Chapter Ten
That evening, when Morsimus stumbled through the door, I wasted no time informing him of the job. Unexpectedly, he did not respond with anger or with gratitude but with mild amusement.
“You have never worked a day in your life. Who would offer you work?”
“It is a job, and it will bring us money. That is what counts.”
“At the tannery?” He grunted. “You will stink. You will stink like everything in this damn village stinks.”
“And you will have food to eat.”
The reply left my lips before I could stop it, and every muscle clenched in anticipation of a strike. But Morsimus’s response was not a beating, though I despised it just as much.
He took me, then and there, in the courtyard.
There was no lovemaking involved in our union; what he did to me was as distant from love as a rose petal is to the thorn.
His actions served only two purposes: his pleasure and the hopeful conception of a child.
Given how unlikely the years had taught us the latter outcome would be, now he worked solely to accomplish the first.
That night, he grabbed my hair with such brutality he nearly ripped it from my scalp while I bit down on my bottom lip so hard I drew blood. Afterward, he fell asleep on the same couch, and I crawled to the fountain to clean myself up as best I could.
I winced as I touched my tender skin, yet I persisted.
There had been a time when such rough handling would have left me wanting to cower within the safety of my chamber for at least a day.
But that was the old me. From the moment I left Phile’s, I had changed, whether I knew it or not.
I had work to do, and I would not let Morsimus stop me.
* * *
When I left my house the next morning, the sun breached the horizon, and the tiniest slivers of gold streaked up into the sky.
I expected to make the journey alone, yet as I proceeded down the path, I found a group of over a dozen women. As I approached, the majority headed off, but one lingered.
She was a slight girl of average height, a similar age to myself, and she carried a large pot.
Though her features were distinctly plain, there was something about their proportions that was striking.
Her eyes seemed almost too large for her face, as did her lips, while her nose was little more than a nub.
She reminded me of a little owl, the symbol of our goddess Athena.
“Otrera? It is Otrera, is it not? Phile thought you would be the type to arrive before sunrise. She will be pleased with that. She values punctuality. Not that she would punish you for being late. Not when you have only recently arrived. Perhaps not at all. I have never known her to punish anyone, but do not tell her that. She likes to pretend we fear her.” The manner in which the young woman spoke was so full of energy it was hard not to feel overwhelmed, but there was no animosity in her tone.
Rather, it was the opposite. She was childlike, eager, and radiant, unlike the distinctly putrid smell rising from her.
Before I could ask, she continued to speak.
“I will guide you today. You will be with me. We will be fleshing. Do you have your own knife? It does not matter. Phile provides everything we need. Without her, we would all be lost.”
I did not know how to respond to any of that, so I gestured to the pot in her hands.
“Is that…”
“Yes.” She nodded enthusiastically. “It’s urine. Mine and my husband’s. Phile pays us extra for it, though it is best to wait until the pot is full each time. Though not too full. Otherwise, you might spill it down yourself.”
Paid for urine. I made a mental note to tell Morsimus and Melitta to drink plenty of water.
As we walked, I remained silent, listening.
My chaperone’s name was Eleni, and she barely paused for a breath between her words.
Apparently, I had fallen on my feet in working with her on the fleshing beam for my first day, for it was her favorite task.
Her least favorites were the pits, of which there were two—one for soaking the goatskins that had just arrived, the other for tanning them.
This was where the urine was required. Both pits reeked, although according to Eleni, I would quickly learn to identify the nuances in the malodors from the specific way my clothes smelled at the end of each day.
When we arrived at the compound, the white clouds were illuminated from the sun beneath them and gilded with the most delicate coral hue. I paused to watch for just a moment longer before stepping through the great gates into the tannery and facing whatever fate the gods had laid out for me.