The Kin

by Elsye Harwood

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Rome; Early Twenty-First Century; September

  “I’m not going in there,” Marcus declared taking one look at the queues to enter the remains of the Forum and Palatine Hill. “It’s only old stones and rubble anyway.”

  Tully turned to look at him. “How can you say that? You’re a Roman, for God’s sake: this is your city, your heritage.”

  “That’s not Rome, it’s a tourist trap.”

  “It’s what people want to see; they come from all over the world to go in there and soak up the history.”

  “Let them, but that’s not the real Rome. I refuse to be herded along and swamped by strangers in my own city.”

  David looked on in bemusement as the two Romans argued with each other outside the entrance to the Forum museum. They were getting looks, he noticed, and people were listening in to their increasingly heated conversation.

  “We are doing this for David,” Tully said. “He’s never been to Rome before, so he’ll want to see this place. If you don’t want to come, then wait here whilst we go in, or better still wait for us at Claudio’s ice cream shop. Then we’ll do whatever you think we should.”

  “I’ve no objection with the forum, with a good guide it’s a wonderful experience and you learn a lot, but I’m not going in when there’s so many people. Let’s take David when it’s quieter.”

  “When do you suggest?”

  “At night.”

  Tully sighed in exasperation. “It’s closed at night.”

  Marcus shrugged. “So?”

  Tully shook his head in amazement. “You’re such a patrician, Marcus, you still think the rules don’t apply to you, don’t you?”

  Marcus took off his sunglasses and turned to David. “Do you want to go in here with all these people, or would you rather see the real Rome, the one that makes me proud to call myself Roman? There’s a part of this glorious city which truly is eternal, a place where you can still walk in ancient Rome.”

  “All right, you win,” Tully interjected. “At least your father didn’t completely waste his money on your education. Your tutors would be proud. Even I want to go to there now. Where is it?”

  Marcus grinned. “How about you, David?”

  “Absolutely, I’m completely sold.”

  “Come on, Marcus, what is this place?”

  The young Roman put his glasses back on and pointed down to the floor.

  David was confused, even Tully was staring in puzzlement at his friend. Then abruptly the older Roman laughed. “Yes, I get it. Oh, that’s good. That’s definitely something worth seeing.”

  “What?” David asked looking from one to the other.

  “David,” Tully said turning to him. “We’re going down into the sewers.”

  Three hours later the three of them emerged from under the city. David had never seen anything like it in his life; he’d actually been walking in tunnels which were over two thousand five hundred years old and still working. He’d touched brickwork and seen the scrapes and names of workmen etched into the stone. Though not reaching up to the heavens for all to see, like most monuments, these tunnels were just as impressive and awe-inspiring. The skill and engineering achievement was phenomenal and the fact they were still in use today was almost beyond belief. Down in the dark labyrinthine world, David could believe that he’d gone back in time to ancient Rome and emperors and gladiators still walked above him.

  Even the two Romans were unusually quiet and contemplative as they made their way home. To David, they seemed pensive and strangely not at all buoyed by the experience in the same way he was. It was a shame because he would’ve liked to ask them some questions, but he didn’t think they were in the right mood to answer.

  They were almost home when Tully stopped suddenly amid a square filled with seating from the various restaurants around the sides. “I’d quite like a coffee,” he declared, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Marcus shrugged at David and they joined him around the table.

  The waiter rushed over and left some menus, which they perused in silence. After a couple of minutes Marcus summoned him over again and ordered in rapid Italian, which David didn’t have a chance of following, then he got his phone out from the pocket of his jeans and concentrated on that.

  David could see that Tully was annoyed, and wasn’t surprised when he reacted. “It’s rude, there are other people present.”

  Marcus looked up at him. “You’re not talking.”

  “No, and neither are you. Maybe if you said something rather than playing with your phone, we would be speaking, too.”

  To David’s surprise, Marcus conceded the point and put it away. Then they sat there in silence again. David was completely at a loss as to why the mood had changed. Before they’d gone down into the sewers, both men had been in high spirits, and even more excited about tour than David was.

  By now he was accustomed to the way they bantered with each other and realised that it was a sign of affection. So he had no idea why they were both so withdrawn now, and could only conclude that he’d missed something. The best way to break the tension would be to ask a question, so he was furiously thinking of one that would get them talking, when someone called out to Marcus.

  They all turned and saw a woman waving from across the square.

  “Excuse me,” Marcus said to them, as he pushed his chair back and stood. Moments later he’d joined her group at their table and was chatting happily.

  Tully sighed. “You do get used to it,” he said

  “It must be nice to be so popular,” David commented.

  “Someone once described him as a bee flying around the meadows collecting honey from any number of flowers that caught his eye. Every so often he finds a new bloom, which for a while gets most of his attention, and this makes the little flower very happy, as you can imagine. But then, when he’s had his fill and all the pollen is gone, he goes off to find another one.” David pulled a face, but Tully smiled. “But here’s the thing. The bee keeps checking on his flowers, coming back to them again and again, ensuring that they’re safe and well. And they realise that they’re special to the bee and don’t mind the fact there are others like them in the meadow.”

  “You make it sound romantic.”

  Tully shrugged. “It’s not how I choose to live my life. But it works for Marcus. Whatever else you might think of him, he’s actually quite the gentleman, but he won’t ever get too close.”

  “Why not?” David asked as the drinks arrived.

  Tully stopped and let the waiter set the cups down, before he’d finished he answered. “Because he’s in love with somebody else and has been for quite a while.” He paused. “She’s what you call a free spirit and fiercely independent. They’re well suited actually, but have a very strange relationship.”

  “She doesn’t mind his shenanigans?” David asked, shocked.

  “They’re as bad as each other.” He grinned when he saw David’s face. “I told you it was strange. They have what’s known now as an ‘open relationship’.”

  David was about to reply but before he could, Marcus returned and sat back down again.

  “We didn’t have anything on tonight, did we?” he asked Tully.

  “From that question, I presume that you now have?”

  “A new gallery’s opening tonight and we’ve been invited.”

  “Correction, Marcus: you’ve been asked and have now decided to extend the invitation to us, so we don’t feel left out,” Tully replied.

  Marcus grinned. “No, actually, all three of us have.” Tully still seemed sceptical. “She wants to make up numbers so that it looks popular, the more the merrier. I told her we’d go.”

  “You did what?” Tully exclaimed loudly.

  “Come on, you don’t have to stay long. Have a drink, make some complimentary noises about the art, even if you don’t like it, and then go. Half an hour maybe, or an hour at worst and you never know, you might even en
joy it. Think of it as another part of David’s tour of Rome.”

  Tully and David exchanged glances, both realising that Marcus had won them over again for the second time that day.