Rome - 13. Chapter 13

As time passed, the boys tending the animal sheds had a surprise for Lucinius. They had caught several rabbits and placed them in a shed. Lucinius smiled. He knew that his boys were behind him, just like Aumen. He’d prove a freedman will work harder than a slave. Knowing how rabbits multiplied, he now was guaranteed rabbit and wild pig for an occasional roast.

They had just finished a midday meal when they saw a rider coming toward the house. One of the boys working in the garden told Lucinius, who was in the grove, that a rider was approaching. Lucinius went to see who it was. He knew it wasn’t his grandfathers or his father. As the rider got close to the house, Lucinius couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Duccius. He knew he said he would visit when he left the Army but didn’t say when. “Curzio, go and tell Felix to prepare some food. That’s my brother.”

The smiles on the faces of the brothers would have lightened a dark room. Duccius no sooner dismounted when Lucinius has his arms around him. One of the boys, Adom, took Duccius’s horse and led him to the stables. There he would feed him and give him water. “I didn’t know you were coming. You said when you left the Army.”

“I left the Army last week. We finished the campaign, and my commander agreed to my departure.”

“You musty be hungry, come and eat.” Lucinius led Duccius to the kitchen, where Felix had prepared his egg special. “I have a little wine. My grapes aren’t ready.”

“No wine, I’d like some water.” Felix heard that and went and got water from the well. It was cold and would refresh the soldier. He set the clay jug on the table with a cup. Duccius smiled at him as he poured the water into the cup.

After he had his fill, the brothers went to the courtyard where they could talk. “You have a Villa. I didn’t know father love you this much to give you a Villa.”

Lucinius laughed, “He didn’t give me this. He gave me the land, which was free. Our grandfathers helped me, or I’d be living in a shed with the animals.”

“I don’t understand. Mother said he gave you land outside of Rome. I figured it would be a house with a small piece of land, not this.”

“Father made a mistake. He thought it was a small piece of land strewn with the battle remnants that were fought here. But the architect checked the grant and found what he had given me was free land that encompassed all of this.”

Duccius started to laugh, “I’ll bet he’s mad. Did he try and take it back?”

“Yes, but I think our grandfathers stopped him.”

The brothers spent the afternoon catching up until the men started to show up for the evening meal. Duccius was surprised to see them in tunics and sandals. “How much are you paying these men? It must cost a lot of money to hire this many?”

Lucinius just laughed, “I’ll tell you later. There are Aumen and Felix. I think it’s time to eat.”

“Do you have a place where I can clean up before I eat?”

“Yes, Sandro, would you please show my brother to the Baths.” Sandro smiled and nodded yes.

All cleaned and dressed in a tunic, Duccius returned to the courtyard. “The bath was just what I needed.”

“After you eat, I’ll show you your room.”

The brothers enjoy the evening. Some of the boys told stories that probably were told to them by their parents and grandparents. As the evening drew to a close, Lucinius showed Duccius his room on the second floor. Duccius was happy for his brother. He prayed to Mars, asking for his blessing on his brother. Little did he know, but Lucinius was praying to Apollo, asking for the same thing.

In the morning, as the boys came dressed for work, Duccius was surprised. These were the same boys who were at supper last night. He looked at Lucinius, confused.

Lucinius laughed, “You remember I told you I thought men should be free. The first slave I bought with money from Gaius, Aumen. I treated him as a freedman. He worked harder than the slaves that Father has. I knew that if a man was free, treated as a brother, he would give more of himself than a man who needed a whip to work. These boys are all free. They know that I treat them with the respect a freedman would get. They work hard. They know what they get is the freedom they buy with their loyalty. When you’re finished eating, I’ll show you.”

Felix came and cleared the tables as the boys left to go to work. Duccius watched as they passed the statue of Apollo, they stopped and offered a prayer. Walking with Lucinius, he watched the boys working. When they got to the animal sheds, he saw three boys tending to the sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, and rabbits. He laughed when he saw the rabbits. He also noticed that the boys were happy during their work. He remembered how he had seen men being whipped for what these boys accomplished with smiles. When they went to the grove, he asked about the trees. He recognized the olive, peach, apple, and fig trees. “What are these trees? I don’t recognize them.”

"These trees are cherry, these are plums, these are dates, and these are pears. These trees came from grandfather’s Villa in the south.” Duccius was amazed at how well the grove looked. It was way better than their father’s.

“No grape vines?”

“Yes, but they aren’t ready for making wine. Grandfathers gave me some starters. They haven’t produced enough grapes to make wine. Even if they did, I don’t have a press. But I’ll show you what I have.” Walking to where he had his grapevines, Duccius noted that when they had grown and started to produce sufficient grapes for making wine, Lucinius would be able to sell a lot of wine.

Then he saw the one vine that had an unusual grape. “What is that?”

“We found this vine on the property, Aumen watered it, and slowly it came back to life. The grapes aren’t sweet, but Felix uses the juice in his cooking. It adds a nice flavor.”

Duccius had a lot to think about that evening. He wasn’t sure about freeing slaves, but he had to admit the loyalty shown by the boys to Lucinius was something his father didn’t have. The way they worked and their pride in their work definitely was different, even compared to freedmen who worked for others. In his prayers to Mars, he asked his questions, hoping for answers. All he heard was one word, loyalty.