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- 02/01/2021
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Rome - 8. Chapter 8
They camped one night at the stream, only further south where they usually went to get clean. Early the next day, they headed for home. Arriving, they were surprised to see Lucius, his other grandfather, and Niciu with two other men. Lucinius ran to him when he saw him, giving him a big hug. “Grandfather, I’m surprised to see you. You too, Niciu, I don’t know your names, but you are welcome as well. I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything.”
“Don’t worry about that. You have powerful friends. I must have received at least fifty letters from my friends in the Senate. I had to see you, and now that I have, I see what they mean. If you want to abandon this, you can come and live with me, or I can give you some land in the south.”
“Thank you for your offer, grandfather, but I can’t accept it. Father gave this to me so that I would fail. If I accepted your offer, then I’ve failed.”
“I told you, sir. He wouldn’t accept.”
“Yes, Niciu, you did, but I had to try. So what are your plans?”
“We can handle the small stuff, but the large blocks are too much. I went and brought these men to help, and I made arrangements with an architect to come and look at the house we found.”
“I’m going to stop and see your father before returning home. I’m taking Niciu with me, but I’ll leave these two with you. I’ll pick them up again when I leave Rome and head home.”
”Thank you, Grandfather, with the seven of us. I’m sure we can make a lot of progress in a few days.” For the rest of the evening, Lucinius showed them the house they uncovered. They mentally laid out the land where it would be best to have the grove of trees and put the animal sheds. Lucius was proud of his grandson. He would make sure he succeeded.
That evening they sat on the floor of the house while they ate. “Lucinius, when I'm in Rome, I’ll send Niciu back with more supplies.”
Whispering to Lucinius, “I’ll get your father to pay for them.” Lucinius smiled. He didn’t want his father to have a cause to be angrier with him.
Early the next morning, Lucius and Niciu left for Rome. Lucinius insisted that the men eat a big breakfast. The next meal will be late in the day. When it was time to quit, they loaded the cart and headed to the stream. One of the men from his grandfather’s Villa asks him why they have to come here to wash? He told them they didn’t have a bath and there wasn’t any water on the land that they knew about. The man told him when he was clearing some rocks from the western corner of the house. He saw what was once a well. Lucinius looked at Aumen, then they both started to laugh.
“I didn’t see any well or stream and figured that I would have to dig a well for water. You have earned yourself a delicious supper tonight.” Laughing every time they thought about it. When they returned, he asked the man to show him the well. He realized why he never saw it. It was covered by debris from the house.
In the morning, they worked to uncover the well. There was a rope attached to a board when they pulled on the rope, a clay jar came up full of water. The boys smiled. At least they had water for the animals. Then Lucinius began to think that if this place was a Villa, it had to have some crops. He already knew they grew grapes by the vines they saw. If they had crops, they must have had a system of watering the crops. So he began to look for a water distribution system. What he found was the remains of a system. Looking carefully at the fragments of pottery, he pictured pipes made out of clay. He smiled. Wait until I tell both of my grandfathers.
It was close to the sun setting for the day when Niciu showed up. “Your grandfathers have several men coming to clear this land. He’s planning on sending some olive trees in two weeks, I’ll bring them. The men will stay here and build you places for sheep, goats, and chickens. He’ll send the animals within two weeks after they finished the sheds. He’ll also send feed for the animals until you get on your feet. He talked to the architect who your grandfather said you contacted, he’ll pay for the work. Your grandfathers love you very much. I think they are enjoying this. I have a letter for you from your mother, and if you have time to write a response, I’ll take it back with me in the morning.”
Lucinius had to sit down. He found it hard to believe what his grandfathers were going to do to make sure he’s successful. “I’m grateful for what my grandfathers are doing for me. I’ll thank the gods for them and pray that the gods look after them.”
That night as he told Aumen what my grandfathers are going to do, “I can’t believe that they are doing all of this for me.”
“I think they are doing it because they don’t like the way your father is treating you. They want you to be a success.”
“I appreciate what they are doing, but it isn’t right. I know my father doesn’t like me, and probably he would’ve sold me or put me to death if it wasn’t for my mother. I find that hard to understand. I have never done anything to bring dishonor to him or my family.”
“How does your brother feel?”
“I don’t know. We were close before he joined the Roman Army. He sends letters to my father, but I haven’t received anything from him. I don’t even know if he mentions me in his letters.”
“If he did, would your father tell you?”
“I doubt it. He didn’t like Duccius even talking to me when he was around.”
“I think your grandfathers are proud of you, and I’m glad you bought me. When I have earned two hundred fifty denarii, I’ll buy my freedom from you.”
“Why, you are free.”
“No, I’m your slave.”
“No, you’re free. I’ll never own slaves. I don’t believe men should own other men.”
“So I can walk away if I wanted to?”
“Yes, I’d prefer you stay, but if you want to leave, I’ll not stop you.”
“And if I want to stay?”
“We continue to prepare our home.”
“I never thought that I was free.”
“Did you ever feel that you were treated as a slave?”
“No” They both laughed.
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14
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17
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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