Love At The Edge Of Your Blade

Chapter 7: Fancy Pants

      It can be a painful thing to watch. Seeing someone throw themselves at a man, only to have the ungrateful fool ignore every one of their efforts. However, Todd was no fool. He noticed how much Mrs. Lovette catered to him. How much she cared for him. Which made it more cruel when he brushed her off.

      "Nellie, slow down. You're going to wear yourself out, and it's not even noon." My pleas fell on deaf ears. Back and forth she shuffled from one side of the kitchen to the other. She had spent her last, getting ingredients to cook something more 'appropriate' for our new upstairs neighbor, after seeing his reaction to eating one of her pies. With her curls pulled back out of her face, she wiped the back of her tattered glove across her forehead. "I'm alright, luv. Just need a breath."

      All the charm in the world couldn't cover up what an ass he can be. He'd found her weakness and exploited it. "Why can't he come get his own damn food?" Mrs. Lovett gave me a conflicted look. We've had these small arguments for the past 2 days. For some reason, his mood seemed a bit more harsh than usual. She collected the fresh food onto a tray, trying to arrange it in a way that looked pleasing. As if he would care. He wouldn't even thank her most times.
      "Not today...please? He's been in a bad mood. Turpin hasn't come to-" After all these years, the sound of his name still made me cringe. He'd forgotten all about me. Instead, he's wrapped himself in caring for the youngest Barker. It sickened me, seeing that once frail baby, forced to grow under that bastard's close yet all-too-wandering eye. She really did look just like her mother.

      There was no convincing her to back off of Mr. Todd. So, I continued with my morning routine. Get dressed, make my own breakfast, then head out to my own shop. The only good thing I've seen about Mr. Todd moving in upstairs, is that we finally have more money coming in.
      As I began to make my way out of Mrs. Lovett's shop, a young man with blonde hair whizzed by me. In his excitement, he almost knocked me over, whispering out a fast apology without pause. Something about him didn't quite fit in here. His smile was too bright and hopeful. His coat was clean and stylish. I suppose I envied him. His spirit hadn't been crushed yet.

      One thing I didn't envy, was how much trouble Mrs. Lovett had to go to for supplies. In my line of work, needle and thread was easy to come by. And people always needed something tailored, altered, etc. Not twenty minutes after I opened the shop, the bell above the door jingled. In stepped a tall, flamboyant  looking man and a young boy. The boy, who appeared to be caked in dirt next to the spotless tall man, rushed up to me with a large bag in hand.

"Excuse me ma'am. Are you a tailor?"

"That's what the sign says out front, little man."

      The boy chuckled, earning a swift and sudden slap upside the head from the man he came with. My playful attitude was immediately soured. All the years I spent wishing Turpin would give me a child, and here this man was abusing the one he had. Although he looked nothing like him. Probably another crooked adoption.
    
       "Can I help you, sir?" I didn't even bother hiding the disapproval in my tone. The tall man lifted his hat slightly, then put it back in place. "Signor Pirelli." His accent was thick, but understandable. The way he spoke his 'R's' seemed to roll off the tongue. "I have a suit I was hoping you might be able to fix. I seem to have split the seams in the back of the pants." That's what happens when you buy pants too tight for your fat arse.

      "It happens quite a lot, actually." The young boy chimed in. Pirelli kept eye contact with me, but harshly stomped on the boy's foot in an attempt to silence him.

      Let me help this man and be done with it, before I rip that hat off his head and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. Although he looked like the type to believe that the sun shone right from his perk little backside, and we should all be basking in it's light. Too bad for him. The sun never shines here.

      "I can have that fixed up for you in 2 hours time." My teeth gritted, fighting the urge to break my customer service attitude. "Signor Pirelli, thank you for your business."
      His face contorted into a weaselly smile, dripping with bad intentions. "The pleasure is all mine, ma'am." His white gloved fingers snapped, and the boy placed the large bag he was carrying on top of the counter. Presumably, the man's suite.

       After the door closed behind them, I released a deep breath I didn't even realize I was holding in. How could someone take advantage of a child like that? Using them for labor, or in...his case, plotting even worse things. From my shop window I could see Pirelli and the boy make their way over to the pie shop. The boy stayed with Nellie, and Pirelli went upstairs with Mr. Todd. A tailored suit and a haircut? Maybe he's got a date. I shuddered at the thought that someone would actually want to be with that awful man. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he fancied men himself.

      An hour ticked by at a snail's pace, with only Pirelli's ripped pants to occupy me. I actually finished them faster than I had expected. Curiously, I peeked out of my shop window again. The boy was still sitting in the pie shop, scarfing down a pie as if he hadn't been fed in weeks. The poor boy had to be desperate to seem like he was actually enjoying that pie. Pirelli was nowhere to be seen. Was he still getting his hair cut? It wasn't like he had luscious locks, despite him peddling that hair growth elixir. Come to think of it, Mr. Todd's mood had only begun to get worse the days after he apparently humiliated Pirelli in town. Yet there Pirelli was, coming to his shop. Were they having a discussion up there? Perhaps a scuffle? If so, sorry to say the fancy man would have his perky ass handed to him. I would've loved to witness it.

       It was a slow day. No reason I couldn't uh, pop up at Nellie's and visit. Lord knows she isn't busy with customers either. Maybe she's in the mood to gossip.