A Promise

Chapter Eight

        I walked away from Montparnasse with an oddly elated feeling in my heart. In his anger and exasperation with me, he had completely forgotten his plan to rob that old woman. I had just saved an innocent old lady from being mugged, and it felt so... good. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I felt so whole, so complete.  It was a strange and new thing to be good, but for the first time, I felt happy. Of course, I knew that my new-found sense of righteousness meant that I would not be welcome to live in my father's house and my engagement with Montparnasse would be broken off, but I did not care. I was free, and I could live on the streets. Maybe I could get a job. The prospect of earning money in an honest way was exciting. I was scared of being alone, but I knew I could manage. I wandered about, searching for a place with a job opening. Hours crept by. The sky grew dark and I still hadn't found a job. That night, I slept on the streets, shivering and hungry, but still happy that I had turned my life around for the better.

        The next morning, I decided to go visit Enjolras. I needed to thank him for showing me that I could live a righteous life. At least, that was part of the reason I wanted to see him. The other part of me just... wanted to see him. I wanted to look into his wonderful grey eyes, see his golden hair, hear his strong voice... Why was I feeling this way about him? I refused to believe that I was in love with him, but my heart seemed to do backflips at the mere thought of him. I dismissed these feelings and made my way to Enjolras' house. I knocked on the door and he answered.

        "Oh, hey, Ep," he said, greeting me with a smile that displayed his adorable dimples. Whoa, Eponine, I told myself sternly. Not adorable. He is most definitely not adorable. I smiled at him. "Hello, Enj. May I come in?"

        "Sure," Enjolras replied, stepping aside to let me in. I walked through the door, and  my jaw dropped.

        "Oh my goodness! What happened here?" I said in shock. The house was almost completely bare, with only a few plain pieces of furniture to fill the room. The walls were empty of pictures, and the grandiose furnishings were all gone.

        "I took something you said to heart," Enjolras said, sitting down on the plain couch and inviting me to do the same. "You told me that the way to reach the hearts of the poor is to show compassion to them, not just give powerful speeches. So I decided to sell everything I own, except of course for the bare necessities, and give the money to the poor." He paused and gave me a beaming smile. "It feels so good to give to the poor! Thank you so much for showing me this amazing lifestyle!"

        I gave him a warm smile. "And thank you for showing me that I can live without being dishonest or stealing. Yesterday I stopped 'Parnasse from robbing an innocent old woman, and it felt wonderful! I can't thank you enough for changing my heart." After years of being tough and unapproachable, it felt strange to be so openly grateful to Enjolras, but I had to thank him. "So," I said, trying to keep the conversation going. "You're going to pretend to be poor, like Marius used to? Except of course, after Marius fell in love with Cosette, he quit the act and started flaunting his riches once again. That's what love does to a person. It makes you soft and weak-willed."

        "No, love is a beautiful thing!" Enjolras protested. "It makes you strong. It gives you support when you need it."

        "And what do you know about love, Marble Man?" I asked with a sarcastic laugh.

        "Maybe not as much as I'd like," Enjolras replied. "But I know enough to tell you that love is not what you think it is."

        I looked at him curiously. "Maybe," I said. "But my experience with love says otherwise. I used to fancy myself in love with Marius Pontmercy. I worked so hard to get his attention. I gave up everything for him. I even helped him find Cosette, just to make him happy. He meant the world to me, but he never saw me as anything but a friend. Once, the Patron Minette was robbing Cosette's house, and I screamed to stop them. I couldn't let them do such a terrible thing to someone Marius loved. Even then, Marius didn't see me there. My father threw me out of the house for defying him and I was left to fend for myself on the streets in the middle of winter. I was young then, and I could barely survive, so I had to crawl back to my father and beg for his forgiveness just so that I could have a roof over my head. It was at that moment when I realized that love is not for girls like me. Love is just a fantasy for people who can afford to dream."

        I fell silent, lost in my own thoughts. I suddenly noticed that Enjolras was gazing at me with a strange look in his eyes. I felt my cheeks warm, and I self-consciously turned away from him.

        "So," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Enough about me. What about you? What is the story of your life?"

        "Me?" Enjolras said. "Honestly, I'm not very interesting. I come from a rich bourgeoisie family, as you probably have guessed, but my father and I do not get along well. Our political views are very different. One day, we were fighting over dinner, and I made him so angry that he threw me out. My mother still secretly sends me money, which is how I was able to afford this house and all my nice things, but other than that, I am completely cut off from my family. As you know, I am planning to lead a revolution to help the lower-class escape the chains of poverty. I consider it my vocation to help the poor."

        I nodded, surprised at how easy it was to talk to Enjolras. Sharing our thoughts and feelings with each other seemed so natural. Then, I remembered I still didn't have a job or a place to stay. "Hey, Enj?" I asked. "Do you know of any places that are hiring workers at the moment?"

        Enjolras frowned. "No, why?"

        "I need a job," I explained. "If I refuse to help the Patron Minette steal, then my father will not let me stay under his roof. I need to earn enough money to get a place to stay."

        Enjolras furrowed his brow. "Aren't you wanted by the police? That's going to make it hard for you to get a job, isn't it?"

        My heart seemed to deflate as Enjolras reminded me that, although I had turned my life around, to the police I was still a wanted criminal. "You're right," I said sadly. I didn't know what to do. The happiness I had been feeling all day disappeared as quickly as it had come. I was doomed to die in the streets. Montparnasse had been right. I didn't have the luxury to choose what was right versus what was wrong. Suddenly, I felt Enjolras' warm, callused hand cover mine.

        "You don't think I'm going to let you starve on the streets, do you?" he said, giving me a friendly smile. "You can live here with me."