Крестный отец

           TomHagenwasthirty-fiveyearsold,atallcrew-cutman,veryslender,veryordinary-looking.HewasalawyerbutdidnotdotheactualdetailedlegalworkfortheCorleonefamilybusinessthoughhehadpracticedlawforthreeyearsafterpassingthebarexam.

           Attheageofelevenhehadbeenaplaymateofeleven-year-oldSonnyCorleone.Hagen’smotherhadgoneblindandthendiedduringhiseleventhyear.Hagen’sfather,aheavydrinker,hadbecomeahopelessdrunkard.Ahardworkingcarpenter,hehadneverdoneadishonestthinginhislife.Buthisdrinkingdestroyedhisfamilyandfinallykilledhim.TomHagenwasleftanorphanwhowanderedthestreetsandsleptinhallways.Hisyoungersisterhadbeenputinafosterhome,butinthe1920’sthesocialagenciesdidnotfollowupcasesofeleven-year-oldboyswhoweresoungratefulastorunfromtheircharity.Hagen,too,hadaneyeinfection.Neighborswhisperedthathehadcaughtorinheriteditfromhismotherandsothereforeitcouldbecaughtfromhim.Hewasshunned.SonnyCorleone,awarmheartedandimperiouseleven-year-old,hadbroughthisfriendhomeanddemandedthathebetakenin.TomHagenwasgivenahotdishofspaghettiwithoilyrichtomatosauce,thetasteofwhichhehadneverforgotten,andthengivenametalfoldingbedtosleepon.

           Inthemostnaturalway,withoutawordbeingspokenorthematterdiscussedinanyfashion,DonCorleonehadpermittedtheboytostayinhishousehold.DonCorleonehimselftooktheboytoaspecialdoctorandhadhiseyeinfectioncured.