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“Erina, I’m off to Italy.”
The year is 1980. Robert E. O. Speedwagon, thirty two years old, was currently the head of the so-called Speedwagon Foundation, something he had started on a trip to America and that had earned him a fortune as an oil tycoon. He had originally gone there to try to find a job, as the economy wasn’t doing so well where he lived, and luck had struck for him.
His dear friend Jonathan had been the one who had loaned him the money to travel to America. By now, Robert had easily paid him back and was doing well in life.
“To Italy?” Erina asks, watching her two kids playing in their garden; her elder, George and her youngest, Elizabeth, ages ten and six, respectively. George was not a very sociable kid, which sometimes brought up issues because Elizabeth was highly extroverted and even looked up to her big brother.
“Woah, Italy. That sounds great, Speedwagon!” Jonathan intercepts, bringing a teapot and three empty cups on a tray. Erina thanks her husband with a smile as he sits down.
“Yes, I’m going to Naples to meet this Baron Zeppeli. They own the biggest hospital in all of Italy and soon in all of Europe.” He explains excitedly. This could be a great way to expand his Speedwagon Foundation, by bringing business to other countries and help accelerate medical and scientific research by funding talented and hardworking doctors worldwide.
The flight to Naples is smooth and he is taken to the hotel he’s staying at, taking the time to rest before he’s on the way to meet the Baron Zeppeli he had been referenced to.
He meets with the man in the hospital. The building is enormous – the main one, that is, because he has the luxury of having several buildings, with the specialties distributed evenly. He stays in the main building, meeting Zeppeli in his office directly. He’s taken by a young secretary and soon finds himself in the office, looking at an elegant man sitting down behind a dark mahogany desk. He’s wearing a white suit with a dark dress shirt, white gloves and a top hat resting on the desk next to him. His dark hair makes a contrast with his blue eyes and he has a carefully executed moustache resting above his lips.
“You must be Mr. Speedwagon.” He says, Italian accent heavy on his otherwise fluent English. “Please take a seat, I’m William Anthonio Zeppeli.”
Speedwagon gives a polite nod, stretching a hand that William takes and shakes. “Thank you for having me, Baron Zeppeli.”
“Oh please, no need for such formalities.” William waves his hand in the air. “Just Zeppeli is fine.” He says. Speedwagon nods in agreement.
Speedwagon nods, feeling a little awkward about it, but soon is able to put his professionalism back on to present all the businesses that his Foundation had to offer to the Zeppeli Hospital.
It’s a long, drawn-out meeting, but ultimately they are signing papers and shaking each other’s hands.
And, at first, their acquaintance is purely professional – they’re business partners, Speedwagon has been able to fund some more buildings for the Zeppeli family to build hospitals off of and overall, the boom was being quite bigger than either of the parts had expected.
But then, William is inviting Robert home, introducing him to his wife and his two boys, Gregorio and Mario. Robert finds that they’re around the same age as George and Elizabeth, so he has an easy time around them, even if they don’t speak perfect English yet.
“Gregorio says he wants to be a doctor too.” William laughs during dinner, serving himself and Robert another glass of wine. The older of the boys seems to blush a little, scarfing down the delicious homemade food that William’s wife had cooked.
“That’s wonderful! With such a good mentor, I’m sure he will be very successful.” Speedwagon says with a smile.
They had a rather nice time that evening.
But that doesn’t last forever.
The year after, William’s wife passes away from illness.
Illness that neither the Zeppeli hospital or the Speedwagon Foundation’s professionals could cure.
It left William alone with two children.
Speedwagon gets on the first flight to Italy that he can. He knows William needs him, that the children need him.
He had no idea he needed William as well.
He attends the funeral and stays in the Zeppeli residence for nearly a month after that. Whether it’s paperwork that needs to be done, or the two boys that need care taken of, Robert is there.
More than anything, he’s there to give his good friend William a shoulder to cry on about the loss of his wife.
Except that.. He doesn’t.
Instead, he comes up with a conversation that Robert did not expect at all.
Not from a family man such as William Anthonio Zeppeli.
Robert was a career man, he had never married and he wasn’t sure he ever would, for as his preferences were… in a way, not legal. It was sad to say so, but it was the harsh reality. It was a very forbidden subject to bring up, so he had always been rather secretive about it. After all, only Erina and Jonathan knew.
But it seemed that William had been living a lie; the same lie Robert had always refused to live.
The moment that he feels a rough pair of lips on his own, time seems to stop. It takes him nearly an entire second to process the action, but he can’t help returning the gentle movements as he embraces the other man.
The kiss doesn’t last too long, as even William needs a moment to process what he just did, the decision he’s just made.
“I.. I’m sorry Speedwagon, I-I don’t think I’ve ever liked women, I just..”
“Felt pressured to be a perfect man? Career, family, all that?” Speedwagon asks, getting an hesitant nod from William. He gently takes his hand, squeezing it within his own. “You don’t have to be one. Not anymore, William .”
That’s the first time Robert calls him by his first name.
The man is crying, the tears flowing freely for the first time since his wife had died. He had seen his sons crying, but he hadn’t shed a tear for her. He had convinced himself it was due to the strength he needed to have in order to keep his sons safe and alright, or the pride that he had as an Italian man.
Maybe, after all, he hadn’t shed a tear for her because he didn’t have those feelings for her in the first place. Maybe he wasn’t experiencing loss the way society told him he should have.
Falling into a relationship with Robert is both a challenge and a walk on the beach.
It’s easy because they’re in love. That much is obvious. It’s easy because they have so much in common.
But it’s also hard because it’s the eighties in Naples, a place overtaken by Catholicism and because he has two kids from whom he was hiding this relationship because it wasn’t appropriate. He had just lost the mother of said children, his entire family was grieving this loss and he knew he needed to focus on the kids along with work because his wife was no longer there.
But it all went well.
Twelve years later, William is seeing his eldest son get married to a wonderful woman and, despite them passing off as friends and Speedwagon having been almost like an uncle to Gregorio and Mario, he is just as happy to see Gregorio get married as his lover. He has become a doctor and now William, with two grown children, is able to come back to his career oriented life, mostly balancing it with his secret lover.
☆☆☆
“Congratulations on the grandchild, dear.” Robert says, stroking a hand down William’s back. They’re currently in William’s cottage in the countryside and they have just gotten the news that Gregorio was expecting a little child. They knew nothing about gender or anything else, but it was set to be a healthy pregnancy.
The first child of the Zeppeli family is born under the name of Giuliana Zeppeli.
The baby girl is healthy, beautiful, with green eyes just as bright as Gregorio’s.
The first instance that something is off about her is when she demands everyone calls her Gyro rather than Giuliana; it seems like it was a nickname her mother had given her due to some toys she owned as well as her younger siblings, but William sometimes found it odd that his eldest granddaughter was such a tomboy and did her best to blend in with her younger brothers. But then again, she was the only girl.
By the time Giuliana – or rather, Gyro, is ten, Gregorio and his wife are sitting down with William and explaining that Gyro says he’s a boy.
By then, William finally understands – the concept of a trans person and how it can come from such a young age. He suddenly felt awful for all the times he unknowingly forced feminisation on his young grandson .
Yes, that’s what he had. A grandson . Well, he had more but Gyro specifically.
“You know,” it comes quietly in a room deep into the Zeppeli manor in Naples, “Gyro is a boy.”
Robert nods, his hands gently grasping William’s. “I must say I had my suspicions. How does Gregorio feel about it? How is Gyro doing?”
“He wants to wait until it’s safe to start hormone treatment. For now, they’re taking Gyro shopping and to make himself appear more masculine to feel better.” William explains. Robert smiles, coming closer to press a gentle kiss against his lips. “All legal things and whatnot need to wait until Gyro is an adult.. But until then, we’ll refer to him as Gyro only. Gyro Zeppeli.”
“And how do you want to proceed with us?” He asks, as if asking whether their relationship would stay a secret or not, now that they wouldn’t be the first queer people in the family.
“For now.. As it has always been.” He says quietly, looking down. Robert only nods at that. The timing now was not the best, as it could seem as if they were taking away Gyro’s moment of revelation.
But little did they know they had a small, curious Gyro peeking through the door’s gap.
☆☆☆
Years pass. From his place in everyone’s life, William sees how his family grows; both his sons have five children each.
By now Gyro has grown into a lovely young man, his transition having been completed with his legal name being changed to Julius Caesar, as he requested that his parents would pick a name for him as if he would be born once again.
From Mario’s side, the eldest boy was also named Caesar, but it was followed by Anthonio, in homage to the older man that was his grandfather.
He knew that the Zeppeli family would carry on to be a proud and loving one with boys such as Caesar and Julius growing to be such fine men.
His health starts declining as he becomes older. It’s something that everyone expects, but it’s still sad nevertheless. But one person is especially affected by all of this.
In those last weeks, Robert is never seen away from William’s bedside.
While it’s a bit.. Questionable, Mario and Gregorio don’t make any visible efforts to pull the man away from their dying father, as he does respect their space as well.
William passes away peacefully in his sleep in the Autumn of 2012 at ninety years old.
“White lilies?” The voice is gruff and the accent is heavy. Robert doesn’t have to look over his shoulder to know he’s in the presence of the eldest Zeppeli. “Eternal and unconditional love.”
“Gregorio, it’s not wha–”
“You and my father were together.” He states, a gentle smile on his lips. “It’s alright, I’ve always known you were more than a friend.”
“Gregorio–” Robert tries to cut him off, but Gregorio keeps talking.
“He never seemed to be in love with my late mother.” He says. “He seemed like a new person after she passed. Not in a bad way. From what I knew, they had an arranged marriage, something to do with money and business so I couldn’t blame him for being unhappy.” He says, looking at Speedwagon. “It can be our secret, I won’t tell anyone else and I’ll respect your memories with him.”
Speedwagon’s eyes brim with tears as he comes to give the younger man a hug. He clenches his eyes shut, crying quietly. “I did love him very dearly, Gregorio. We were very happy.”
“I am happy to hear that, Mr. Speedwagon.”
They part and Speedwagon puts the hat back on his head – the hat William loved the most. “I will return to my house in New York, but never hesitate in calling me if you need, Gregorio.”