The Last Don - Mario Puzo [195]
When the band stopped playing, Jimmy plucked Pippi out of the crowd and presented him to the more than two hundred guests.
He said, “This is Pippi De Lena who gave the bride away, and he represents the Clericuzio Family. He is my dearest friend. His friends are my friends. His enemies are my enemies.” He raised his glass and said, “We all drink to him. And he gets the first dance with the bride.”
As Pippi and Rose Marie danced, she whispered to him, “You’ll bring the Families together, won’t you, Pippi?”
“It’s a cinch,” Pippi said, and whirled her around.
Pippi was the marvel of the celebration, never had there been a more convivial wedding guest. He danced every dance, and was lighter on his feet than any of the younger men. He danced with Jimmy and then with the other brothers, Fonsa, Italo, Benedict, Gino, and Louis. He danced with the children and the matrons. He waltzed with the orchestra leader, and sang with the band, rowdy songs in Sicilian dialect. He ate and drank with such abandon that his tux was spotted with tomato sauce and the fruity juice of the cocktails and the wine. He hurled the boccie balls with such élan that the court became the center of the wedding for an hour.
After boccie, Jimmy Santadio drew Pippi aside. “I’m counting on you to make everything work,” he said. “Our two Families together, nothing can stop us. Me and you.” It was Jimmy Santadio at his charming best.
Pippi mustered every ounce of sincerity for his answer. “We will. We will.” And he wondered if Jimmy Santadio was as honest as he seemed. By now he must know that somebody in his Family had committed the murder.
Jimmy seemed to sense this. “I swear to you, Pippi, I had nothing to do with it.” He took Pippi’s hand in his. “We had nothing to do with Silvio’s death. Nothing. I swear on the head of my father.”
“I believe you,” Pippi said and pressed Jimmy’s hands. He had a moment of doubt, but it didn’t matter. It was too late.
The red desert sun faded to twilight, and lights came on all over the compound. This was the signal for a formal dinner to be served. And all the brothers, Fonsa, Italo, Gino, Benedict, and Louis, proposed a toast to the bride and groom. To the happiness of the marriage, to the special virtues of Jimmy, to Pippi De Lena, their great new friend.
Old Don Santadio was too ill to leave his bed but sent his heartiest good wishes in which he mentioned the plane he had given his son, at which everybody cheered. Then the bride herself cut a huge slice of the wedding cake and brought it to the old man’s bedroom. But he was asleep, so they gave it to his nurse, who promised to feed it to him when he woke up.
Finally, toward midnight, the party broke. Jimmy and Rose Marie retired to their bridal chamber, saying they would leave on their honeymoon to Europe the next morning and they needed their rest. At which the guests hooted derisively and made vulgar remarks. All in high spirits and good humor.
The hundreds of cars left the compound and sped off into the desert. The catering trucks were packed, the personnel pulled down the tents and assembled the tables and chairs, then pulled up the platform and even hastily policed the grounds to be certain there was no garbage. Finally they were through; they would finish it up the next day.
At Pippi’s request, a ceremonial meeting had been arranged with the five Santadio brothers, to be held after the guests had left. They would exchange gifts to celebrate the new friendship of the two Families.
At midnight they gathered together in the huge dining room of the Santadio mansion. Pippi had a suitcase full of Rolex watches (genuine, not knockoffs). There was also a large Japanese kimono studded with hand-painted sexual scenes of Oriental lovemaking.
Fonsa shouted