APOLLONIA

Six

The fish market had caught an over-abundance of mackerel that week, so Apollonia bought a pail of fish for Jovian. Walking along the docks and looking at all the junks and fishing boats lined up in the water. The air smelled of fish and spices, because the trade ships from India and Persia brought many exotic treasures from their lands. Apollonia and her mother, as well as her aunt were shopping at the Forum Piscarium for the banquet that evening. Slaves usually took care of those kinds of errands, but the grand ladies of Rome needed something to occupy their thoughts. The market had burned down in a fire three years ago and had just been rebuilt five months ago. Later they would go to the baths, and then come home to feast with the entire family of Scipio Cicero, who were one of the great five families in Rome. This banquet would celebrate the coming of Apollonia's niece or nephew, who would be named, either Scipio or Cornelia. With fish in her pail, Apollonia exited the fish market and walked with her mother to Forum Holitorium, the vegetable market. Though it smelled nicer, the merchants there were always rude. Apollonia hurried to buy ingredients for the meal. The first few shops, where she bought cabbage, were dedicated to green, leafy foods. Next came the lentils, barley and cucumbers. The final shop she stopped at was her favorite. There, they sold grapes, nuts, and her beloved olives. Finished with shopping, they went home, where they gathered up their expensive oils and headed to the baths. Since they were wealthy, Apollonia and Aemilia bathed in smaller, more luxurious quarters. There were wooden benches to sit on and openings all around on the walls for the steam, coming from the fires beneath the bath house, to float out and cause them to sweat. Wrapping a white shawl around herself, Apollonia sat beside her mother and began rubbing her oil into her arms and legs. Her mother, who was already deep in a conversation with another woman, seemed to adore the company and gossip of the baths more than bathing itself. There weren't very many girls in Apollonia's ranking that were her age. In fact, she did not know any girls within two years of her age besides Mahalia. This was all fine with her. She liked sitting and listening to the older people talk to each other. Apollonia heard them talking about food, weather, pottery, makeup, and the latest styles of jewelry. Apollonia silently wondered what men talked to each other about in the baths... Probably politics, the Olympic Games, or boring things like that. When the time came, Apollonia used a cloth and a wooden scraper to remove all the sweat, grease and dirt off her skin to leave it shining and healthy. When they got home, the household was bustling with servants shouting orders at slaves and people of every age running around the halls with platters and goblets and everything else needed at the banquet table. Apollonia loved banquets. It was no surprise that her people threw parties and made an occasion of the most seemingly unimportant things. The baby was not even born yet. When it finally came, there would be an even grander party than this. They would probably host a feast when the baby said it's first word, began walking, sat on the chamber pot on it's own, and every other silly thing, but only because parties were such fun.

The Forum Piscarium is the fish market.