Chapter III: Reunion
The man lay sprawled out on the bed on his stomach, his head turned
sideways, resting on an arm. His middle aged maid, Tertia, crept into the
darkened room and tapped his shoulder. "Master Lykaion? Are you awake now
sir?" The figure on the bed gave a faint groan, and raised his head, peering
at the source of the voice. "Are you well sir?", Tertia asked, quietly. His
tired voice answered. "Yeah....sit down Tertia." The man sat up and rubbed
his eyes, trying to shake off the sleep. Tertia pulled open the window
drapes, bathing the room with light. The man quickly covered his face.
"Bright!"
"Sunlight usually is sir," Tertia replied, ignoring his offer for her to sit
down. "It's almost midmorning. Now I've drawn your bath, and left food on
the table. I would have washed the clothes you wore yesterday, but..."
"But what?", asked the man.
"You're still wearing them sir."
"Oh."
Gaius Lupinius Festus looked down at his feet, saw one sandal on, the other
gone.
"Where's my other sandal?" Tertia shrugged. "Probably under the bed sir.
It usually is." He got down on the floor, and after some reaching, found
the missing shoe. Then he remembered: "Aren't you off today?", he asked his
maid. "Yes sir, but I had to make sure you were still alive first." It was
a mild rebuke, her way of chiding him for not taking better care of himself.
Tertia shook her head. The Christians worship a man they said rose again
from the dead. That's nothing. Tertia resurrected the dead everyday. Gaius
Lupinius smiled and from a small dressing table pulled out a few small coins.
"Go away, and get something nice for yourself," he said, pressing the coins
into her hand. "For action above and beyond the call of duty!" Tertia
nodded. "Well, thank you sir." She turned to go, stopped at the bedroom
door. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." He waved to her, and she was gone.
Gaius Lupinius went over to look out the bedroom window. This was a
view he liked. Beyond the town and the docks was the shimmering blue
Mediterranean Sea, a vast ocean which separated him from the life he left
behind. Small fishing boats glided across it's surface, and one large
trireme was approaching from the west. It had a Roman sail.
He would learn more about who or what was on the ship from his friends at the
dock later in the day.
Gaius Lupinius Festus was a Roman by birth. Thanks to his family's real
estate holdings and shares in some mines in Spain, he had money enough to
live a life of leisure in Caesarea, the provincial capital of Judea province.
But his life was in many respects modest and unassuming. He lived alone in
a small townhouse, with bedroom and a small study upstairs, kitchen, dining
room, and atrium downstairs. One could enter the house through the main
entrance facing a residential street, or through a rear door opening up into
a small walled garden. His family, the Lupinii, was ancient. One family
legend had it that his ancestors were among the first priests to officiate at
the Lupercalia, hence the name Lupinius. Another less flattering tale had it
that the Lupinii were so named for their descent from the prostitute Acca
Larentia, who was nicknamed Lupa for her ferocity in the arts of love.
Despite their ancient lineage, the Lupinii never produced 'great men', the
movers and shakers who led the way in the rise of Rome. Yet they were always
there. Lupinii helped drive out the Tarquinii, and one served among the
twelve decemvirii. Lupinii fought in the Punic Wars, and many fell at
Cannae. They were there in the social wars, served under Gaius Marius in the
Jugerthine and German wars. But the Lupinii had dwindled in numbers over the
generations. This was largely due to their tendency to produce more girls
than boys, who would then marry into other families, and to their uncanny
ability to choose the losing sides in civil wars.
The Lupinii had more than one home in Italy, but as a boy Gaius Lupinius
grew up in a townhouse near the Aventine. Next door lived Marcus Cassius
Julianus, who along with Metellus Sergius Draco were his closest friends.
They learned Latin, Greek, and history from the same tutor, took part in
games on the Campus Martius, and had expeditions in the parks. He remembered
fondly those days, little Patricia falling into a stream, playing pranks on
Cassius' sister, Justinia. Those were the happy years, the years before the
darkness fell.
"Arsinoe".
Gaius shut his eyes and quickly tried to bury the memory. Arsinoe was the
beginning of the end of his Roman life. She was from a provincial family,
who arrived in Rome when her brother was sent there to be educated. It was
Justinia who had introduced her to the group, and for a time she was part of
his circle of friends. Gaius was very fond of her, and they had become very
close. But it was Rome which sealed her fate, the same Rome in which family
ties and friendships increasingly meant nothing in the never ending
sycophancy and struggles of the games of power politics. Gaius Lupinius was
fifteen years old when she died, and in the years following he became
increasingly fearful and withdrawn. First was the execution of Appius
Silanus by the Emperor Claudius, on fabricated charges arranged by the
Empress Messallina. Then the death of another man he admired, Valerius
Asiaticus, again arranged by the Empress. Once, at a social event, the
Empress greeted him with a smile and engaged him in small talk. Gaius
Lupinius was terrified. He believed this meant she would try to ensnare him
in some insidious plot, and that if he refused, she would arrange his end as
she had with so many others. But the truth of the matter was that Messallina
had no interest at all in young Gaius, romantic or otherwise. Her overtures
had been purely social. Yet it took both Cassius and Justinia, and a full jar
of Campanian wine, to calm him down. But he had had enough. He saw threats
and dangers even where they did not exist. He began having bouts of
depressions, felt increasingly isolated, and then, for some unknown reason he
began having an unnatural fear of the smell of damp earth. Very late one
night, after the lamps had been extinguished, his household servants found
him crouching in a corner of his room, pale and shaking. The next morning he
was gone, making secret preparations for his departure. And when the time
came, he made no farewells and said no goodbye. Instead, he sent a note to
his friends and to the senate informing them he was leaving and would not be
back. The letters were not yet delivered when he was under sail for the
eastern provinces.
That was fourteen years ago. Now, he wished only to be left in peace in
the east. He took a Greek name, Lykaion, and kept no Roman customs. Even
his clothing was different. The long pants worn by some of the Arabs and a
long tunic tied with his money belt, and an outer light cloak was his usual
dress. He let his hair grow long in the back, just below the neck, and
occasionally wore the headdress of the Syrians.
His adopted city, Caesarea, had in ancient times been a Phoenecian
seaport and trading town called Strato's Tower. But about seventy years ago,
King Herod the Great had it rebuilt into one of the major port cities of the
eastern Mediterranean. He named it after Augustus Caesar, whose colossal
statue stood in the massive Temple of Augustus and Roma. With a population
of about forty to fifty thousand, it was one of the twenty largest cities of
the eastern empire. There was a theater, an ampitheater, a library, and much
to the delight of Gaius Lupinius, a wooden circus just outside of the city to
the east. But it was the harbor which made the city famous, for it was an
architectural wonder. Two long breakwaters protected the docks from the
tides. The northern breakwater extended out from the dock between three and
four hundred meters, while the southern breakwater was much longer, and bent
northward to form an aproxomate ninty degree angle. A small passage way for
the ships separated the two. Gaius often visited the docks and knew several
of the dockmen there.
Caesarea was civilized enough to offer Gaius the solitary lifestyle he
enjoyed, and yet it was far enough away from Rome that within a few months he
had begun to find some measure of security. Only in the last few weeks did
he have that feeling of security threatened, during those nights when the
musty smell of wet ground would come, and he would drink more wine to fortify
his courage and help him sleep. It worked. Sometimes.
Still, Caesarea was his home, and he made the most of the amenities the
city offered, and the long walks through the city and in the suburbs which he
enjoyed. And, of course, the all night parties at Sulla's notorius 'tavern',
a glorified brothel with music, dancing girls, and an endless flow of wine.
It was from just such a night that Gaius Lupinius Festus was now recovering,
as he left his townhouse and went into the street.
"Julia? Good morning! Are you busy?" "Lykaion!", Julia Isidora
greeted as she rose from her gardening outside the small temple of Isis where
she served as a priestess. Gaius handed her the flowers he had found in the
market, and she accepted them happily. "They're lovely!" she exclaimed,
admiring them. "For the goddess?" she asked. Then she shrugged. "I guess so.
I don't imagine you would be bringing them to me!" Gaius Lupinius feigned a
look of shock. "But you are a priestess! You are supposed to be set apart
from us ordinary mortals!"
"We are allowed to marry, Lykaion. Granted, it should be to a priest, but
still..."
Gaius tried to get unentangled from this line of conversation. "You are on
too high a pedestal for one such as I," he said, flirting. "So learn to
climb," she retorted. Julia Isidora always had an answer for him during
these talks they had as he passed by the shrine to She of a Thousand Names.
"Actually," he said, trying to get off the subject, "I wanted to settle what
I owed you. Have the girls been by?"
"Yes, Lykaion, they have. They're doing very well."
"Good. Maybe this will cover the expense?" He offered her a small bag of
coin. She didn't reach out for it. "Gaius, this isn't necessary," she said,
reverting to calling him by his Roman name. "And besides, I like their
company."
But he insisted. "Still, take it for the effort. If you don't want it, just
put it in the fund you keep for them." He held the bag out to her, and she
relented. "Alright. Thank you." She set the bag aside and admired the
roses. "They really are quite beautiful," she said, gazing at their fine
read petals. "Gaius, have you ever considered being initiated into Her
mysteries? Many people do, you know."
He shrugged off the suggestion. "I'm not a religious man, Julia. I never
really was, I suppose."
"And yet you visit Her shrine and bring Her offerings," she replied,
searching him out. Gaius peered in through the open door of the small square
temple, looking at image of the Lady with Her sistrum in one hand and a vase
in the other. "I like the old gal," he answered, deliberately familiar,
trying to head off any more personal questions from Julia. "She stands for
pleasant things. She's peaceful. I can appreciate her for that." "It is
enough to start with, Gaius," she said softly. "She is the universal
goddess, the goddess of a thousand names. Everyone, from kings and emperors
to the lowest slave can turn to Her. She is the Goddess of the Romans, the
Greeks, the Egyptians, Gauls, Germans...She's even Goddess of the Jews.
Only, the Jews don't know that yet!" Gaius laughed. "I wouldn't try telling
them that, if I were you!" She grinned. "I won't if you won't. But Gaius,
I do hope that whatever it is you are running from, you will find it in your
heart to turn to Her. She won't abandon you." He nodded, shifted from one
foot to another, uncomfortable. Julia was getting too close, but she wasn't
finished yet. "Isis is there when we're born, she watches over us in our
sleep...and looks after us when we die." Gaius shot her an incredulous look.
"Does she now?" His look and tone concerned Julia. She had struck a nerve.
"Yes, she does," she answered, looking him in the eye. Do you believe a part
of us lives on after death, Gaius?" He stared back into her eyes. "I hope
not!" He averted his eyes. "I better be going now," he stammered, turning
away. Julia started off after him. "Gaius, please, if I said anything to
upset you, then I'm sorry!"
"You didn't upset me, Julia."
"Then what's wrong?", Julia pleaded. "Please talk to me!"
Gaius stopped, and turned around to face her. "Julia," he asked softly,
"would a girl who died very young be at peace with Isis in the afterlife?"
Julia relaxed, and gave him a tender look. "You're still upset about that
little Jewish girl, aren't you?", she asked. Gaius closed his eyes. "Yes,
but that was not who I was thinking about," he said.
"Then Arsinoe?", she asked. "You told me you were close. You never told me
what she died from." He shook his head. "That's not important," he
answered. "What is important is, would she have happiness?" Julia thought a
moment, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "Yes, I would think so. I see no
reason why not. Isis has no anger for the innocent."
Gaius looked down, and then nodded. "Do you sleep at nights?," he asked.
"Yes," she answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Are you afraid when you are alone?"
"No, not really."
"When you are alone at night, do you ever smell cold, damp earth?"
Julia tried to fathom the meaning of these questions. "Yes, sometimes," she
replied, "after it rains I do. I like that scent. Don't you?"
"No"
"Why"?
"It's the smell of an opened grave."
Julia was uncomfortable, and she could only look at him, uncomprehending.
Gaius felt embarassed. He had not meant to get morbid. "Sorry", he said with
a nervous smile, "I didn't mean to go off on you like that."
"Nothing to apologize for, Gaius," she said reassuringly. Gaius reached out
and took one of the roses from the bouquet. "For you lady," he said,
offering it to her. She smiled and nodded her acceptance, and gave him one
in return. "I hope one day you can open up to me, Gaius." He turned and
began to walk away. "Gaius", she called, and he stopped and turned to her.
"May Isis and Serapis be with you wherever you go."
He arrived at the docks at about noon. Something had happened there,
for a large group of spectators was breaking up, and several soldiers were
milling about. He spied one he knew, and called out to him. "Lupus!"
Lucius Vatinus Lupus turned at the sound of his name, recognized the caller,
and waved to him to come over. "What happened?", Gaius asked, running over.
"New procurator arrived!", Lupus replied, excited. "Well, that's long
overdue," said Gaius. Lupus nodded, "Yes sir indeed. May finally get some
decent government. By the way Gaius...you have a flower in your hand!"
"Very observant, Lupus. Two more promotions and you'll be an idiot.
Anything else arrive?"
"Nah. Just two senators from Rome. On holiday I take it. Where did you get
the flower?"
"From a beautiful woman, Lupus. Do you like beautiful women?"
"I sure do!"
"I'm glad to hear it, Lupus. Any wine from Campania on that ship?"
"No, no wine."
"No new dancing girls for Sulla's place?"
"No, no girls, sorry."
Gaius Lupinius shook his head. "No wine, no dancing girls...don't you ever
have any good news Lupus? What good are you in the eyes of gods or men???"
"I thought I did have good news!", the young soldier whined. "I told you
about the arrival of the new procurator!" Gaius shook his head emphatically.
"No, that is not GOOD news! That's just...news. He'll probably be as
worthless as the others." Lucius Vatinus nodded at the possibility. "I hope
he is not too much of a taskmaster for you," said Gaius. Lucius started to
laugh. "No, no....you don't know what a tough commander is until you have
had Quintus Fabius Maximus as your centurion!"
"Quintus Fabius Maximus?", asked Gaius.
"Quints Fabius Maximus," Lucius replied. "One of the most evil men to walk
the earth! When I enlisted a bunch of us recruits were assigned to him."
Lucius puffed himself up, lowered his voice, and began imitating his old
centurion. "'I am Quintus Fabius Maximus, your centurion. But you will not
address me by that name. You are not worthy to address my by that name! To
you ladies my name is 'YES CENTURION'. Unless I give you permission to say
otherwise, you will address me in that manner. Now if you survive me, if you
can pass my muster, you will be Roman soldiers, one of Caesar's own. But
until that day comes, Caesar does not want you. Your mothers do not want
you!' Now I made the mistake of smiling because I thought this man was
hilarious, until he sees me smiling and then sticks his face in mine and
says, 'What is your name little girl?' 'Lucius Vatinus Lupus, Centurion!'
'Well, Lupus, why are you smiling at me? Do you think I'm cute? Do you
think I'm pretty?' 'No centurion!' 'Then you think I'm UGLY, is that it?
Damnit, I've never been so insulted in my life! Well, boy, from now on your
name is LUCIA, and the rest of you pretty little ladies are all going to take
the FEMININE form of your name until you are worthy to be called soldiers.
If your name is Valerius, you are now Valeria! If any soldier or officer
speaks to you, will identify yourselves by the female name! And you can all
thank Lucia Lupa here for that, because he just insulted me to my face,
telling me I was ugly, when I was going out of my way to be nice to him!'
Needless to say, I was not popular with the others for a while. Then the
next day for work detail, he shows us a moat ditch, and says, 'Do you see
this moat? I love this moat. This is my favorite moat! My mother gave me
this moat! And you ladies are going to move this moat thirty paces in that
direction, without damaging it!' So we worked on it and broke our backs on
it, and then when it is finished, he comes over, takes a look, and says,'Oh,
it looks awful there. Put it back where it was!'"
"Damn!", whistled Gaius Lupinius. "I'll never take civilian life for granted
again!"
He went home in the late afternoon, and entered through the rear
courtyard. The sound of a nearby fountain was relaxing for him, and so Gaius
lay down on a small bench, and stared upward at the wispy clouds gliding by.
Soon it would be time to get ready for Sulla's party. But there would be
enough time to catch some sleep first. A breeze from the sea swept over him,
and he began to doze off, into that fuzzy middle ground between sleep and
wakefulness.
"Gaius?"
The voice startled him, and he bolted upright, spinning around toward the
direction of the voice. He stopped, frozen, when he saw them. There, inside
his garden gate, stood Cassius, Patricia, Justinia, and Draco. Gaius' mouth
dropped open slightly, and he could not even begin to speak. Cassius had a
broad smile on his face. "Gaius! It's me! After all these years, I finally
caught up to you!" Gaius Lupinius Festus could only stare in amazement.
"Cassius...oh my god".
Cassius put out his hands. "Gaius, aren't you happy to see me?" "Am I happy
to see...oh my god, Cassius!", Gaius cried as he ran over and threw his arms
around his friend. "Damn Cassius...it is so good to see you! And Patricia!
You have grown to be quite the beauty!" Patricia blushed. "It's good to see
you too, Gaius!" He looked at Justinia, and she simply nodded to him.
"Gaius" she said, without much emotion. She still held against him his
abrupt departure from Rome. Draco came forward and seized his arm. "I am
glad you are well Gaius!" Gaius was finding it difficult to find the right
words. "Patricia and I are married, Gaius!", Cassius announced proudly,
putting his arm around his wife. Gaius shook his head in wonder. "Married!
I am so happy for the both of you". He took Patricia's hand and kissed it.
"Patricia is a gem Cassius. Take good care of her! Hey! Sit down, all of
you! That's what garden benches are for." They all sat, and all wondered
what to say next. Gaius started. "So, how did you find me?" "You're still
registered as a Roman citizen", Cassius answered. "I just looked up your
registry at the Praetorium. We all arrived today."
"So you are the two senators I was told had come, in the company of the new
Procurator", Gaius replied. "I had no idea it could be...So, are you here on
business?" Cassius shook his head. "Well, not officially. Porcius Festus
asked me to help him get settled into his new post. Nothing official. We are
all on vacation, actually. I just went to the Praetorium today to pick up
some briefings, summaries of legal cases, things like that. I'll be his
unofficial advisor for the next few weeks."
"So Porcius Festus is the new Procurator, eh? We may actually have some
decent government for a change."
"I hope so," Cassius answered.
Gaius nodded, trying to think of something to talk about. "So, how is your
father Cassius?" Cassius looked down, hesitated. "Well, father died three
years ago, Gaius." Gaius felt a flush of embarrassment. When his parents
had died, Cassius had been there for him. The memory ignited a small flame
of guilt inside him. "I am so sorry for that Cassius," he said. "I liked
your father very much." "Yes, he was the best Roman of us all", Cassius
answered evenly. Cassius sensed Gaius' discomfort, and sought somehow to
find another subject. He came for a reunion of old friends, not to break
open old wounds. He peered through the doorway of the house into the
atrium, and noticed there was no Penates there. The absence took him with
slight surprise. Looking at his old friend's attire, he tried to inject some
levity into the conversation. "Your clothes," he said, pointing, "they make
an....interesting outfit! The latest in barbarian fashions?" Cassius tried
to force a slight laugh, felt stupid instead. Gaius just grinned and shook
his head, not looking at his old friend. "So", Cassius said, clearing his
throat nervously, "you've given up your Roman heritage then?" He immediately
wanted to kick himself for saying it. The reunion was too awkward now.
Cassius had wanted to renew old ties, but instead was now faced with the
immense gulf separating the two men. On the one hand, there was Cassius, who
loved being a Roman. He was proud of his heritage, and loved Rome and it's
temples, it's culture, the exhilaration of public service in the senate. And
there across from him was Gaius Lupinius Festus, who grew to hate Rome enough
to leave it all behind, and had even taken a Greek name, Lykaion, which was
posted on the entrances to his home. And Cassius, by bring it up, only put
his old friend in an uncomfortable position. "Well, I guess we had better go
now. We were just dropping by on our way to the house we rented." He stood
up to leave, and the others with him. "It was good to see you again Gaius."
Gaius rose, and before they walked out the door, spoke, trying to salvage
something from this meeting. "Cassius, uh...what are you and Draco doing
this evening?"
"We have no plans. Why, did you have an idea?", Cassius asked, hopefully.
"Well, I imagine the ladies are tired and would like to retire for the
evening. So I thought maybe you and I, and Draco of course,
could...uh..would you want to go to a party tonight?"
"Party?" Draco said, perking up.
Cassius looked doubtful. "I don't know Gaius. If uninvited people show
up..."
"That's no problem Cassius!", Gaius interjected. "I can bring friends with
me. Really, it's alright. A boy's night out, know what I mean? Besides,
the host is someone you know!"
"Really? Who??"
Gaius Festus shook his head. "No. You have to come and see for yourself!"
Cassius looked hesitant, Draco excited.
"Shall I come by at nightfall?", Gaius asked.
Cassius looked at him, smiled, and nodded. "Alright. Nightfall it is!"
"Excellent!", Gaius cheered. "Just one thing though. Leave the senatorial
garb behind. Try to look more....local. Is that alright?" Cassius nodded
again, gave Gaius his address, and then departed with his company.
End of Chapter III
{Copyright 2000, by Stuart Smith}
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