P
I hear that Alcaeus goes out alone, forbidding his servants to follow. Everyone has become uneasy.
Today, he dismissed his secretary. So poor Gogu has sought me out to explain what happened.
“Someday he will do me in. He has threatened this often enough!” He was trembling so hard, he could hardly speak. It is no wonder Alcaeus calls him a “stick of driftwood.” He has an abandoned air that begs to be found and picked up.
“The least word, the least word upsets him. And you know how Alcaeus can rant!”
“Yes, well...”
“He says our great fight at Sigeum was lost through sheer carelessness. Of course, he blames the other officers...”
But then, Gogu has never held anyone’s interest or respect for long. Who but Alcaeus would have hired an epileptic, in the first place? Almost everyone has rescued Gogu, at one time or another, from the surf, the wine shop, the brothel or the forum. How does this knobby skeleton manage to survive and endure?
“You will speak to Alcaeus? You promise?”
I promised. The dread of having Gogu permanently abandoned is worse than imploring Alcaeus to take him back. Besides, his scholarship is often surprising, and Alcaeus can use his help.