Английский язык с Крестным Отцом
Шрифт:
person should try suicide.
Now, after nearly eighteen months in Las Vegas, she was surprised to find herself
almost happy. Some nights she dreamed about Sonny and lying awake before dawn
continued her dream with her own caresses until she could sleep again. She had not
had a man since. But the life in Vegas agreed with her. She went swimming in the hotel
pools, sailed on Lake Mead and drove through the desert on her day off. She became
thinner and this improved her figure. She was still voluptuous but more in the American
than the old Italian style. She worked in the public relations section of the hotel as a
receptionist and had nothing to do with Freddie though when he saw her he would stop
and chat a little. She was surprised at the change in Freddie. He had become a ladies'
man, dressed beautifully, and seemed to have a real flair (чутье) for running a gambling
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resort. He controlled the hotel side, something not usually done by casino owners. With
the long, very hot summer seasons, or perhaps his more active sex life, he too had
become thinner and Hollywood tailoring made him look almost debonair
(жизнерадостный, веселый [deb’n]) in a deadly sort of way.
It was after six months that Tom Hagen came out to see how she was doing. She had
been receiving a check for six hundred dollars a month, every month, in addition to her
salary. Hagen explained that this money had to be shown as coming from some place
and asked her to sign complete powers of attorney so that he could channel the money
properly. He also told her that as a matter of form she would be listed as owner of five
"points" in the hotel in which she worked. She would have to go through all the legal
formalities required by the Nevada laws but everything would be taken care of for her
and her own personal inconvenience would be at a minimum. However she was not to
discuss this arrangement with anyone without his consent. She would be protected
legally in every way and her money every month would be assured. If the authorities or
any law-enforcement (enforcement – давление, принуждение; принудительный)
agencies ever questioned her, she was to simply refer them to her lawyer and she
would not be bothered any further.
Lucy agreed. She understood what was happening but had no objections to how she
was being used. It seemed a reasonable favor. But when Hagen asked her to keep her
eyes open around the hotel, keep an eye on Freddie and on Freddie's boss, the man
who owned and operated the hotel, as a major stockholder (акционер), she said to him,
"Oh, Tom, you don't want me to spy on Freddie?"
Hagen smiled. "His father worries about Freddie. He's in fast company with Moe
Greene and we just want to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." He didn't bother
to explain to her that the Don had backed the building of this hotel in the desert of Las
Vegas not only to supply a haven for his son, but to get a foot in the door for bigger
operations.
It was shortly after this interview that Dr. Jules Segal came to work as the hotel
physician. He was very thin, very handsome and charming and seemed very young to
be a doctor, at least to Lucy. She met him when a lump (опухоль,
her wrist on her forearm. She worried about it for a few days, then one morning went to
the doctor's suite of offices in the hotel. Two of the show girls from the chorus line were
in the waiting room, gossiping with each other. They had the blond peach-colored
prettiness Lucy always envied. They looked angelic. But one of the girls was saying, "I
swear if I have another dose I'm giving up dancing."
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When Dr. Jules Segal opened his office door to motion one of the show girls inside,
Lucy was tempted to leave, and if it had been something more personal and serious she
would have. Dr. Segal was wearing slacks (широкие брюки) and an open shirt. The
horn-rimmed glasses helped and his quiet reserved manner, but the impression he gave
was an informal one, and like many basically old-fashioned people, Lucy didn't believe
that medicine and informality mixed.
When she finally got into his office there was something so reassuring in his manner
that all her misgivings fled. He spoke hardly at all and yet he was not brusque, and he
took his time. When she asked him what the lump was he patiently explained that it was
a quite common fibrous (волокнистый, фиброзный ['faibrs]) growth that could in no
way be malignant (злокачественный [m’lignnt]) or a cause for serious concern. He
picked up a heavy medical book and said, "Hold out your arm."
She held out her arm tentatively (неуверенно; tentative ['tenttiv] – пробный,
опытный). He smiled at her for the first time. "I'm going to cheat myself out of a surgical