Layla ran up the stairs, launching herself onto her bed. It was almost time to call Jotaro to wish him a happy birthday. Although she desperately wished she could be with him, to give him a birthday hug and kiss, the phone call would have to do.
Crawling to the side of the bed, she sat cross legged and reached for the phone. When her fingers touched the back of the handset, the phone rang, startling her. She jumped and squealed, accidentally knocking the handset off the cradle to send it clattering onto the hardwood floor.
"Sunny? What the hell are you doing?" she heard Jotaro ask, his naturally booming voice like his grandfather's coming through clearly from the receiver on the floor.
"Shit," she muttered, almost falling off the bed when she leaned over to pick it up. "Hi, Jojo. Happy birthday, sweetheart."
"Are you okay? You sound a little breathless. What were you doing?"
"I ran up the stairs then got the bejesus scared out of me when the phone rang before I could pick it up to call you," she panted, pressing her hand over her runaway heart.
"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I was just anxious to hear to your voice and couldn't wait any longer."
"I know how you feel. I miss you so much," she said, blinking rapidly to combat the burn of impending tears.
"I miss you too. But I'll be there soon. The old man already bought my plane ticket to visit," he told her.
Layla simpered like a lovesick kid. She laughed at herself and rolled her eyes.
"What are you laughing at? Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm happy I will be seeing you again soon. How is everyone?"
He sighed noisily. "The same. The old man is annoying. Grandma Suzi and Mom are busy shopping and fussing over the both of us. They are doing great. It's so weird. It's like nothing ever happened. Like..." He paused, exhaling heavily. "Like nothing awful ever happened to any of them. Then I remember..."
"I know. It's okay to still hurt when something reminds you of who you've lost." She could not bring herself to say Kakyoin or Avdol's names for fear of ripping the scab off an extremely tender emotional wound. "It takes time for these things."
The vacuous silence like wind blowing through a tunnel made her think they had lost connection. Layla chewed her lower lip and waited to see if maybe he was just mulling things over.
"Do you ever worry that some emotional wounds never heal?" Jotaro asked her finally.
Layla pushed out the breathe she had been holding in a puff. She thought about what her father had told her. Still unsure how to process all of that information, unsure if she was allowed to grieve for a mother she can't remember. Was it okay to be angry with a stubborn man determined to fulfill a deathbed promise no matter the cost? Should she what if or be sad for the life she might have had if things had been different?
All of her questions had no absolute answers. Each one was an exercise in futility trying to reason it out. Why she continued to try to apply logic to emotions to make sense of them was beyond her.
"Yeah," Layla replied at last. "Sometimes I'm afraid there are things we will never get past and never understand no matter how hard we try."
"Hey, Sunny," Jotaro said, his already deep voice getting deeper, growing quieter as if he meant to tell her something important for her ears only. "I love you."
The tears sprang to her eyes, and she accidentally released a small strangled sob. Her hand flew to her mouth as the tears rolled down her cheeks to prevent another sound of both happiness and sadness escaping her.
"Jotaro Cujoh," she said, his name tremulous on her clumsy tongue as she planned to speak what she was sure of in her heart. "I love you."
Layla enunciated each word slowly and clearly, omitting the too that usually follows in response. She did not want him to think she was simply automatically responding in kind. She meant every word from the depths of her heart. Not being able to express the sentiment so easily before, tripping and stumbling over the words, embarrassed her even now.
"Happy birthday, Jojo," she repeated, not knowing what else to say to fill the silence.
"I wish you were here, Sunny. I want to hold and kiss you and - "
"I know," she interrupted him, her belly tightening at the thought of him making love to her.
"Soon...very soon."
She giggled flirtatiously. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both."
Layla could hear the smile in his voice which made her smile in return.
"Bye for now, Layla."
"Bye."
Layla flopped back on the bed. Staring at the hammered copper tiles on the ceiling of apartment, she thought about the man she adored half a world away. She thought about the good things; Jotaro's smile, his little laugh, his gorgeous eyes, the way he called her Sunny, and all the things that would put a smile on her face and keep the tears away.
~\..'../~
A week later, Layla took the day off to prepare for the Joestars' return. She cleaned and tidied their huge, two story, penthouse apartment that is bigger than some people's houses. Her entire loft would fit into the gigantic living room with a high ceiling open to roof. After cleaning she prepared a light lunch in case they were hungry after their trip. Then she showered and dressed in preparation to pick them up.
Using her father's Mercedes, she drove right out onto the tarmac of the Speedwagon Airstrip, parking close to the hangar. She got out of the car to sit on the hood. Her father would freak but he wasn't here to see her.
It was a little warmer in New York than Japan but there was still quite a breeze at the airport. She pulled up the high collar of her purple sweater around her nose, sinking into it the a way a turtle would his shell to make it a true turtleneck.
Layla inhaled deeply, catching Jotaro's scent. Closing her eyes, she gripped the soft material to hold it to her nose. She smelled the cherry tobacco from the cigarettes he smoked and pine from the trees growing around his house.
The distinct whine of jet engines reached her ears before she could even see the plane. She opened her eyes and dropped the sweater to begin searching the sky for the private jet she would swear was reserved for Joseph Joestar personally.
As soon as the plane appeared, barely a dot on the horizon, an aircraft marshaller wearing his high-vis yellow vest and earmuffs, carrying his handheld beacons, trotted from the hangar out onto the runway to bring the plane in for a landing. When the plane grew bigger, coming closer, she watched as the man swung the lights fitted with bright orange cones. Waving his arms and twisting his wrists, he performed the signals giving directions to the pilot.
Layla's belly flip flopped nervously as she watched the plane approach. The high frequency sound of the engines forced her to cover her ears with her hands or risk temporary deafness. Flying tiny debris of dirt, small rocks, and bits of paper from god only knows where forced her to close her eyes after she saw the landing gear drop.
The tires screeched as they touched pavement. They continued to shriek at regular intervals as the pilot intermittently applied the brakes to bring the plane to a halt.
When the wind died down and miniscule airborne projectiles stopped smacking her face, Layla gradually opened her eyes. Two men wheeled out the tall staircase and carefully pushed it against the vessel. She did not lift her hands from her ears until she saw the door open on the side of the small airplane.
The pilot appeared first, taking off his hat and bowing before extending his hand to Suzi Q who gingerly placed her white gloved hand into his. The fully uniformed pilot plopped his hat back on head, leading the woman down the stairs. When Suzi saw Layla standing a couple dozen away, she waved excitedly.
Layla ran toward her as Joseph appeared at the top of the stairs dressed in his Indiana Jones attire complete with Fedora as if he intended to begin a whole new adventure. Perhaps he did. He had talked to her about doing something and new different with his life. Maybe he had decided what to do with himself in his semi-retirement.
"Layla, it's so good to see you!" Suzi exclaimed, opening her arms to welcome her in a for a hug.
"I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around the woman's neck.
"My granddaughter!" Joseph boomed, wrapping his arms around both women and lifting them from the ground.
Layla felt as if her ribs were breaking when Joseph squeezed them. His strong arms made her miss Jotaro even more.
The men who had rolled out the stairs passed them carrying the Joestars' bags to the car. When her feet touched the pavement, Layla ran to the car to open the trunk for them.
"Daddy's car?" Joseph inquired raising a bushy eyebrow.
"Yes," she replied tersely, opening the back door. "In you go, sir. There are sandwiches and chips and cake and coffee waiting for you at home. I baked the cake myself from Holly's recipe."
"Oh, goodie! Let's go! Come on, Suzi!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, pulling his wife into the backseat of the car. "Let's take advantage of having a chauffeur."
Layla tapped on the window after he closed the door and pulled his wife into his arms. It was nice to see them acting like teenagers in love but at the same time the display made her a little bit sick when the thought of him taking a pretty young college student into his arms in the backseat of a car. She forced a smile she hoped looked playful and wagged her finger at him.
"Don't make me throw cold water on you two, Mister," she warned him. It was good to at least pretend their relationship was back to normal.
Layla drove them to the apartment, stopping at the elevator in the garage below the building where she left them and their bags before parking the car. She told them she would catch the next elevator up to leave the suitcases, and she would get them.
When the doors opened to reveal an empty elevator, she sighed with mock aggravation. Of course Joseph insisted on getting them himself. He was indeed a chivalrous man. She groaned. That old-fashioned politeness is probably what led him into temptation with a younger woman.
"That man," she groaned, punching the button.
She could not help but ponder the possibility his grandson might find someone else while so far from her. He would be at a big university surrounded by pretty and charming co-eds. He might find a woman who would fit better into his life. One who would not be so hardheaded and emotionally unavailable - and right there with him. She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts.
When she arrived at the apartment, Layla found Joseph standing at the kitchen counter eating sandwiches straight from the platter on which she had stacked them. She took a plate from the cabinet, added a handful of chips, and slid it over him. After cutting them both slices of the strawberry creme cake and pouring cups of coffee, she sat down on one of the barstools on the opposite side of the counter. This kind of reminded her of the morning her father came to visit her and dropped the emotional bomb on her.
"Suzi went upstairs to shower and go to bed. She's exhausted," he told her between bites. "Are you okay?" Joseph asked her between sandwiches.
She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "How about you?"
He shrugged, consuming half of the sandwich in one bite. "Some days are better than others. I'm glad you're not still angry with me."
"Joseph," she said, making him stop in mid chew. The only time she called him by his first name was when she was upset with him.
"What did I do now?" he mumbled around the mouthful of sandwich.
She giggled self-consciously in order to offset the awkward discomfort that immediately set in like a heavy fog around them. She stabbed the cake and ate a bit to rid her mouth of the bitterness that welled inside of her.
"My father told me what happened. How my mother really died. The promise he made." Her eyes met his which held both curiosity and confusion. "The fact you tried to adopt me."
"Holy shit," he muttered, swallowing the half chewed food with a loud gulp. He shifted nervously from foot to foot before turning his back on her to open the refrigerator. Pulling out the milk, he drank straight from the carton. "How do you feel about that?"
Layla waited for him to turn back around to look at her. She handed him a napkin as he wiped his mouth the back of his hand. He still acted like an irresponsible teenager despite being a grandfather. Age is inevitable. Maturity is optional she guessed.
"I'm not sure how to feel. I'm still trying to figure it all out," she admitted, taking another bite of the sweet jam and whipped cream filled cake. "I guess things turned out the way they were supposed to. I keep telling myself that. We can't change anything anyway."
Joseph inhaled deeply and picked up his coffee cup to take a drink. "You're right about that. There are many things I would change if I could."
She assumed he was referring to the affair. Her thoughts automatically went to the possibility of a child coming from that chance encounter. She could not think of it as a mistake. What if a whole new life was created? How would that child feel being referred to as a mistake? What if that baby was a blessing that woman needed, that the world needed, considering the Joestar legacy?
"Have you used your psychic photography to determine if there's another little Joestar running around out there?" Layla inquired.
His vivid green eyes raised toward their bedroom upstairs where he hoped his wife slept soundly. He shook his head.
"I'm almost afraid to find out. If I know I have another child, I can't ignore him or her. I will have to tell Suzi what I've done." He poked at the cake with his fork having lost his appetite.
"What about the child? How will he or she feel being ignored? Or worse yet being treated like a dirty little secret."
Layla jumped so violently she almost fell off her barstool when Joseph dropped the fork onto his plate with a cacophonous clatter. She checked to be sure he had not broken the ceramic plate.
"Dammit, Layla, why do you have to ask all of the hard questions? You're making this so damn difficult," he said, pushing back his hat and scratching his forehead like he often did when backed into an emotional corner with no way out.
"Me?" she huffed indignantly. "I'm the one making this difficult? I didn't have the affair and cheat on my wife. By the way, while I'm asking difficult questions, I have one more for you...why did you fight so hard to adopt me?"
"What? What the hell, Layla?"
"You heard me. Why was it so important I become a part of your family? Was it because you had to attain the one last living piece of the Zepelli lineage, a family that had been so closely tied to the Joestars through the generations? Or was it more personal? I am the granddaughter of your best friend."
"Oh, my god," he gasped, leaning over the counter to almost come nose to nose with her. "I swear sometimes you are just plain mean as hell, Layla Clapton."
"i want to know, Joseph. Did you want me for my sake? Or my grandfather's?" she asked, her eyes shifting back and forth between his.
Joseph sighed, placing his hands on her cheeks to hold her face. He tipped her chin down to kiss her forehead, then he straightened to stand in front of her. He looked like a man ready to face the music as it were and tell her truth.
"At first I wanted you because you were his granddaughter. The last living human so closely linked with the man who had been my friend in the world. I figured by having you in my life, as my daughter, I could honor him. I could always hold onto a piece of him and have him close to me through you," he admitted, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "But your father made me see what an honorable man he is. He swore to your mother he would love you and protect you with life. Even if that was from me. In the end, he was the better choice...the safer choice...as a father."
"Oh, Grandpa Joe," she sighed, rubbing her eyes as if to push the tears back into her tear ducts. She reached across the counter to take his hands in hers. "You still have me in your life, you big idiot. I think I'll always be a part of your life for one reason or another. Seems like fate, you know. I am a Zepelli after all." She shrugged. "Heck, I might even become your real granddaughter."
"You think?" He simpered broadly at her.
"I hope," she rejoined, returning his big, goofy smile. "One of these days...maybe..."