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Suzi Quatro despised Joseph and Caesar for being together a lot of times until she saw them in the garden in a bright summer of London.
Her master, countess Elizabeth Joestar was gone for a business, so she had to take care of this mansion by myself as her head servant. She had a long journey from a child servant to a head servant who was about to marry the future count to secure her family’s business. When her family’s business was bankrupt when Suzi was a child, she was hired young in the Joestar residence. Elizabeth introduced her to her family— her husband’s mother, Erina Pendleton-Joestar; their close friend and a rich businessman Robert E.O. Speedwagon; and her son, Joseph. Despite Suzi’s job as their servant, she was treated with care and love like she was part of their family.
During weekends, Joseph introduced her to his best friend near the Joestar residence named Caesar Zeppeli. He told her about how his family had close relations to each other since William A. Zeppeli became a mentor to Joseph’s deceased grandfather, Jonathan Joestar, in business during Industrial Revolution as large scale business became a factor to the aristocracy. The trio became friends and unbeknownst to Caesar and Joseph, Suzi watched them grow with a pinch of bitterness that might go away.
When Suzi Q wandered around the halls of the Joestar mansion, she didn’t see any sight of Joseph Joestar, her son and my future husband. Suzi peeked through his bedroom—he was not here. She peeked through every corner of the residence to find him. He was supposed to be with me as we were about to get married in a few months, so we had to get to know each other and create bonds before the said marriage. As she didn’t find him in the halls, rooms, everywhere even the private rooms of this residence, she chose to look for him at the gardens.
The flowers bloomed beautifully. The sunshine shined brightly that Suzi might easily sweat if she wore long gowns instead of this one. She went to the center of the garden, where there were a statue and four paths to different places around this large residence. she desired to thank his ancestors for placing this statue as without this, she might end up drifting at the wrong place. When Suzi took the east side first, she entered to a picturesque place that she’d never been in my entire stay in this big house. Although her master showed me every place, she never got to show me the gardens. When she analyzed the variety of flowers in the place, she noticed two men sitting on a bench.
She saw two familiar faces and finally, she finally found Joseph! Fool, he was so irresponsible to leave his position as a future heir to the mansion and wandered in the gardens with his childhood best friend, Caesar Zeppeli. When she approached them nearer, she dropped down as she didn’t want to interrupt a personal conversation.
“Jojo, how should we do?” His best friend asked, “you’re about to marry her in a few months and I too had to marry at the same time.”
“Caesar! Don’t fret! We can always go here when they are not around—”
“But we must not remain this a secret anymore,” Caesar admitted. Based on the way he talked, I discovered that he was crying while speaking. “I will go to Rome right after!”
Suzi heard Joseph’s screech of frustration. She took a peek through the large bush and she saw Joseph holding his best friend’s two shoulders. He also felt the same emotion as Caesar, but why?
“That’s impossible! The Zeppeli family had business with my family for years, so you must stay here!” Joseph demanded, “I don’t know what to do without you, Caesar. I love Suzi, but my feelings for her are platonic unlike yours.”
Hearing it strike the woman’s heart to shatters. Now she wondered what was his sentiment when he was with me since childhood along with the Italian. She had this strong urge to jump out and interrupt them, but if she wore Joseph’s shoes, she began to feel an inch of pity to a Joestar. She hadn’t told them about her always peeking at their conversations due to keen curiosity, but this conversation made her thought of her relationship with Joseph.
What were we then, Joseph?
“Jojo, you need to have an heir in the future. Same goes to me,” Caesar told him as he held his arms. The way he held his arms were so affectionate. “If we live like this, do you think we will be accepted? In the world where the money is everything and man marrying a woman is a must…”
Joseph held his Italian best friend’s cheeks and he stared at the green eyes. He spoke to him lowly but with the pang in his heart. “I love you, Caesar.”
This was the first time she heard from Joseph. She watched the two men leaning in towards each other for an affectionate kiss, which was a kind of kiss she never felt with Joseph. What was strange right now was Suzi didn’t feel any jealously from them anymore—but realized the clear message that their love was forbidden and unholy in front of their families.
Suzi then began to observe them even more that she felt that she became more irresponsible. Instead of looking after the servants of Joestar's residence, she watched her future husband and his best friend giving a lot of love as time was running out. She wanted to talk to Joseph of canceling their engagement and made him and Caesar run, but the world was too conservative to cancel and make them go around freely from the chains of nobility. There was a time when she saw them making out in the distant garden near the Zeppeli residence or even saw their piles of clothes discarded on the grass. People would feel odd when the woman the man had to marry didn’t feel any jealousy when the fiancé
As her master went home with her husband, and she saw her parents came near to the residence, Suzi had a bad feeling that this was a game over to Joseph.
Their marriage was grand, full of musicians, and the household was packed. Caesar was also invited to their wedding due to family business, but Suzi couldn’t help but made him watch this ceremony that led his heart wrenched to pieces. Suzi wanted to tell Joseph that she cared for him and Caesar, but she didn’t want to ruin the occasion.
Caesar left London a day after their wedding. Joseph didn’t get to wave his goodbye as he traveled without any notice to his best friend, giving Suzi a logical reason that Caesar was anxious that he would ruin their special day. She watched Joseph cried on their bed in the evening, comforting him as much as possible.
Five years ran at a fast pace. Suzi gave birth to their child named Holly and she was cherished in the family even though she was a girl, which was unworthy back then for inheritance. Holly was a jolly girl that Joseph named her, and he didn’t regret spending his time with her and Suzi, although their love was platonic.
“You have a best friend, Papa?” Holly asked Joseph while the small family was sitting down on a bench in the gardens.
“Yes, Holly—”
“I want to see him! You told me that he had the same hair like mine, right?”
News of Caesar’s whereabouts was scarce until the day of Erina’s funeral. Suzi was delighted to see Caesar again, but his mood was cold as ice when he went back to London. While Joseph tended his business in Scotland, Caesar barged into the residence and asked about Joseph’s whereabouts.
“It’s nice to see you again, Suzi Joestar,” Caesar greeted her, “may I ask about where is Mr. Joestar?”
Suzi placed a tea set on the table. “He would go home anytime soon from Scotland.”
“That’s better,” Caesar commented.
Suzi poured the tea into Caesar’s cup and the Italian sipped it. This night was very quiet as it was past Holly’s bedtime and almost everyone in the residence was already asleep. This was a perfect time for Suzie to ask Caesar about his relationship with Joseph and talk about her opinions about it.
“I am very curious, Caesar,” Suzie began to ask, “how’s your friendship with Jojo?”
Caesar carefully put down the cup. “As always, we are best friends.”
“Then why you don’t send him a farewell letter back then?” Suzie gulped as she felt that she was about to be harsh towards Caesar. “Do you know that Joseph cried that night because you left without any notice?”
“Luckily you care for him—”
“I care about you and Joseph’s welfare, Caesar,” Suzie admitted, “although I am married to him that doesn’t mean that I love him.”
Caesar clenched his fists on the table, making Suzie worried about what he would say next.
“So, you know it?” Caesar spoke in an unexpectedly monotonous way.
“I know it, Caesar since I always come around with Joseph. Joseph always talked about you when we were inside the residence and weren’t married. He wished to see you a lot not only in business but in person.”
Suzie continued, “Joseph didn’t want this marriage, I supposed. Although we managed to give affection to each other, I believe it was lacking because he adored you a lot more.”
She deemed this to be true as she wanted Joseph to be happy than being stuck with the chains of marriage that Suzie reckoned that Joseph didn’t like. Suzie took a look at Caesar’s expression—stunned and almost in tears. When they heard the sounds of the motor coming from the outside, Suzie stood up and went out to the front yard, where she saw Joseph coming out of the vehicle. She looked back at Caesar and she announced.
“Caesar, Jojo is here.”
From now on, Suzie wished them happiness as they drifted away with no message.