Grantaire and Eponine are hanging out and have just put Odette down for a nap.
They're both looking at her, watching her sleep, so peaceful. Breathing silently, in and out.
Eponine breaks the silence, says "She's beautiful."
Grantaire, in turn, says "She looks alot like you. The others think so too. Same nose. Same dark chocolatey eyes."
"You look like that, too."
"She looks like both of us," Grantaire says, almost like a realization.
"I know," replies Eponine, "Bahorel was joking around asking if I was sure she wasn't mine."
"He said that? That's actually pretty funny."
"I took it as a compliment, to be honest. I mean really, Taire, look at her. She's absolutely beautiful."
Grantaire smiles, looks down at Odette.
"Yeah. I made a thing. I made a really good thing."
Eponine starts laughing softly. He sounds like Courfeyrac's blog.
Then she gets this look on her face, like she's trying to remember something she never knew.
"Hey, Taire?"
He doesn't look up, only makes a soft noise in response. "Mm?"
"You never talk about Odette's mother. None of us have ever heard you mention her. Not even E."
He looks up from his little girl, into Eponine's face.
"She's just not something I ever thought was necessary to talk about, I guess. I'm surprised she hasn't just assumed that you're her mother yet."
His face gets a sort of look. Everyone's seen it before, but no one knows what it is. Taire's got one of those faces that no one can read.
It's almost like a poker face. His whole world could be falling apart and no one would be able to tell. It's like he practices. "What was her name?" Eponine tries.
Odette turns over, clutching her stuffed gorilla Jehan gave her for Christmas. She'd name it Louis.
"Catherine. We met at work. And we kind of just fell in love. One night, about 6 months into the relationship, we decided to try to have a kid.
The next morning when I woke up, she was gone. I didn't hear from her for months. Then one day, about three months later, she called,
just out of the blue, and said she was pregnant. After three months of nothing. But I couldn't just leave her alone to take care of the kid herself, you know? So I started coming over more, helping her out. Another five months went by, and I became a father. It scared the hell out of me. When we brought her home, she told me she couldn't be with me anymore. That she didn't have time to raise a kid. And I didn't know what to say. And just like that, I became a single father."
For a few seconds, Eponine is just sitting there in stunned silence. She almost has tears in her eyes.
"Taire, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I got a great deal out of it, you know?" he says, smirking.
"It's really not. I mean - she just...she just left. She left you to take care of a kid, to just stop your life and raise a child all by yourself."
"Ep, I'm not by myself."
"What do you mean?"
He looks back up at her from Odette's sleeping form.
"I have all of you. I've never been alone."
They're both looking at her, watching her sleep, so peaceful. Breathing silently, in and out.
Eponine breaks the silence, says "She's beautiful."
Grantaire, in turn, says "She looks alot like you. The others think so too. Same nose. Same dark chocolatey eyes."
"You look like that, too."
"She looks like both of us," Grantaire says, almost like a realization.
"I know," replies Eponine, "Bahorel was joking around asking if I was sure she wasn't mine."
"He said that? That's actually pretty funny."
"I took it as a compliment, to be honest. I mean really, Taire, look at her. She's absolutely beautiful."
Grantaire smiles, looks down at Odette.
"Yeah. I made a thing. I made a really good thing."
Eponine starts laughing softly. He sounds like Courfeyrac's blog.
Then she gets this look on her face, like she's trying to remember something she never knew.
"Hey, Taire?"
He doesn't look up, only makes a soft noise in response. "Mm?"
"You never talk about Odette's mother. None of us have ever heard you mention her. Not even E."
He looks up from his little girl, into Eponine's face.
"She's just not something I ever thought was necessary to talk about, I guess. I'm surprised she hasn't just assumed that you're her mother yet."
His face gets a sort of look. Everyone's seen it before, but no one knows what it is. Taire's got one of those faces that no one can read.
It's almost like a poker face. His whole world could be falling apart and no one would be able to tell. It's like he practices. "What was her name?" Eponine tries.
Odette turns over, clutching her stuffed gorilla Jehan gave her for Christmas. She'd name it Louis.
"Catherine. We met at work. And we kind of just fell in love. One night, about 6 months into the relationship, we decided to try to have a kid.
The next morning when I woke up, she was gone. I didn't hear from her for months. Then one day, about three months later, she called,
just out of the blue, and said she was pregnant. After three months of nothing. But I couldn't just leave her alone to take care of the kid herself, you know? So I started coming over more, helping her out. Another five months went by, and I became a father. It scared the hell out of me. When we brought her home, she told me she couldn't be with me anymore. That she didn't have time to raise a kid. And I didn't know what to say. And just like that, I became a single father."
For a few seconds, Eponine is just sitting there in stunned silence. She almost has tears in her eyes.
"Taire, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I got a great deal out of it, you know?" he says, smirking.
"It's really not. I mean - she just...she just left. She left you to take care of a kid, to just stop your life and raise a child all by yourself."
"Ep, I'm not by myself."
"What do you mean?"
He looks back up at her from Odette's sleeping form.
"I have all of you. I've never been alone."