With my life turned so askew by the serious illness of a long time, completely loved husband, I had no desire to meet my group. Precious as they were-- Julia, whose father ruled the mighty Roman empire for so long and whose death caused the whole known world to shake and throw Julia's life into devastating disarray. Cartimandua who reigned as Queen in Brigantia, England into which Imperial Rome was laying her imperial clutches. Tanaquil, wife and co-ruler of the Roman Republic at the beginning of the expansion which would make both Julia's and Cartimandua's existence important.
My ladies pressed me. When can we meet? We have so much to consider. And now there were the interlopers, Ismene, so proud of her Spartan lifestyle, and Marybelle, less secure in her Colonial American heritage, but nevertheless proud.
And I? Coping with the inevitability of life alone after fifty plus years with a man who ---. After so many years sharing the same bathroom, eating breakfast together, working crossword puzzles with a second cup of coffee, staying up late Saturday night playing Scrabble, I feel like one half of a unit. A unit now threatened.
When half ceases to be, what is left? Just the other half? Or is there more?
Julia whose indomitable spirit bends to no one or to no event, (See THE EMPEROR'S DAUGHTER available on Amazon Kindle) refused to leave me to my self pity. "You are you!"
And what did "You are you." mean? I struggled to push Julia from my consciousness, but as I said she is indomitable. What a lovely word is indomitable. From Julia's own native tongue, Latin, it means untameable. She did not, would not leave; nor did she allow the others to stay away. The three, she, Carti and Tanaquil hovered around the corners of my mind. Julia's invitation to Ismene was refused (not graciously I might add) because Ismene considered Julia's preference for things Athenian to things Spartan an insult. Likewise Marybelle declined because she was more Spartan than Athenian despite the addiction of so many important colonists on American shores to Athenian ideals.
Carti and Tanaquil suffering none of the baggage of me or Ismene or Marybelle agreed with Julia. I conceded and gave my word I would come prepared for serious conversation at a future time --not just now. Just now I needed to wallow in what Julia not so graciously called "my own self pity".
"Within reason," Julia insisted, "else we shall haunt you every waking and sleeping moment."
"Soon", I promised. "Soon" I promise.
