When I commented about this to Valeria, she looked at him with maternal pride and simply said, “Oh yes, he’s very smart. In many ways he’s like you; I don’t think the farm is going to be enough for him.”
As she finished that statement an expression of worry clouded her face, and realizing that I had seen that look before when she looked at me, I tried to think of something comforting to tell her, but the truth was there was really nothing to say because I completely understood. I think that is when the idea first formed in my head that somewhere down the road, I would be playing a larger role in Gaius’ life.
Spending four days with Valeria and her family, as much as I enjoyed myself, by the end of the third day I was bored out of my mind. Valeria knew me too well for me to hide it from her, but if she was disappointed, she did not show it. The most notable thing that happened occurred on the morning we left to return to Astigi; I was surprised to see Phocas showing no signs of being ready to leave. I was about to talk to him when Valeria caught me and pulled me aside, telling me quietly, “I’ve asked Phocas to stay here, and he’s agreed.”
I am not sure why I was surprised, but I was. “Why would he want to do that? He’s free now; he can go wherever he wants.”
Valeria shook her head, and replied, “Look at him Titus. He’s an old man now, and he’s worked hard his whole life. He was as much a father to me as he was to you, and I think the least I can do, after what you’ve done for him, is give him a place where he can live in peace.”
I saw the sense in this, but I wanted to make sure that Phocas had indeed agreed to this and was not just going along with Valeria to appease her. I knew how strong-willed she was, so I could imagine that Phocas might have figured that the easiest way of dealing with her was to pretend to go along, then just sneak off in the night, but he was as adamant as she was.
“I’m completely capable of making up my own mind Titus,” he sniffed, seeing through my stated reason for asking him. “Your sister may be formidable, but remember I lived with Gaia for 30 years, so I know how to handle a strong woman. No, I’m happy to stay here. Besides, it will do me good to be around Gaius and the baby. Children keep you young, you know.”
I knew no such thing, but I was convinced that he was sincere in his desire to stay behind.
“Look at it this way,” he finished, “think how angry your father will be when he learns I chose to live with your sister.”
That thought indeed brightened my day, and it was in a happy frame of mind that I kissed my sister, picked up Gaius and tossed him laughing in the air one last time, then shook her husband’s hand before climbing in the wagon. Gisela and Valeria clung to each other for what seemed to me an inappropriately long time, and through their tears they whispered things to each other that made them both laugh, all the while cutting their eyes towards me. Perhaps, I thought, leaving was not such a bad idea after all. At least they wouldn’t be together to hatch plots aimed at me.
Heading for Astigi that morning, being honest, I was more nervous now than at any other point on the trip, because Juno and Gisela were about to meet. It made me anxious on a number of levels; what if they did not get along? What if Gisela was able to tell that at one point I had feelings for Juno? And perhaps more importantly, what would happen if the moment I laid eyes on Juno I realized that those feelings had not completely died, and worst of all, Gisela could tell? Such was my state of mind as we plodded along the road, the wagon kicking up dust, marking our slow progress towards town, and I tried my best to hide my thoughts but Gisela was always able to see through any such attempts on my part.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, and I was sure I could detect a note of impatience in her voice, not helping my frame of mind.
“Nothing,” I replied a little too quickly, only serving to confirm her suspicions.
She harrumphed, making it clear that she was not buying any such nonsense, though I was thankful that she did not press the issue. However, after a couple of miles of silence, I found myself turning to her.
“It’s just that I’m worried that you and Juno won’t get along.”
I was thankful that, even if she saw through this, she did not choose to make an issue of it. “I'm sure we will get along fine,” she announced confidently.
I just hoped she was right, for all of our sakes, or else it would be a long trip back.
Arriving at Vibius’ house, I banged on the door. After what seemed like a full watch, it cracked open, and an old crone that had been part of Vibius’ household since we were children peered out suspiciously. Her eyes took in the sight of me and Gisela, and despite seeing she recognized me, her reaction was not exactly welcoming. She was never the cheerful sort, but she would at least grunt in recognition and open the door. However, this time she just stood there, not budging. Stifling my impatience, I tried to assume a reasonable tone of voice; I had learned that being a Centurion did not awe civilians nearly as much as Legionaries.
“Is Vibius in? He’s expecting us.”
Still, she said nothing, but I saw a look of indecision cross her face and I was about to just push the door open to enter when she finally spoke.
“Master Vibius is not receiving any guests today.”
She made a move like she was going to close the door, but I stuck my foot out and stopped her.
“We’re not guests. You do recognize me, don’t you?”
She nodded, but she still stood her ground, although she was looking more and more nervous.
“I know who you are Master Titus, but my orders are very specific, that Master Vibius is not receiving any visitors. Mistress” meaning Vibius’ mother “was very specific on that point.”
I bit back a curse, feeling my temper rise. “Will you just run and tell Vibius that we’re here and see what he says?”
She thought about this for a moment before grudgingly nodding her head, but before I could cross into the vestibule, the normal place for visitors to wait, the door was slammed shut in my face. The look of shock on my face caused Gisela to giggle, which she tried to stifle with limited success, only serving to increase my irritation. When I scowled at her, it only caused the laughter to tumble from her and despite myself, I started laughing too. We were still in this state when the door creaked open and the crone reappeared, this time making no attempt to hide her discomfort.
“I am sorry Master Titus, but my orders remain the same. Master Vibius is not receiving visitors.”
“I’m not a visitor, damn you,” I barked, causing her to visibly shrink in fear, only making me angrier, but at myself. Standing there for a moment without any idea what to do, I was then struck by an inspiration and reached into my pouch, withdrawing a gold denarius and waving it in front of her. “Old Mater, I understand that you can’t let me in. But you know who I am, you know I’m not only Vibius’ oldest friend, but I’m also his commanding officer. So you can at least tell me what in Hades is going on, can’t you?”
She stared at the denarius, the battle within her showing clearly on her face, and as usual, greed won out. With a speed that would make a Legionary proud, her hand snatched the coin from mine.
“There will be no wedding,” she announced, and she could not have shocked us more if she had set herself afire in front of our eyes. I glanced over at Gisela, who looked just as surprised and speechless as I felt. Finally, I managed to splutter out, “What kind of joke is this? This has been arranged for years! What happened?”