My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 16

The ray of the sun passes through the small window of Mrs. Lovett's bedroom, directly hitting the center of the room- where the old canopy bed lays, and also the baker. She groans as the light hits her face- effectively waking her- then covers her eyes from the blinding glare of the sun. She can feel her head pounding- like it is going to explode. She rubs her forehead, hoping that- somehow- it will alleviate the pain.

Recounting her whereabouts last night, she must admit that she has no recollection of what has happened. Only that, she danced with one handsome gentleman- what his name was, she cannot remember anymore. She cannot even remember how she manages to go home. Everything is a blur to her.

A sudden urge to vomit overcomes her; she tosses the sheets that is entangled on her body, to the side of the bed, and hurries to the bathroom. She immediately empties the contents of her stomach- mostly containing of the alcohol she consumed last night. She leans on the sink to regain her normal breathing. Although thankful to get the alcohol out of her system, she is still suffering from headache.

Once the baker is able to get her bearings, she exits the bathroom and heads towards the kitchen so she can prepare some tea, and also to start with baking the pies. While heating the water that will be used for the tea, she allows herself to sit at one of the tables of her shop.

She focuses her thoughts on what needs to be doing on her shop, instead of thinking about last night. Even as she forces her mind to recall the things that has happened, she cannot really remember. It is only making her headache worse. Besides, she thinks that she has not done anything stupid- she knows herself.
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Lucy and Benjamin are having their breakfast; but not their usual breakfast where they talk happily and tease each other. No, this time, they are both eating in silence while avoiding meeting each other's eyes. The tension between them is so thick that you can cut it with a knife. Apparently, their problem is taking its toll on them; and Even if they want to, it will not be solved overnight- it will take time.

Lucy stands up and grabs her half-finished plate of food and places it on the sink. She stays there for a while, leaning on the sink- seeming to think about something. After a moment, she speaks from behind Benjamin. Her voice is firm, though soft. "I accepted Judge Turpin's offer to work for him. I'll be starting today."

Lucy looks up to her husband to gauge his reaction. Just like as she expected, he is shaking his head on the negative- clearly not allowing her. But she is not one bit worried, because she has no intention of listening to him. She has made her decision and he cannot change her mind anymore. She wants to go to work for a different reason now, and that is to stay away from him.

Ben turns around to face his wife; his eyes shining with anger. He is barely controlling himself to calm down- the mere mention of The Judge is making his blood boil. "No, Lucy. You will not work for him. I do earn enough money for the both of us. There's no sense for you to tire yourself to work." He replies, with his voice cold and full of contempt.

"I'm not asking for your permission, Benjamin. I am just telling you this so you'll not worry when I'm gone the whole afternoon, every day. Besides, aren't you happy? You'll be able to spend more time with your mistress now." Lucy says in response, her voice in a mocking tone.

Ben opens his mouth to answer, but he thinks it is better to not say anything else- his wife will not believe him anyway. Also, it might lead them to another fight if he tries to defend himself. He just has to acquiesce with Lucy to avoid further arguments; after all, it is him who has made a big mistake, so it is him who has to adjust.

Lucy walks away and heads to the door, shaking her head with a smirk on her face. Apparently, she thinks that Ben's silence means that she assumes right. She knows that once she's gone, he will go downstairs and talk to Mrs. Lovett. She also knows that their conversation will only be to end their affair, or to continue it and find better ways to hide it. She's giving Ben a chance; she hopes that he'll make the right decision.