Interim (2)

Having returned from my journey, my first morning home I
allowed myself the luxury to sleep late. Comfortably ensconced
in my own bed, I woke-up looking out at sunbeams flittering
about our atrium. Laying there I wondered "what next?" I knew
that my father would be making inquiries of me. At this point,
all that I might muster was something vague but yet determined.
I wanted a military life!

When I made mention of this to father, he was naturally
disappointed. He wanted me to go into a commercial career,
preferably working for our family's corporation. Yet, he was
not surprised over my choice. All my life I had been disposed
towards the military, what with my fantasies about Rome's
legions and their great victories.

But father had to "educate" me on the facts of life, when it
came to this decision of mine.

As an adult member of the Equestrian Order, I was expected
to serve Rome in either of three capacities: commercial service,
the civil bureaucracy, or the military. And, usually, over time an
*eques* would probably serve in more than one of these
categories.

Immediately I snorted that I didn't want to be a bureaucrat. As
for the commercial world, well I grew-up in it and never felt
comfortable. But when it came to the military, well it turned
out that I didn't have the first idea about how to move into such
a role. So father had to enlighten me.

Both young Patricians and Equestrians had the opportunity
to serve as military tribunes, attached to a legion for several
years. During this period they retained their civilian status, if
in case they were simply awful they could be fired on the spot.
But one didn't become a military tribune over night. First, for
each legion there were only six tribunal spots, rotating every
several years so as to allow for ever fresh candidates. So
right off this limited the field.

The earliest step towards becoming a military tribune was to
apply. Then there was the selection process. It would take
some time, in that candidate tribunes earlier had to show
administrative abilities by serving their municipalities in a
responsible capacity. Also an unswerving allegiance to the
Emperor was an absolute necessity. There were physical
requirements, too!

So it would seem that nothing comes easy in this world. My
father asked if I wanted to work through this process. Thinking
minimally, I instinctively said "yes!"

With that I went to work. My father arranged for me a minor
supervisory position at the new Port near Ostia. Mainly I
worked at the granaries as an overseer; and, eventually, I
took charge of some of the transportation barges that took
the grain into the city of Rome. It was a perfunctory kind of
work, but it was important. Grain was a major food source
for Rome--and there's not much more important than food!

Jesting aside, this work gave me at least some small experience
managing other people. Happily I got along with the workers,
who were mostly freedmen. As for the imperial slaves, the
few I met I tried to treat kindly.

Also, working on the barges allowed me to visit my Aunt Eleana
and my cousins occasionally. She had three sons--two slightly
older than me--and a daughter, Sybil, who was near my age.
Indeed, I was born exactly one month before her. Almost from
the beginning I adored Sybil; and as for two of my male cousins,
they were Roman roustabouts who kept wanting to take me off
on their adventures into the city.

Of course I was too *busy* to engage in such jocularity. But
to be truthful, I was actually afraid to venture much into the
innards of this vast city. Over time I would overcome this fear,
but not yet. In the meanwhile, with my "tribune" target in mind,
I stayed the course working at the granaries. And when I was
moving into my twenty-third year, I applied to become a military
tribune.

Now I only had to wait.