Chapter 3

The next morning Mrs. Lovett was up bright and early as always. She didn't partially like being up early to start making the pies, but the rest of the day needed to be open to attend to the hungry customers. The shop wasn't meant to be open at this point in the morning, but she hadn't bothered to switch the sign to closed last night, so it still read "open"

Mrs. Lovett didn't even look up from the dough she was pounding on until she saw the shadow of the person who had very quietly slipped into the shop pass over her.

Ignoring the fact that the shop wasn't meant to be open yet, the baker perked up.

"A customer!" She smiled to the young woman standing at the door with a little girl at her side. "Ello love, wot can I do fer yah?" She asked, looking back down at the white blob she was working on. Normally she would have told the person to go back, that the sign was a mistake, that the shop wasn't open, but she had finished making most of the pies early this morning, and boredom was beginning to bite at her sides, so why not entertain just one ambitious customer?

For several seconds the person in the shop said nothing, so Mrs. Lovett looked up again. She was a little confused by the look on the women's face. The women standing in her shop, still silent, was probably around thirty years old with long, straight black hair that flowed down her back very gracefully. Her big brown eyes were full of wonder, and staring strangely at Mrs. Lovett.

"Mrs. Lovett?" Finally came the voice of the women.

Mrs. Lovett sighed and displayed a puzzled look. "Yes?" She asked, shrugging.

The women waked quickly closer to the counter, a spring in her step. Mrs. Lovett, still confused, stepped back.

"Oh, I suppose you don' remember me," said the women, smiling large.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head, just about to call down Sweeney to ask the women for a shave (well, it was worth a shot).

"Well, no. I suppose not. Its been, wot? 12 or 13 years? Goodness, it all seems so long ago.." The women continued as she took a step back to show Mrs. Lovett that she really wasn't trying to offend her.

The women looked at the baker deep in the eyes, trying to make her see who she was without really bringing up her name. The little girl at her side, about 5 or 6, with the same long perfectly straight black hair tied up in a bun on her head, just remained silent.

"Nellie? Come on now. You really don' remember?"

Mrs. Lovett walked back to her counter, searching her mind desperately for the familiarity of the women's face; not to mention whoever this was knew her name. Mrs. Lovett figured she must have known this girl in her past.

Finally, the name came to her and her face lit up with realization. She saw the younger face of the women; the one that she had met over 12 years ago. Sitting next to an older women, looking tiered and worn out. Now it was so bright, so radiant. No wonder she didn't recognize it.

"Juliet?" The baker asked.

The young women's face lit up and she nodded. Mrs. Lovett flung herself around the counter and wrapped the girl in a hug. "Oh, Nellie. I was hoping this was you! I saw the shop and recognized the name! I hoped it was you but I wasn't sure until I saw your face! My goodness!" Juliet said fast, energy in her voice and squeezing Mrs. Lovett a little too tight.

"Oh, how nice to see you!" Mrs. Lovett responded. "How nice to see you so grown up and well!" She added, releasing the hug and holding onto Juliet's shoulders as she looked her over. All grown, but still holding her childish smile and eyes that had always made Mrs. Lovett smile in the workhouse…

It took seconds for her to realize it, but a part of her past which she had tried to forget was suddenly thrown back at her. There was nothing she could do but let everything just flood back as such an important image of that time in her life was standing so near to her. Mrs. Lovett struggled to appear that her world hadn't not just been practically rocked off its orbit and kneeled down to the little girl standing next to Juliet. "And 'ho is this?" She asked.

The young girl grabbed Juliet's dress and buried her face in it, hiding from Mrs. Lovett. Juliet giggled at the child's reaction. "Madelyn, dearie. Now come on out, Nellie's just an old friend," She looked up with a smile and swooped up the child in her arms. The girl continued to hide her face from Mrs. Lovett, now burring it in Juliet's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Madelyn."

Now that Mrs. Lovett was sure who the little girl was, it was easy to see that Madelyn was Juliet's own daughter. They had the same straight and shiny black hair, the same narrow face and big eyes, and the same slender body. The only thing that seemed to be different was the way that the little girl hid from the baker, when Juliet, as a child, was so eager to make friends with her.

Mrs. Lovett's face lit up. "You're daughter?" She exclaimed. "Well, how wonderful. She's so sweet,"

Juliet laughed. "Usually! She's a little shy today. Don' mind her, though,"

Mrs. Lovett smiled back. "Its' fine."

Both of the women proceeded to sit in the booth that occupied the pie shop, Madelyn still in her mum's arms.

Juliet sighed, "I know you used to tell me that Ben wasn't much of a talker either."

The words hit Mrs. Lovett abruptly, like a sudden gust of wind. She had little time to struggle to mask the sudden reference to a boy tucked so deeply in her memories. Her face displayed sorrow, but not her true bitter thoughts.

Why must you bring this up?

Juliet noticed her old friends sudden reaction and followed up with an abrupt apology. "Oh, Nellie, I'm sorry. I… I… You know its just… after all these years I never forgot you… never forgot anything about you apparently… and I don't know its just… I'm sorry for bringing this up. Shall we talk about something else?"

Mrs. Lovett's eyes had become glued to the ground. Pressing her lips together she took a deep breath in and nodded.

"So… Its good to see you grown up and doing so well," Mrs. Lovett repeated, ignoring the head ache that was coming on. "Good to know you finally could get yahr self out of that awful place," She added, obviously referring to the workhouse.

"Well I didn't earn my way out, that's for certain," Juliet said, rubbing a hand in the small of Madelyn's back.

Mrs. Lovett displayed a confused look, asking with her eyes for the girl to continue with her story.

"About two and a half years after you left, the whole place burnt to the ground. We were all dropped out on the street. Most people were recruited to a new workhouse. I didn't go though. Although both of my parents were gone, I was lucky. I managed to get a job that paid enough for weekly food and a place to sleep. I guess you could say I owe the place for my husband too. I met Tim one day while working. It was love at first sight, I suppose you could say,"Juliet finished with removing the young girl from her shoulder and setting her small body on her knee. "Anyway, Madelyn was born about six years ago and that's just about all the major things that happened my life the last few years," She said with a smile. Juliet was always the one to tell long stories with nothing but a breath. But she was also the one to always want a story so… "What about you Nellie?"

As if cued by an unseen director, Toby came walking through the threshold that lead to the parlor. "Mum, I didn't think we had opened up shop yet," He said walking over to the women at the booth.

"Mum?" Juliet murmured just loud enough for Mrs. Lovett to hear.

"Yes, I know deary. Juliet is an old friend. And Madelyn is her daughter. Say hello to them, eh?"

Toby waved to the two sitting across from his mum in the booth.

"This is Toby, Juliet. And this is Juliet, Toby," Mrs. Lovett introduced them all.

"Pleasure," Toby said politely with the shake of their hands.

"Sure thing," Juliet responded, "Say hello, love," She added, talking to the little girl on her knee. Madelyn shook her head and hid her face in Juliet's dress again. "Shy thing," She said to Toby. Toby smiled back and nodded.

"Uh, Toby dear, why don't you go finish cleaning the table outside for me, love," Mrs. Lovett suggested, wanting to explain it all to Juliet before she let her imagination do so for her.

Toby wrinkled his nose and was about to complain like any teenager, but nodded instead and smiled. "Yes mum," And he left the room after grabbing the rag off of the counter.

"Mum?" Juliet asked again, confirming what Mrs. Lovett knew she was thinking.

"Oh, picked poor Toby 'ere off the streets 'bout a month ago, poor thing. Don't think he ever had a mother. Figured, why not be such a figure to him?" Mrs. Lovett explained.

Juliet only responded with a nod of her head, wondering if what her friend was saying could honestly be the truth.

The girls talked for hours before Juliet announced that she was to put Madelyn down for a nap, although promising to be back for a pie before the week was out.

And as she walked out the door Mrs. Lovett found herself wondering…

This was the second time in such a short time that her past that she tried so hard to forget was thrown at her. Once by an old friend, and the other, well by herself. She couldn't help but wonder about the significance. And she couldn't help but know in the back of her mind, that this was all just the beginning.