"Paradisaeidae is a flower that is named after a brightly coloured bird native to south Africa. Its meaning is joyfulness and paradise itself. Also faithfulness and freedom to travel."

----

TULIP threw her hair back and over her shoulder, smiling as the young man flirted with her. Begonia noted her obliviousness to it, as she inspected the flowers he was talking about. Begonia knew the boy could feel his intense gaze, had made eye contact and shyed away instantly, intimidated. He ended up buying a bouquet of flowers and leaving quickly, head ducked and figurative tail between his legs. "He was hitting on you."

"He's a regular." Was her reply to Begonias blunt accusation, rush hour slowing down, outside growing darker.

"Isn't everyone." Begonia muttered darkly, eyeing another customer. Only two people left and the shop would be quiet like how he had come in. Tulip had said it was nearly closing time, that his working schedule would be finished tomorrow and they could work out ins and out of his schedule. But he knew it would be copious amounts of work.

"You see, you'll probably just be doing basic inventory - and a lot of carrying." She told him while locking the front door to the shop, the red Closed sign in a neon light blaring through the window at the front. "Maybe even some work behind the counter." She smiled, taking a few bundles of left over flowers. "Would you like some?" She asked, eyeing the over a dozen bundles she had wrapped in different wraps. "Whatever is left over usually goes to the orphanage down the road." Begonia stared at her with eyebrows raised, watching as she picked up a bundle of gorgeous, white Begonias. The only flower he recognised because she had been showing it to him a lot the past few days and that was his name.
But he didn't want to have them.

"I'll take the birds of paradise." He blurted, watching as her head snapped up in a smile, picking up the three remaining flowers and handing to him.

"Do you know the Birds of Paradise are named after a native South American bird and the flower itself is like paradise." She ranted, picking up a few bundles of flowers herself and walking them through the back, to where her car was parked. Helping her, something he would have to get used to, he picked up the rest of the bouquets and followed her to her car. "Thank you." She smiled, throwing her head to the side to stare at him as they placed the bouquets into the backseat.

"Do you usually go to the orphanage?" He asked, confused as to why, she was probably just doing it for charity.

"My Mum grew up in an orphanage." She gnawed her lip, closing her car door shut. Begonia watched her from beneath his hard gaze, he had taught himself to erase pity and emotions from his being.
"Is someone coming to pick you up?"

"No." Begonia shrugged, pulling his green apron off and hanging beside hers.

"Don't you have to be somewhere at a certain time?" She asked, pouting her lips as she did her last few things. When he didn't answer she stopped working and stared up at him, watching as he stacked crates. "I could give you a ride." She offered, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"No." He plainly said again. "My parole officer doesn't care."

"Just because he doesn't care, doesn't mean you can do the wrong thing." She told him, watching as the older boys muscles flexed as he continued to stack crates. "Come on, I'll finish this tomorrow. I'll drive you to where ever you're staying." Turning around he realised she wasn't giving him a choice.

She turned off the lights, leading him back out the final door after everything was set up to her desired lock up.
"What do you do when you get a break in?" Begonia asked, deciding that he should take advantage of her apparent kindness.

"I've only had two break ins over the five years I've had the store." The way she said she owned the store reminded Begonia once again her family owned a large chain of these stores throughout the town and further out, he had even heard of them in the city. "And I always have Aster take all the money before I leave and anything valuable is locked up in the back." She told him, climbing into her car, Begonia getting into the passenger seat. "So where am I dropping you off?"

He mumbled the name of his motel, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she pulled out of the parking complex.