The first one to see Johnny Fontane enter the garden was Connie Corleone.
She forgot her bridal dignity and screamed, "Johneee." Then she ran into his
Arms. He hugged her tight and kissed her on the mouth, kept his arm around her
As others came up to greet him. They were all his old friends, people he had
Grown up with on the West Side. Then Connie was dragging him to her new
Husband. Johnny saw with amusement that the blond young man looked a little
Sour at no longer being the star of the day. He turned on all his charm, shaking
The groom's hand, toasting him with a glass of wine.
2 A familiar voice called from the bandstand, "How about giving us a song,
Johnny?" He looked up and saw Nino Valenti smiling down at him. Johnny
Fontane jumped up on the bandstand and threw his arms around Nino. They had
Been inseparable, singing together, going out with girls together, until Johnny
Had started to become famous and sing on the radio. When he had gone to
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Hollywood to make movies Johnny had phoned Nino a couple of times just to talk
And had promised to get him a club singing date. But he had never done so.
Seeing Nino now, his cheerful, mocking, drunken grin, all the affection returned.
Nino began strumming on the mandolin. Johnny Fontane put his hand on
Nino's shoulder. "This is for the bride," he said, and stamping his foot, chanted
The words to an obscene Sicilian love song. As he sang, Nino made suggestive
Motions with his body. The bride blushed proudly, the throng of guests roared its
Approval. Before the song ended they were all stamping with their feet and
Roaring out the sly, double-meaning tag line that finished each stanza. At the end
They would not stop applauding until Johnny cleared his throat to sing another
Song.
They were all proud of him. He was of them and he had become a famous
Singer, a movie star who slept with the most desired women in the world. And yet
He had shown proper respect for his Godfather by traveling three thousand miles
To attend this wedding. He still loved old friends like Nino Valenti. Many of the
People there had seen Johnny and Nino singing together when they were just
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Boys, when no one dreamed that Johnny Fontane would grow up to hold the
Hearts of fifty million women in his hands.
Johnny Fontane reached down and lifted the bride up on to the bandstand so
That Connie stood between him and Nino. Both men crouched down, facing each
Other, Nino plucking the mandolin for a few harsh chords. It was an old routine of
Theirs, a mock battle and wooing, using their voices like swords, each shouting a
Chorus in turn. With the most delicate courtesy, Johnny let Nino's voice
Overwhelm his own, let Nino take the bride from his arm, let Nino swing into the
Last victorious stanza while his own voice died away. The whole wedding party
Broke into shouts of applause, the three of them embraced each other at the end.
The guests begged for another song.
Only Don Corleone, standing in the comer entrance of the house, sensed
Something amiss. Cheerily, with bluff good humor, careful not to give offense to
his guests, he called out, "My godson has come three thousand miles to do us
honor and no one thinks to wet his throat?" At once a dozen full wine glasses
Were thrust at Johnny Fontane. He took a sip from all and rushed to embrace his
Godfather. As he did so he whispered something into the older man's ear. Don
Corleone led him into the house.
1 Tom Hagen held out his hand when Johnny came into the room. Johnny shook it
(пожал ее; to shake – трясти, встряхивать) and said, "How are you, Tom?" But
without his usual charm (без своего обычного шарма) that consisted of a genuine
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warmth for people (который состоял из искренней теплоты, заключался в истинной
теплоте по отношению к людям; genuine [‘dGenjuın] – истинный, неподдельный;
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искренний: «от рода, генов, от рождения»). Hagen was a little hurt by this coolness
but shrugged it off (пожал плечами /и отмахнулся от этой мысли/). It was one of the
penalties for being the Don's hatchet man (это было одним из наказаний за то, что он
был исполнителем /грязной работы/; penalty ['penltı] – наказание, штраф; hatchet –
топорик; hatchet man – человек, выполняющий грязную работу /по поручению
какой-либо организации/; наемный убийца).
2 Johnny Fontane said to the Don, "When I got the wedding invitation I said to myself,
'My Godfather isn't mad at me anymore (больше не сердится на меня).' I called you
five times after my divorce (после моего развода) and Tom always told me you were
out or busy (что вас нет или вы заняты) so I knew you were sore (поэтому я знал,
что вы обижены, сердитесь; sore – больной, болезненный, чувствительный;
страдающий, испытывающий душевную боль)."
3 Don Corleone was filling glasses from the yellow bottle of Strega. "That's all
forgotten (это все забыто). Now. Can I do something for you still? You're not too
famous, too rich, that I can't help you?"
4 Johnny gulped down the yellow fiery liquid (проглотил желтую огненную жидкость
[‘faı∂rı]) and held out his glass to be refilled (чтобы его снова наполнили). He tried to
sound jaunty (старался, чтобы голос звучал весело, бодро [‘dGo:ntı]). "I'm not rich,
Godfather. I'm going down (дела мои идут все хуже: «иду вниз»). You were right. I
should never have left my wife and kids (я не должен был оставлять мою жену и
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детишек) for that tramp I married. I don't blame you for getting sore at me (я не виню
вас, что вы сердитесь, сердились на меня)."
5 The Don shrugged. "I worried about you (беспокоился о тебе), you're my godson,
that's all (вот и все)."
6 Johnny paced up and down the room (прошелся взад и вперед, измерил шагами
комнату). "I was crazy about that bitch (эта сука меня с ума свела). The biggest star
in Hollywood. She looks like an angel. And you know what she does after a picture? If
the makeup man (гример; to make up – подкраситься, подмазаться; гримировать/ся/)
does a good job on her face, she lets him bang her (она дает ему себя трахать; to
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bang – стукать, ударять). If the cameraman (оператор) made her look extra good, she
brings him into her dressing room (в раздевалку, комнату для переодевания) and
gives him a screw. Anybody. She uses her body like I use the loose change in my
pocket for a tip (как я использую мелочь в моем кармане на чаевые; loose [lu:s] –
свободный, неопределенный). A whore made for the devil (шлюха, созданная для
дьявола [ho:])."
7 Don Corleone curtly broke in (резко перебил). "How is your family?"
8 Johnny sighed. "I took care of them (позаботился о них). After the divorce I gave
Ginny and the kids more than the courts said I should. I go see them once a week. I
miss them (скучаю по ним). Sometimes I think I'm going crazy." He took another drink.
"Now my second wife laughs at me. She can't understand my being jealous (мою
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ревность, почему я ревную). She calls me an old-fashioned guinea, she makes fun of
my singing (насмехается над моим пением). Before I left I gave her a nice beating but
not in the face because she was making a picture. I gave her cramps, I punched her on
the arms and legs like a kid and she kept laughing at me." He lit a cigarette. "So,
Godfather, right now (вот сейчас, прямо сейчас), life doesn't seem worth living (жизнь
не кажется стоящей того, чтобы ее жить, проживать)."
9 Don Corleone said simply, "These are troubles I can't help you with." He paused,
then asked, "What's the matter with your voice (что случилось с твоим голосом)?"
10 All the assured charm (/само/уверенный [∂'∫u∂d]), the self-mockery (самоирония;
to mock – насмехаться, высмеивать), disappeared from Johnny Fontane's face. He
said almost brokenly (судорожно, толчками, рывками), "Godfather, I can't sing
anymore, something happened to my throat (что-то случилось с моим горлом), the
doctors don't know what." Hagen and the Don looked at him with surprise, Johnny had
always been so tough (жесткий, плотный; крепкий; упрямый [tΛf]). Fontane went on.
"My two pictures made a lot of money. I was a big star. Now they throw me out
(выбрасывают). The head of the studio always hated my guts (ненавидел меня: «мои
кишки, внутренности») and now he's paying me off (увольняет; to pay off –
расплачиваться сполна; увольнять)."
11 Don Corleone stood before his godson and asked grimly (сурово), "Why doesn't
this man like you?"
12 "I used to sing those songs for the liberal organizations, you know, all that stuff you
never liked me to do (все эти вещи, которые вы не хотели, чтобы я делал, вам
никогда не нравилось, что я их делаю). Well, Jack Woltz didn't like it either (тоже). He
called me a Communist, but he couldn't make it stick (чтобы прилипло). Then I
snatched a girl he had saved for himself (увел девушку, которую он приберег для
себя; to snatch – хватать; похищать; to save – спасать; беречь, экономить). It was
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strictly a one-night stand (это было всего лишь приключение на одну ночь; strictly –
точно, без отклонений; one-night stand – одно представление /в один вечер/,
которое дают где-либо странствующие актеры; случайное любовное приключение)
and she came after me (сама навязалась; to come after – искать, домогаться;
преследовать). What the hell could I do (что, черт возьми, я мог сделать; hell – ад)?
Then my whore second wife throws me out. And Ginny and the kids won't take me back
unless I come crawling on my hands and knees (если, пока я не приползу на
карачках), and I can't sing anymore. Godfather, what the hell can I do?"
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