Rome - 6. Chapter 6

At the end of his three-month stay, he had several scrolls concerning the care of animals, he had learned how to shear sheep, he milked the sheep and goats, he made cheese. He harvested ripe fruit, and he learned how to dry some of the fruit. He got to taste cherries, pears, apples, and plums. He left before he had a chance to taste walnuts. His grandfather promised him that he would send him some walnuts when they were harvested. The three months he spent at his grandfather’s, was the best time he had ever had. His grandfather showed the love he hadn’t received from his father.

When Lucinius turned sixteen, Appias had a feast celebrating his birthday, but in reality, he was celebrating Lucinius leaving his house. A child reaching the age of sixteen was considered an adult. He was no longer the responsibility of the father. His mother was glad he was leaving, but she was worried about him being on his own. Appias told her not to worry. His gift to him was land in the north. She was right to worry. The land was an old battleground that was scarred by the ruins of war. It was strewn with rocks and debris from the battles fought there. The land was hilly, making farming difficult, if not an impossibility. He would be out of his life, and he didn’t care what happened to him. The further away from him, the better. Celia suspected something. Appias was too happy. She spoke to her father, who assured her the boy would be alright. What she didn’t know, her father knew what Appias had done. He was stupid enough to brag about it to his friends in the Senate. I guess he never learned there are no secrets in the Senate.

Early the next morning, Appias gave the directions to Lucinius to his property. Gaius presented the boy with a cart and two mules. Appias gave him a farewell and left to go to the Senate, laughing to himself all the way. Lucinius wasn’t a fool. He knew if his father gave him anything, it would be worthless. As he packed his belongings into the cart, Gaius rode up to him. “Lucinius, before you leave, I have one last gift for you, but you need to select it.” Leaving the cart, he went with Gaius. Gaius took him to the slave market. His gift was a slave to help him clear the land Appias gave him.

At the Senate, Appia was telling his friends about what he gave Lucinius. On the surface, they laughed with him, but underneath they despised him. A secret was made among those who thought what he did was wrong. They knew Lucinius from the time he spent in the Senate observing their debates. They liked him and recognized that he was more intelligent than his father. They pledged to help Lucinius succeed.

At the slave yard, Lucinius had tears in his eyes. He didn’t want a slave. Gaius told him to pick out someone, and after he owned him, he could make him a freedman. Lucinius agreed he would pick someone his age or close to it. He was sure whatever waited for him outside of the walls of Rome, he would need a young man to help. As he walked along the lines of slaves, he continued to silently weep for these men who had the misfortune to end up as slaves. He recalled the slaves on his grandfather’s villa, how they were treated and how they reacted to his concerns and kindness.

Walking past a section of the stockade, he saw a boy about his age. The boy had a wooden collar around his neck, his hands and feet were shackled. He looked like he was in pain, “Grandfather, let’s check out that boy. He looks like he’s in pain.” When they went to the boy, they began to inspect him, that’s what they were supposed to do, but their inspection was more to determine why the boy looked like he was in pain. Lucinius checked the skin under the collar. It was red and appeared swollen. Checking the shackles, they had rubbed the boy’s wrists and ankles raw. They were bleeding. The shackles were for a much smaller wrist. “Grandfather, I’d like to buy this boy. He needs help.”

“You know he’ll require a physician.”

“Yes, we can use that to bargain.” Approaching the trader, Gaius began to discuss the boy. The trader wanted five hundred denarii, Gaius told him he would pay that after a physician treated his scars and cuts. The trader didn’t want to take the time to do that, and as far as he was concerned, the boy had cost him money. He told another buyer what he paid for one of the slaves. In the end, they agreed on two hundred fifty denarii. The slave was recorded in Lucinius’s name and released to him. Gaius knew what was next, “We need to take him to a physician.” With his collar, shackles removed, the boy felt some comfort. Lucinius would smile at him. He asked him his name in Latin, no response, in Greek, no response. He tried something different. He pointed to himself and said his name, then he pointed to the boy. It took three times of this little ritual before the boy understood. Finally, he pointed to himself and said Aumen. Lucinius smiled and asked his grandfather if they should go to the Baths before seeing the physician. Gaius thought that was a good idea, but the boy would need some clothes and sandals. Once those were obtained at one of the vendor stalls, they headed to the Baths. Lucinius was concerned about the red sores and would they sting when they were in the water.

The slaves at the Baths knew Gaius and Lucinius. By the looks of the boy, they figured he was a slave. Lucinius took special care of Aumen, explaining in Latin and then showing him. Once Aumen realized what they were going to do, he smiled. Lucinius made sure they were very careful removing the olive oil they used to clean his body. With the dirt removed, the sores didn’t seem as bad, but they still needed treatment. Now dressed in a tunic and sandals, the boy smiled at Lucinius. He realized if he were going to be a slave, this new master would be good to him. He was willing to wait upon him as he desired.

The physician applied a salve to the wounds and then bound them in a cloth. He told Lucinius to change them daily and to continue to use the salve. The redness should go away in a few days. Now Lucinius realized he had a problem. He was planning on leaving in the morning, but if he took Aumen home with him, Appias might want him, and until he left his father’s home, he was still under his rule. Gaius once again came to the rescue. Aumen would stay at his home, and Deacon would teach him. This meant Lucinius would have to spend more time at home. He did this by packing the cart slowly. His father was in a hurry. His mother was helping to delay him. He couldn’t leave until the gods gave their blessing. The priest told Appias that Mars was upset with him and needed to pray and sacrifice to Mars. That was all it took to have Appias stop pushing Lucinius out of the house. Four weeks have passed, and it was time to leave. The cart was packed, food and wine were packed, the mules were ready, all he needed was Aumen.

On the pretext of saying goodbye to his grandfather, he left for Gaius’s home and to collect Aumen. But it wasn’t that easy, Gaius had arranged another party, a going-away party for him. Lucinius was surprised. He didn’t expect to stay. As it turned out, he stayed three days at his grandfather’s house. Aumen was learning Greek and not Latin. That pleased Lucinius. They could converse without Appias’ understanding, although his mother would understand, which wouldn’t be a problem.

Finally, they were ready to leave. They had the map, and the cart was loaded with food and wine, the mules were hitched when Gaius told him. “Lucinius, there was a battle fought there several years ago, and the land is reported to be poor for farming. It was free to anyone who wanted it, provided they lived there. That’s the land your father gave you. I have arranged for some men to come and help you, they will bring food and tools. You need to stake out your land. Once the land is cleared, I’ll send architects to build you a home. Then we’ll see what else we need to do. Your father thought he’d make you fail, I’ll see that you don’t. I never had a son, so you will inherit my property.”

With sad eyes, Lucinius hugged his grandfather, “You have been more than a grandfather. You have been my father.” Now there were two sets of tears.

Leaving was very emotional. It was hard to leave your family at the age of sixteen. But it was the way of Rome. Going through the gates, a few soldiers who knew Lucinius stopped and wished him well. Heading on the road toward Greece for twenty-five kilometers before heading north, Lucinius had mixed feelings. He felt relieved to be out from under his father. He knew his father would plague him as long as he lived. He felt excited to be on his own and not have to obey his father anymore.

The going was slow. They stopped every few hours to make sure the mules were okay. He had feed for them and water in case they couldn’t find anything along the way. They did see a stream flowing south, so they followed that for a while, going north. It was slowly getting dark, so they decided to stop for the night. They tied the mules to a tree so they wouldn’t run off, making sure they had enough rope to feed. The cart was too full to use as a bed, so they slept on the ground. In the morning, they made a pact to never sleep on the ground again. It was hard, and they were sure the bugs had a feast.