Interview with the General

by Bridgid and Jo

Colleen knocked on the door of the rustic cottage belonging to Maximus and Joimus. She'd sent a message to the General to ask him if she could interview him for her "People of Interest" column for the new paper that she and Cal were publishing. It made her a bit nervous to be around a man of such stature but it was her job and she'd get used to it. There were plenty of people around who had some interesting stories. The General was just the first.

She stood there with her pen and pad in hand,

Maximus had never really been 'interviewed' before and had no real  idea what to expect. Joimus was off at a garden store looking for Exbury azaleas and so he was alone when he opened the door to the young female journalist.  He also had no notion of what to wear for such a thing and as he had to be out and about in the fields shortly, simply dressed in jeans and a light blue denim shirt, its sleeves rolled up. His wide belt was well-tooled leather with a buckle in theform of a wolf's head. Joimus had given that to him for his birthday a few years back.

"Good day, Miss O'Hara. Please come in."


"Good morning, General. Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you." She stepped inside. "Could we use your dining table perhaps?  It would make things easier for me."

"Certainly." He led the way to the  oak table and pulled out a chair for her before seating himself. "What do you wish to know?"

"Thank you, General. Please call me Colleen as we are neighbors." She smiled. "I'll get right to it. You and your wife were one of the first families to move to the Glen. It doesn't seem you are having any trouble adjusting. Your home is lovely." she paused to take a breath "Have you made many friends since you arrived?"

"We came at the invitation of Bridgid Morgan and Captain Aubrey, you probably realize. My wife and I have known them for several years, but I am only now getting to know many of our newer  neighbors."  He did not mention Sid, whose strange house lay over the far rise of land. Sid he had known for far too long. He turned the topic back to the house. "This home has been in my wife's family for generations and was brought over from England. The taste in decorating is hers, though she does so with my background in mind." 

"Ah yes, The Captain and Bridgid are on my list to interview." she grinned. "I find it amazing that you were able to move your home here. It must make you feel more settled. Tell me then; are there any plans for additions to your family? If you find that too personal of a question, feel free to refuse to answer." Being a reporter, it was her job to dig into personal issues though she realized they made people uncomfortable sometimes.

For Maximus, children were still a painful subject. Never would he forget the sight of his son's burned body, hanging crucified and trampled in the remains of the doorway to his villa. A darkness passed briefly over his eyes, then restoring control, he smiled at Colleen.  "Children are a true gift from the gods. I should be most happy if they decided to bless me in such a manner. We leave that to them."  He knew, of a certain, that Joimus would love to give him a child. But so far the gods had not seen fit. It was a thing one must accept.

"I wish for the gods to bless you and your wife, General." she could see the passing pain in his eyes and figured she'd better change her line of questioning. "I noticed that you have a stable. Are you fond of horses and are there any here yet?” His face brightened considerably. "Fond? One might say that. I grew up among the horses of Spain then, as you know, spent many years in the Roman cavalry. My last battle was, in fact, a cavalry charge. But that is another story, is it not? To answer your question, yes, there are nearly a dozen horses here now. I had chosen the ones I wished to purchase well before my stables were finished. Now we are starting a breeding program." He smiled. "The gods seem to favor Legion in this way."

She smiled a little. "I take it Legion is your stallion then. Are you breeding horses to sell? I'd be very happy to mention it in my article and perhaps drum up some business for you."

Truth be told she'd love to have a well bred horse herself. A moment of remembrance hazed into her brain of her youthful times riding with a local hunt club. She looked up at the General, thinking about how magnificent he must look on a horse. Cal didn't seem to like equines. Maybe he would grow to love them here. "A picture of you with Legion would be good to head the article, too, if you don't mind."

"Yes, Legion is the stallion." It had been Joimus who'd suggested the name. He'd been somewhat reluctant at first, not sure reminders of the Felix  Legion were wise, but the longer he'd pondered it, the more he had grown to like  the name. The years he had commanded the legion had been good ones. That Commodus had brought it all to such an abrupt ending was no fault of the legion itself. So the name had received his assent and now when he was astride the great
white stallion, he felt some sense of reunification in himself that had been lacking. He and the legion were at peace. "I believe a photograph with him could be arranged." He smiled. "And I do, indeed, intend to breed horses for sale. I also have plans to open a small riding school for those unschooled in such matters. Would that be something your readers might find of interest?"
 
She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure they will and off the record, if you ever find the need for an extra riding instructor I'd be available. Hands together, heels down and all that." She would love to teach kids to ride again like she'd done on the weekends in the past. Maybe Cal would take some interest then. For now, back to the task at hand. "General, you said Joimus suggested Legion's name. How long have you been together? You seem to be soul mates." Did she phrase that correctly? He may misconstrue and think she was asking about the horse. His answer would...answer.

He paused a while, looking at the oil portrait of her above the mantel. She was wearing her favorite light creamy yellow and sat on a small stone wall over which hung masses of wisteria. "My soul mate? If you mean that she took the two broken halves of my heart and sealed their wounds by the offering of her love, then, yes, she is that. If you mean that the mere fact that she lives gives meaning to my life, gives me a purpose and a reason for remaining on this side of Elysium's gate, then, yes, she is the mate of my soul. She carries my soul in the palms of her hands and plants it like a seed in the soil of her being, and it is there that I bloom and fruit and lift my face to the skies."

"We have been together seven years, she and I, and yet I am only still beginning to touch the depths of all she has meant to me, means to me. I inhale her like my very breath and she fills me to my brim and sends life through all my limbs."  He stopped and looked away, suddenly aware he had said much more than he'd intended. "Forgive me, Miss O'Hara...Colleen. When I think upon such things I forget myself and speak too lengthily." He smiled. "It is ever thus with my wife."  Clearing his throat, he added, "You mention riding instructors. You have the skill?"

"You are so lyrical." she smiled wistfully. I think I've managed to get everything I need to tell the other residents what a wonderful man you are. Joimus is a lucky woman but she too sounds like someone that everyone would love to know. As for riding, I do pride myself on my ability. Perhaps sometime soon you would allow me to demonstrate. I've always seemed to have a kind of affinity with horses.

Colleen jotted a few more things down on her notepad then she gathered her stuff up. "General, I'd like to thank you for being my very first interviewee for the Glen Daily News. It has been my pleasure." She stood and offered her hand to him. "You are an interesting man, sir."