Ludi Romani

I put my grease stained hands on my back, arch it forward, and wince as I walk up the insulae stairs. I reach the top of the flight and pause before entering the threshold to the room that houses my family. I shake off the pain, put on a tired grin, and step into the room.

"I'm home!" I announce.

I am instantly met with the playful screams of my two children as they race over to greet me.

"Daddy!" they exclaim.

I open my arms wide and lift them off of the ground despite my aching back. They giggle and squirm in my arms before I place them back on the ground. I place a hand atop of their heads and sigh contentedly.

Justus Felix Cornelius, my youngest of 4 years, looks at me lovingly with his bright blue eyes. He's pale, dirty, and thin, but his freckled face is still lit with excitement. I scuff his blonde hair and turn my head towards Cassia, my 6 year old daughter. She wears a hopeful expression on her face. The resemblance between her and her mother is uncanny; Same amber eyes, same dimple, same brown hair. The only thing I see in her that I see in myself is her olive skin. I pinch her cheek and bring them both in for a proper hug.

"Daddy, did you see any horses today?" Cassia asks.

"Not today sweetheart, but I did see a funny looking donkey," I imitate a donkey's bray and she giggles.

"Did you see the emperor today?" Justus asks.

"Perhaps some day, but today was not that day," now it is my turn to let out a chuckle. Of course he doesn't understand why I would not see the emperor on a normal day such as this. He is only a child. He doesn't understand that we are plebeians, one of the lowest of the social class. "Alright you two, go on and play. We'll go to dinner soon." and with that they return to their previous activities. I continue to ponder Justus' question as I walk towards the back of the room.

I look around to find that the other residents around me don't look nearly as amused as I feel. We share the living space with an older family; two middle aged men, their wives, and a bedridden elderly man. They don't seem to appreciate the way Justus and Cassia light up this drab space with their childish energy and innocent minds. They are the reason I continue to work myself so hard. Well, them and Octavia, my beautiful wife. I need to provide for them. We don't have much, but I still have their smiling faces, and I want to keep it that way.

"Cato, we don't have much left. I don't think we can afford dinner tonight." Octavia says panicked as I approach her. She paces with her hands on her head the way she does when she is stressed out. I put a hand on her cheek and lift a few coins from my pocket with my other one. She sees the coins and her face is flooded with relief. "How did you get this? Your pay day isn't for another couple of days!"

"I have been picking up a few extra shifts on the side. They pay after the job is done." She lets out a choking noise and I wrap my arms around her to keep her safe from the worries that infect her mind. "It's going to be okay. I promise. As long as we're all together we'll be okay." I smooth her hair as she releases breathy sobs into my chest. When she calms herself I break apart from her and kiss her head. "Let's go get dinner then." She smiles a sad smile and wipes her tears.

"Come on kids!" she calls. "Dinner!"

I notice that the summertime is slowly coming to an end when we walk down the street lined with shops and vendors. A cool breeze passes us as Justus and Cassia skip ahead of us to marvel at the trinkets in the shops. Meanwhile I stop at one of the more rundown shops and order four meals. Today they consist of bean soup and a small piece of course bread. We bring our dinner back to the dinghy, wood, building. I eat hurriedly, soup dribbling down my ragged clothes that are only washed once a week.

"Dad I'm still hungry," Justus says with sunken eyes. As hungry as I am, my children come first. So, I hand the rest of my food to Justus and his face lights up in a grin.

"Share with your sister." I tell him.

Octavia places a hand on my shoulder.

"Cato," she whispers wearily. "What about you? You need to eat."

"I'll be fine. Besides, they're kids, they're still growing. I'm as big as I'll ever be."

She flashes a concerned smile and continues scooping spoonfuls of soup into her mouth.

"We got another notice about the Ludi Romani today" she says in a hushed voice.

Before I can respond, Justus and Cassia are bouncing up and down in excitement.

"The Ludi Romani? Are we going?" Cassia starts with hope in her voice.

"The Ludi Romani! I bet there'll be gladiators!" Justus exclaims.

"And Greek plays!"

"And chariot races!"

"Oh, please can we go?"

"Please?"

"Please?" They end in unison.

"Calm down you two. Let me think about it first," I say. The truth is, I've never been to the Ludi Romani before. I have longed to experience it ever since I was a young boy, but as I learned what it meant to be a plebeian, I pushed that dream aside. I'm not stupid, I know the Emperor's intentions behind offering all plebeians free tickets to the event each year. I've never given into his bribery or the false sense of security he provides. There are some things that I can't refuse, like free bread and lower food prices; those are necessities, but chariot races and Greek plays do not keep my family alive. These things won't stop me from starting a riot, I am willing to fight for what I believe in, especially when it comes to family matter. And that's why I decide to say yes. "Why not?"

The kids cheer and lean in for a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," they say. When they leave the area to battle each other with sticks Octavia and I clean up our dinner.

"Why did you say yes? You've never taken up the emperor's offer before." She questions.

"I realized that if I wanted to start a riot, there would be nothing stopping me. The emperor doesn't care if I go to the Ludi Romani or not. All he cares about is staying in power. Boycotting the event is illogical. Plus, look how happy the kids are. That's all that really matters to me: keeping you guys happy." She looks at me lovingly as I take her head in my hands. I give her a kiss on the head and then continue cleaning.