A Promise

Chapter Thirty-Seven

After Vauquelin left my cell, I fell into an uneasy sleep, even though it was the middle of the day. The minute sleep overcame me, I began to dream. In the dream, I was standing in a long, dark hallway. Down the hallway, I could see a bright light. Entranced, I began to move slowly towards the light. Suddenly, the light began to transform into the shape of a man. Not just any man, but Enjolras. He called out to me, beckoning me forward. I tried to move my feet, but for some reason they were glued to the floor. I held my arm out to him, but he was just out of my reach. He was so close, and yet so far. I tried to explain to him that I couldn't reach him, but he continued to beckon me towards him.

"Ep, I need you," he said, his voice sounding distant and far away. "Come here."

"I'm trying, Enj," I called out to him. "I can't move."

"Ep, where are you?" he asked, staring around as if he couldn't see me. "I need you!"

"Enjolras, I'm trying to come to you," I said. "Don't give up on me yet."

"It's been so long," said Enjolras.

"I know, Enj. Believe me, I know. I will reach you, I promise."

Suddenly, my entire body lurched forward and I began to fall down, down, down into darkness...

I awoke with a start. I looked up and notice that someone else was in the cell with me. It was Vauquelin, holding my next meal.

"You were saying his name in your sleep," he said, looking at me with sad eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, although I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Enjolras," Vauquelin replied, setting my food down on the floor. "You were crying out for him."

I looked down. "Well if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't need to cry out for him," I said bitterly.

"I know," he replied. He hesitated for a moment, then continued talking. "I've always believed you to be the selfish thief everyone's always said you were. Now, I've been thinking a lot about you, and I can't help but wonder if there's more to you than what people say. What you did for Enjolras- trading your freedom for his- well, that was the most selfless thing I've ever seen anyone do."

"I used to be a selfish thief," I admitted. "But Enjolras taught me what it means to be good. Enjolras showed me a better way. The least I can do to repay him is keep him out of prison."

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle," Vauquelin said. "I know I have no right to ask your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for judging you without getting to know you. I truly apologize for arresting you and throwing you in jail without even letting you have a trial."

I fell silent, unsure of how to respond. Vauquelin had destroyed my life. He had taken away everything I loved and doomed me to a life in prison. I had hated him for all these years and had never thought it possible to forgive him, and yet I still remembered the way Enjolras had forgiven me for robbing him. I had not deserved his good graces, and yet he had treated me with love and compassion. I took a breath and glanced at Vauquelin, knowing it was time to do for someone else what Enjolras had done for me. "Monsieur Vauquelin, I... I forgive you," I said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

He looked at me in disbelief. "Why?" he asked incredulously.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance," I replied. "Enjolras gave me mine, and now I'm giving you yours. I understand that you've been feeling very guilty about your past, and trust me, I know what guilt feels like. We all make mistakes, Monsieur, but we can learn from them and turn our lives around. You are a good person, Monsieur Vauquelin, and you have the potential to make a difference in this world. I- I promise."

Vauquelin stared at me for a long time. Finally, he reached out and took my hand in his. "Thank you, Mademoiselle Thenardier. You have no idea how much that promise means to me."

"Trust me, I know," I replied, giving his hand a light squeeze. "And please call me Eponine. I am no longer a Thenardier."

"Eponine," he repeated. "Thank you."

"Monsieur?" I asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Vauquelin replied.

"Do you know whatever happened to Enjolras? Is he alive and well?"

"I must confess, I know very little about him," he said. "The last time I heard about him, he was starting a charity to help the poor rise out of destitution."

I nodded and smiled, glad to hear that although the revolution wasn't a success, Enjolras still hadn't given up his quest to help the poor. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I thought of Enjolras. "I swore I'd return to him," I said, more to myself than to Vauquelin. "What if I never see him again?"

Vauquelin put his hand on my shoulder. It was a small gesture, but there was something fatherly about it. I had never had a good relationship with my own father, so when Vauquelin touched my shoulder, it was an unfamiliar yet welcome gesture. "If you promised you'd return, than I'm sure you'll find a way to fulfill that promise."

"I hope so," I said wistfully.

"I know so," Vauquelin replied. With that, he left my cell. As he left, I noticed the bowl of food he had left behind. I smiled slightly. It was my first meal in ten years that I hadn't had to beg Monsieur Girard for.