But We Could Get By

Chapter 9

A few days had passed, and Nellie's business already seemed to be doing better. She found it slightly concerning how much the people seemed to like her pies now that she had this secret ingredient, but she'd take any business she could get. "I suppose this whole thing was my idea, so maybe they're not the ones I should be judging." She thought to herself. "Mrs. Lovett." She heard a voice say, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked over, and smiled. "Mr. Todd." She said. "How's business?" Sweeney shrugged. "Mostly fine, but rather dead." He responded. Nellie giggled. "Nice one." She said. "That was meant to be a pun, right?" She then asked. "Maybe." Sweeney replied. "How's your business been?" He then asked. "It's already much better!" Nellie responded with a smile. "People really seem to like that secret ingredient." Sweeney nodded. "I should get back to the shop." He said. "Alright." Nellie replied. "I'll talk to you later then." She added. Sweeney didn't respond.
   She watched as he walked back upstairs. She found herself staring for a while, even after he was completely out of her sight. She thought about following him upstairs and trying to talk to him more, but she figured he probably wanted to be alone. She wished he were a little less distant, but at least he kind of still remembered how close they once were. After everything he had been through though, she understood why he was distant. He was sad and angry. He couldn't just pretend nothing was wrong, and she would never ask that of him, as much as she wished he'd spend more time with her. She decided that as of now, the best thing she could do was be there for him, and also leave him alone whenever he wanted to be left alone, though she was unsure of when he actually needed her around. She knew he liked to spend time alone, but she wondered how much of that time he actually really needed someone to be there for him, but he pretended he didn't? She wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to know that those years of loneliness were over.
   "Mum?" She heard a voice say, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked over, and saw Toby standing across from her. She noticed a look of shock on his face. "Did I just-?" He cut himself off mid-sentence. It was then that Nellie finally processed that he had called her "mum". She smiled. "Don't worry, dear. You can call me that if you'd like." She said. Toby smiled back at her. "I've never really had a mother before." He responded. "For as long as I can remember, I was in that workhouse, and then I worked for Pirelli. You already know how things were with him." "Well, I'm more than happy to be that mother figure then." Nellie said. Toby ran to her and gave her a hug. She hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "Welcome to the family." She said. Toby smiled, and she smiled back at him. She remembered seeing Pirelli hitting him. She could only imagine the amount of pain this poor boy had endured. She was glad she was able to do something about it, and give him the loving home he never had.
   Toby let go of her, and asked, "When are we opening the shop?" "In a minute. I was just gonna go check on Mr. Todd real quick." Nellie responded. She then walked upstairs, and knocked on the door of Sweeney's shop. "The shop's not open yet." She heard him say. "It's me." She said. "Can I come in?" "I guess." Sweeney replied. Nellie opened the door and walked in. "Are you gonna be opening soon?" She asked. "Yeah." Sweeney replied. Nellie nodded. "Just wanted to know when I should open. I figured for this plan to work, we should be open around the same time." She said. "Makes sense." Sweeney mumbled. "I also just wanted to see if everything was alright." Nellie said. "Everything's fine. Well, as fine as it can be, I guess." Sweeney responded. "I just know you've been sad and angry, and I thought it would be best to check in on you." Nellie said. Sweeney didn't respond.
   She walked over to him and held his hand, but quickly let go. "Sorry." She said. "It's fine." Sweeney replied. "Can I?" Nellie asked. "I guess." Sweeney said. Nellie reached out for his hand again. "You know, I'm always here for you." She said. "If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to talk to, or someone to just be around, let me know." Sweeney didn't respond. "If you ever need someone to hold onto..." Nellie's voice trailed off as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm right here." She held him tightly, and nearly found herself spilling out over a decade's worth of feelings. "I love you. I've loved you for so long." She had almost said. Instead, she muttered, "I'm here for you, my love." She was almost in tears, but she hid it well. "I'll be downstairs if you need me." She said, letting go of him.
   She walked out the door, and headed downstairs. She found herself unable to hold back the tears, but she quickly wiped them away. She could focus on her sadness later. Right now, she had a job to do. She flipped the sign on the window, letting everyone know the shop was open.

"Do we have any more pies?" Toby asked. "They're still in the oven." Nellie replied. "Why?" "Customers keep asking for more." Toby said. "They'll be done in a minute." Nellie reassured. "Hopefully. They're getting real demanding." Toby responded. "I wasn't expecting people to like these pies so much." Nellie said. "Me either. What even is in them?" Toby asked. Nellie laughed a little. "Just regular meat." She hoped her nervous laughter wasn't too obvious. She didn't think about how difficult it might be to keep this secret from the kids, especially Toby, since he was helping out with the shop. Though she was pretty decent at hiding it, she was afraid that one of these days, everyone would see right through her, and learn the truth about the pies and what Sweeney had been doing to his customers.
   "You think the pies are done now?" Toby asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Yes." She replied. "I'll go get those." She walked to the oven, and carefully took the pies out. She put some on plates, and handed two plates to Toby. "You serve these, I'll get the rest." She said. Toby nodded, and walked towards the tables. She grabbed some plates, and handed them out.

Finally, after a long and weirdly stressful day, it was time to close the shop. Nellie waved goodbye to the last few customers, and then flipped the sign on the window to say 'closed'. "I was not expecting that many customers." She said. "It was a lot, wasn't it?" Toby responded. Nellie nodded. "It's getting late. You should get some rest." She said. Toby nodded. "Goodnight." He said, yawning. "Goodnight." Nellie replied. Toby hugged her, then headed to his room. She found herself feeling exhausted. She quickly walked to her room, not wanting to pass out in the middle of the shop. She nearly fell asleep right then and there, but was woken up by the door opening.
   "Mum?" She heard a voice say. She sat up, and noticed Johanna standing in the doorway. "Yes?" She replied. "Can I talk to you?" Johanna asked. "Of course." Nellie replied. "What is it?" Johanna walked into the room, and sat at the end of the bed. "I think I might like someone." She said. "Really?" Nellie asked. Johanna nodded. "What should I do?" She asked. Nellie laughed a little. "Not sure if I'm the one to go to for love advice." She said. Johanna's face turned red. "Love?" She asked. "It's not- I-" She stammered. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little in love with him." She mumbled. "Why don't you think you could give me advice?" "Well, I've loved the same man for years, and I know he'll never feel the same, but I can't move on..." Nellie's voice trailed off. "Basically, I'm not a good example. I keep setting myself up for heartbreak. Don't do that." "See, you've got advice." Johanna said with a smile. "I guess." Nellie mumbled.
   She thought for a moment about what else to say. She tried to remember what it was like when she was Johanna's age, falling in love for the first time. "Well, what would I tell my younger self?" She thought. Maybe she could go from there. She couldn't think of much though, aside from her regrets. She then remembered her biggest regret, and realized maybe she could work with that.
   "I've got one more piece of advice." She said. "What is it?" Johanna asked. "Tell him how you feel." Nellie replied. "I know it can be scary telling someone how you feel. I was always too scared to tell Mr. Todd because of that fear that he didn't feel the same, but looking back, I wish I would've told him." She said. "I know there's that fear of heartbreak, but who knows? He might love you back. But you'll never know if you don't tell him." Johanna smiled. "Thanks. I suppose I will tell him." She said. "And you should tell dad how you feel." "I've been meaning to." Nellie replied. "Well, it's pretty late. You should get some rest." She then said. Johanna nodded. "Goodnight, mum. And thanks for the advice." She said. "Goodnight." Nellie replied. "And you're welcome."
   After Johanna left the room, she remembered how exhausted she was. She also remembered how sad she had been earlier. The sadness seemed to come back a little, but she was far too tired to dwell on it. She didn't even have the energy to change into something more comfortable. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.