April 30, 1974

Today, Victoria was supposed to stop by Pascal's booth at the flea market sometime in the afternoon. She hadn't given the idea much thought when she uncharacteristically agreed to meet with him yesterday, but she wasn't exactly sure what this last-minute rendezvous was supposed to entail. They were hardly more than strangers, and if this was Pascal's idea of a date... God help him. Victoria wasn't interested. It wasn't that she didn't like him- she did. But at the same time he made her nervous. She had no idea why he seemed so eager to get to know her, and she couldn't help but worry he'd turn out to be another Jimmy Brennan.

It had already been a year and three months since the rape, but Victoria still found herself struggling to get past it. The weeks that immediately followed the attack had been the most difficult. At first, it was the physical pain Victoria fought to get through- the soreness between her legs, the black eye that resulted from Jimmy's punch, the bruise that appeared on her cheek from being held down against the concrete floor for so long. Somehow, she had managed to get through all of it in one piece. But as soon as the physical pain faded away, the emotional ramifications followed. The nightmares deprived her of sleep, the panic attacks made her afraid to leave her apartment, and the persisting feeling of being unclean prompted her to take multiple showers a day. It didn't help that Victoria had no one she felt she could talk to about what had happened to her. Perhaps if she had, she wouldn't still be struggling.

The only thing that'd made the aftermath of her assault bearable was Patrick's entrance into her life. The news of her pregnancy had initially come as a shock to Victoria, filling her with the utmost fear and uncertainty- but as soon as she gave birth to Patrick, all of that fear dissipated. He was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen, and she loved him instantly. She knew Patrick loved her too; she could feel it. He was the first person to give her life purpose and make her feel wanted. This alone made having to give him away all the more difficult, and Victoria was certain she would never recover from the loss.

Making her way over to the flea market, Victoria vowed not to let her trusting nature get the better of her. She wanted to give Pascal a fair chance, she truly did, but at the same time she knew she had to protect herself if she wanted to avoid being taken advantage of again. So, she settled on a compromise- she would be outwardly gracious but internally wary. No precaution would be left untaken, and she made a note to herself to analyze Pascal's every word and observe his every move. If he was truly the gentleman he appeared to be, Victoria would soon discover it. If he wasn't, the same judgment applied.

Scanning the rows of tables on either side of her, it wasn't long before Victoria came to recognize Pascal's voice. He was finishing up a sale, so she decided to wait until the customers left before approaching him. He looked so at ease just standing there. It made her wonder where his assurance came from, and whether or not he had any insecurities at all. Once he was finally alone, she made herself known to him.

"Victoria," as soon as he said her name, his face lit up.

Victoria couldn't help but wonder if he had been waiting for her to show up since he started his shift. She knew it was a silly thing to think, but she had never witnessed anyone looking so pleased to see her. It made her stomach flutter.

"Hi," she said.

Pascal motioned for her to stand beside him on the other side of the booth, "Join me?"

Victoria hesitated before complying with his request, unsure of what it was he was trying to get at by asking her stand next to him.

"Your classes don't start until fall, yes?"

Victoria nodded.

"I've known many American students who failed to make it past their first year because they couldn't keep up with the language. If you're up to it, I can help you."

The words sounded so sincere coming out of his mouth, but nevertheless Victoria figured it best not to take any chances.

"Thank you, but my roommate is already helping me."

Just as she had predicted, her rejection did nothing to deter Pascal's efforts.

"What is she helping you with? A textbook?"

Victoria couldn't believe his arrogance, "You think you can do better?"

"Yes," he said, "I can give you an opportunity to practice your French almost every day."

"How?"

"If you become my partner, you'll be able to put what you know to good use and pick up on the rest by interacting with the customers."

It was a solid offer and Victoria knew it, but she still had reservations about allowing herself to get close to Pascal. She didn't know enough about him yet to draw definitive conclusions about the type of person he was, and it was driving her crazy.

"I don't know the first thing about seeing flowers," she countered.

"No," Pascal agreed, "but you strike me as someone who learns quickly."

Lost in her own thoughts, Victoria failed to thank Pascal for the compliment he'd just given her. She knew she needed the practice, but remained skeptical of the idea.

"I'll tell you what... join me for a few hours today and we'll see how it goes. Then you can give me your answer."

"Fine," Victoria conceded, "I'll do it."

"Great," he smiled, "I can start by teaching you the names of each flower. This yellow one right here is called-"

"The blonde dragon," Victoria finished.

Pascal cocked an eyebrow. Her remark had caught him off guard, but he still couldn't help feeling impressed with her knowledge.

"Very good," he said finally, "How did you know?"

"It's my favorite."