Chapter 6: Family Life

The nipple from her enlarged breast disappeared in his
toothless mouth. She cradled him firmly, rocking her body ever
so gently. Her snuk, was brighter fcaa ConstaaAiw had ww s%«»
it. He made his presence known. Her smile, the baby's suckling,
the gentle rocking, were not interrupted in the least. The
difference came from the sparkle in her eyes, which liquefied
into tears running down her face. He wiped them softly away
before they dripped onto the baby. He kissed his wife upon the
forehead, sat alongside her, and touched his son for the first time.
Constantine was home.

"I missed you dearly," he said, as if revived from a dream.
He looked at the breast that his son was feeding on as he spoke to
his wife. "They are bigger, no?" Her body jerked with laughter.
The baby turned away, exposing the red nipple to the open air.
Constantine placed it in his mouth, sharing a bit of the liquid
with his son. Minervina covered her breast as Constantine
cradled his son.

"My Constantius is going to be a warrior like his father?
Drink your mother's milk, my son, to grow up big and strong so

you can be by my side in battle." Grasping him by the ribs under
the armpits, Constantine lifted his son over his head and then
back to his lap. The baby was quiet, and seemed to display a
toothless smile.

At his side, Minervina was no longer smiling. She shook
her head, in waiting.

He suddenly stopped the movement. "Give father a kiss."
As he brought his son close to him, vomit shot from the baby's
mouth. Half of Constantine's face was wet. His son's mouth and
chin dripped. Minervina took her son and wiped his face with
Constantine's cloak. Constantine did the same with his own
mouth. Minervina held her baby and left Constantine to be alone,
adding a comment prior to her exit.

"Your son's name is Crispus," she said, with her Gallic
accent emerging in her agitation.

Those were the first words he had heard his wife say since
his arrival, and he did not welcome them. "What nonsense is this
you speak of? He is to take my father's name." He followed her
outside. "It is tradition," he said, chasing her out to the courtyard.

"I gave birth to our son, alone. You were not there to
request any name and since then, Crispus is the only name he
knows," she said with resentment. "I am his mother and I know
what is best for him. He is a part of me. He is my life."

It was evident that she would fight the issue through to the
end, and to oppose her would only worsen the situation. He
swallowed his pride while hiding his anger as she continued to
insist. He proposed a compromise, which resolved the matter.

Minervina simply addressed her son with the name she
had given at birth, while Constantine persisted in making him his
father's namesake. Constantine felt that over time his wife would
understand and agree to call the child by Constantius, who was
now a great Caesar. Minervina, however, felt the same, thinking
that Constantine would eventually see it her way and would call
the child Crispus. A few weeks was not long enough for either
parent to change position. The baby was both Crispus and
Constantius.

Constantine spent every possible moment with his new
family during his time of leave. The family had picnics in the
remote suburbs of the militarized city, among the blossoming
fields of late spring. Minervina alone would care for her child.
She wished to spend time alone with her husband, yet she could
not trust any maidservants to nurse the baby. At night, the same
held true: Mother slept with son and father slept with mother.
The three were inseparable, and Constantine had grown deeply
attached to his son before his leave expired.

Th spring was at an end and summer approached, with
heat waves that provided an admonition for the weather to come.
Each passing day was precious to Constantine, for it meant a day
closer to his returning to imperial services. He had been accused
of a childish marriage based on uncontrollable sexual passions.
His days at Sirmium in the spring proved the contrary. They
were deeply in love and compatible. His child was far from a
bastard, as Constantine cared for it proudly and with honor, even
when aristocrats and generals cast down their eyes when they
saw him and his family at court. He was a devoted husband and
father, with the expectation of remaining with his wife until
death.

Summer came swiftly. It was time to bid Minervina
farewell. She held her quiet baby with one arm and hugged her
departing husband with the other. With a strained smile, she
pecked Constantine on the cheek. He returned her kiss and gave
one to his son. It was casual, as though he was going for a
temporary outing that would last a few days. In actuality, neither
husband nor wife knew when they would see each other again.
To Constantine, wherever his wife was, his home was. It was a
secondary thought that they both chose to ignore and instead
look forward to the future.

He mounted his chestnut horse, took one last glance at the
family he was leaving behind, and was off. Constantine knew
that her love for him was true, which made leaving a more
difficult task. He understood what his father had gone through
with his mother. He was walking in the footsteps of Constantius.

Minervina burst into tears. She loved him more than life
itself. He was her world, and her responsibility was to his son,
who she did call Constantius once he had left.