"Thank you, Felipe. We're done for today. I'll see you tomorrow."

The boy stared at Victoria's lips and nodded. He liked helping in the tavern and enjoyed the work more than he had expected. Although the woman spoke very little sign language, they understood each other very well and he usually knew immediately what she wanted from him. This may have been due to the fact that Victoria always made sure to look directly at him and speak clearly so that he could read her lips.

Señor Navarro, a doctor from Mexico, had taught him. Don Alejandro had arranged for him to come here. The doctor had helped many deaf-mutes find their way in the world and communicate with others. He was truly an expert in his field.

Felipe had not been born deaf and dumb. He had once been able to speak as well as hear.

Felipe could barely remember his time before Alejandro. They were only fragments, scenes from the past that haunted him mostly in his dreams. He could hear and speak in these memories, and he instinctively felt that it was not just his imagination.

One scene was repeated several times. It had to be the events that had taken place before Alejandro had found him. He heard a loud bang as the surrounding area went up in smoke. People screaming, more small explosions. Debris flying around. Something hit him in the neck, and he was thrown to the ground. And as he drifted into unconsciousness, there was this heaviness in his chest combined with the knowledge that he had lost something important forever.

A trauma that had left Felipe unable to hear or speak. That, at least, was Dr. Navarro's diagnosis.

The boy suspected that the doctor was right. However, this did not help him regain these abilities. He remained mute and deaf - in this respect, the doctor's treatment was a failure.

In other areas, Dr. Navarro was successful. Felipe was eager to learn and made rapid progress in reading lips or learning sign language. Of course, Don Alejandro was also challenged with that - after all, it didn't help if no one understood the boy's signs. They were all in the same boat, and that meant everyone had to learn. One advantage was that the teenager could once hear, speak, and write a little. So, the doctor didn't have to start from scratch.

Victoria had helped, as was her wont, and had also learned sign language. Unfortunately, her tavern meant that she had little rest, so she only knew the most important signs.

But that wasn't really a problem - they both got along well, and since the woman made an effort, it wasn't too difficult for Felipe to read her lips.

He was about to turn around and leave the tavern when Victoria gently grabbed his sleeve. "Do you want to come a little earlier tomorrow? You know Pilar can't come until later and I have some sewing I want to finish before the tavern opens."

The boy signaled his agreement. He was quite handy with a needle and thread himself and would certainly be able to help the woman.

Of course, being a boy, he couldn't admit this openly. He enjoyed it and it distracted him a bit. A talent that earned him Victoria's appreciation but was otherwise rather unimportant.

"I'm glad I can count on you," Victoria revealed. "Here are your coins for this week's work. Now go, you've earned your day off."

The teenager gestured his thanks and left the tavern. Even though he had decided to save the money for something bigger, it was worth taking a look around the market. Every Wednesday and Saturday, a few farmers and craftsmen set up their stalls. On those days, the stagecoach came to Los Angeles, often bringing guests. If the coach was on time, the strangers would stay for an hour or so and then leave - if there were problems on the way and the coach arrived at dusk, the stage would not leave until the next day. Victoria was prepared for this and always had two rooms available in her tavern whenever possible.

Recently, however, bandit attacks had become more frequent, and the stagecoach could no longer be relied upon - which meant that mail was lost and passengers avoided this mode of travel, arriving at their pueblo less frequently.

Felipe used to be very curious about the new arrivals, but his interest had waned considerably. The guests were often rich city dwellers who behaved snobbishly and turned up their noses at what they saw as dirty and backward Los Angeles.

So, he would took a leisurely stroll around the market and then rode home. In a good mood, he mounted his horse and rode to the market stalls.

Once there, he tied Diabolo to a suitable spot, ignored the stagecoach standing by one of the pueblo's stalls, and began to look around. Maybe the trader from Mexico who came to Los Angeles every few months to sell knives was here? The blades were sharp, of very good quality, and the knives had handles with individual engravings.

The vendor usually had his stall at the end of the market. Felipe would have a look at everything on his way there - there might be other interesting things to discover. He walked briskly to the mercado, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. Being deaf, it was easy for him to get bumped or knocked over by careless shoppers.

The first market stalls were just coming into view when he saw it.

A red rose.

He stared at the flower.

No...

He felt dizzy. Everything began to spin.

The rose was accompanied by a hat of the same color and a dark red dress.

But Felipe no longer recognized any of it. All he could see in his mind's eye was the rose, which was getting bigger and bigger and spinning faster and faster. A whirlpool that threatened to pull him down with it.

His hand searched desperately for support but found only a wall to hold on to. He didn't realize what it was, and it didn't matter. As he continued to stare in the direction from which he had seen the flower, his body slowly slid along the wall to the ground.

Something hidden deep in his memories was forcing its way back to the surface.

.

A/N:

Yes, Felipe is still deaf in my story. More on that in the next chapter.

I didn't have much time, so unfortunately I'm a few days late (this chapter is the one for November). I've split the chapter into two parts so that you, dear readers, don't have to wait too long. With any luck there will be two releases in December.

From what I could find on the internet, male tailors were quite common, but they were dependent on their clients' ability to pay and often lived in poor conditions. Felipe has other ambitions and doesn't put much stock in his talent. Under Don Alejandro's protection, he also has no pressure to start an apprenticeship and earn money at an early age.

Thank you very much for your reviews. I read and appreciate every comment.