"What did you want to talk to me about?"
A young Michael Corleone sat in a leather chair in his father's study. Surrounded by those of his family, with his father seated at his desk.
"Michael, Pop's not well."
"What do you mean Pop's not well? I know that, we all know that. What are you talking about?"
Tom cleared his throat. An approving look from the Don encouraged him to continue with his address. "Michael, we all know you're next in line after your father. Fredo's off in Nevada and Sonny…well Sonny's not with us no more."
Michael's gaze alternated between Tom and his father, an aggravation visibly accumulating in his eyes. "What are you getting at?"
"I made a deal with the Martinelli family," Don Vito's voice was finally present in the room.
Michael swallowed heavily. The energy in the room made him uneasy, as if his father was about to break some news that would shake him. It had been four months since he had been back from Italy. He was readjusting to the American life and continued to battle with his sorrows over losing his young bride. He could tell his father was growing impatient with him.
"What kind of deal?" Michael asked slowly, looking over at his father.
"I've always wanted the world for you, Michael, you know that. I want for you…what I had for myself. Family, respect, power…children…a wife."
Silence lingered between the three, each exchanging side ways glances with the other. At this time, Vito's light implications were starting to break through the surface with Michael. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but his face began to feel unnervingly hot.
"Pop," Michael summoned his father slowly, a silent plea for him to prove his assumptions wrong.
"You know the Martinellis well. Better yet, we all do. And you know their daughter. You played together with her when you were young. She's a beautiful woman now."
"The world is full of beautiful women," Michael combatted the statement, still not wanting to accept where his father was going with this.
"She is unmarried. Her parents are concerned for her, just as I am for you."
"There's nothing to be concerned about, Pop. I can take care of myself. I'll find the right woman. I haven't rung Kay yet. You remember Kay? I could give her a call."
"Michael, I told them you'd marry their daughter, Valerie. She's a nice girl, attractive and smart. You won't have to hide anything from her, she's familiar with our line of work."
Michael sucked on the insides of his cheeks, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his chin with the knuckle of his index finger, partly in disbelief and partly in frustration. This was not his father's place. He had yet to tell anyone of his short lived marriage in Italy – he wasn't ready to love another woman. Marriage was out of the question.
"Won't you say something, Mikey?" Tom broke the silence. He was sided with the Don on this one.
Michael only clenched his jaw, making sure he'd select his words appropriately. Although his thoughts surged with rage, he knew he couldn't disrespect his father. In his state, he knew it would have taken a lot out of him to trust someone outside the family and conceive a deal with them.
While Tom's face was full of discomfort, the Don seemed to be completely at ease. He knew, although his son was hesitant now, that he would see the reason behind his decision.
"I don't know what to say," Michael finally admitted. His thumb and forefinger still held onto his chin; his legs were crossed.
"I'm not asking you to say anything. I'm asking you to do this one thing for me, Michael. For yourself. A man is nothing without his family."
"You are my family."
Vito shook his head slowly. "Your own family. A wife to keep you grounded. Children to keep you innocent."
"Innocent?" Michael nearly exclaimed. "Don't tell me about innocence, Pop!"
Vito raised an open palm, as if it would calm his son. He realized the irony in what he had just said but he wasn't going to retract his statement.
"My years left in this life are numbered. Let me die in peace, knowing that the family name and business will not die with you."
His father's argument was compelling but Michael couldn't bring himself to agree on the spot. "I'll think about it, ok?" Even though he knew he couldn't defy his father and refuse to follow through with the deal he had made, he could certainly prolong it from becoming a reality until he was ready to be committed.
"What do you think he'll do?" Tom asked once Michael had disappeared from the study and had left the two alone. Don Vito was not worried by his son's apprehension.
"I think he will do what is right. He knows what he has to do. He just has to make his peace with it."
"How do you know?"
Vito leaned back in his chair, a trembling hand placed on the wooden surface of the desk in front of him. His age was giving his body a beating, however his mind remained sharp and young. "If this had been ten years ago, I would be worried too. The family business never used to be more than a secret to Michael. He kept his mouth shut and spoke quietly when mentioning his last name was Corleone. But he's changed. He's seen what is important and what is expected of him. He knows what it means to be a Corleone. Once you've killed a man for the family, there's nothing you won't do. Michael will do what is right."