　mainland。　He　was　to　learn　later　that　this　small　poverty…stricken　town　had　the　highest　murder　rate　of　any　place　in　the　world。
　
　Michael　was　installed　as　a　guest　in　the　home　of　a　bachelor　uncle　of　the　capo…mafioso。　The　uncle；　in　his　seventies；　was　also　the　doctor　for　the　district。　The　capo…mafioso　was　a　man　in　his　late　fifties　named　Don　Tommasino　and　he　operated　as　the　gabbellotto　for　a　huge　estate　belonging　to　one　of　Sicily's　most　noble　families。　The　gabbellotto；　a　sort　of　overseer　to　the　estates　of　the　rich；　also　guaranteed　that　the　poor　would　not　try　to　claim　land　not　being　cultivated；　would　not　try　to　encroach　in　any　way　on　the　estate；　by　poaching　or　trying　to　farm　it　as　squatters。　In　short；　the　gabbellotto　was　a　mafioso　who　for　a　certain　sum　of　money　protected　the　real　estate　of　the　rich　from　all　claims　made　on　it　by　the　poor；　legal　or　illegal。　When　any　poor　peasant　tried　to　implement　the　law　which　permitted　him　to　buy　uncultivated　land；　the　gabbellotto　frightened　him　off　with　threats　of　bodily　harm　or　death。　It　was　that　simple。
　
　Don　Tommasino　also　controlled　the　water　rights　in　the　area　and　vetoed　the　local　building　of　any　new　dams　by　the　Roman　government。　Such　dams　would　ruin　the　lucrative　business　of　selling　water　from　the　artesian　wells　he　controlled；　make　water　too　cheap；　ruin　the　whole　important　water　economy　so　laboriously　built　up　over　hundreds　of　years。　However；　Don　Tommasino　was　an　old…fashioned　Mafia　chief　and　would　have　nothing　to　do　with　dope　traffic　or　prostitution。　In　this　Don　Tommasino　was　at　odds　with　the　new　breed　of　Mafia　leaders　springing　up　in　big　cities　like　Palermo；　new　men　who；　influenced　by　American　gangsters　deported　to　Italy；　had　no　such　scruples。
　
　The　Mafia　chief　was　an　extremely　portly　man；　a　〃man　with　a　belly；〃　literally　as　well　as　is　the　figurative　sense　that　meant　a　man　able　to　inspire　fear　in　his　fellow　men。　Under　his　protection；　Michael　had　nothing　to　fear；　yet　it　was　considered　necessary　to　keep　the　fugitive's　identity　a　secret。　And　so　Michael　was　restricted　to　the　walled　estate　of　Dr。　Taza；　the　Don's　uncle。
　
　Dr。　Taza　was　tall　for　a　Sicilian；　almost　six　feet；　and　had　ruddy　cheeks　and　snow…white　hair。　Though　in　his　seventies；　he　went　every　week　to　Palermo　to　pay　his　respects　to　the　younger　prostitutes　of　that　city；　the　younger　the　better。　Dr。　Taza's　other　vice　was　reading。　He　read　everything　and　talked　about　what　he　read　to　his　fellow　townsmen；　patients　who　were　illiterate　（scanned　and　fully　proofed　by　iliter8）　peasants；　the　estate　shepherds；　and　this　gave　him　a　local　reputation　for　foolishness。　What　did　books　have　to　do　with　them？
　
　In　the　evenings　Dr。　Taza；　Don　Tommasino　and　Michael　sat　in　the　huge　garden　populated　with　these　marble　statues　that　on　this　island　seemed　to　grow　out　of　the　garden　as　magically　as　the　black　heady　grapes。　Dr。　Taza　loved　to　tell　stories　about　the　Mafia　and　its　exploits　over　the　centuries　and　in　Michael　Corleone　he　had　a　fascinated　listener。　There　were　times　when　even　Don　Tommasino　would　be　carried　away　by　the　balmy　air；　the　fruity；　intoxicating　wine；　the　elegant　and　quiet　fort　of　the　garden；　and　tell　a　story　from　his　own　practical　experience。　The　doctor　was　the　legend；　the　Don　the　reality。
　
　In　this　antique　garden；　Michael　Corleone　learned　about　the　roots　from　which　his　father　grew。　That　the　word　〃Mafia〃　had　originally　meant　place　of　refuge。　Then　it　became　the　name　for　the　secret　organization　that　sprang　up　to　fight　against　the　rulers　who　had　crushed　the　country　and　its　people　for　centuries。　Sicily　was　a　land　that　had　been　more　cruelly　raped　than　any　other　in　history。　The　Inquisition　had　tortured　rich　and　poor　alike。　The　landowning　barons　and　the　princes　of　the　Catholic　Church　exercised　absolute　power　over　the　shepherds　and　farmers。　The　police　were　the　instruments　of　their　power　and　so　identified　with　them　that　to　be　called　a　policeman　is　the　foulest　insult　one　Sicilian　can　hurl　at　another。
　
　Faced　with　the　savagery　of　this　absolute　power；　the　suffering　people　learned　never　to　betray　their　anger　and　their　hatred　for　fear　of　being　crushed。　They　learned　never　to　make　themselves　vulnerable　by　uttering　any　sort　of　threat　since　giving　such　a　warning　insured　a　quick　reprisal。　They　learned　that　society　was　their　enemy　and　so　when　they　sought　redress　for　their　wrongs　they　went　to　the　rebel　underground；　the　Mafia。　And　the　Mafia　cemented　its　power　by　originating　the　law　of　silence；　the　omerta。　In　the　countryside　of　Sicily　a　stranger　asking　directions　to　the　nearest　town　will　not　even　receive　the　courtesy　of　an　answer。　And　the　greatest　crime　any　member　of　the　Mafia　could　mit　would　be　to　tell　the　police　the　name　of　the　man　who　had　just　shot　him　or　done　him　any　kind　of　injury。　Omerta　became　the　religion　of　the　people。　A　woman　whose　husband　has　been　murdered　would　not　tell　the　police　the　name　of　her　husband's　murderer；　not　even　of　her　child's　murderer；；　her　daughter's　raper。
　
　Justice　had　never　been　forthing　from　the　authorities　and　so　the　people　had　always　gone　to　the　Robin　Hood　Mafia。　And　to　some　extent　the　Mafia　still　fulfilled　this　role。　People　turned　to　their　local　capo…mafioso　for　help　in　every　emergency。　He　was　their　social　worker；　their　district　captain　ready　with　a　basket　of　food　and　a　job；　their　protector。
　
　But　what　Dr。　Taza　did　not　add；　what　Michael　learned　on　his　own　in　the　months　that　followed；　was　that　the　Mafia　in　Sicily　had　bee　the　illegal　arm　of　the　rich　and　even　the　auxiliary　police　of　the　legal　and　political　structure。　It　had　bee　a　degenerate　capitalist　structure；　anti…munist；　anti…liberal；　placing　its　own　taxes　on　every　form　of　business　endeavor　no　matter　how　small。
　
　Michael　Corleone　understood　for　the　first　time　why　men　like　his　father　chose　to　bee　thieves　and　murderers　rather　than　members　of　the　legal　society。　The　poverty　and　fear　and　degradation　were　too　awful　to　be　acceptable　to　any　man　of　spirit。　And　in　America　some　emigrating　Sicilians　had　assumed　there　would　be　an　equally　cruel　authority。
　
　Dr。　Taza　offered　to　take　Michael　into　Palermo　with　him　on　his　weekly　visit　to　the　bordello　but　Michael　refused。　His　flight　to　Sicily　had　prevented　him　from　getting　proper　medical　treatment　for　his　smashed　jaw　and　he　now　carried　a　memento　from　Captain　McCluskey　on　the　left　side　of　his　face。　The　bones　had　knitted　badly；　throwing　his　profile　askew；　giving　him　the　appearance　of　depravity　when　viewed　from　that　side。　He　had　always　been　vain　about　his　looks　and　this　upset　him　more　than　he　thought　possible。　The　pain　that　came　and　went　he　didn't　mind　at　all；　Dr。　Taza　gave　him　some　pills　that　deadened　it。　Taza　offered　to　treat　his