Opinion. Nellie-centric. PG-13.

Nellie Lovett was not always a horrible baker. She was a respectable banker when she was 25, thanks to her father who owned the well-respected bank. That was where she first saw Benjamin Barker, the most beautiful thing in her life.

The two talked occasionally when he came in with his wife, whom she liked very much. She was a nice woman, Lucy Barker was, and pretty, too. Benjamin always held the baby as Lucy walked with her head held up high towards the counter. Nellie had become her favorite banker, according to the fellow members of the bank.

But Judge Turbin had also taken a liking to Nellie, and she knew it was because of Lucy. He always came in after the Barkers and always watched them leave before approaching Nellie with his earnings. Lucy obviously knew about this as she complained about it when Benjamin was not with her, which was rare.

“That judge is barking mad, I tell you.”, she would always say as she got into her purse. She ranted on and on about him until Nellie alerted her of Benjamin’s approach. She and Lucy had a sort of bond, most likely because Lucy knew Nellie wouldn’t tell a soul.

Back then, Nellie had hair that was a brown color with red in it and she kept it rather short. It was exotic, and completely natural. Lucy always complimented her on it, and Benjamin often stared at its beauty. Nellie allowed Johanna to touch it once. Benjamin laughed when Johanna tugged on her hair and pulled a few strands out, as did Nellie and Lucy after a few seconds.

Nellie laughed. Always. Every day and every night she laughed. She laughed at the courtyard jesters and the men who’d come in with their wives and share funny occurrences that had happened. Nellie loved laughter and stood by the claim that it was the best medicine for any curable disease.

August 30th, that was the last date Nellie saw the Barkers at the bank. She saw Judge Turbin on a regular basis; every Tuesday at 3:26 P.M. September 2nd was the day she was fired on order of Judge Turbin for some nonsense. She didn’t care one bit. Her father had long since died and the Judge basically owned the place.

She decided to stop by the Barkers to see if she could get some work there, only to be surprised by Lucy on the steps, crying. Mortified, Nellie listened to the horrible events that had happened the day before. She comforted Lucy for hours.

But that was many years ago and Nellie couldn’t remember all the details but she remembered her feelings. She felt betrayed when Lucy poisoned herself to save her daughter from the whorehouses, sick when she saw her closest friend working as a beggar on the streets, and lonely when she had bought the house.

She hadn’t laughed in 15 years. She felt empty, cold, lonely, and dead.

And after 15 years, here in her living room, stood Benjamin Barker, now known as Sweeney Todd. She wanted to scream out everything that happened. She wanted to ask if he remembered who he was. But she knew he had more important matters to deal with than meeting with an old friend.

Nellie wanted to laugh when she told him Lucy had poisoned herself. It was crude, but she still wanted to do it. Such a proper lady becoming a mere beggar on the street ignored by passer-bys.

Irony is a funny thing, in Nellie’s opinion. But, like they should be, Nellie’s opinion was kept to herself.