Chapter 2
Disclaimers:
English is not my first language, so be kind about my grammar and choice of word.
Rated M because depictions of murder and sexual activities.
Constructive criticism is welcome.
Enjoy :)
Sweeney woke up. Panicked. Looking around, feeling like he was still dreaming. He sat up on the edge of the bed, grunting and hyperventilating, not understanding where he was. Then it hit him. He was finally home. His breathing slowed and he became calm.
He sat there for a while. Remembering everything from the day before, having to take it in once again. The morning sun had started its daily travel across the sky. Sweeney got up and walked down the stairs. It already smelled like pies were baking in the oven, and he could hear Mrs Lovett´s voice.
"Oh, thank you sweetheart, that is very kind of you." She said. Sweeney peeked into the shop, seeing Mrs Lovett with a small boy. "Here you go Toby.." she said and paid him. They stood there for a second as Toby let the money drop into his pocket. "Now of with you." She said in a harsh, but mild tone.
"I was wondering Mrs Lovett… If I could have a piece of pie?" He asked. Mrs Lovett crossed her arms and looked concerned. "Does Mr. Pirelli not feed you well?" She asked concerned. "He gives me all that he can. But some nights we go hungry." Toby asked, and begged her with his eyes.
"Okay, one piece." She said and turned around to reach a pie, her eye catching Sweeney. "Well, good morning Mr. T, fancy a piece of pie?" She asked. He wasn´t to fond of her pies, but he was actually really hungry. "Good morning. Yes, please." He answered and stepped into the room.
He nooded politely to say hello to Toby, and then sat down. "There you go Toby" Mrs. Lovett said and placed a piece of pie in front of the little boy who ate it like he hadn't had food for weeks. "And a piece for you." she continued as she placed a piece in front of Sweeney. She sat down opposite him and looked at Toby with a small smile.
Suddenly the door flew opened and an angry voice broke the silence. "What is taking so long!" The voice seemed familiar, but something was different. It had a thick fake Italian accent. Mrs Lovett jumped up and walked in between Toby and the angry man. "Mr Pirelli, I was just feeding Toby a piece of pie. "
Mr Pirelli had yet to discover Sweeney in the corner of the shop. Sweeney wondered, the man was nicely dressed, and though skinny, he was not underfeed. He didn´t look like a man who couldn't afford to feed the small boy. He seemed more like a greedy man who saved where he could, even it would harm a small child.
Pirelli looked over Mrs Lovett and down at the small frightened boy. "We have work to do. Get out of here!" He yelled, and Toby ran out of the store. "I´m sorry Pirelli, he was so hungry, I couldn't help myself. " Mrs Lovett apologized as the tall Pirelli angrily walked towards her. "He is my boy. This will not happen again. Mark my words." He said and clenched his fists.
Mrs Lovett seemed frightened, it made Sweeney so angry. "Enough!" Sweeney said and got up from his seat. It startled Pirelli who hadn't noticed the man in the corner of the shop. Sweeny walked in front of Mrs Lovett, standing right in the face of Pirelli. "Get out of here." Sweeney said.
Pirelli looked him up and down, like he was realizing something. Sweeney didn´t have any patience and grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him even closer. "Get out I said! Out!" he yelled and pushed the man backwards. Pirelli almost fell, but kept his balance. "I´m not finished with you two!" He said and left the store.
"Oh, thank you Mr. T." Mrs Lovett said, faint and out of breath. "Who was that?" Sweeney asked. "It was Pirelli. He calls himself a barber, but he makes all his money on his miracle elixir. It´s a scam, really." Sweeney furrowed his brows and looked down. "A scam?" He said puzzled.
"Don´t you worry about it. We need to go on with our day." Mrs Lovett said and gestured towards the seat in the corner. "Eat up." she said and smiled. He sat down and started eating, as he watched Mrs Lovett knead the dough for her pies. She had strong firm hands, not necessarily feminine, but still enchanting somehow.
After breakfast, Sweeney returned upstairs. He sat on the bed, thinking, mourning and trying to understanding everything, though it was a hard task. Hours had passed when Mrs Lovett knocked on his door. "Come in." He said, not moving anything but his mouth.
"Sorry, I didn´t intend to disturb you. I just thought I would do some cleaning… it´s rather dusty in here…" she said and looked around. He didn´t answer, as she ran her fingers over the table, and saw a line formed in the dust. "But, I can do that later of course…" she said and walked towards the door.
"Wait…" he said and stood up, as the bed under him creaked from the weight being lifted from it. "You can clean. I think I´ll go for a walk." He walked towards the door slowly without looking back. "Excellent idea." Mrs Lovett said and nodded.
Sweeney walked through the once familiar streets, but after 15 years a lot had changed. The faces weren't familiar, shops had closed and been replaced, even the stones he walked on had been evened out. He wandered around, trying to find something he didn´t himself know what was.
Suddenly he heard an angry voice that seemed to bear some familiarity. "I told you to do anything to sell it to him. We need the money you fool." The husk voice said. Sweeney stopped and looked down a small alley filled with trash.
There he saw Pirelli and Toby. "But he was such a nice man. I do not like to lie. Especially when they are nice to me Mr. Pirelli." Toby said. "Rich people are never nice. They are cunning." Pirelli answered and smacked the boy in the face.
"Mr. Pirelli!" Sweeney said with his tenor voice and walked into the ally. Pirelli looked up and recognized Sweeney again. "Don´t disturb me." Pirelli said and turned towards the crying boy. "Leave the boy alone. He is just a child." Sweeney said.
"Excuse me?" Pirelli said and turned around to face Sweeney. "Do not play with fire." Pirelli continued and puffed up his chest. "What are you gonna do?" Sweeney said and smirked. He was not afraid of Pirelli´s weak physique. "Don´t you remember me? Benjamin…" Pirelli said in a laugh.
The name Benjamin ran cold down Sweeney´s spine. How could Pirelli know? Sweeney studied him for almost a minute. Tried to decode the mystery. And then it clicked. "Daniel? Daniel O´Higgins?" Pirelli nodded with a smirk. Daniel had been Sweeney´s apprentice in the old days.
"What are you going to do?" Sweeney said, trying to mask the fear and panic in his voice. "If you do not leave me alone, I will expose the truth to everyone." Pirelli said with a laugh. Sweeney looked pained at the small boy and stepped out of the alley. He walked directly home in a fast pace.
He walked through the door, instantly seeing Mrs Lovett in the kitchen filling her pies. "What´s wrong Mr. T?" she asked concerned. "Mr. Pirelli recognized me." He said, in a distant voice. "Oh, that´s no good…" Mrs Lovett answered.
"I just have to stay out of his way, then he promised not to share his information." He said defeated. "And you trust him not to?" Mrs Lovett asked concerned. "What other choice do I have?"