The Loyal Lieutenants Act Zero Scene Eight

Act Zero

Scene Eight.

 

Mardian stood there at the corner and watched the guest of Egypt lying on the divan, talking to the lady. He was dressed in the toga favoured by the Romans. The lady was seated across from the other divan, dressed in the silky sequined dark dress and her hair cut in the bob style. They were without the maids or guards as requested by the lady, but the Pharoah was insistent that Mardian was present but discrete at the corner.

They were sailing the Nile as part of the leisure activity of their meeting. It was over a week then, and the guest was most comfortable there.

“Cleop,” Caesar called her by name. “Tell me of your studies.”

“As mentioned before, I was tutored in the palace by the tutors daily from morning till afternoon. This has been true since I was five years old. I was taught arts, languages, and mathematics. Later in my life, I was taught astronomy and ballet.”

“Most interesting.” Caesar smiled. “I was in public school, and most of the time, I was playing on the fields. I was more into athletics. When I was seventeen, I left school and worked many jobs. That was when I joined the Romans. I was the brave one to take on the others in the fights. It may be over the areas or, at times, the girls.”

“Were you hurt then?” Cleop asked. “I meant over the girls.”

Caesar smiled and thought of his past. He had done many things during his earlier years as a Roman. He fought the others who were older than him; he got his head busted and bones broken, but he was back for the next round until he won. As for the girls, they came with the wins.

“Your injuries?” Cleop asked.

“I had a few injuries, but nothing serious.” Caesar lied then. He had bouts of headaches and the occasional lapse of unconsciousness; none of them were seizures. His family kept silent about that ailment.

“I meant the girls.” Cleop was asking again.

“Oh, they... I know a few.” Caesar was smiling. “There was Helen, Artemis, Gaia, and...”

“Do not pull my leg there. Those are the Greeks' deities, or Helen was not one, but she was at Troy and caused the war.” Cleop laughed. “I know my history.”

“You do? I was telling you the names here.” Caesar laughed. He did like history, especially the Greeks’ myths. “Those ladies existed.”

“They did, but not in your life.” Cleop laughed, then she looked at him in the eyes. “Do you like them? Do you... fantasize about them?”

“Me? I ……” Caesar was caught off guard there. “I do not...”

“From my readings, psychoanalytic feminism is a theory of oppression that asserts that men have an inherent psychological need to subjugate women. The root of men's compulsion to dominate women and women's minimal resistance to subjugation lies deep within the human psyche. In their fantasies, they hold that... vision.” Cleop read off her thoughts. “Do you agree?”

(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosp115.pub2#:~:text=Psychoanalytic%20feminism%20is%20a%20theory,deep%20within%20the%20human%20psyche.)

“I …. I do not know. I do not... or shall I say, I do not hold any fantasy about it.” Caesar was blushing. “Why do you ask?”

“I was not asking. I was merely sharing with you my views. I had read about that topic in some notes.” Cleop was innocent at the time. “Psychology is an interesting subject.”

“Psy …...” Caesar struggled to follow on.

“Psychology. Most of my readings are from one researcher, Dr. Sigmund Freud. His theory on sexual awakening from infancy to” Cleop was interrupted by the arrival of the maids’ fruits and drinks.

“Ah, the refreshments.” Caesar was relieved by the interruptions. He was outclassed by the younger lady. “Thank you, dears.”

“Shall we toast to...” Caesar was interrupted again.

“To a new realm of love and sex.” Cleop smiled, and then she drank her drink. It was Caesar's turn to follow suit. He felt himself astounded by the lady and, yet, aroused by her beauty. He had crossed his legs to avoid any embarrassment then. During his stay there, he hardly met with Ptolemy or even discussed any issues with their business.

“Tell me, Caesar. The war you had with... Crassus and Pompey. Was it a... civil war?” That question was not anticipated. For his own recollections, Lady Cleop was never anticipated in any discussions. Nor was her modesty seen by him on these occasions. He did wonder whether she knew of it or if it was intentional. He felt embarrassed, like when he first paid for his virginity to be taken by the prostitute at the age of sixteen.

“Well, it was...” Caesar stammered, but the lady was leaning over to hear him. He could not avoid the cleavage displayed to him. “I …….”

Mardian felt that discretion was needed and signalled for the maids to leave. He took leave with them and closed the door.

“Iras, come with me now.” Mardian called out to one of the maids.

“Oh, I am to come, sir." Iras smiled. She took off with him, leaving Alexas and Charmain holding the trays.

“What does he see in her?” Charmain asked Alexas.

“When you bend over, it all looks the same from their view. It is only the entry they select.” Alexas walked on.

“What does that mean?” Charmain still holds the wall in her, and Jericho has not come.