Английский язык с Крестным Отцом
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knew she was in the hospital for a minor operation; that had been necessary so that
they both could get time off, and Freddie had told Jules that the hotel would pick up all
the bills for Lucy.
Lucy was introducing them and one of the men Jules recognized instantly. The
famous Johnny Fontane. The other was a big, muscular, snotty-looking Italian guy
whose name was Nino Valenti. They both shook hands with Jules and then paid no
further attention to him. They were kidding Lucy, talking about the old neighborhood in
New York, about people and events Jules had no way of sharing. So he said to Lucy,
"I'll drop by later, I have to see Dr. Kellner anyway."
But Johnny Fontane was turning the charm on him. "Hey, buddy, we have to leave
ourselves, you keep Lucy company. Take good care of her, Doc." Jules noticed a
peculiar hoarseness in Johnny Fontane's voice and remembered suddenly that the man
hadn't sung in public for over a year now, that he had won the Academy Award for his
acting. Could the man's voice have changed so late in life and the papers keeping it a
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secret, everybody keeping it a secret? Jules loved inside gossip and kept listening to
Fontane's voice in an attempt to diagnose the trouble. It could be simple strain
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(растяжение), or too much booze and cigarettes or even too much women. The voice
had an ugly timbre to it, he could never be called the sweet crooner (эстрадный певец;
croon – тихое проникновенное пение; to croon – напевать вполголоса) anymore.
"You sound like you have a cold," Jules said to Johnny Fontane.
Fontane said politely, "Just strain, I tried to sing last night. I guess I just can't accept the
fact that my voice changed, getting old you know." He gave Jules a what-the-hell grin
(усмешка, как бы говорящая: «Какого черта?»).
Jules said casually, "Didn't you get a doctor to look at it? Maybe it's something that
can be fixed."
Fontane was not so charming now. He gave Jules a long cool look. "That's the first
thing I did nearly two years ago. Best specialists. My own doctor who's supposed to be
the top guy out here in California. They told me to get a lot of rest. Nothing wrong, just
getting older. A man's voice changes when he gets older."
Fontane ignored him after that, paying attention to Lucy, charming her as he charmed
all women. Jules kept listening to the voice. There had to be a growth on those vocal
cords. But then why the hell hadn't the specialists spotted it? Was it malignant and
inoperable? Then there was other stuff.
He interrupted Fontane to ask, "When was the last time you got examined by a
specialist?"
Fontane was obviously irritated but trying to be polite for Lucy's sake. "About eighteen
months ago," he said.
"Does your own doctor take a look once in a while?" Jules asked.
"Sure he does," Johnny Fontane said irritably. "He gives me a codeine spray and
checks me out. He told me it's just my voice aging, that all the drinking and smoking and
other stuff. Maybe you know more than he does?"
Jules asked, "What's his name?"
Fontane said with just a faint flicker of pride, "Tucker, Dr. James Tucker. What do you
think of him?"
The name was familiar, linked to famous movie stars, female, and to an expensive
health farm.
"He's a sharp dresser," Jules said with a grin.
Fontane was angry now. "You think you're a better doctor than he is?"
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Jules laughed. "Are you a better singer than Carmen Lombardo?" He was surprised to
see Nino Valenti break up in laughter, banging his head on his chair. The job hadn't
been that good. Then on the wings of those guffaws (guffaw [g'fo:] – грубый хохот,
гогот) he caught the smell of bourbon (сорт виски ['bubn]) and knew that even this
early in the morning Mr. Valenti, whoever the hell he was, was at least half drunk.
Fontane was grinning at his friend. "Hey, you're supposed to be laughing at my jokes,
not his." Meanwhile Lucy stretched out her hand to Jules and drew him to her bedside.
"He looks like a bum (задница /груб./; бездельник, лодырь; плохой, низкого
качества) but he's a brilliant (блестящий) surgeon," Lucy told them. "If he says he's
better than Dr. Tucker then he's better than Dr. Tucker. You listen to him, Johnny."
The nurse came in and told them they would have to leave. The resident was going to
do some work on Lucy and needed privacy. Jules was amused to see Lucy turn her
head away so when Johnny Fontane and Nino Valenti kissed her they would hit her
cheek instead of her mouth, but they seemed to expect it. She let Jules kiss her on the
mouth and whispered, "Come back this afternoon, please?" He nodded.