The bloody1 victory of the Corleone Family was not complete until a year of delicate political maneuvering3 established Michael Corleone as the most powerful Family chief in the United States. For twelve months, Michael divided his time equally between his headquarters at the Long Beach mall and his new home in Las Vegas. But at the end of that year he decided4 to close out the New York operation and sell the houses and the mall property. For that purpose he brought his whole family East on a last visit. They would stay a month, wind up business, Kay would do the personal family's packing and shipping5 of household goods. There were a million other minor6 details.
Now the Corleone Family was unchallengeable, and Clemenza had his own Family. Rocco Lampone was the Corleone caporegime. In Nevada, Albert Neri was head of all security for the Family-controlled hotels. Hagen too was part of Michael's Western Family.
Time helped heal the old wounds. Connie Corleone was reconciled to her brother Michael. Indeed not more than a week after her terrible accusations7 she apologized to Michael for what she had said and assured Kay that there had been no truth in her words, that it had been only a young widow's hysteria.
Connie Corleone easily found a new husband; in fact, she did not wait the year of respect before filling her bed again with a fine young fellow who had come to work for the Corleone Family as a male secretary. A boy from a reliable Italian family but graduated from the top business college in America. Naturally his marriage to the sister of the Don made his future assured.
Kay Adams Corleone had delighted her in-laws by taking instruction in the Catholic religion and joining that faith. Her two boys were also, naturally, being brought up in that church, as was required. Michael himself had not been too pleased by this development. He would have preferred the children to be Protestant, it was more American.
To her surprise, Kay came to love living in Nevada. She loved the scenery, the hills and canyons8 of garishly9 red rock, the burning deserts, the unexpected and blessedly refreshing10 lakes, even the heat. Her two boys rode their own ponies11. She had real servants, not bodyguards12. And Michael lived a more normal life. He owned a construction business; he joined the businessmen's clubs and civic13 committees; he had a healthy interest in local politic2 without interfering14 publicly. It was a good life. Kay was happy that they were closing down their New York house and that Las Vegas would be truly their permanent home. She hated coming back to New York. And so on this last trip she had arranged all the packing and shipping of goods with the utmost efficiency and speed, and now on the final day she felt chat same urgency to leave that longtime patients feel when it is time to be discharged from the hospital.
On that final day, Kay Adams Cory woke at dawn. She could hear the roar of the truck motors outside on the mall. The trucks that would empty all the houses of furniture. The Corleone Family would be flying back to Las Vegas in the afternoon, including Mama Corleone.
When Kay came out of the bathroom, Michael was propped15 up on his pillow smoking a cigarette. "Why the hell do you have to go to church every morning?" he said. "I don't mind Sundays, but why the hell during the week? You're as bad as my mother." He reached over in the darkness and switched on the tablelight.
Kay sat at the edge of the bed to pull on her stockings. "You know how converted Catholics are," she said. "They take it more seriously."
Michael reached over to touch her thigh16, on the warm skin where the top of her nylon hose ended. "Don't," she said. "I'm taking Communion this morning."
He didn't try to hold her when she got up from the bed. He said, smiling slightly, "If you're such a strict Catholic, how come you let the kids duck going to church so much?"
She felt uncomfortable and she was wary17. He was studying her with what she thought of privately18 as his "Don's" eye. "They have plenty of time," she sate19. "When we get back home, I'll make them attend more."
She kissed him good-bye before she left. Outside the house the air was already getting warm. The summer sun rising in the east was red. Kay walked to where her car was parked near the gates of the mall. Mama Corleone, dressed in her widow black, was already sitting in it, waiting for her. It had become a set routine, early Mass, every morning, together.
Kay kissed the old woman's wrinkled cheek, then got behind the wheel. Mama Corleone asked suspiciously, "You eata breakfast?"
"No," Kay said.
The old woman nodded her head approvingly. Kay had once forgotten that it was forbidden to take food from midnight on before receiving Holy Communion. That had been a long time ago, but Mama Corleone never trusted her after that and always checked. "You feel all right?" the old woman asked.
"Yes," Kay said.
The church was small and desolate20 in the early morning sunlight. Its stained-glass windows shielded the interior from heat, it would be cool there, a place to rest. Kay helped her mother-in-law up the white stone steps and then let her go before her. The old woman preferred a pew up front, close to the altar. Kay waited on the steps for an extra minute. She was always reluctant at this last moment, always a little fearful.
Finally she entered the cool darkness. She took the holy water on her fingertips and made the sign of the cross, fleetingly21 touched her wet fingertips to her parched22 lips. Candles flickered23 redly before the saints, the Christ on his cross. Kay genuflected24 before entering her row and then knelt on the hard wooden rail of the pew to wait for her call to Communion. She bowed her head as if she were praying, but she was not quite ready for that.
It was only here in these dim, vaulted25 churches that she allowed herself to think about her husband's other life. About that terrible night a year ago when he had deliberately26 used all their trust and love in each other to make her believe his lie that he had not killed his sister's husband.
She had left him because of that lie, not because of the deed. The next morning she had taken the children away with her to her parents' house in New Hampshire. Without a word to anyone, without really knowing what action she meant to take. Michael had immediately understood. He had called her the first day and then left her alone. It was a week before the limousine27 from New York pulled up in front of her house with Tom Hagen.
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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7
accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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garishly
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| adv.鲜艳夺目地，俗不可耐地；华丽地 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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bodyguards
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| n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 ) | |
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civic
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| adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的 | |
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interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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sate
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| v.使充分满足 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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fleetingly
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| adv.飞快地，疾驰地 | |
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parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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genuflected
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| v.屈膝（尤指宗教礼节中）( genuflect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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limousine
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| n.豪华轿车 | |
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