"Papa! Papa!" Cosette called as she rushed into her Papa's room. The room was sparse that composed of a minimal bed that was neatly made and a simple chest tucked away in one of the corners. A pair of silver candle holders rested on the chest caught Cosette's attention.
"Cosette, my child," her papa answered releasing her from the mesmerizing candle holders.
"Papa, I had never seen the candle holders before," she answered as she turned around to face him.
"My child," he answered with a soft chuckle, "that would be a story for another time."
"When Papa?" the inquisitive child asked. "All I had known was from when I was a young child lost in the wood."
"The truth is given by God in our time," he answered gently taking her hand and leading her out onto the street for their daily walk together.
Cosette watched bright-eyed at her papa's generosity towards the poor that lined the streets as they made their way through the city. Questions of why he possessed such a spirit rushed through her head.
Her papa watched with bewilderment as he watched as Cosette grew from the little girl whom he had rescued from the woods to a young woman.
Jean Valjean haunched over his seat reflecting on this specific memory. Regret pounded in his head that he never was able to answer her question as his hand shook scratching the quill against the paper. This would be the only way that she would receive her answer.
He signed the end of the letter feeling the threshold of death coming upon him. The old door moaned open as Cosette ran into the room before falling at his knees. Jean Valjean looked up to see Marius standing in the doorway. There was a silent comment between the two of them before Marius left the room leaving him alone with Cosette. Jean gave a silent prayer of thanks to God that he had been given this opportunity before he would see Him face to face.
"Cosette," Jean Valjean spoke to her, "thank God I lived to see this day."
"Papa," she sniffled, "don't go so soon."
"Remember when you were but a little girl when you first asked me of my past?" he asked her trying to bring up the memory of her discovery in his room.
"Papa," she exclaimed wanting to know what he was trying to get at.
"I have been wanting to tell you this for many years now," he answered tenderly taking her hand in his.
"What was the role that God played in this tale?" she asked looking in his old eyes.
"Why do you ask?" he asked seeming almost bewildered that she would ask him this.
"Papa, I am sorry that I assumed that," she answered. "I assumed because, in Mass, the Bishop always spoke of being the image of our Savior. I always thought of you."
"My story started out much darker to where I don't deserve such praise from you. I spent many years in prison after trying to save my sister's child by stealing a loaf of bread. I was released on probation. Every place I looked, I was scorned, rejected, taken advantage of.
"One night I was taken in by the local Bishop in his house. During the night, I stole his silver."
"Is that how you came about them?" she asked in shock eyeing the pair that was resting on top of the drawer.
"Yes, my child," he answered. "However, it was as you thought. I was caught by the officers in that town. I was brought back to the Bishop. At his command, I could have been sent back to prison for the rest of my life. Instead, he gave me my freedom and gave these candle holders to me. This simple display of grace of his God gave me up, and I pledged myself to him.
"The years passed and I changed my name. I became the owner of a factory, then a mayor. There I met your mother. Such disasters had plagued her to the point she lost all honor she had for your sake. I had her taken to a hospital where she would die after I promised to care for you.
"Between then, a man was found to be named Jean Valjean. Cosette, that was my name before I was given my redemption. I had two choices. I could allow him to go in my stead to prison, or I could come out and save his own life. I chose the later of the two risking everything for the sake of another. This is what Jesus did. He died on the cross to pay for my sins. How could I let this man go to prison for my crimes when my Savior had already gone to the cross for my sins. After your mother died, I ran to hide as I tried to find you."
"Papa," Cosette breathed finding herself at a lost for words. "I don't know what to say. The sisters at the convent made it sound so matter of fact. What courage you must have had!"
"It does not take courage to merely receive. I received grace. And the grace I poured out was so small...so insignificant to what Christ had done, that even that took little courage. I do not ask for accolades. I ask only for forgiveness. Sweet Cosette, forgive me as our God on high had forgiven me," he answered tightly taking her hands.
"Why all of these years of hiding?" she asked. "Surely the police would have given up the search for you?"
"Except one," Jean Valjean corrected her, "Inspector Javert."
"He's dead," Cosette corrected him. "It was in the paper a few days ago. The obituary said that he had killed himself the night after the barricade."
"Such a strange turn of events," was all he replied. "I had saved his life from the young men at the barricade. The next I saw him was when I was carrying your young Marius with me through the sewers. He let me go."
"How is it strange?" Cosette asked trying to fight back the tears as she saw her papa wither away.
"I never forgot the grace that was shown to me all those years ago by the Bishop and the way it had impacted my own life," he continued. "You could say I gave that to Inspector Javert, and he killed himself."
"Please don't go," Cosette cried as Jean Valjean struggled to keep breathing.
There was no use in it, for after that moment he whispered a goodbye and closed his eyes. His chest did not rise again. Cosette flung herself onto his lap weeping for the man whom she had called papa. The door creaked open as Marius ran into the room to comfort his young bride.
The days passed, and Cosette kept to herself in the bedroom as the preparations for the funeral were taken care of. Cosette's fingers rubbed against the letter that Jean Valjean had meant to give to her should he die before she had arrived.
"Cosette," Marius addressed her as he entered the room, "your papa's funeral will be tomorrow."
"Why did he have to keep such a secret?" she asked. "All of these years I pondered what secrets he harbored. I couldn't fathom it would be something-"
"It will be alright, darling," Marius comforted her.
"Marius, what life could he have known after he was released from prison?" she asked.
"That is something that neither of us would know until that day when we will see him again in heaven," Marius answered.
Marius was then called away for some business leaving Cosette on her own. She went to the chapel and prayed to God for her papa. She thanked him for the atonement that her papa received from him.