Ti Amo

Chapter 5

"Granny Erina, it's me," announced Joseph as he let himself in the back door of his grandmother's mansion.

He heard noise and he made his way to the upstairs TV room, where he saw her asleep on a recliner.

He gently put his hand on her shoulder.

Erina stirred and blinked awake. "Huh - oh, Jojo."

He kissed her cheek. "How are you? Do you need anything?"

"Mm-mm. I was having a nice dream. I think I'll get back to it."

Joseph felt his heart warm and he took her hand in his. "I need a small favor. I need the guesthouse on the back of the property for a while for a friend."

"I'll have the servants clean it out. It hasn't been used in months. It must be awfully dusty."

"Don't worry about that. Where's the key?"

She blinked her turquoise eyes. "What, you need it now?"

He looked sheepish. "Yeah, like ... right now."

"The key is on the hook in the kitchen. And honestly, Jojo, next time, let me know ahead of time."

He grinned and snuck another kiss. "You're the best, Granny Erina."

He went to the kitchen and found the key on the hook. He gathered some apples and some bread and peanut butter. As a last minute thought, he went into the pantry and got a bottle of red wine.

He hummed cheerfully as he headed outside, signaling Caesar from the shadows of the backyard. They headed to the guest house.

Joseph unlocked the door and ushered Caesar inside. He set the food on the table after brushing off some dust. Caesar picked up an apple and bit into it. He held up the jar of peanut butter and turned it around quizzically. "What is this crap? I'm not eating this."

Joseph plugged in the icebox. "It's just for tonight. After this cools off, I'll bring you some cheese and tomatoes and ground hamburger. We can make spaghetti." He held up the wine. "The bathroom's around the corner. Why don't you freshen up."

He heard the water running. He picked up the receiver and listened for a tone.

He called home. Holly picked up.

"Joestar rez-dense."

"Hello, darling."

"Hi, Papa! Did you bring me zouveneers?"

"I don't know. Is there a good girl at home who I should give them too?"

"It's me. Me!"

"All right. Put Mama on."

She put the phone down with a clunk, Joseph had to move his ear away. Shortly, his wife came on.

"Hello, sweetie!" said Suzi cheerfully. "How was your flight? Can't wait to see you. I made your favorite for dinner."

"Fried chicken? Aw, that's great ... but, I'm making beans on toast for Granny today, and we're catching up. Save me a plate, though. With some extra pieces."

"You got it. Tell Erina hi for me. Love you."

"Love you too."

It was easy. Lying to your spouse was surprisingly simple. Especially when she may be lying to you. Erina, as much as he loved her, had lied to him about his mother being dead. And then his mother had lied by omission. The women in his life seemed to want to keep secrets from him. Who was to say that Suzi knew Caesar wasn't dead, that she kept the fact from him? Jojo didn't know who he could trust right now – except for Caesar.

He went back and heard the water running, heard Caesar singing.

He opened the bathroom door a crack and yelled over the water. "Hey, I'm going to the supermarket to get stuff for dinner. I'll be back in about an hour. Stay here and don't go outside."

Caesar made a noise of assent. Jojo closed the door and left the guesthouse, locking it behind him. He put the key in his pocket.

Whistling, he drove to the supermarket. His eyes swept the streets: just some couples walking, a few groups of girls, a loose dog and some kids chasing it. He passed the drugstore, the barber shop, the library. As he rounded the corner, he saw a long line of people at the movie theater, the marquee playing the sci fi film he saw in Rome with Caesar.

His heart sank in his chest, pulled down to the abyss of the past. When he and Lisa went into the church, after hearing the scream, and were met with nothing but deadly silence.

It was his fault. They had quarreled and Jojo brushed it off. He had been an arrogant, pompous ass, and he hadn't seen how badly Caesar was hurt.

He parked his car and walked into the supermarket, still brooding as he collected the items for their spaghetti dinner.

Suzi had scooped him up after he fell back from fighting Kars. She was so cheerful and cute, and she never left his side. He loved her back, and he eventually stopped thinking about his friend's death. Looking back on it, he didn't think Caesar ever even had a proper funeral – unlike him, who wasn't even dead!

And now he was back, from the dead. It was if a door to the past had opened and Caesar had walked through.

Jojo paid for everything and headed back to his car. The sun was setting and he realized he was crying.

He wiped his tears.

Ask him, just ask. Why the hell aren't you dead?

But he knew he wouldn't. He was a coward. It meant facing up to things he wasn't ready to face.