In almost all aspects of her dreary little life, Fantine was plain. Her face, although not homely, was far from pretty. Her figure was stick-thin, and her eyes were a dull, lifeless brown. Even her clothes were unbecoming. She wore plain, hand-made dresses full of patches and tears.
Her one redeeming quality, the one trait of hers that stood out as beautiful, was her hair. Her luscious curls fell down to her waist in perfect waves. Her hair was the color of a warm sunset, and whenever it caught the light, it shimmered like gold. Fantine owned a small wooden hairbrush with which she loved to comb her gorgeous locks as she sat in front of the mirror in the morning. It was on a morning such as this, when Fantine was gazing into her mirror, running her brush through her curls, that our story begins.
Favourite, Fantine's closest friend, pushed open the door to Fantine's shabby, one-room apartment. Favourite was extremely beautiful, much more so than Fantine. She had deep blue eyes the color of sapphires that twinkled when she smiled, ruby red lips, rosy cheeks, and a slender, feminine figure. Although Fantine never said so out loud, she was very envious of her friend. She longed to possess Favourite's excessive beauty, to be showered with attention from men the way Favourite was. Favourite had a plethera of lovers who gave her money and gifts. Also, she had lived in England years ago, where she had learned to read and write, skills which Fantine had always wished to possess. Favourite had everything Fantine wanted and more.
"You could knock," Fantine told her friend reproachfully, still arranging her hair.
"Or I could just stroll in," Favourite replied, sitting comfortably on Fantine's bed and making herself at home. "If you don't want me to barge in, you ought to start locking your door."
Fantine rolled her eyes and finished doing her hair. "So how are things between you and Blanchevelle?" she inquired, turning around to give her full attention to Favourite. Although Fantine had never been in love before, she was a hopeless romantic, and loved hearing about Favourite's relationships with men. Favourite wrinkled her nose.
"Oh, him? He's so very dreary," Favourite said with a dramatic sigh. "I can't wait to be done with him."
"Why are you still with him if you don't love him?" Fantine asked with a frown. Favourite laughed.
"It's not about love, Fantine," she said. "Men are selfish, greedy pigs, every single one of them. They never truly love you. I'm only with Blanchevelle because he buys me nice presents."
Favourite had said such things to Fantine many times before, but Fantine made it a point not to listen. She firmly believed with all her heart that one day in the future, she would meet her true love, and life would be like a dream. She woke up every morning wondering if today would be the day the love of her life would come steal her heart away.
Little did she know that today was the day she had been waiting for all along.
"Anyways," Favourite said, shaking Fantine out of her fantasies. "Blanchevelle and I are meeting up for lunch today at my house. Blanchevelle is bringing a friend to lunch, and he asked me if I could bring someone along to keep his friend company."
"So?" Fantine asked excitedly.
"So, I told him that I know a beautiful young mademoiselle who would love to eat lunch with this dashing young gentleman."
Fantine gasped happily. "You mean... I'm going on a lunch date today?" she asked, squealing with delight.
"Double date," Favourite corrected her.
Fantine couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Oh, thank you, Favourite!" she said delightedly. "I'm so excited! I'm going to go on my first date!"
"Don't get your hopes up," Favourite warned her. "Remember, men are pigs."
But Fantine ignored her. She was already back in front of the mirror, brushing her hair once again and humming joyfully in anticipation of her first date.
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Felix Tholomyes checked his pocketwatch. It was a beautiful little trinket, made of the finest gold. It had belonged to Felix's grandfather before him, and his grandfather's grandfather before him. Felix treasured that pocketwatch more than any other possession. He tucked it safely in the pocket of his fine black suit and looked up at his friend, Blanchevelle.
"It's half past eleven." he announced. "When are we going to eat lunch?"
Blanchevelle grinned. He was a very tall, very skinny man with crooked teeth and oily black hair. Felix did not enjoy spending time with Blanchevelle, but he tolerated his company because their families were very close friends. Felix was staying at Blanchevelle's house while he was in Paris for business.
"All in good time, my friend," Blanchevelle replied. "We will be meeting Favourite at her house for lunch in an hour."
Felix wrinkled his nose. "No," he said flatly. "I refuse to be alone with you and your mistress."
Blanchevelle laughed. "Don't worry, you won't be alone."
"And what do you mean by that?" Felix asked suspiciously.
"Favourite is inviting along one of her little friends to keep you company."
Felix almost gagged. "No," he said again, more forcefully. 'I do not waste my time with women."
"Lighten up, Tholomyes," Blanchevelle said. "All you ever do is work. Learn to love!"
"Since when do you believe in love?" Felix replied, raising an eyebrow. His friend had never been a romantic type.
"I don't believe in that kind of love," said Blanchevelle. "But I do believe that there's no harm in having a little fun with women. Have you ever even been on a date?" Felix did not answer. "I take your silence as a 'no,'" Blanchevelle said, shaking his head as his friend. "Come on, it's your first date. It will be fun!"
"Well, I'm not going," Felix said stubbornly. "I am a business man. I will not be distracted by a mistress."
"It's just lunch!" Blanchevelle protested. "And anyways, this girl is already planning to come for your sake. If you refuse to accompany her, she will be all alone. That's not what a gentleman should do, is it? Don't worry, after today, you will never have to set eyes on this girl again, I promise."
Felix sighed. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But only for a short lunch. After that I must get back to work."
"Good," Blanchevelle said, clapping his hands together. "I can't wait to see how this lunch date goes."
Felix sighed again. This was going to be a very long day.
YOU ARE READING
There Was a Time
Fanfiction"He took my childhood in his stride, but he was gone when autumn came," she said. But who is "he"? And why did he leave? There was a time when Fantine was just a plain, ordinary girl who dreamed of romance and love. There was a time when Felix Tholo...
