Mario Puzo - The Last Don

«OK, we'll divorce,» Pippi said to Nalene. «But I'm not losing my kids.»

«I know who you are now,» Nalene said. «I won't see you again and I will not have my children living with you.»

This surprised Pippi. Nalene had never been forceful or outspoken. And it surprised him that she dared to speak to him, Pippi De Lena, in such a fashion. But women were always reckless. He then considered his own position. He was not equipped to bring up children. Cross was eleven and Claudia was ten, and he recognized the fact that, despite his closeness with Cross, both children loved their mother more than they did him.

He wanted to be fair to his wife. After all, he had received from her what he wanted, a family, children, a bedrock to his life, which every man needed. Who knew what he would have become if it had not been for her?

«Let's reason this out,» he said. «Let's split without any bad feelings.» He turned on the charm. «What the hell, we've had a good twelve years. We've had some happy times. And we have two wonderful kids, thanks to you.» He paused, surprised again by her stern face. «Come on Nalene, I've been a good father, my kids like me. And I'll help you in whatever you want to do. Naturally you can keep the house here in Vegas. And I can get you one of the shops in the Xanadu. Dresses, jewelry, antiques. You'll earn your two hundred grand a year. And we can sort of share the kids.»

Nalene said, «I hate Las Vegas. I always did. I have my teaching degree and a job in Sacramento. I've already enrolled the children in school up there.»

It was at that moment that Pippi, with a sense of astonishment, realized that she was an opponent, she was dangerous. It was a concept completely foreign to him. Women, in his frame of reference, were never dangerous. Not a wife, not a mistress, not an aunt, not the wife of a friend, not even the daughter of the Don, Rose Marie. Pippi had always lived in a world where women could not be an enemy. Suddenly he felt that rage, that flow of energy, that he could feel toward men.

Out of that he said, «I'm not going to Sacramento to see my kids.» He always became angry when someone rejected his charm, refused his friendship. Anyone who refused to be reasonable with Pippi De Lena was courting disaster. Once he decided on confrontation, Pippi took it to the limit. Also, he was astonished that his wife had already made plans.

«You said you know who I am,» Pippi said. «So be very careful. You can move to Sacramento, you can move to the bottom of the ocean for all I care. But you take only one of my children with you. The other stays with me.»

Nalene looked at him coolly. «The court will decide that,» she said. «I think you should get a lawyer to talk to my lawyer.» She almost laughed in his face when she saw his astonishment.

«You have a lawyer?» Pippi said. «You're taking me to the law?» Then he began to laugh. His laughter seemed to carry him away. He was almost hysterical.

It was strange to see a man who for twelve years had been a supplicating lover, a beggar for her flesh, her protection from the cruelties of the world, turn into a dangerous and threatening beast. At that moment she finally understood why other men had treated him with such respect, why they feared him. Now his ugly charm had none of that geniality that was so disarming. Oddly, she was not so much frightened as she was hurt that his love for her could so easily vanish. After all, for twelve years they had cradled each other's flesh, laughed together, danced together, and nurtured their children together, and now his gratitude for the gifts she had given him counted for nothing.

Pippi said to her coldly, «I don't care what you decide. I don't care what a judge decides. Be reasonable and I'll be reasonable. Be tough and you won't have anything.»

For the first time she was terrified of all the things she loved; his powerful body, his large, heavy-boned hands, the irregular, blunt features she had always thought manly, that other people called ugly. All through their marriage, he had been more courtier than husband, had never raised his voice to her, had never even made a mild joke at her expense, had never scolded when she ran up bills. And it was true he had been a good father, only rough with the kids when they did not show respect for their mother.

She felt faint, but Pippi's face became more distinct, as though framed in some shadow. Extra flesh padded his cheeks, the very slight cleft in his chin seemed to be filled in with a tiny dot of black putty. His thick eyebrows had spears of white in them, but the hair on his massive skull was black, each strand as thick as horsehair. His eyes, usually so merry, were now a merciless flat tan.

«I thought you loved me,» Nalene said. «How can you frighten me so?» She began to weep.

This disarmed Pippi. «Listen to me,» he said. «Don't listen to your lawyer. You go to court, let's say I lose all the way down the line. You're still not going to get both kids. Nalene, don't make me be tough, I don't want to be. I understand you don't want to live with me anymore. I always thought I was so lucky to have you as long as I did. I want you to be happy. You'll get far more from me than you'll get from any court judge. But I'm getting old, I don't want to live without a family.»

For one of the few times in her life Nalene could not resist malice. «You have the Clericuzio,» she said.

«So I have,» Pippi said. «You should remember that. But the important thing is, I don't want to be alone in my old age.»

«Millions of men are,» Nalene said. «And women too.»

«Because they're helpless,» Pippi said. «Strangers decide their lives. Other people veto their existence. I don't let anyone do that.»

Nalene said scornfully, «You veto them?»

«That's right,» Pippi said. He smiled down at her. «That's exactly right.»

«You can visit them all you want,» Nalene said. «But they both have to live with me.»

At that he turned his back and said quietly, «Do what you want.»

Nalene said, «Wait.» Pippi turned to her. She saw on his face something so terrible in its soulless ferocity that she murmured, «If one of them wants to go with you, then OK.»

Pippi suddenly became exuberant, as if the problem were resolved. «That's great,» he said. «Your kid can visit me in Vegas and my kid can visit you in Sacramento. That's perfect. Let's settle it tonight.»

Nalene made a last effort. «Forty is not old,» she said. «You can start another family.»

Pippi shook his head. «Never,» he said. «You're the only woman who ever had the Indian sign on me. I married late and I know I'll never marry again. You're lucky I'm smart enough to know I can't keep you, and I'm smart enough to know I can't start over again.»

«That's true,» Nalene said. «You can't make me love you again.»

«But I could kill you,» Pippi said. He was smiling at her. As if it were a joke.

She looked into his eyes and believed him. She realized this was the source of his power, that when he made a threat people believed him. She summoned her last reserve of courage.

«Remember,» she said, «if they both want to stay with me, you have to let them go.»

«They love their father,» Pippi said. «One of them will stay here with their old man.»

That evening after dinner, the house iced with air conditioning, the desert heat outside too strong, the situation was explained to Cross, eleven years old, and Claudia, ten. Neither seemed surprised. Cross, as handsome as his mother was beautiful, already had the inner steeliness of his father, and his wariness. He was also completely without fear. He spoke up instantly. «I'm staying with Mom,» he said.

Claudia was frightened by the choice. With a small child's cunning, she said, «I'm staying with Cross.»