The Sicilian

by Mario Puzo

  They sat at the table together. Don Domenic had a natural dignity and air of command that reminded Michael of his own father. He also had the same old-fashioned courtliness. Peter Clemenza obviously was in awe of his older brother who treated him with the indulgent affection an older brother shows a flighty sibling. This astonished Michael and amused him too. Peter Clemenza was his father’s most trusted and deadly caporegime back in America.

  Don Domenic said gravely but with a twinkle in his eye, “Michael, it is such a great pleasure and honor to me that your father, Don Corleone, has put you in my care. Now you can solve my curiosity. My good-for-nothing brother here, is his success in America as great as he claims? Has he climbed so high, this younger brother of mine I could never trust to slaughter a pig properly? Does Don Corleone really set him on his right hand? And he says he commands over a hundred men. How can I believe all this?” But as he said this he patted his younger brother’s shoulder fondly.

  “It’s all true,” Michael said. “My father always says he would be selling olive oil if not for your brother.”

  They all laughed. Peter Clemenza said, “I would have spent most of my life in jails. He taught me how to think instead of just using a gun.”

  Don Domenic sighed. “I’m only a poor country farmer. It’s true my neighbors come to me for counsel and here in Trapani they say I’m an important man. They call me ‘The Unfaithful’ because I won’t do Don Croce’s bidding. Perhaps that’s not very clever, perhaps the Godfather would find ways to get along better with Don Croce. But I find it impossible. ‘Unfaithful’ I may be, but only to those who have no honor. Don Croce sells information to the government and to me that is an infamita. No matter how subtle the reasons. The old ways are still the best, Michael, as you will see after you have been here the next few days.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Michael said politely. “And I must thank you for the help you are giving me now.”

  “I have work to do,” Don Domenic said. “If you need anything, send for me.” He picked up his whip and went out the door.

  Peter Clemenza said, “Michael, your father agreed to help Turi Guiliano get out of this country out of his friendship and respect for Guiliano’s father. But your safety comes first. Your father still has enemies here. Guiliano has a week to make a rendezvous with you. But if he doesn’t appear you must go back to the United States alone. Those are my orders. We have a special plane waiting in Africa and we can leave anytime. You just give the word.”

  Michael said, “Pisciotta said he’d bring Guiliano to me very soon.”

  Clemenza whistled. “You saw Pisciotta? Hell, they’re looking for him as hard as they are for Guiliano. How did he get out of the mountains?”

  Michael shrugged. “He had one of the special red-bordered passes signed by the Minister of Justice. And that worries me too.”

  Peter Clemenza shook his head.

  Michael continued. “That guy who brought me here, Andolini, do you know him, Pete?”

  “Yeah,” Peter Clemenza said. “He worked for us in New York, a couple of button jobs, but Guiliano’s father was straight and a great artist with brick. They were both stupid to come back. But a lot of Sicilians are like that. They can’t forget their shitty little houses in Sicily. I brought two men over with me this time, to help out. They haven’t been back in twenty years. So we take a walk in the country up near Erice, a beautiful town, Mikey, and we were out in the fields with all those sheep they have and drinking wine and we all had to take a leak. So there we were pissing and when we finished, these two guys jump about ten feet in the air and yell, ‘Long live Sicily.’ What are you gonna do? That’s how they are, Sicilians till they die.”

  Michael said, “Yeah, but what about Andolini?”

  Clemenza shrugged. “He’s your father’s cousin. He’s been one of Guiliano’s right-hand men for the last five years. But before that he was close with Don Croce. Who knows? He’s dangerous.”

  Michael said, “Andolini is bringing Guiliano’s fianceé here. She’s pregnant. We have to ship her to the States and she sends back a code word to Guiliano saying that the route works and then Guiliano comes to us. I promised we’d do it. Is that okay?”

  Clemenza whistled. “I never heard Guiliano had a girl. Sure we can do it.”

  They went outside to a huge garden. Michael could see guards at the gate and down at the beach at least six armed men strolling up and down. There was a large motorboat docked against a short pier. In the garden itself was a group of men obviously waiting for an audience with Peter Clemenza. There were about twenty of them, all typical Sicilians with their dusty clothes and brimmed caps, like poorer versions of Don Domenic.

  In a corner of the garden, beneath a lemon tree, was an oval wooden table with rustic wooden chairs around it. Clemenza and Michael sat in two of the chairs and then Clemenza called out to the group of men. One of them came over and sat down. Clemenza asked questions about the man’s personal life. Was he married? Did he have children? How long had he worked for Don Domenic? Who were his relatives in Trapani? Did he ever think of going to America to make his fortune? The answer to this last question was invariably a Yes.

  An old woman in black brought out a huge jug of wine mixed with fresh lemons, then brought out a tray with many glasses. Clemenza offered each man he interviewed a drink and a cigarette. When he had finished and the last one was gone and the group had left the garden, Clemenza said to Michael, “Any of them hit you wrong?”

  Michael shrugged and said, “They all seemed the same to me. They all want to go to America.”

  Clemenza said, “We need fresh blood back home. We lost a lot of men and we might lose a lot more. Every five years or so I come home and bring about twelve guys back with me. I train them myself. Little jobs first—collections, strong-arm, guard duty. I test their loyalty. When I feel the time is right and the opportunity comes along, I give them a chance to make their bones. But I’m very careful about that. Once they get that far they know they have a good living for the rest of their lives as long as they remain loyal. Everybody here knows I’m the recruiter for the Corleone Family and every man in the province wants to see me. But my brother picks them out. Nobody gets to see me without his okay.”

  Michael looked around the beautiful garden with its many colored flowers, fragrant lemon trees, the old statues of the gods dug from ancient ruins, other newer ones of holy saints, the rose-colored walls around the villa. It was a lovely setting for the examination of twelve murderous apostles.

  In the late afternoon the small Fiat reappeared at the villa gates and was waved through by the guards. Andolini was driving, and beside him there was a girl with long jet-black hair and the exquisite oval features of a painter’s Madonna. When she got out of the car Michael could see she was pregnant; though she wore the modest loose dress of the Sicilian woman it was not black, rather a hideous floral rose and white. But her face was so pretty the dress didn’t matter.

  Michael Corleone was surprised to see the small figure of Hector Adonis get out of the back seat. It was Adonis who made the introductions. The girl’s name was Justina. She had none of the shyness of the young; and at only seventeen years of age, her face had the strength of an older woman, as if she had already tasted the same tragedies of life. She studied Michael closely before she bowed her head to acknowledge his introduction. As if she were studying him to find any hint of treachery in his face.

  One of the old women took her away to her room and Andolini took her luggage out of the car. It consisted of only a small suitcase. Michael carried it into the house himself.

  That night they all had dinner together except for Andolini, who had left in the Fiat. Hector Adonis remained. At the dinner table they made plans to get Justina to America. Don Domenic said the boat to Tunis was ready; it always would be since they did not know when Guiliano would arrive and they would have to move quickly when he did. “Who knows what evil companions he will bring after him,” Don Domenic said with a li
ttle smile.

  Peter Clemenza said he would accompany Justina to Tunis and make sure she was put on a special plane with special documents that would enable her to enter the United States without trouble. Then he would return to the villa.

  When Justina arrived in America she would send her code word back and the final operation to save Guiliano would begin.

  Justina said very little during the meal. Don Domenic asked her if she was up to making the journey this very night after she had traveled so much of the day.

  When she answered Michael could see the attraction she must have had for Guiliano. She had the same flashing black eyes, the determined jaw and mouth of the strongest Sicilian women and spoke as imperiously.

  “Traveling is easier than working and less dangerous than hiding,” she said. “I’ve slept in the mountains and in the fields with sheep, so why can’t I sleep in a ship or on an airplane? Surely it won’t be as cold?” She said this with all the pride of the young, but her hands trembled as she lifted her glass of wine. “I worry only that Turi be able to escape. Why couldn’t he come with me?”

  Hector Adonis said gently, “Justina, he didn’t want to endanger you with his presence. It is more difficult for him to travel; more precautions must be taken.”

  Peter Clemenza said, “The boat takes you to Africa just before dawn, Justina. Perhaps you’d better get some rest.”

  Justina said, “No, I’m not tired and I’m too excited to sleep. Could I have another glass of wine?”

  Don Domenic poured her glass full. “Drink, it’s good for your baby and it will help you sleep later. Did Guiliano give you any messages for us?”

  Justina smiled at him sadly. “I haven’t seen him for months. Aspanu Pisciotta is the only one he trusts. Not that he thinks I would betray him but that I am his weakness through which they might snare him. It’s from his reading all those romances where the love of women brings about the downfall of heroes. He thinks his love for me his most terrible weakness, and of course he never tells me his plans.”

  Michael was curious to find out more about Guiliano, the man he might have been if his father had remained in Sicily, the man Sonny might have been. “How did you meet Turi?” he asked Justina.

  She laughed. “I fell in love with him when I was eleven years old,” she said. “That was almost seven years ago and the first year that Turi was an outlaw, but he was already famous in our little village in Sicily. My younger brother and I were working in the fields with my father, and Papa gave me a packet of lire notes to bring back to my mother. My brother and I were silly children and we flaunted the notes, we were so excited at having that much money in our hands. Two carabinieri saw us on the road and took away our money and laughed at us when we cried. We didn’t know what to do, we were afraid to go home and we were afraid to go back to our father. Then this young man came out of the bushes. He was taller than most men in Sicily and much broader in the shoulders. He looked like the American soldiers we had seen during the war. He carried a machine gun under his arm yet he had such gentle brown eyes. He was very handsome. He asked us, ‘Children, why are you crying on such a wonderful day? And you, young lady, you’re ruining your beautiful looks, who will want to marry you?’ But he was laughing and you could see that the sight of us delighted him for some reason. We told him what had happened and he laughed again and said we must always beware of the carabinieri and that this was a good lesson for us to learn so early in life. Then he gave my brother a huge wad of lire to bring home to our mother and to me he gave a note for my father. I can still remember it word for word. It said, ‘Don’t reproach your two beautiful children who will be the pleasure and comfort of your old age. The money I have given them is far greater than you have lost. And know this: From today on, you and your children are under the protection of GUILIANO.’ I thought that name was so wonderful and he had written it in large letters. I saw that name in my dreams for months. Just those letters. GUILIANO.

  “But what made me love him was the pleasure he received in doing a good deed. He was really delighted to help someone else. That never changed. I always saw the same pleasure, as if he gained more from the giving than they did from the taking. That is why the people of Sicily love him.”

  Hector Adonis said quietly, “Until the Portella della Ginestra.”

  Justina lowered her eyes and said fiercely, “They love him still.”

  Michael said quickly, “But how did you meet him again?”

  Justina said, “My older brother was a friend of his. And maybe my father was a member of the band. I don’t know. Only my family and Turi’s chiefs know we were married. Turi swore everybody to secrecy, afraid the authorities would arrest me.”

  Everybody at the table was stunned at this news. Justina reached inside her dress and drew out a small purse. From it she took out a cream-colored stiff-papered document with a heavy seal and offered it to Michael, but Hector Adonis took it and read it. Then he smiled at her. “You will be in America tomorrow. Can I tell Turi’s parents the good news?”

  Justina blushed. “They always thought I was pregnant without being married,” she said. “They thought less of me for it. Yes, you can tell them.”

  Michael said, “Have you ever seen or read the Testament that Turi has hidden?”

  Justina shook her head. “No,” she said. “Turi never spoke of it to me.”

  Don Domenic’s face had gone wintry, but he also looked curious. He had heard about the Testament, Michael thought, but didn’t approve of it. How many people did know? Certainly not the people of Sicily. Only members of the government in Rome, Don Croce and Guiliano’s family and his inner circle of outlaws.

  Hector Adonis said, “Don Domenic, may I ask to be your guest until word arrives from America that Justina is safely there? Then I can arrange for Guiliano to receive the news. It should be for no more than an extra night.”

  Don Domenic said with blunt forcefulness, “You will do me an honor, my dear Professor. Stay as long as you like. But now it’s time for us all to go to bed. Our young Signora must get some sleep for her long journey and I am too old to stay up so late. Avanti.” And he made a shooing gesture like a great affectionate bird, to send them on their way. He personally took Hector Adonis by the arm to lead him to a bedroom, shouting orders to the women servants to take care of the rest of his guests.

  When Michael rose the next morning Justina was gone.

  Hector Adonis had to sleep over for two nights before the courier letter came from Justina that she was safely in America. Somewhere in the letter was the code word that satisfied Adonis, and the morning he was to leave he asked Michael for a private conference.

  Michael had spent the two days tense with anticipation, anxious to get home to America himself. Peter Clemenza’s description of Sonny’s murder had filled Michael with a sense of foreboding about Turi Guiliano. In his mind the two men were growing intertwined. They looked somewhat alike and they both had the same sense of physical vitality and power. Guiliano was only Michael’s age, and Michael was intrigued by the man’s fame; he was anxious at the thought that they would finally meet face to face. He wondered what use his father could put Guiliano to in America. For he had no doubt that was his father’s purpose. Otherwise the assignment of bringing Guiliano home with him did not make sense.

  Michael walked with Adonis down to the beach. The armed guards saluted them both: “Vossia,” Your Lordship. Not one of them showed any sign of derision at the sight of the tiny elegantly dressed Hector Adonis. The motorboat had come back, and now closer to it Michael could see it was almost as big as a small yacht. The men aboard it were armed with lupare and machine guns.

  The July sun was very hot and the sea so blue and so still that the sun reflected off of it as if it were metal. Michael and Hector Adonis sat on two chairs on the pier.

  “Before I leave this morning, I have a final instruction for you,” Hector Adonis said quietly. “It is the most important thing that you can do for Guiliano.”
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  “With all my heart,” Michael said.

  “You must send Guiliano’s Testament to America immediately, to your father,” Adonis said. “He will know how to use it. He will make sure that Don Croce and the government in Rome will know it is safely in America and then they will not dare harm Guiliano. They will let him emigrate safely.”

  “Do you have it with you?” Michael asked.

  The little man smiled at him slyly and then laughed, “You have it,” he said.

  Michael was astonished. “You’ve been misinformed,” he said. “No one has given it to me.”

  “Yes they have,” Hector Adonis said. He put a friendly hand on Michael’s arm and Michael noticed how small and dainty his fingers were, like a child’s. “Maria Lombardo, Guiliano’s mother, gave it to you. Only she and myself know where it is, not even Pisciotta knows.”

  He saw Michael’s uncomprehending look. “It’s in the black Madonna,” Hector Adonis said. “It’s true the Madonna has been in the family for generations and is valuable. Everybody knows about it. But Guiliano was given a replica. It is hollow. The Testament is written on very thin paper and each sheet has Guiliano’s signature. I helped him compose it over the last few years. There are also some incriminating documents. Turi always knew what the end might be and wanted to be prepared. For a young man he has a great sense of strategy.”

  Michael laughed. “And his mother is a great actress.”

  “All Sicilians are,” Hector Adonis said. “We trust no one and dissemble before everyone. Guiliano’s father is certainly trustworthy, but he might be indiscreet. Pisciotta has been Guiliano’s truest friend since their childhood, Stefan Andolini has saved Guiliano’s life in battle with the carabinieri, but men change with time or under torture. So it’s best they do not know.”