A walk beneath the shade of Olive Trees

When in Rome - Chapter I

Years had passed since the sacking of the family farm. I had found myself in residence with a small-time merchant, the man who had picked me off of the road. Though I was but a boy then, I now find my body host to an older mind; I am a man now.

My new life was a simple one, but it was ample enough that I found no reason to complain. The Merchant had raised me as one of his own, asking for nought even if it meant his own daughter and wife struggled, which quite regularly, they did. I owed my life to the Merchant - and I helped him the best I could by helping out at the taberna; a small building built into the sea of bricks that made up the surrounding block, selling cheeses imported from Gaul - an opportunity created from Caesar's conquest; a real delicacy. It fetched a good price in the right hands, but due to the current nature of things, had to be undercut a little to make sure that it was more affordable (and in turn, more sellable.)

The place I called home was a decent sized villa in a nicer part of the surrounding housing block, or insula. Despite the Merchant's success, the household was still struggling. It did not matter that the domina worked tirelessly day and night to take care of her husbands property - times were tough. We'd just seen the worst of civil war, and now the ugly head of grain shortage was rearing. The cost of maintaining the household was starting to run above the money coming in, simply because cheese was a luxury, and people were just about managing to buy grain - the staple of any Roman's diet.

This was the state of ROME - the Eternal City, capital of the empire and most loved by IUPITER himself. A sprawling metropolis, packed with all manners of characters and goods, shops and temples. When in ROME, anything was possible.

Despite it's grandeur status, the city was quite far from it. After the Gaul's sacked ROME in 390BC, the Roman's had struggled to rebuild. Left with the ashes of their once great city, they had to build their homes from whatever they could get their hands on, and the presentation and layout of the city suffered as a result. Even a walk down the street was a mirage, as dead-end alleyways and overbearing walls closed you in as the roads grew narrow.

The city was even worse at night; the maze that was the city had no lights - if you found yourself running late from business one night, it was very unlikely you'd be able to find your way home. More likely, you'd find yourself the unwilling sport of criminal vagabonds, preying on those who had strayed the trodden path with theft, rape or death.

This is where I spent my youth, 6 years of fairly comfortable living, in voluntary servitude, to spend the rest of my days in the employ of the man I owed everything to. Even though most 19 year olds would be dreaming of the world beyond the city walls, I found myself content with the life I had been so luckily given.

"Cassius - hand over that knife will you?"

Dutifully, I handed the sharp-edged blade to the Merchant,

"Watch here... the secret is to cut the cheese... here... and here."

Annotating, the Merchant pointed to the block of cheese and made his precise incisions, speaking between breaths as he focused.

"You see? Now we've got rid of the scraps - only the best cuts remain. That, is why our customers come back to us... I hope you were paying attention; you'll take over this business someday you owe it to me to take care of Lucia until she has a suitable husband."

Suddenly the importance of the conversation brought my drifting attention back. I closed the gape in my jaw and found myself the unwilling victim of the Merchant's dagger gaze.

"O...Ofcourse. You know i'd do anything to make sure Lucia is taken care of... but, is she not already old enough to marry?"

The question, at first, razed the eyebrows of the gristled Merchant, his unnerving gaze still poised. He squinted his eyes, and relented, his lips perched with the answer resting between his teeth.

"Yes, she is of age... but I'm not ready to see her go just yet... I know of what it is to be domina, having to serve dutifully, your husband and household. I just want my girl to be able to have a childhood! She loves her home... i'm not ready to break her heart and force her from it just yet. Besides, I don't think 17 is old enough. When she is 18, and has developed into a strong woman ready to bear strong children, i'll at least be content. It's only a year..."

It seemed as if the old man was trying to convince himself first, and me second. On the surface, he was usually reserved, cold to any provocation. I had never seen him so vulnerable before.

"Further, I don't believe in the barbarism of sending 12 year old girls into the beds of wealthy husbands. A woman needs time to become a woman, if she is best to serve her household. Am i not right?"

I nodded in agreement, of course. I didn't want to upset the old man and he clearly found all of this to be a sensitive subject that, no doubt, kept him up at night. I took pride however, that he would trust Lucia to me, and the future of his business. I was not his son by name, but by nature - it certainly felt like I was. Once again, the old man proved just how selfless he was, bestowing upon me love which I did not earn, nor deserve...

"Would you like me to get that wrapped and taken to Flavius?"

Already anticipating the affirmative response, I crept passed him and prepared the cheese for transit. A smile split the corner of the leathered Merchant's face.

"Make sure that Flavius pays this time - no more favours! I don't care if he is feeding bloody Mark Antony..."

With a nod of acknowledgement, I made my way out of the taberna with haste, cheese in hand. I needed to get moving; Flavius was expecting this drop, and ROME could be quite the maze...