The thunderbolt
The path to love never ran smooth- but this is ridiculous
It all started over a woman. Isn’t that the way with so many things? Maybe you can blame the Christmas spirit. Or perhaps I saw a diamond in the rough. Either way, I’m right in the middle of a sketch for a gold brooch (some of us have to earn a living, no matter what the season) when someone calls me, saying there’s a young fellow looking for work. I sighed and then went to hear him out. By the way, if you need any jewelry repaired, keep me in mind. You know how the wives are. Want to look their best at a moment’s notice and a tasteful piece can make or break an evening. A piece for some peace. Haha!
Alright alright. Where was I? Alaeric wasn’t much to look at. Big mournful eyes, long fair hair and a narrow nose. Tall, like all the Goths are. The young women like that, having someone looking down at them. All the lads stopped in their work to gawp at him.
“Now then,” I cried out. “This is a goldsmiths, not a monastery. Back to work. Unless you want to explain to his highness why we’re behind schedule.” Alaeric gazed at me solemnly as my lads got back to it. I can see what she saw in him. He has these mournful eyes that make you wonder what he’s thinking. Alaeric introduced himself, his Greek surprisingly good and said he hoped to work for me.
“Hope, is it?” I cried. “Hope to receive God’s mercy. Hope that the blessed Virgin will smile upon you. I need more than that from you.” The lads laughed at that and Alaeric smiled too. It didn’t fool me but he didn’t leave either. I liked that.
“My Father served in the Emperor’s army,” he said. “We’ve come here for his retirement and I will support him.”
“I’m glad to hear a young man supporting his father,” I said. “I have only daughters and that means dowries. I fail to see what that has to do with me.” Alaeric sweated at this and I knew it had nothing to do with the furnaces.
“”I heard you are the best goldsmith in Constantinople.”
“Only the best in Constantinople?” shouted Nicholas, one of my younger apprentices. “We’re the best in the world!” I don’t say anything. It’s sinful and a true craftsman won’t use words when his work can speak for him.
“I do good work,” Alaeric says. “Give me a chance.”
A fight broke out in the street outside my shop and I went to break it up. A blue and a green, of course. Screaming curses that even make fine gentlemen like you blush. They scarpered when I came, of course. When I turned, Alaeric disappeared.
He showed up the next morning outside the Smithy and I walked past him without saying anything. Perhaps he thought I’d remember and let him back in. I might have done it if he said something. He didn’t. Then he vanished again. I thought nothing of him for the rest of the day until my daughter came to explain that my wife didn’t return home from the market as planned. In my great hurry, I told one of the apprentices to lock up and departed. My wife came to no harm, thanks be to Saint Andrew. I encountered her on the road with nothing more than a lamed horse and when I knew she was safe, my thoughts returned to the business. By the time I got back, dusk fell and as I approached, I saw the light of the forge. We always put it out and that told me thieves got in. A great passion seized me. Fire coursed through my veins and I ran as fast as Porphyrius. Thieves and bandits, I told myself. When a man has built a business with his sweat and blood filling the mortar, you’ll stop at nothing to defend it. As I threw the door open, Alaeric dropped the tools on the ground with a great clatter. I saw no apprentice, of course. Probably on his second cup of wine in the tavern, the devil take his eyes. He forgot to lock the door. I don’t remember what I said. Alaeric probably doesn’t either. Yet before I could throw myself on him, he held up the tools.
“Wait! Let me finish.”He did the design and it only needed embossing to be finished. Call it surprise. Call it shock. Perhaps curiosity. I let him see it through.
Although I couldn’t forgive the intrusion, neither could I deny the quality of the work. Not as good as anything I could do, of course. He stepped back, lowering those cow eyes to look at the floor. I turned the piece over, trying not to give him a swelled head..
“How long have you been here?” I asked. He blurted out an apology. Said that the door lay open and he only wanted to prove himself. No need to say that. Otherwise he wouldn’t be walking home. No need to take that down. You know what I meant by that. I’m running a business.
“Are you Orthodox?” I asked him as we shook hands.
“Arian,” he said in a low voice.
“Keep that to yourself,” I say. “I don’t know what heresy they practice in Germany but here it’s One Empire, One church, One law. Get that in your head if you want to keep it and come back the next working day.” He looked mulish when I said that although he knew better than to argue with me. Followed my advice too. I saw the family at the holy apostles that very Sunday. Must have taken them long enough from the address he gave me. No sign of Papa, though. Alaeric told me that’s because the war left him lame. I didn’t believe that at the time and decided to overlook it.
He turned up the next day and I almost considered teasing him. Pretending that the previous night didn’t happen, Instead I made a show of introducing myself and announced to the lads he would join us on a trial basis. I got him started right away. Nothing too fancy in case that night proved a fluke. He produced a signet ring with a steady hand and a deftness that got my lads muttering to each other. Good! Let them worry! My shop brings out the best in people, even people like him. If I had my way, those goths, ostrogoths and any other kinds of goths would have been sent home with their loot once they served their purpose-winning our wars. They shouldn’t be allowed. I know, I gave the young fellow a job. I still stand by what I said. You are? Well, now. Your Greek is excellent. That’s exactly the kind of person we need more of, I’d have no idea your true… origins.. If you ever come by the shop I’ll give you fifteen…. Ten percent off your purchase. Don’t tell the wife.
A few weeks go by and young Alaeric came to work dragging his feet, those mournful eyes glazed over.
“He’s been hit by the thunderbolt!” cries George. Don’t think it’s ever happened to him since not a single young lady can walk by without him calling out and making a spectacle of himself. I don’t say anything. We were all young once. Should have seen me in my prime. Alaeric draws himself up at this and tries to act nonchalant. It doesn’t work. Once you’re hit by the thunderbolt, it’s plain as a pikestaff. I order them all back to work. General Belisarius requested a Christening set only the other day. He didn’t come in person, of course. They never do. Always send an underling so they don’t get those beautiful hands dirty.
The lads got it out of him by lunchtime.
“He’s holding a flame for Sophia Phokas.”
“Is that a fact?” I say. Normally I stay out of it. This kind of gossip is above a man of my standing. However I can’t help myself.
“Yes, sir.” Alaeric mumbles.”I met her doing the delivery to the Hagia Sophia.” Damn! That’s what I get for sending young fools to do an important job. Mooning over young women when they should be working. Still, I can’t be everywhere at once.
I want the record to show that I tried to talk him out of it. Yet what use is it to do such a thing with a young man? You’d have more luck turning back the tide. I know her Father of old. The lads try their best too.
“Sophia’s father is a real bastard,” says Michael. “I heard that someone whistled at her and he kicked their teeth in.”
“He’s a member of the demes,” says George. “He’s a green.”
“A green what?” says Alaeric. I take pity on the poor lad. Can you imagine someone who never saw the Hippodrome on race day? Never saw the blues and green chariots taking a corner, four horses each, with thousands of fans roaring like the ocean. The lads give him an education, laughing at his face the whole time.
“The blues is the emperors team.”
“That means Sophia’s father is a pleb. Don’t hang around him, he’ll pull you into the gutter with him.”
“He thinks he’s an equal to an artisan because someone trusted him to drag stones around on consecrated ground.”
“Anyway,” George says. “Don’t waste your time. You think you’re the first person to have the hots for Sophia? Her father would reject the Emperor himself.” I keep quiet during all this. The races are too rough for a man in my time of life. It gets too rowdy there and if I’m going to lose any coin, it’ll be over a wrestling match. Besides, the lad got his warning. It didn’t matter. The thunderbolt did its work.
I’m packing up the set for Belisarius when Alaeric comes over. He’s going to the taberna by the golden horn and wants my advice.
“My advice?” I say. “You already got it. Stay away from there. The only thing you’ll get from that place is a knife in the guts.” He shakes his head and says he can’t do that. Because he promised to meet Sophia’s father, Hilarion, there for a drink. I try to knock some sense into him. He doesn’t take well to that. Typical of his sort. I don’t know what those fathers are doing to their children. Oh yes, I forgot. I didn’t mean you. I am getting to the point. It’ll help a lot more if you stop interrupting.
In the end we compromise. I’ll go with him. That doesn’t make me an accessory! I thought that would be an end to the whole business. If he said the wrong thing in a place like that he’d get a beating or much worse. I tell myself we’ll go to the taberna, he’ll make a fool of himself and I’ll step in. If these young people won’t learn, they must be allowed to make their own mistakes. I’m like a father to them in that respect. ‘Least, that’s what people say.
The place is a sea of Green. Men with green tunics, mantles and cloaks I tried one last time to talk the lad out of going. He wouldn’t hear of it, of course. I prop up the bar while he sits down with Hilarion. I made sure that he got a good look at me and I toasted his health. Always throws people off when a big fella like me makes nice. The old rogue clasps Alaeric’s hand and immediately starts talking about the races. Who is his team?
“Oh I’m new,” he says. “I’m looking for a team. I only support the best.” Young rogue! Of course Papa is delighted and tells him how the Greens are the only team for him.
“I’ve heard great things,” says Alaeric.
“The team of the working man,” says Hilarion. “The Emperor has failed us.”
“Sophia says,” Alaeric tries to interrupt.
“They locked those poor men up,” says Hialrion. “They sought sanctuary and Justinian imprisoned them.” He starts ranting as if he’s standing on the rostra.
Alaeric’s eyes glaze over. This clearly isn’t going the way he hoped. There’s a lot more politics and less bonding with a potential father in law. He catches my eye and I smile sympathetically. My father in law wasn’t much fun either.
So far, just how I hoped. Alaeric is getting bored. Soon enough, he’ll come over to me and say “come on, let’s go.” I planned to be gracious about the whole thing. No need to lecture him. Some young people need to learn the hard way. I’m attracting the wrong kind of attention. Alaeric asked me to wear Green. I refuse which makes him worry that they’ll think I’m a spy. As a compromise, I wear a red pileus cap to show them that I’m a craftsman and not affiliated with this riff raff.
A gang of three comes up to me asking why I’m in their taberna wearing the colours of the red team.
“What do you care?” I say. “When was the last time the reds won anything?” Why wouldn’t I say that? I don’t owe scum like them anything.. They snatched the cap and threw it around. What? How did you expect me to respond to being disrespected? I don’t go looking for trouble. Seems like it found me that night. I got the hat back and cracked a few heads as a teachable moment. Had to leg it out of there, though. I catch my breath and then young Alaeric rounds the corner, a huge smile plastered on his face.
“Done already?” I say.
“Yes,” he smiles. “We had a good talk.” I tried to find out more but the friends of those insolent Greens slipped out into the street. So Alaeric and I parted abruptly. If those bastards knew how to mind their own business perhaps it would have gone differently.
Alaeric says nothing about the night at work, the next morning. Which I approved of. Like I said, I don’t gossip. Isn’t it considered a sin? Ask my wife, she’s the real expert on scripture. That’s women’s work. Yet he’s quiet, too. Too quiet. I put two and two together, making five. I think the old man turned him down and he is putting a brave face on it. Then the first warning beacon flares. I didn’t recognise him when he walked through the door. That long flowing hair that would make anyone, male or female, green with envy is butchered. It’s all short on the sides and top, then left flowing at the rear. That’s when I knew something is amiss.
“Interesting new haircut,” I say. “What’s it in aid of?” He acts innocent. I should have known. The blues used to run through that neighbourhood with that hideous haircut. People said they did it to piss the Emperor off, it’s his team. Why would the greens do the exact same thing? It doesn’t make sense. Well it didn’t to me! All I’m saying is, the lad threw me off the scent. I guess I underestimated him. Also, who am I to understand what’s going through the heads of young people? I dismissed it as a passing fancy and nothing more.
I see the girl. She comes to meet him at the shop. All the lads crowd forward to see her, their tongues hanging out like dogs. Got to hand it to the lad, he has good taste. She has beautiful almond shaped eyes that you could lose a day’s pay staring into, hair like oriental silk and a figure that would make a sculptor weep then throw his chisel away.
“Look at the way she walks,” says Michael. The girl looks over. I’m the only one who looks away. Blast Michael. He projects every word like a blessed actor addressing a crowd.
Then one day, Alaeric doesn’t show. Terrible timing, too. I have a large commission with a tight deadline. It enrages me. I know it’s something to do with the girl. He’s been off his work and I had to keep sending it back. Great big shadows under his eyes. I wait until he’s a full hour late and then I go to his place. Full of pique and ready to give him a piece of my mind. It’s a sign of the esteem I hold the lad in that I went down to the Lycus River Valley. Besides, I made promises to clients and who can find another quality goldsmith at short notice? I tell you, there’s nowhere else that’ll make you count your own blessings more than going to that place. What’s that? Oh. You do? Which street? I’ve heard good things about that area. It’s said to be coming into its own. The empress Theodosa comes from there, doesn’t she? She turned out alright.
Where was I? Oh yes, I arrived at his place. It took ages to find the gaff, with everything stacked higgledy, piggledy like building blocks. I walked down one side seeing all the even numbers and suddenly they were all odd numbers. Nobody helped of course. Most of them were sitting outside in the stinking mud, as if they had nothing better to do in the middle of the day. All around me houses were flying green and blue banners. I didn’t think much of that at the time. People talked about nothing else but the arrests. You couldn’t avoid it. There was a little unpleasantness with one person mistaking my shirt for white and taking it to mean I supported the whites. Trouble seems to follow some people. I’m not happy with the way that it ended but what can you do? He can’t go through life talking to people like that. Not that he is talking much now. Hahah! You… you don’t need to write that down, you know.
I found the place at last and arrived to find Alaeric not home. Mother and Father were both there. Didn’t speak a lick of Greek, of course. They covered the place in icons and pictures of their royal highnesses. The mother drew back at the sight of me, like so many do and it took quite a while to calm them both. Father tried to get up to defend his wife which I respect. A venerable looking fellow and I can see where his son got those eyes from. Eventually I repeated the word “gold” a few times and showed them the sample I always carry to show to prospective customers along with a bit of pantomime. There’s so many foreigners in this city I get pretty good at getting my point across without words. What’s that? Maybe it is a little risky to carry it everywhere I go. You have to be ready when opportunity knocks. It could explain all the trouble I get. Maybe they know about the sample and try to start a fight thinking they can filch it.
Mother and Papa fell upon me, then, offering what little hospitality they could once they understood who stood in their midst. My wife always says I’m too hard on people yet my heart melted like butter at the sight of them. First they gave me cakes. Then wine, awful stuff yet the poor souls served it to me with the greatest pride. The shadows began to lengthen and no sign of Alearic. I made to go and the Father begged me to stay. His wife helped him up onto his crutch and he began to tell me war stories. He threw in the odd Greek word that he must have picked up over the years and I listened to his babble gravely. Father almost finished his third story when their son arrived, still with that stupid haircut and dressed in green, head to toe. That should have warned me. That, along with the fact that he wore the look of a man who’d been out all night. I knew that look from my glory days, out chasing women. That’s all I took it for.
“Young Alaeric,” I said. “I’ve come here to inform you that your position is terminated.” He took it like a man. Not a muscle in his face moved. Mama and Papa looked on. Not understanding a word, of course. I’m sure they grasped the gravity of the situation. They weren’t blind.
“I told you that I have them to support,” he said quietly. “Now do you believe me?” He hoped to shame me into backing down with that statement. It didn’t work.
“I wanted to do this without making an unpleasant scene,” I said, indicating the parents for emphasis. “You didn’t come to work today.”
“That’s right,” he said, lip quivering.
“Care to explain all this?” I said, indicating his getup. It looked like he did the dye at home and a few patches of colour around the room confirmed it. He hesitated. Maybe he would have broken down and confessed everything. Then he looked at his parents.
“It’s Sophia’s father,” he said.” I know what everyone says about him. You were wrong. He is a good man.” I try my best.
“Alaeric, you are not from this city.”
“Really?” he says. “I had forgotten.”
“You have only been here a short time. You have not seen the city during the height of the races. Men are possessed by a terrible passion. Vast sums of money are spent on gambling.” He looks at his parents and then back at me, a sneer on his lips. Of course he took that as a slight. “People throw curses onto the track to affect the outcome.” He remains unmoved. “There are fights between the Greens and Blues. You’re painting a target on yourself.”
“I love Sophia,” he said. “I’m going to marry her.” There’s nothing like young love. Warms even my black old heart to hear it. Shame my daughters can’t find anyone who talks about them like that. None of the lumps they bring home can string a sentence together.
“Do they know?” I say, pointing to the parents.
“When it’s time,” he said. “Her father loves the chariot racing. I’ll do anything to make her happy.” He gestures to his stupid get up. The parents looked on, plainly not understanding a word.
“Didn’t do me any favours, did you?” I said, hard as I can. He marched over to his father and pointed at his leg.
“He lost this in the service of the emperor. Do what you have to do. There are other goldsmiths in the city.”
The father clasped his son’s shoulder and began to speak in that horrible, barking language of theirs. Clearly he meant to tell me of how proud he felt of his son. Alaeric went to translate. I waved it away.
“I’m a father. I know what he said.” I clasped the father’s hand and went on my way. I didn’t sleep well that night. Couldn’t see another way.
I hope this clears this all up now. St Andrew save us! Do I need to draw you a picture? You think a soft sap like him went to the games looking for trouble? Fine, let me explain. When I decided to hire him, I hired an old friend to tail him. You can pay someone for pretty much anything in this city and this fellow does it for all my new hires. Never fails. Once I hired a young man who looked like he wouldn’t say boo to a goose. My man follows him home and watches him get into a scrap with someone who walked into his path. He erupts like a volcano. Punching, biting, curses, the whole thing. He arrived at work the next day to a door in his face. Didn’t take that well which served as more confirmation that I made the right call.
My man follows Alaeric home. His manner matches his face. If anything, he’s too nice. Allows people to walk closer to him than I ever would, yet what do you expect from a small town person? Why worry that someone has sticky fingers when you yourself have nothing worth taking? So let me tell you what happened. He went to the game thinking this would seal the deal. You’ve never seen anyone look at anything like that boy looked at his girl. Devotion doesn’t describe it. He worships her. He’d die for her. So he went to the game thinking this is happily ever after. Cheer for Hilarion’s team. Then, when the acrobats and clowns do their routine during the intermission he states his intentions. How could the old brute say no? What he’s not expecting is the Greens and Blues to band together. He’s not from here and doesn’t understand what’s been brewing for years.
I’m sure the Greens thought his imperial majesty would back down and free the prisoners. What would send a greater message than two fierce rivals setting their differences aside? I could hear the cries from my store. “Victory! Victory!
I was blessed with work this morning so I had no idea until I saw the fires.That must have been when they set the Pretorian on fire. No time to think. I ran towards the hippodrome. What else could I do? I thought back to everything we talked about and realised I could never live with myself if I left him to his fate. Poor lovesick fool. The thunderbolt probably kills more men than the sword. Come again? No,, of course I didn’t. Who do you take me for? Have you been listening to a single word I’ve said? You think I would do something like that? I’m a property owner. I’m not raising my voice. This is my normal speaking voice. I am calm. There’s no need to get like that either. Fine, I’ll sit down.
I thought I’d seen everything in all my years living in this city. This topped it all. There’s always trouble but it’s normally confined to the racetrack. As I made my way up the mob filled every street, alley and cranny for miles around. Crowds running around like the Babylonians during the sacking of the first temple. If anything was fabric it was torn off or burned. People throwing roof tiles at anyone trying to calm them. Streets choked with people screaming “Victory! Down with Justinian. Justice! Victory!” A journey that should take ten minutes took an hour. What a shameful day.
Eh? I wouldn’t know about that. I was on a mission of mercy. Not my fault if people don’t have the common sense to get out of my way. I couldn’t take any chances. Two blocks before someone swung at my head with a burning piece of wood. I barely escaped with my life and in those situations the blood gets up. Heat of the moment. What were they doing in the middle of that fracas? That’s what you should be asking them. We’re getting away from the point. I guarantee that young Alaeric tried to flee as soon as the rioting started. So that’s my tale. I hope you’ll find it in your hearts to look kindly upon him. Yes, sir. I’ll wait. What a terrible business. I’ve never seen such loutish behaviour in all my born days. Heard the East side is still in the hands of the mob. God willing the city is brought under control soon.
