The Loyal Lieutenants Act Three Scene One Sub Scene One

 

Act Three

Scene One

Sub-Scene One

Egypt and Moses

 

Mark Antony took refuge at the mansion after his rejection by Fulvia. He loved the lady, but she has her own ideas of love and family. She protected her two sons well; even Mark only met them several times, and it was with the mother’ presence. He felt that she distrusted him with them. He has no children of his own; perhaps some bastards will appear on his death bed, but he knew none will take his estate.

“Mark Antony, you are wanted at the library.” Jeeves had caught up with him at the garden. “I was told his name is Ptolemy and was from Egypt.”

Mark took his pace towards the library and went in. He saw Caesar having his drink with the guest at the round table.

“Ptolemy, let me introduce you to Mark Antony.” Caesar motioned to Mark to take a seat with him. Ptolemy held a tall figure; tall and slim with the long beard on the chin, he looked more like a scholar. He was dressed in the tweed three-piece suit and white shoes. He held the fedora hat which was laid across his lap. When in Rome, he dressed to kill.

“Ptolemy …….” Caesar was to describe the guest to Mark.

“I am Ptolemy III, or in Egypt, I am named Pharoah.” Ptolemy laughed. “The III is my nickname. My given name is Marius Tomas and my ancestry is Spanish. I am more of a Mexican being born here, and …… “

“My grandfather once told me we are the descendants of Alexander the Great but I think we are more of Herman Cortez from Spain. We defeated the Aztec there. Not so much Mexican.”

Mark laughed at that admission.

“My tailor tells me that this was suit for the cities here.” Ptolemy smiled. His tailor was not entirely right; it was suited for London than in Rome. 

“Ptolemy is here to invite me to Egypt. He wants us to share with them the might of Rome.” Caesar smiled. “I would like to see them.”

“Moses was our guest before. He enjoyed his stay there.” Ptolemy smiled. “Is he here today?”

“Moses is not. He died two weeks ago.” Caesar replied to the other. “Moses was at Egypt?”

“Yes, he was visiting and we met. He introduced me to Rome.” Ptolemy smiled. “How did he die?”

“He ……. Illness overtook his health.” Caesar lied and then moved the subject. “When can I leave for Egypt?”  

“If you are ready, I will let my people there be prepared for your visit.” Ptolemy laughed. “You must meet my half-sister, Cleop.”

“I will be delighted.” Caesar smiled. “Mark Antony. He will be ……. Soon enough, to join me there.”

Mark was baffled. He just smiled when Ptolemy took leave of the mansion. When he was alone with Caesar, he raised his concerns.

“Caesar, what about Moses’ case?” Mark asked.

“Yes, I still recalled that. Enobarbus is doing the groundworks. Please get the reports from him.” Caesar smiled. “Contrary to the rumours I am not getting senile.”

“I did not mean that, Caesar. I was merely ……”

“Mark, I am intrigue by Egypt. They are not that huge down south but what did they want to court me? I am …...” Caesar faded in his words. “Who is this Ptolemy? And his sister, half-sister as I was told…… what is her name?”

“Cleop.” Mark uttered the name. He then said. “I heard of Egypt when I was with the Sicilians. They are not new; founded some years back by Ptolemy the Great. He made his name from the humble base of trading including moonshine to the delicate merchandise like guns. He ruled with an iron fist, and upon his death, his nephew, Ptolemy II was the King. The new King ruled the domain well, but he died too early. He was succeeded by Ptolemy III.”

“That is their history?” Caesar asked.

“They ruled their domain by the river they named Nile, and bred crocodiles there.” Mark replied. “They brought in this species of river crocodiles as told to me, and fed their enemies to it.”

“Very dramatic.” Caesar smiled. “Here, we just shoot them in the head.”

“True but in Egypt, they do it differently. The Sicilians do not battle them.” Mark looked at Caesar. “I was told that Egypt was laden with wealth and the Sicilian was paid yearly of it.”

“Wealth? I am intrigue.” Caesar needed much wealth for his battles with the others, and the last war with Genous Pompey depleted much of it. He would have taken over the wharf but the expertise to operate it was with Pompey. He got his share of the wealth from there but it was meagre compared to revenues of the wharf.

“Do you think that if I were to …… allied Rome with Egypt, we could be better off in wealth?”

“I would not know, Caesar. I have never been to Egypt.”

“True, and why was Moses doing there? Was he acting alone or someone send him there?” Caesar was asking. “If it was me, I would have …...”

“Let me find out more.” Mark told Caesar and then left. At that same time, Enobarbus was approaching Moses’ home. He met Eva the widow and was invited in for a drink.

“Eva, my condolences. Moses was a good man.” Enobarbus told her. He had Eva as his distant cousin, but they hardly met; not even at her wedding to Moses. It was an old family conflict that distance them.

“Thank you for coming. For a man, Moses …… God, I love the man so much. He can read passages from the Book without referring to it.” Eva said. “For a man who does all those things, I was paralysed by his prayers.”

“Eva, Moses is a good man. He ….” Enobarbus tried to comfort the widow. He never got close to Moses, and till death do we stayed apart was his idea but Caesar needed him there.

“He was a good man. Now he is dead, and many of them told me of his sins. He is no more the good man I knew. He kills others.” Eva sighed. “The man I married for thirty years and I knew nothing of his real life.”

“Eva, I …….” Enobarbus was lost at words to comfort the lady. His own family does not know exactly what he does. They think he is a businessman under the employ of the Romans. He was fine with that when his wife gets a new dress every month, and his life was not complicated. They have a daughter who was in the boarding school, and only sees them during summer.

“Ernie, did you know?” Eva asked him. “Or are you both the same?”

“No, I am not with him. I did not know also. I was not close to Moses; you how the relations work for us in the family.”

Moses’ family will not speak to the others due to some generations old vendetta but it simmered down when Eva married him, but still the contact was at best minimal. Probably some cousins are celebrating Moses’ death that week, but Eva need not to know.

“When I heard of his death, I had to see you. The family also asked of you.” Enobarbus lied then.

“That is sweet of you. I know how the family disliked him, but he is still ……”

“Distant relative.” Enobarbus smiled. “Do Moses speak of his work?”

“Moses hardly talked of his works, except the church stuff. He was also on the road. He told me once he was doing some on the irrigation works. The canals would not flow, he is there to clear it.” Eva sighed. “He worked with one other Consultant recently. Do you know Moses’ friend, Lucas Perry? They travelled together sometimes.”

“Lucas Perry? I ……”

“Yes, he was another one who does the works. I heard he was killed in the papers. Moses would not tell.” Eva looked towards Enobarbus. “Irrigatiuon works, was it? Do you think the same people killed Moses?” 

“I would not know, Eva. I was …...” Enobarbus sighed.

“They went south one week. Moses told me it was to Egypt back then, the river there was flooded.” Eva said. “He laughed when he told me that. I did not know earlier; he told he was born in Egypt and was sent away by his parents to Philly before his parents were killed. He disliked Egypt and Philly. He moved here and we met. He did not say he was linked to the family, but we got married and grandpa nodded.”

Enobarbus smiled. It was a huge issue then, but grandpa had the final say on the matter. He died a weekj la after that, did not attend the wedding but gave the couple a gift; a set of golf balls.

“When Moses was in Egypt, he called me from there. He was happy and Lucas was there.”

“You knew Lucas Perry?” Enobarbus asked.

“Yes, we met for dinner sometimes, but it was an awfully quiet place; no name or any signboards was shown outside.  Some miles out of Rome, and noisy with the truckers there most times, and those bawdy women doing their tricks.” Eva said. “Lucas said it was near his home. I did not complaint for Moses was happy there.”

“Speakeasies” were the nickname for those places; the joint where you can get the illegal booze and the ladies hang out there to pick a few dollars. The drinkers were mostly quiet or low speaki8ng, for they did not want the coppers to know the place; unofficially most knew for they do have their drinks there.

“God, I never knew his other life. I wondered how many of them are like me now; widows?” Eva burst into tears. She was sentimental for she was a school teacher.

It was then Enobarbus got the message that Mark was looking for him.