As you may recall, one fine summer’s day a group of friends went on a fascinating adventure through…well…a red swirly thing…and ended up in a world of make believe and music. They found themselves in a land where musicals seemed to come to life. We join them after spending a year in this new world…living a life they had only read about…with the people they had only dreamt of…
The streets of Paris were crowded. More crowded, it seemed, than ever before. A young woman wound her way through the throng, hurrying along in a world of her own. Her feet almost flying over the cobbles as she practically ran down the street, her skirt raised above her ankles in what she was sure would be called “an unladylike manner”. She smiled to herself as she remembered another time when she had been running like this. Eventually she seemed to find where she was going, she ran across a small square and dashed into a doorway. The sign above the door read “ Le Café Musain”, it’s faded paint having long since been repainted.
“Bonjour Mademoiselle, and how may I help you this fine day?” A man met her at the bottom of the steps, a broad smile on his face.
“ Oh leave it out Grantaire…” Jo laughed, “ You know perfectly well why I’m here!”
“ Aaah yes…” smiled her host, “ Your meal…you will find your table, as requested, in the rear room and my partner regrets that he may be a little late…” Jo rolled her eyes.
“ Typical…oh well, when the others get here, will you send them through?” Grantaire bowed comically.
“ Bien sur, mam’selle!” Jo giggled and headed to the room at the rear of the bar. She noticed how it had changed since her first visit. There were no longer students full of rebellion lounging over the tables, now instead the students drank whilst reading novels. There were no more secret meetings held in the rear room, now it was used for private parties, like the one Jo was attending today. Grantaire and partner had certainly turned the Café into something different. This was their second drinking establishment. Their first had become one of the finest in the city and they had decided to buy and renovate their old haunt, Le Café Musain. Jo sighed and continued towards the door at the back of the room.
“ Hey you there…traitor!” came a loud resounding voice through the café. Jo turned with a large grin on her face to see an old friend walking towards her. His black shoulder length hair was tied back and his bright blue eyes twinkled at her as he smiled.
“ Enjolras!” Jo beamed as she hugged him and kissed his cheek. “ I wondered if I might see you here…”
“ I had hoped the same myself! I have been away of late and my first port of call had to be…well…here really…” he smiled gesturing around him. “ Grantaire’s certainly made some improvements…” He said his voice full of pride.
“ And what about his partner…I suppose he had nothing to do with it…” came a voice from behind them. Jo jumped in surprise and span around. Behind her was stood a tall young man, with sparkling green eyes and dark brown hair. Jo surpressed a cry of joy and flung her arms around him.
“ Mark!” They hugged each other emphatically and Enjolras excused himself. “ Oh…it’s so good to see you!” Jo sighed as they separated and smiled at each other.
“ Good to see you too…I have missed you, you know…!” Mark rubbed her shoulder gently, Jo nodded and squeezed his hand.
“ I know, but let’s not get mushy yet…at least wait until the others get here!” Jo’s smiled widened as he held open the door to the room for her and they went inside. In the room was a circular table set out with five places.
“It’s nice to see you’re still wearing dresses and haven’t reverted to jeans! I must admit though Jo…” Mark sat himself down at one of the places. “ You’re looking good, in a girly kind of way!” Jo smiled a little self consciously and looked down at herself. She knew that her hair had grown since they arrived. Having been just below her shoulder when they fell out onto the streets a year ago, it was now just above her waist. She was wearing a long dress as all the women did, very different to the jeans and rubgy shirts she practically lived in before.
“ Don’t!” she smiled, “ I’d kill for a pair of Levis! I mean these dresses look nice I’m sure but they’re hardly practical are they?!?!”
“ Tell me about it!” came a voice from the doorway. Mark and Jo turned to see a small young woman stood in the doorway. With wide brown eyes, long dark brown hair and a smile that went from ear to ear.
“ Rosie!” shrieked Mark and Jo simultaneously as they dashed over to hug her.
“ Ok…glad to see you too but…can’t breathe!” Rosie gasped as they hugged tightly.
“ Sorry sunshine!” grinned Jo as they wandered over to the table. “ It’s just that it’s been so long and…well…doesn’t matter! You’re here now. We’re all…well, almost all here now!”
“ I know…” sighed Rosie as she sat down carefully next to Jo, smoothing her dress as she did so.
“ So…how’s Monsieur Pontmercy?” Mark sat down on the other side of Jo. Jo turned to him and frowned playfully.
“ We agreed! No questions till we’re all here! Too much to catch up on and I’d rather do it once than three or four times!” They all laughed and their eyes lit up as the door opened once more to reveal to more visitors. Two more women stood in the doorway, one with long wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, the other with curly black hair and brown eyes. Both smiling broadly as they looked upon the friends sat at the table.
“ Jenny!” yelled Mark happily.
“ Lucy!” beamed Rosie.
“ Finally!” Jo exclaimed leaping out of her seat once more. “ Was beginning to wonder if you’d got lost!”
“ I thought that was your job Jo, well your’s and Rosie’s…remember!” laughed Lucy as she hugged her friend. They all laughed as they hugged each other and sat back down at the table. As they sat and looked at each other a kind of awkward silence fell and no one knew quite what to say. Eventually Jo raised her glass and looked around her,
“ Well, before we all start filling each other in on what we’ve been up to…I just want to say ‘Here’s to us, together again!’ ” The others raised their glasses too.
“ Together again!” came the toast and was followed by clinking of glasses. Then a small tinkling sound as Jo had ‘clinked’ her glass against Rosie’s a little harder than she had intended, shattering it. Riotous laughter broke out and all awkwardness was gone in a flash.
“ Trust Jo!” Rosie felt tears of laughter forming in her eyes.
“ Ladylike to last eh Jo?” Toasted Mark.
“ Nice to know some things never change!” Lucy sighed as she put her own glass down on the table.
“ Aaah shut up!” Jo grumbled as she brushed the glass from the table top and under the table. “ Like none of you have ever broken a glass!” As the laughter subsided the friends started to talk of what they had been up to.
BACK TO PART SIX
PART EIGHT
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