The following story is set in Ancient Rome's port city of Ostia, and its subject is a man named Suilius who is a client. In Roman times, many wealthy and prestigious citizens served as patrons; and many Romans of lower classes wanted to serve them as clients. The clients came to their patron's house every morning to greet him and often waited upon him in various ways. In return, the client could expect special gifts, dinner invitations, or an inheritance from the patron. Of course, neither side was always satisfied with the way the arrangement turned out.
Chapter One
Why don't they go inside if they want to talk so badly? he muttered, pushing past a group of idlers planted on the sidewalk in front of a noisy taberna. At least if the sidewalk was clear, he would have half a chance of getting to his patron's house in time. And today was to be such an important visit with him - today was the day he was going to ask for more than just the customary dinner invitations from Aulus Egrilius Rufus, more than the usual pittance that he called an allowance. Today he was going to ask for the funds that he needed to purchase his neighbor's small storefront. Now that his business was steady and profitable, it seemed like the perfect time to expand; even his always-skeptical wife Laurina approved of his idea. Truthfully, when compared to all of Rufus' fortunes, the amount of money he needed was probably inconsequential. And after his years of allegiance to Rufus, he was sure that this request would not be refused. But first he had to greet him, and he had to be on time.
It took some skillful footwork and a lot of careful maneuvering, but at last Suilius found himself on the other side of town, in front of the domus of Aulus Egrilius Rufus. Just the fact that he had a domus at all was impressive in this city; in Ostia even the well-to-do tended to live in the ever-present apartment houses. Suilius felt a certain pride as he sauntered up the path to the entrance. He knocked. As usual, the old steward, Lupus, answered the door and ushered him into the dark atrium.
"The master will be with you shortly," he said, and immediately Suilius felt more at ease. Apparently he had not kept his patron waiting. The other clients stood around expectantly, also, all ordered and tidy in their heavy togas, all hoping to get something out of Rufus. Probably they will end up with the same useless dinner invitations, Suilius mused, but it will be different with me. He glanced at them haughtily and moved over to a corner to wait.
"Domine!" came a clatter of voices all at once; at last, after a wait of close to an hour, their patron had arrived for the salutatio, the same formal reception that took place every miserable morning. The clients rushed to greet him, all trying to outdo each other in their morning greetings and their flattery. This time, however, there was no contest. Suilius played the sycophant so well that he impressed even himself. So when the patron stepped aside to talk to him for a moment, Suilius was sure that things would go his way. He fawned over him some more before Rufus asked how his business was doing, giving him the perfect opportunity to bring up his request.
"The shop's doing well, domine," he said, nodding his head confidently. "Thank you for asking. In fact, it's doing so well that I'm thinking of expanding the business. You know, to have more room for customers and some more storage space."
"Expanding?" Rufus repeated. "Will you be moving the shop?"
"No. Actually, I'm hoping to buy my neighbor's storefront off of him. It's not too big; it would be just the right size to attach to my own shop."
"Well, that's very ambitious. Let me know what I can do to help you."
"You are too generous, domine. It is a great source of honor for me to know that I serve such a worthy and prestigious citizen."
Rufus nodded with a grimace. He took a glass of wine from the slave and looked up at the sky through the opening in the ceiling. "I can see that it's getting late. Unfortunately, I have some urgent business that I will have to attend to shortly. But I do wish you luck with your new undertaking. I have some good workers who I can send over to help with the remodeling once you have purchased the storefront."
Suilius was taken aback, but his face did not betray this. For a moment he just stared intently at the black and white circles that covered the floor, but when he saw Egrilius turning away he knew that he had to say something. "Thank you, domine. That will be very helpful. My only problem right now is coming up with the money I need to buy the shop."
"I'm sure you will do it," the patron said absently. "As you said, your shop is very successful."
"But I can not do it without some extra funds," Suilius cried, desparate. "Once my store gets bigger, all of my expenses will go up."
"You are a shrewd businessman, Surus. I have every confidence in you." Suilius, he thought bitterly. He doesn't even know my name. "I am hosting a dinner party next week. Why don't you join my guests? I haven't had you over for a while."
"Thank you," he mumbled, "Domine."
He walked hastily out of the atrium, out of the domus. The sooner he left this prosperous neighborhood, the better. All of the large houses and manicured gardens only taunted him with the existence of a life he would never attain. He would forever be a contemptible shopkeeper, and the one person who could help him overcome that had refused. I'm sure you will do it, his patron had said. I have every confidence in you. Well, his patron was right. He would do it.
Only, unfortunately for Rufus, he would have to take a different route.
1998-2004 Christine Kossol
