the inquiry wasn’t one made out of courtesy or for the sake of conversation. the very same could be said for his curiously at tom’s answer. was he happy? and more importantly, was he being treated as one of the family — was he being included? all of it sincerely felt — a glimmer perfectly visible in the brown eyes of the tall sicilian teenager. santino was always more tenderhearted than he appeared. a fact that he was so often — but never from anyone outside of the circle of his family — teased about. and the bond that existed between him and his brother, tom hagen? that was undeniable. that was special. sure, the love he had for fredo and michael was fierce, but there was just something about the found brother that stirred his heart differently. it went far beyond then their closeness in age.
so when he heard tom’s confirmation that no, he hadn’t been involved in his father’s work lately, sonny’s disappointment was palpable in his frown and the way that his shoulders slightly slumped. disappointed as he may have been, however, santino had been raised — and had known through trial and error — better than to contradict or even question the old man in any way. that he wasn’t one of those american infamia punks that he went to school with. that if his father said he was busy, then it was as if jesus christ himself came down from heaven and said that don corleone was busy.
he wasn’t too apt at reading the emotions of others — especially ones that were concealed — but he could imagine tom wasn’t terribly pleased at the prospect of being proverbially shut out. which was why sonny reached out almost instinctively, clapping his hand down on the german irish, and giving his shoulder a bit of a strong and reassuring squeeze. ❝ hey, you know pop still trusts you, right? ❞ a more rhetorical question than anything else, punctuated with a familiar grin from the eldest corleone to emphasize. ❝ but it’s like he said, things been kinda busy lately. ya see? ❞ stepping back, he released his arm from his brothers shoulder only to hold them out to both of his sides as though he was showing off a fancy three-piece suit that he wasn’t wearing. it was still fancy enough, considering the simple tank top and slacks that sonny was more used to lounging around in and even having his fun with the girls. but the blazer and shirt he wore neatly tucked into his pants? that was a crystal clear indication of business. plain and simple.
and it’s at the revelation from tom, regarding his future, that really peaks at sonny’s interest. his future. he knew that it was no business of his. hell, santino didn’t even have a say regarding his own future — and that was completely fine with him. but for a moment he wondered about his brother and what his future would look like. he learned from his father that only family belonged in the family; real men of honor, italian men like clemenza, tessio, and even luca brasi. but not being of italian descent … he couldn’t help but wonder what that would mean for tom.
❝ law school? ❞ he let the words linger in the air between them. even if he tried, sonny couldn’t bring himself to be enthusiastic about the subject. school — aside from the fact that he just didn’t have a knack for academics — just wasn’t for him, as the eldest born male of the great don corleone. but tom? he had always been the one with the brains; the more rational, more articulate, observant, and methodic. that brought sonny right back into his previous line of thought. his voice low, he couldn’t help but ask, ❝ does pop know? ❞ he asks mostly to figure out what his own reaction should be like. he was supposed to mirror the old man, after all. but then, there was also a side of him — the side of a tenderhearted brother — that compelled him to give tom another grin and encouraging clap on the shoulder. ❝ i think you’ll do great as a lawyer. you got a good head on your shoulders, tom. you always did. ❞ and that, of course, was absolutely true.
he could still remember occasions where — and plentiful they were — tom assisted santino in one of the many fights he had gotten into with some other lousy punk from school. the assistance he provided may not have been physical, but the quiet word and exchange of advice during the long walks to and from school was always more than enough to make a dent that was as sizable as the ones made by santino’s fists. he could do good for the business, and that wasn’t just wishful thinking.
although he was tired — exhausted — on this long and busy night, santino was able to cast that all aside without even the briefest thought or hesitation. the mention of mama’s pasta was able to do that. the prospect of food was always one of his weak spots, so to speak, but food directly from his mother’s hands? that was something else entirely. like a big and strong — and still growing — italian boy, santino couldn’t mask the grin on his face as he moved his hand over to rest on his stomach. a gesture that said that everything for him. ❝ what d’ya think, mr. lawyer, that i’m gonna say no to mama’s pasta con i ceci? i’ll go wash up first. ❞
there was absolutely no delay as the tall and broad shouldered corleone hurried into the bathroom a few doors to the right as soon as he made his way up the stairs. and almost just as quickly as it had taken him to get there, he finished washing the dirt collected from all the physical labor he had put in for the day. as soon as that was done, he was practically running back down the front stairs and into the kitchen were mama corleone stood over a warm plate of her pasta. a familiar sight that santino knew that he would never grow tired of seeing in his lifetime. family and food stood chief among things of importance in the heart of an italian male. and just like any good one, he made his way over to his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before making his way to the table alongside his brother, tom, ready to dig into the plate she set before him.