THE GREAT APPRENTICE

CHAPTER TWO : GETTING SETTLED

Julius let out a sigh of relief and bowed to Dominus before taking his leave. Charlotte watched him close the door before turning to Petrus. He'd been watching too.

'So, what about his family?' Dominus asked.

'It was in the paper I handed you. He's an orphan. From Saint George' Charlotte explained.

Dominus eyes twitched at the mention of Orphan. He understood now that even if he didn't need an apprentice, he should take the boy in. He wasn't just doing it because he felt grateful or indebted to Aquarius who technically made him the man he is today. Instead, he was doing it because he felt everyone is in the universe's debt one way or another.

'Did he run away?' Dominus asked.

'No' Charlotte shook her head too. 'His parents recently died in the Plague. His brothers too. Only he survived'

Dominus was quiet. A bit embarrassed that he ever considered not taking him in. He still had questions though, but Charlotte guessed that.

'He was taken to Saint George but he was always too depressed. Never talks to the other kids, never plays, hardly eats' Charlotte sigh then continued. 'Last week, he tried to take his own life'

Dominus was visibly shocked.

'So they enrolled him to your school for six weeks' Charlotte said.

'Which means I would have seen him tomorrow in class anyway?' Dominus asked.

'Yes'

Dominus was silent. Merely said 'Hmm'

'I recommended him as permanent apprentice to Saint George but they said it has to be the boy's decision to stay after the program has been completed'

Dominus turned and focused on the door as if the boy was still there. His face was soaked in empathy and a burning desire to help the poor boy.

'I'll leave him to you Dominus Petrus'

...............

It had been two days since Charlotte stopped by. The boy had gone with Charlotte and would finally be returning to stay today. Dominus had in turn made arrangements for him. He'd cleared out what was his small art studio which he never uses. He'd managed to scrape of the thick markings on the wall and somehow, the old dusty walls aren't so dusty anymore.

By the time he'd spent an hour cleaning, he realized that he really does need an apprentice. His back seemed stiff and shot series of pain each time he tried to move.

Nevertheless, he succeeded in making a room for a teenager before he retired to check on the small orchard at the backyard. He began to water it and began to reminise the old days.

The orchard was something Aquarius had back in Prague as well. Before he died, he would always water them to the point where his back hurt. Dominus would then help him finish the rest. He loved watering the orchard, it was a bonding moment for him with Aquarius. Considering that he was an artist, Aquarius spent a lot of time alone in the studio, so anytime he wasn't there alone, Dominus cherished those moments. Nevertheless, he spent time with him in the studio whenever he had the chance.

Whenever Aquarius watered the orchard or spend too much time in the studio working, he always complained of aches everywhere. Dominus had introduced a bit of yoga to him and it really would have worked if the man kept his routine up. He never could but Dominus loved him very much still.

'Master Petrus' A voice called to him as he watered the plants.

He was a bit started but Dominus regained his composure instantly. He turned to the voice. It was Julius. He'd come as expected. Dominus smiled and stopped watering. He walked towards the boy and patted his shoulder.

'Come' Dominus said.

Julius followed master Petrus all the way through the narrow corridor at the back to what seemed like the neatest section in the house. Clean because it was just cleaned. He watched the master push open the door and what came into view was the most beautiful room he had ever seen.

Dominus had used his knowledge of art to put what he would call small decorations on the wall. Naturally, Julius loved the whole building but there was no doubt that he loved this section of it the most.

'Where is your baggage?' Dominus asked the boy now.

'They're out front sire' the boy replied.

'Well, go get them'

The boy hurried to the front door and came back trailing with his bag. Dominus was still waiting. The bag was heavy so Dominus helped him.

When he was settled, Dominus looked at the boy. He remembered his intention of giving him a list of rules but he decided not to, slightly smiling at the thought.

The boy smiled back but didn't stare directly at the old man. He instead stared at his old boots and grey pants that he was sure the old man had been wearing two days ago.

'The class will start soon, help me prepare the classroom' Dominus said walking out of the room whilst the boy trailed behind.

..........

Barely an hour after, the school was no longer empty. At least a dozen people had been in and more were still coming in. The class was about to begin and Dominus was already seated in front. The classroom was floored with wooden boards and seemed inviting to seat already.

Everyone already had their favorite spots to sit. Everyone also seemed to already know each other. There were small side chatters that went on for minutes until Dominus began to speak. The place became silent immediately.

Julius had been asked to count the heads and when he did, there were exactly 16 people present. Three of them were about Dominus' age while the others were much younger than Dominus, but yet, much older than Julius.

Dominus had instructed him to serve tea to every person there so he had been executing his task. He'd never made tea before but Dominus had done that earlier that morning. He only had to warm it up. He did and brought the flask to the class, he didn't want to miss a word of it.

He served the tea round and found a spot to seat behind Dominus. The old man didn't seem to like it so he gestured him to sit where he can see him. He obeyed.

Once in view, Master Petrus addressed his audience and introduced Julius as his apprentice.

'Now, where were we?' Master Petrus asked his audience.

'...Power' A voice answered.

Julius traced the thin voice and realized it had come from a little girl. Well, not little. Perhaps about two years younger than he is. That would make her thirteen.

'Yes, power' Dominus reaffirmed. 'Why do you think people want power?'

The audience was quiet.

'Pardon the question. Cause it's not a subjective desire. Rather, why do you want power?'

'But Master Petrus, does that mean that everyone wants power?' The question was from the girl from earlier.

'Yes Juliana, everyone wants power. But some powers come with attention. Some people don't want attention but that doesn't change the fact that they want power'

'So what kind of power gets attention?' A man asked.

'The leadership kind. Say, a governor. He has power, but he has the kind of power that we all see'

'What about the other kind of power?' an old woman asked.

'Think of it this way. Every human being wants to make choices. What to eat, what to drink, what to wear, choices. If we had the chance, we would decide when to live and when to die. Point is, the fact that we want to make those choices means to a level, we desire power. If not all kinds of power, at least the power to own one's self' Dominus explained.

The audience was quiet but Dominus knew they didn't understand.

'Put it this way. Let's say I want a hat. But for some reason, the country has banned hats from being made. But I want it, even though I can't get it. Does that make me powerless, while the country's powerful?'

'Yes' the audience chorused.

'Wrong' Dominus replied. 'The country's not powerful because they banned something you wanted. You're powerful for wanting something. Your mind, your desire, your want. It's all you. You're the powerful one. If you didn't have that desire, what hold could they possibly have over you?'

The class was silent, but they understood.

'You cannot kill a man who's already dead, the same way you cannot make a man unhappy if his happiness is not founded on things that can be taken'

'But what if we can't change what makes us happy?' Juliana asked, she'd been taking notes. Some others too.

'Then, you're not powerful. And you're not the owner of yourself. You see, both the body and the mind are powerful tools that define our happiness. But both the body and the mind also belongs to us. If you learn to control both, you can never be unhappy' Dominus lectured.

Julius wanted to ask if Master Petrus was happy, but he didn't. Instead he asked something else.

'Is that why Yoga is important?'

'Yes my boy' the old man said and patted his shoulder.

'How long will it take before we can control our mind?' A boy asked, similar age as Julius but twice as big.

'How long does it take to learn Italian?' Dominus asked him.

'Uh... I dunno, 3 years?'

'My cousin Japhet learnt it in 4 months' Juliana butted in.

'I learned English in less' an elderly man chirped in.

Dominus smiled all through. He'd gotten his point across. There was simply no time frame for it. It might as well be a couple days if one is devoted. The same applies to the mindfulness that comes with Yoga and meditation.

He gestured Julius to come closer and whispered to him to bring some books in his study. He described them as red covered.

Julius hurried off and navigated the interior. He didn't ask where the study was so he might have taken a few wrong turns. One of the turns led him to a*****e that had a lot of artworks in it. Both small and big pieces of sculptures. Some unfinished. He walked in and rubbed his hand on some dusty pieces. He loved every single one of them. But one especially caught his attention. It was a tiny turtle model. It looked awfully similar to a real turtle that had once been owned by his little brother. He was eight years old, in fact, it had been his birthday the day the Plague began in the newspapers. For a month, it had been merely news until it got almost everywhere. Being the outskirts that they lived everything was inadequate, facilities, media, everything. It took a while before they got help from the government. Maybe in time for some but too long for his brother, his family.

He began to sob slowly. His face a masquerade of what it once was. He held on to the turtle, almost crushing it in his palm. It was made of ceramic so it didn't budge. He closed his eyes and tried to force back the tears.

Master Petrus said they could create their own happiness, but he found it hard to believe.

..........

Once the class was over, Julius clean began to clean up the classroom. The cleaning had never been done by Dominus himself, at least not while his students were around. Julius soon found that Juliana and her friend helped Master Petrus clean after every class.

Dominus was engrossed in a conversation with two of the elders present. They were probably discussing some parts the children were not cut out to hear. Julius felt matured in himself. He wanted to hear everything. In fact, that was one of the problems he faced at the orphanage. They all acted like children and they were, it shouldn't be weird. But to him, he found it more fun to read the newspaper or talk with one of the sisters rather than play hide and seek.

He shuddered when he noticed that Juliana and her friend had been watching him while she cleaned. They were chatting about something and giggling. Julius flushed and packed the dirt he scooped from the floor. He poured it in the dustbin then began arranging the items on the shelves.

'Hi' It was Juliana.

Julius looked at her and wished the teacup he was holding hadn't slipped from his hand. It broke into pieces immediately and earned a glance from Master Petrus. He said nothing, simply continued laughing with the gentlemen.

'I'm so sorry' Juliana said and knelt down to pack the shards.

Julius did the same, trying to stare at her or the fact that her dress had skimmed up a bit as she knelt to reveal her bare kneecaps. Once packed, Julius stretched out his hand to collect from her but she simply giggled and walked to the dustbin herself. Julius followed.

Once achieved, Juliana walked and gestured at the piece of furniture she needed his help to move initially. Julius helped her move to table and she quickly cleaned the parts she wanted. They shifted it back in place and their work was done.

Juliana's friend had been watching them both the whole time. She'd been smiling sheepishly to Juliana's irritation. When she went back, she slapped her shoulder and they ran off playfully.

Julius felt at ease immediately. He wasn't a shy person. Well, at least, he didn't think he was. He just didn't feel that okay around people. Especially when they're really pretty. Funny how he knew she was pretty when he hadn't really looked at her that well yet.

Maybe she would come again.