Chapter Nine

SO IT IS WRITTEN

The meeting of the Friend of the ABC went without arguing that night. But everyone noticed the lost stare in Enjolras's eyes; the leader spoke once in a while, with his usual determination, but when others were speaking he seemed like he was not present, his body was there but his mind seemed to wonder. Combeferre directed the meeting. Everyone noticed this absence of Enjolras, but no one had the courage to talk to him about it, except, of course, his loyal friend Combeferre, who went towards him when the meeting ended and the other students joined for a drink.

"You seem tired…" Combeferre said to Enjolras "Did you get any rest last night?"

"What?"

Enjolras woke up from his frozen stare and looked at Combeferre with seriousness.

"I asked you if you got any rest last night."

"Why are you asking me that?" Enjolras grew suspicious that Combeferre might know something.

"Don't need to be so defensive, Enjolras." Combeferre said "You seem tired… You spend last night structuring strategies and plans for the revolution, didn't you? I've already begged you to use your nights to rest, otherwise, when the time for us to fight arrives, you will be without strength."

Enjolras felt the rigidness on his body disappearing.

"I spend the night reading Rousseau*." he lied.

"Again?" Combeferre laughed.

"There is no such thing as reading too much Rousseau!"

"So I see." Combeferre said "And you never grow tired of it…"

Combeferre gave him a little pat on his back and went to join the other students for a drink.

"Well, well…" Grantaire didn't take too long to seat next to Enjolras "My dear Apollo is tired…"

"What do you want, Grantaire?"

"How did last night go?" the brunette young man grinned. "Some wine for you and describe to me the wonders of the little angel."

Enjolras refused Grantaire's wine and looked at him with a deadly stare.

"There is nothing to describe."

"Oh… Apollo is still a virgin…" Grantaire said with false sadness.

"That's none of your business." Enjolras said.

"Hmm… Angélique is not doing her work properly! What a pity! I like the mademoiselle… She is bright and witty… And she seems to have some very fine breasts!"

"If you don't shut up immediately I will punch you in the face, I swear." Enjolras said with fury.

"Why are you so offended with me by speaking about her breasts?" Grantaire asked in provocation "Did you see them, at least? Did you grab them?"

Enjolras rose from his chair and was about to punch Grantaire, when Combeferre grabbed his elbows behind his back.

"What the hell is going on?" Combeferre said "This impulse of yours of wishing to start a fight with Grantaire is getting too often, Enjolras!"

"Lately, he's been pushing his luck!" Enjolras said with anger.

"Calm down, Enjolras!" Courfeyrac begged "You know how Grantaire is…"

"Oi! What's that suppose to mean?" Grantaire asked.

"He meant that you are an imbecile!" Enjolras said.

"No, I didn't say that." Courfeyrac said, trying to calm things down "I was saying that Grantaire is a humorous person who enjoys making jokes..."

"I didn't find any humor in what he said!" Enjolras remarked.

"You didn't let me finish." Courfeyrac continued "As I was saying: he enjoys making jokes, but, sometimes, he is misjudged because other people don't have the same sense of humor as he does. So, please, calm down and don't argue with him."

"If he putted that bottle down and started to focus on what matters I wouldn't be so furious at him all the time." Enjolras said "And he wouldn't say any of his unnecessary remarks."

"Let's be reasonable here." Combeferre asked "Enjolras you are the most down-to-earth person I've ever met, but you have to understand that not all people are alike yourself. And Grantaire certainly is not. But that's the way he is; you can't expect him to change for suit your personal tastes."

"Thank you." Courfeyrac praised Combeferre.

"Still not reason enough for make me change my mind." Enjolras said.

"Stubborn as you are it does not come as a surprise." Combeferre remarked.

"There is no middle point in here." Enjolras remembered "This is not a game and I've repeat it several times! And I hope all of you are aware of what we might lose. When the time comes, we might not survive… I shall not tolerate any distractions in the next months! Our time is close… Lamarque is ill and his health is not improving; the Cholera is rotten him. His death will determinate the rise of our barricade."

Everyone remained silent while staring at Enjolras; for he knows what he might come to lose.

"And with this… I greet you good night." he concluded "For, as Combeferre said, I'm tired. I've spend last night studying... Whatever crazy ideas cross your mind, Grantaire, they are not true. I wish you all a good night and tomorrow we'll be here again, with a more strict posture, I hope."

Enjolras looked around at every student's face and went downstairs.

"What on earth have you been telling him these last days?" Courfeyrac asked Grantaire.

"Nothing in particular." he answered "I was just animating his spirit with some jokes."

"By the way Enjolras reacted, those must have been some to die laughing jokes!" Bahorel laughed.

"I didn't see anything wrong about my jokes." Grantaire defended himself "Enjolras takes everything way too seriously."

"That's because he believes with all his heart and soul in our work here." Combeferre said "So I would advise you to cease your jokes, Grantaire. Otherwise, these troubles will continue and we don't have time to lose with personal fights. We must stand together, not creating disputes."

When Enjolras left the Café Musain, he saw Angélique waiting for him on the street and went towards her, with a serious semblance. She was smiling, but her smile ceased when she saw the severe expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Enjolras asked "These streets are not safe! You could have been robbed or God knows what else!"

"I've been waiting for you." she answered "And if I knew you would react like this I would not have bothered to come…"

Angélique nodded with her head and started walking away, but Enjolras grabbed her arm, strongly, and made her return to him.

"Here did you went this morning?"

"Excuse me!?"

"I didn't make it on time to my morning classes, so I went back to your house and you weren't there. Where did you go?"

"I had political matters to do." she answered "Let go of my arm!"

She unchained her arm from his hand's tight embrace.

"Eugénie had the idea of creating a daily newspaper** about women's rights, to advert the People about the unfairness of our situation. I went to the typography to make some arrangements, because they don't want to get it printed." she continued "Why are you speaking to me with such bitterness? Besides I do not own you justifications for my acts!"

"I apologize." he said "I was worried about you…"

"You worry too much." she said with resentment.

"You should be glad with my concern for you."

"Well, I'm not." Angélique clarified "I can take care of myself and you should know that. Besides, shouldn't you be focus on your revolution?"

"You don't forget easily, do you?" Enjolras sighed.

"No, I do not." she confirmed "Will the world remember you when you fall?"

Angélique stared into Enjolras's eyes with gravity and wanted to walk away but he grabbed her arm, gently, but she released herself, again.

"How your own death means nothing to yourself?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Hush, now…" Enjolras said, tenderly, holding her into his embrace "Why are you even thinking about my death?"

"Because I'm terrified of losing you…" she cried-out, holding on to him strongly "I'm so afraid of losing you that I want to push you away..."

Angélique kissed his neck and his chin; she reached for his lips but he turned his face away.

"Don't kiss me here, please…" Enjolras said, looking around "Someone might see…"

"Why do you put so much effort on this puritan leader character you build?" she asked. "Your fellows have all the women they want and don't bother to hide it. They even brag about it! Look at Grantaire, he doesn't…"

"Grantaire is shameless!" Enjolras interrupted her "Sometimes, he treats our meeting's place like his own brothel!"

"You don't have to be so harsh with him all the time." she advised "He's not a bad man…"

"I have to be strict with him because he is irresponsible! He spends his days drinking and sleeping around. He does not even care about the revolution nor about democracy… I don't know why he keeps going to the meetings if his only contribution is to expend wine and bring brandy!"

"Because, he looks up to you." Angélique said "He admires you, Enjolras. Maybe, because you are his antonymous… You are everything he's not."

Enjolras caressed her hair and her face, looking at her with warmth.

"Perhaps you are right, my love."

Angélique grabbed his hand and started walking, leading him by her side.

"Claire***, a friend of mine and also a member of our organization, showed me this incredible book…" she said with a smile "It's an 1808 book and it's called Théorie des Quatre Mouvements et des Destinées Générales**** by the philosopher Charles Fourier, although, back then, he published it as an anonymous author. He's supportive of women's rights and he believes that all important jobs should be open to women, not only to men. But my favorite part was when he described women as individuals, not as the half of men. And he stands for what he called "Free Love"… He disagrees with traditional marriage because he believes it hurts women as a human being. He advocates the free union between two adults who love each other, emotional, sexually, or both. Because Fourier believes that both men and women have the right to sexual pleasure without being force to marry each other."

Enjolras stood silent while listening to her speaking.

"You don't want to get married?" he asked.

"No. I never wanted to." she answered, while walking arm-in-arm with him "Not even when I was a child and the older women were talked about getting married and having children… I never desired such things for myself. And what about you… Do you want to get married?"

"Of course not!" Enjolras answered "Even if the revolution succeeds, I don't see that happening."

"Sometimes I believe I was born in the wrong time…" Angélique sighed.

"And in what era would you like to be born in?"

"I don't know… Perhaps, in the ancient times of the Celts… When women were priestesses and went to battle beside men! I would have been a fearless warrior. But then, if I were to be born in another time I would never meet you…"

"And how would it be?" Enjolras asked with wit, raising his eyebrow.

"A tragedy!" Angélique shouted with a large smile. "How couldn't it be…? I came alive in the moment my lips touched yours."

"Is that so?" Enjolras grabbed her face between his hands and smiled "I wish I was Prouvaire and had the talent of poetry… I would write such beautiful poems for you."

"I don't need poems." she said "I just need your own words."

She stopped walking and gazed at him, with passion in her semblance.

"Please… kiss me…" she whispered.

Enjolras grabbed her by the arm and took her behind a large column of a house: he, gently, pushed her against the cold stone and, embracing her waist, he kissed her, passionately and intensively, while her hands wandering his back, feeling the fabric of his coat. Enjolras kissed her neck with fervor and his hands penetrate her overcoat and caressed her waist.

"We should go home…" Angélique whispered against his lips.

"Yes… we should…"

But instead, Enjolras's hand pulled the skirt of her gown up and caressed the skin of her legs, looking into her eyes with a passionate desire.

She unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, wrapping her legs around his waist. They knew they could be caught by someone, although they did not care about it. Enjolras entered her, roughly, and she moaned, almost silently, against his ear, with her fingers between his blonde curls. They were like shadows in the dark, the streets were empty and the people of Paris were sleeping.

Translation (French – English) and Historical Facts:

* Jean-Jacques Rousseau – The XVIII Genevan (Switzerland) philosopher, was one of the political philosophers that influenced the French Revolution. The character of Enjolras has a deep admiration for Rousseau and for Robespierre (the French Revolution politician).

** La Voix des Femmes – Meaning "The Women's Voice" was the first Feminist Daily newspaper in France, founded by Eugénie Niboyet and was published in 1848, in Paris. Feminists were on the rise in XIX century France and several newspapers and organizations appeared in 1848, after the revolution of 24 February. This was the newspaper Angélique referred to and it was getting trouble on being published because the XIX century conservative post-revolutionary France was not a favorable climate for Feminist ideals.

*** Claire Démar – Reference to the XIX century Feminist, who wrote the 1833 pamphlet about Women's Rights: Appel au Peuple sur l'Affranchissement de la Femme (in English: "Appeal to the People on the Emancipation of Women").

**** Théorie des Quatre Mouvements et des Destinées Générales – Meaning "Theory of the Four Movements and the General Destinies", a 1808 book by the French philosopher Charles Fourier (1772 – 1837), an influential thinker who's social and moral views were held to be radical for the XIX century, but became main currents in modern society, for example his theory of «Free Love» during the 60's Hippie Love Revolution. He defended homosexuality and was against conservative politics. During the XVIII and XIX century he was a supporter of Women's Rights movement.

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