Regina
Alvarado
Assignment 8
Claudia was violently shaken
awake. She gasped as she realized that night had fallen and she had long since
dozed off in her love, Marcus’s arms. Fear gripped her when she realized that
it was Tullia who had shook her and that Tullia’s face was flooded with worry.
“What are you doing?! You were
supposed to be back hours ago? Your father has gathered his men in a search
party for you! He said that he saw you two together in the Forum at the last festival
day! Someone told him that Marcus is a fisherman plebe! He’s fuming!” All of
these words spilled out of Tullia’s mouth and Claudia couldn’t breathe.
Marcus said, “Well let’s go to
him and simply explain what happened. We just fell asleep! We didn’t mean too! Surely
he’ll understand!”
“No!” Tullia screamed. “He said
he’ll have your head for besmirching him and his family! He’s murderous! You
have to run Marcus! Claudia get up let’s go, we have to get you back home! We’ll
think of something to excuse you on the way, but please we must hurry!”
Claudia finally caught her
breath and with that she got her nerve. She wasn’t going to let her father harm
the man she loved. All her furious emotions towards the class system that
separated her life from Marcus’s fueled her and she was prepared to stand up to
her father. There would be no more sneaking around.
With Marcus’s
hand held firmly in hers she walked through the vestibule of her home to meet
her father. And as if in slow motion, men pounced on Marcus and captured him,
dragging him away! Claudia screamed and tried to claw her way to defend him.
Fists rained down on him and his cries chilled her to her core. She ran to
father to beg him to call off his men, she dropped to her knees and hugged his
leg. He did nothing. Marcus was no longer fighting back or making noise and
Claudia’s men dragged him off through the atrium.
“FATHER WHY? Please, no, just
let him go! It was my fault not his! Please Father I love him!” Claudia
screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her father reached down and
grabbed her by her shoulders and with his strength picked her up and yelled for
her to quiet down.
“That boy is beneath you,
beneath us! How dare you embarrass me like that! How dare HE insult me like
that, insult my name? And defile my daughter? No!” Claudia’s father screamed
back her.
Claudia couldn’t hear Marcus or
her fathers’ men anymore. Her father wasn’t listening to her. Panic struck her
and she sunk down to the ground overwhelmed. She lost her love, she didn’t know
if she’d ever see him again. He was probably gone for good. This sad
realization overcame her and sank in as the screams she had been emitting
finally began to subside and she was overtaken by her cries. Her body was
convulsing with tears and her father, with an averse face, slowly walked away from his daughter who was
crumpled on the floor to go finish the job.
