Going Home

Chapter 2: Un Vie Miserable

Caoimhe was already tiring of 19th century life; it disgusted her. She was grateful that Madame Houcheloupe agreed to take her under her wing, being a widow could become lonely. She didn't neccesserily need the hands since she had Matelote and Gibelote, but the two girls didn't stay with her. Plus, just looking at the girl and hearing of what she possibly went through was enough to melt Madame's heart. She held no ill-feelings towards her employer, but the life was difficult.

She had eventually learned the year and day she appeared; November 20th, 1830 and boy, was it starting to get crazy. A month had passed since then, the hardest month she ever lived. When she got her period, she wanted to die. Rags... Folded up rags that were attached to some strange hook like thing. There was no pain-killer and the poor girl would fall victim to extremely bad cramps that would cause her to faint or vomit. At first, Caoimhe approached being in Les Miserables as an adventure, an awesome experience. After she got her period, she just wanted to go home. On top of that, it was extremely hard to bathe. There was no indoor plumbing; when she wanted to bathe, she went to a public bathhouse by the Seine and often, Madame would scold her and tell her that she bathed too much. It was ironic that they considered bathing too much to be a health hazard yet disdained the filth in the streets. She would wash her hands as often as possible using water she carried from the river. She didn't care how cold it was, she had to stay clean. It was now December, so Madame told her she would catch her death. Caoimhe decided she'd rather freeze to death with a clean body than freeze to death with a dirty one.

Clothing had become an issue for her as well; whenever she bathed, she would bring one of her few dresses and wash it. Being without money made it hard for her to buy dresses and most of the time, Madame made the dresses. But even material was costly so Caoimhe was stuck with one dress for each day essentially. The "underwear" for her was uncomfortable; it was much too baggy and restrictive. Unfortunately, Madame, with all good intentions, got rid of her clothing that she had arrived in, fearing it would bring back painful memories that Caoimhe didn't even have.

The only saving grace was that she was occasionally permitted in the backroom of the Musain where the Friends of the ABC met and was the only woman permitted back there. Despite their being impressed with her answer when they met, they would not permit her entrance into the room. Occasionally, one of the men would call for her, usually Grantaire for more wine, which she would promptly refuse depending on his condition. Despite her attempts to curb his drinking, he still managed to leave the Musain completely inebriated. On occasion, she would have conversations with Joly and on ever rarer occasions, Enjolras, who would usually just inquire after her mental health. When she was in the room, she tried to pick up as much as possible; despite previously condoning King Louis-Phillipe, the Republicans were now even more displeased than before. Much of the problems they experienced under Charles X were still existing under the current regime. She had learned that in order for people to vote, they had to pay 200 francs! In this time, that was highway robbery! Barely anyone had 200 francs to spare. A new bourgois class had also emerged of bankers and businessmen. Meanwhile, the population of Paris was swelling thanks to the factories and the poor were getting poorer. How any decent human being could ignore the suffering was beyond her.

However, her status in Les Amis was about to change. It was her birthday of all days, which of course, she did not share with Madame nor anyone else. What care would they have? She worked late into the night as she usually did and this night, the meeting in the backroom seemed to go later than usual. Occasionally, she would spot one of the men leaving for the night. When she saw Grantaire stumble out, she assumed the rest had gone since he was usually one of the last if not the last to leave. Without hesitation, she went into the back to start cleaning up after the students. Upon opening the door, she was shocked to find Enjolras sitting at a table, hunched over some papers.