Chapter 6
Guess where we are… It's that same room (for the sixth time). But now it contains two men. The man against the left-hand wall is unconscious, has white skin, and looks to be in his twenties. And the man against the right-hand wall is also unconscious, has caramel-colored skin, and also looks to be in his twenties. The man against the left-hand wall has short, brown hair, and he's wearing a long-sleeved, puffy, white shirt with a collar, a sleeve-less gold and red vest with gold buttons, long, black slacks, and black dress shoes. And a red scarf is tied around his waist. And the man against the right-hand wall has short, black hair and a beard, and he's wearing a long-sleeved, light blue shirt, a long-sleeved, dark blue and black flannel shirt, a long-sleeved, black and maroon flannel shirt, a gold, sleeve-less vest, long, dark jeans, and white tennis shoes. The two men slowly revive and open their eyes… Both men have brown eyes. They slowly stand up and look at each other in a mixture of fear and curiosity. Then, finally, after several seconds, the man on the left breaks the silence…
"What's your name, Monsieur?" he asked. "Collins." the other man replied. "Tom Collins. And what's your name?" "Enjolras." Enjolras stepped forward and extended his hand to Collins. Collins also stepped forward, and shook hands with Enjolras. "Where are you from Enjolras?" "Paris, France. You?" "New York City, New York." "Ah." Enjolras nodded. "Rough place, isn't it?" Collins nodded. "Very. However, if you left, you'd miss the city before you got very far!" Enjolras smiled. "I know what you mean. That's how I feel about Paris!" "I have lots of friends in New York City, too, and I cold never leave them." "I understand that too. I have friends in Paris that I would hate to leave." "Tell me about them." "My best friend would probably be Marius Pontmercy. I've known him for a long time, and he and I have been planning a revolution together. And then there's Eponine Thénardier. She's a street urchin who was abandoned by her parents, and who has been in love with Marius for a while now. Although he never notices… And then there's Cosette, Marius's girlfriend, Jean Valjean, Cosette's father, and Gavroche Thénardier, Eponine's little bother, who was also abandoned by their parents and lives on the streets. What about your friends?" "Well, there's my girlfriend, Angel Dumott Schunard, my three ex-roommates, Mark Cohen, Roger Davis, and Maureen Johnson, Roger's girlfriend, Mimi Márquez, and Maureen's girlfriend, Joanne Jefferson." "That's nice." "Yeah. I'm glad to have such great friends!" "As am I." "And you and Marius are starting a revolution?" Enjolras nodded. "Yes. And we're having help from our other friends, and lots of other young University students who also want to see change happen." "What kind of changes are you hoping to make?" "There are hundred of poor people in France, particularly in Paris, and the government ignores them all and won't do anything to help. We're fighting for equal rights for everyone and to help the common people of France." Collins grinned. "That's a noble cause! And very similar to what Maureen and I are fighting for. There are hundreds of poor people in New York City, and the cops bully them in the streets, and one of my other old roommates, Benjamin Coffin III (although we all call him 'Benny'), is trying to wipe out an entire tent city, just so he can build some sort of studio. Plus, he took away Maureen's performance space, and he's trying to evict Mark and Roger from their apartment because they're too poor to pay the rent. And when Maureen had a protest about all of it, Benny called the cops and had dozens of people arrested. So he's making Maureen's and my fight against poverty pretty difficult. Also, Mark, Roger, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, Mimi, and I are trying to help gays and lesbians, as well as people with HIV and AIDS. People like me…" Collins trailed off quietly, looking at Enjolras. "You have AIDS?" Enjolras asked. Collins nodded. "I assume you've heard of it, then?" Enjolras nodded. "Yes, I have. And I'm sorry." Collins shrugged. "It's alright. It's not as bad as most people think. Once you get over the shock, anyway." Enjolras nodded again. "Do any of your friends have it?" Collins nodded. "Yes. Angel actually has AIDS, but Roger and Mimi have HIV." "I'm sorry Collins." Enjolras said quietly. "Is there a cure?" Collins shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. However, there's a medicine, called AZT, that we all take, and it helps hold off the disease." Enjolras nodded once more, and gave Collins a look of deep sympathy. "Like I said, though," Collins continued. "it's not so bad. And I have all of my friends to support me, plus a small group of other New Yorkers who have it (and who call themselves 'Life Support'), so it's alright." Collins grinned, and Enjolras smiled back. They were silent for a minute or two. Then Enjolras asked, "What's it like Collins?" Collins raised his eyebrows slightly. "What's what like?" Enjolras blushed slightly. "Well… You know… Having a girlfriend…" Enjolras went scarlet, and he couldn't look Collins in the eye. Collins gaped at him. "You mean you've never had a girlfriend?" Enjolras shook his head, blushing deeper. "Why not?" Collins asked, pretending not to notice Enjolras's embarrassment. Enjolras shrugged slightly, then said, "I'm planning a revolution. Women get in the way of things like that. Marius and Cosette are prime examples of that!" "What do you mean?" Enjolras shook his head. "After Marius met Cosette, it took me weeks to get him focused on the revolution again. However, I can't complain because Jean Valjean has proved very helpful to our cause." Collins nodded. "But you've still never held a woman's hand, or made an attempt at flirting, or took a woman to dinner? Or held a woman in your arms? Or took a woman to bed with you?" Enjolras blushed deeply, shaking his head once more. Collins shook his head. "How a man can go his entire life without the touch of woman, I don't understand!" "You can't miss, or long for, something you've never felt." Enjolras said logically. Collins merely grunted, reluctant agreement on his face. Another silence ensued. "Well," Enjolras finally said quietly. "I hope you're able to help save those poor people from being evicted!" Collins nodded. "And I hope your government decides to help the poor people in your country!" Enjolras nodded too, and then they smiled at each other. Then the two men hugged each other tightly. And then, suddenly, everything went black, and the two were sent back to their own stories and their own revolutions…
