Mother Or Liar?
Okay, so I only got two reviews from chapter 1 of this story, but that's not going to stop me from making a chapter 2. Plus, two of who I consider my Fanfiction buds reviewed the first chapter, yay. *Celebrates by blowing up a balloon that has a Sharpie drawn pic. of Sweeney's face on it, then continues to hug the balloon until it pops.* Oh well, anyway, hope you all like chappie 2. Fast forward to x-mas morning. Me: Hey, didn't I wish that Sweeney would be under this tree? Sis: Yes, but not all wishes come true. You can't fit a live person under a Christmas tree, that would be really uncomfortable. Me: Shoot, I guess I'll never own Sweeney Todd. : (
Mrs. Lovett felt a twinge of sadness. Who was this woman, was she talking about her Sweeney? This couldn't be Lucy obviously, even with Lucy's new dirty look, a person could still see the yellow in her hair. She walked over to a booth and sat, she motioned to the sea across from her. "Won't you sit down?"
The woman smiled at her and sat down across from her. "I'm so sorry to 'ave barged in on you like this, but I've been very alone. I've gotten a job and 'ave been working very hard to be able to raise 'im up well. Once I received enough, I went out searching for 'im right away."
Who was this woman talking about? She wasn't mentioning her name, or the name of the person she was searching for. "Excuse me, but may I know your name dearie? This is all a bit difficult to follow."
The woman smiled meekly. "Of course, 'ow stupid of me. My name is Mimi Ragg, and I'm looking for me son. It's not much because it's ju' from when he was a young lil thing, but this is what he looks like. I've been keeping track every year, he should be around 12 now, quite a bit older since the last time I saw 'im. I asked the people at the workhouse, and they said he'd been taken by a man named Adolfo Pirelli. And when I couldn't find him I asked some people around, and they said they'd seen 'im working 'ere. "
Mrs. Lovett's heart sunk, could she be talking about Toby? What was happening? Toby said he had been left in the workhouse, so who was she, was she really his mother? "Are you talking about, Toby?" No matter how much it pained her, she knew she had to let this woman meet him. After all, she knew how hard it was to lose someone you loved. "If he's the one you're talking about, yes, 'e's here."
The woman smiled broadly and nodded her head. She looked extremely happy to be hearing that name. "Oh yes, I'm so happy to hear that name again. Ya see, I 'ad him at a very young age, and I knew I couldn't possibly raise 'im on me own. Me parents were ashamed that I 'ad him before marriage, my boyfriend got mad and abandoned me. I couldn't afford to bring 'im up on me own, I just couldn't bear to give him up to God, so I left him at the work'ouse. I had to get money so I started out doing something, I wasn't too proud of. If you get what I mean." Mrs. Lovett nodded her head understandingly, she thought about the times back when things were bad, she'd thought about sinking down to that point, but she never gave in. "Then I got a job as a seamstress, where I'm working now. I finally had enough money to get meself a suitable home and some toys and games fer me Toby."
Almost as if he'd been called, Toby instantly came into the pie shop. "Mum, I finished the book." He looked over at Mimi. "Oh, sorry mum. I didn't know someone else was 'ere. 'ello ma'm, sorry to have bothered you?"
Mrs. Lovett rose out of her seat. "It's no trouble love, Toby, come over here darling." Toby walked over to her sadly. walked behind her son and took in a deep breath, trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. She turned around and put her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Toby, this is Mimi. Twelve years ago she lost her son and 'ad to give him up to the work'ouse in order to get a job to be able to give him a life he deserves." Toby looked at Mimi, then at Mrs. Lovett confused. "Do you understand what I'm saying Toby?" Toby shook his head worriedly, what was going on?
Mimi got out of her seat and walked over to Toby. She got down on one knee and held onto his hands tightly, tears forming in her eyes. "Toby, my name is Mimi. I lost me son years ago, and from what I've learned, you're his age. We look so alike, Toby I have something for you." She opened up her purse and brought out a sheet of paper. "Hun, this is your birth certificate, it says something important on it." She gave it to him to look at then reached into her bag and brought out a small stuffed tiger. "And this, is Lorenzo. Do you remember him sweet?"
Toby didn't know whether to run to Mrs. Lovett or cry. It was true, she was his mother. He even remembered sleeping with the small animal every night. He slowly looked up at her. She dropped his hands and outstretched her arms. He didn't know what to do, so he simply did the first thing that registered. He wrapped his arms around her neck and she picked him up. "Oh Toby, I'm so happy to see you again. I tried love, I worked so hard and I finally have you back!" Mrs. Lovett looked at the reunion with tears forming in her eyes. She felt selfish for thinking this, but she didn't want this woman to take Toby away from her. She had really begun to think about him as her son, and she didn't think she was ready to give him up now.
Mimi let go of the boy and Toby walked over to Mrs. Lovett. "Mum, I mean, Mrs. Lovett. I have a real mum, and she hasn't forgotten about me!" She smiled weakly, not wanting to seem weak and show her sadness. Toby could see past her forced smile though, he was a smart lad after all. "What's wrong Mrs. Lovett." Then he realized what was wrong and wrapped his arms around her neck. He whispered to her. "Don't worry about me ma'm. No matter what, I'll always think of you as me first mum."
She smiled and ran her hands through his short messy hair. She pulled him toward her once more and held him tightly, holding back every tear she was about to let loose. "I will always love ya Toby darlin', even if you aren't mine." Mimi was standing there tapping her foot, for a mother who'd just reunited with her son, she seemed like she was in a pretty big rush to be leaving. Mrs. Lovett ignored this and figured she was just very excited.
Mrs. Lovett rose and let go of Toby. Mimi smiled and looked down at Toby. "Come on hun, go pack your things and we'll be off. I hope O can make you 'appy. A new home, tons of toys, a dog." Toby brightened up a bit more when he heard he had a dog waiting for him. He walked into his room, packed everything into a suitcase and walked back out to the women. "I'm so sorry about all of this, I was just so 'appy to be able to see him and take 'im home." Nellie nodded in an understanding way, though she refused to smile. She was losing the only person that really seemed to care about her anymore.
Toby accepted the hand Mimi offered to him but turned toward the baker quickly. "There's one thing that Pirelli taught me to do besides sell 'is elixer, and that was how to write. He taught me 'ow ta write so that there'd be advertisin'. I'll write to ya all of the time ma'm, all of the time." Mrs. Lovett smiled weakly and watched as Mimi took away the lad. She watched as the two disappeared from her view. She then retreated back into her shop and grabbed a glass and a bottle of gin. She sat down and thought on how Toby would always have a glass of gin before bed to help him sleep.
A few hours later, Sweeney came downstairs and saw that the pie shop was completely empty. Yes they'd both had the day off, but Mrs. Lovett was usually preparing pies for the next day now. He searched around for her and finally heard some noise coming from her bedroom. He knocked on the door and when he didn't get a response he quietly opened the door, he didn't know why, but he felt a twinge of pity when he saw her. She was sitting on her bed, her legs brought up to her chest, and her head in her folded arms, crying. He walked over to her slowly and sat down next to her. She lifted her head slowly and gasped when she saw him sitting next to her. "Oh Mr. T, I didn't see you there." She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just..." She took in a shaky breath and only ended up putting her forehead on his shoulder and getting his shoulder wet with her tears.
He frowed but instead of backing away and leaving her in her sadness he sat her up straight and waited. Once she calmed down he spoke. "Would you like to explain the water works my pet?" He suddenly realized that something was missing, it seemed that everytime the baker started to get like this the boy would come to her aid. "Where's the lad, where's Toby?"
Mrs. Lovett's eyes welled up with tears and Sweeney quickly grabbed some tissues and handed to her. She refused them and faced him. "A woman came by earlier, her name was Mimi. She, she was his real mother Mr. T. I mean, I loved Toby like he was me own son. I knew though, that if I kept 'im I'd being acting selfishly, and I'd be taking him from his real mother."
Sweeney placed one of his hands over hers comfortingly, he wasn't too good at this consoling thing, but it was worth a try at least. "I lost two people I was very close to, so I can understand how horrid you feel right now. Even though you may not know it, you probably helped both of them. That woman can have the son she had lost, and Toby can can have someone that can do things, that not even you could probably do for him."
She noddedly sadly then smiled at him a bit. "Mr. T, I know it can't be easy for you to console people since you've become like this. I want you to know that I appreciate it though, so thank you." She wrapped her arms around the barber and at first he sat there uncomfortably still, not knowing what to do. Then one of his hands slowly rubbed her back as a parents consoles a crying child, as his other hand held her head on his shoulder.
So I'll say it again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So, what will happen next? The part about Mimi being in a rush to leave kind of gave me an idea for chapter 3, what will happen? Will something happen to Toby? And what about Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett, is that ending a beginning to a Sweenett, or a simple moment of consolation? You tell me in your review what you want it to be, consoling or la-la-la-loooove. Peace until chapter 3.