The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven Chapter 20

Alone, I wandered over to the bakery at the end of the street. Teddy was busy at the bustling grocery
store, which allowed me to escape from him for a little while to explore the village belonging to him.
Steps away, I could already detect the scent of freshly baked bread. In the late afternoon it was a
welcoming aroma, which filled me with anticipation for the rest of the night I would spend with Teddy.

I swung the glass door wide open, startled to find that I was the only customer inside the store. An
elderly lady with dark coloured skin and incredibly short curly hair was quick to greet me. She was
absolutely enthralled that a customer had finally stepped through her door. She immediately went
around the wide counter, letting her hand slide over the glass case to bring herself closer to me. “Good
afternoon!” the lady greeted me with a faint Jamaican accent. “My name is Marjorie. Pleasure to meet
you. Now, how can I help you?”

“I was looking for a small cake. Perhaps, a dessert,” I quietly answered her.

“You’ve come to the right place. Come right this way!” she encouraged me, while waving out her hand.
“We have Morning Glory coffee cake, caramelized apple loaves, chocolate banana cake, and a whole
selection of fruit cheesecakes.” Marjorie motioned me forward to take a look through the glass. “A light
velvety chocolate chiffon cake, with trimmings of Belgian chocolate. Perfect for anyone with a sweet
tooth. If you want something plain then we have vanilla cake, or perhaps a simple carrot cake.”

“That sounds good!” I exclaimed, for it was my favourite flavour when eating pastries.

“Oh! But we have more too!” she shouted out. “Look! Red velvet, white pearl, toffee, and then we have
our pies. Peach! Strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, and then…”

“I think Teddy would like something simple.”

“Teddy?” she laughed. “Is that the name of your son?”



“No, he is a friend,” I breathed out quickly. “Well, my boyfriend actually.”

“A nickname then? Oh! How adorable.” Marjorie’s smile was broad and well set upon her plump looking
face. “Lovely. To give a name like that to your boyfriend.”

“He uses that name all the time,” I confessed. My finger pointed at the crumbled apple pie with creamy
custard and raisins inside of it. “He will like that one,” I said with utter certainty.

“He goes by that name all the time?” she asked with surprise. Marjorie went around the corner to
retrieve the selected item right away. “A grown man too.” She furrowed her eyebrows in a curious way.
“I assume he is about your age.”

“No, Teddy is a little older than me.”

“A strange name,” she remarked with the corners of her eyebrows now quirking upwards. She was so
puzzled by this situation that she forgot to pull out the pie. It was just then the door to the shop flew
open and I heard the familiar tread of Teddy’s soft footsteps.

“Sela? You are still here,” he called out in a voice that rang with pleasure.

“Hello, Teddy.” I reached out for his arm, desiring him to stand close beside me. “We were just talking
about you.” His face darkened substantially. “About your name,” I quickly explained. “Teddy.”

Marjorie was quick to intrude into our conversation. “I thought it was a cute sounding name!” she piped
up. “Especially for a little boy.” She smiled at him agreeably, but Teddy could not reciprocate her
feelings. “A nice pet name,” she added. “If I ever have another dog, I will give him that name.”

“Thank you,” he coldly replied, in a vain effort to hide his annoyance.

“I will just set your pie in a box, and then you can be on your way.” She turned around to retrieve the
said item.



Teddy immediately looked down at me from his long prominent nose. “What did she tell you?” he
demanded.

“We only talked about your name, that’s all.”

His jaw constricted, and a flare of anger flashed through his eyes. “What name?” he demanded with a
true fierceness to his voice.

“Teddy, what’s wrong?” I accosted him, as the other lady returned to the room. “What did I say?”

He became cold and rigid beside me, which only aggravated me further.

My voice was raised with frustration as I added, “I only told her your name was Teddy! Not your full
name! Not Theodore Woven.”

“Don’t!” he screamed out, but it was too late. He immediately unlatched his arm from mine and stormed
out of the bakery as fast as he could.

My eyes widened in pure horror, for he never behaved this way around me. I could see his tall figure
walking far away from the bakery and heading into the parking lot, without ever looking back at me.

“Theodore Woven,” Marjorie uttered with all astonishment. “In here? Well, good heavens.” She drew
her hand up to cross herself, signaling a holy gesture that revealed her utter fear of this man that had
just stepped into her shop. “You aren’t truly with him? Are you?”

I never answered her, for I was too dejected to even voice my thoughts aloud. A stack of bills was
tossed over the counter-top, and with a small thanks, I picked up the heavy box of apple pie that was
intended to go with our dinner for tonight. Needless to say I stormed out of there as fast as I could,
probably from embarrassment and a sick overwhelming sense of shame. Perhaps, everyone was right
all along. The world would have been better if I simply left Teddy Woven alone.



I stepped upon the sidewalk, combing back my hair with the tips of my fingers. I was upset to say the
least, for I feared that this was all my fault. For some reason I keep saying the wrong things today,
things that would only upset him. Perhaps, if I knew more about his past, I would not so easily step on
his toes. The fact of the matter is that I did not want to hurt him, and yet, I continually find myself doing
so.

Slowly I strode over the stark white sidewalk, looking over the tops of various cars in the parking lot to
find the one belonging to Teddy. His car was easy to point out because it was so old, and the matte
navy-blue shade was most peculiar in comparison to other modern day cars. The parking lot was full,
mostly because people were going into shops last minute or lining outside of local restaurants to
celebrate Saturday night. A long sigh escaped me, for my emotions were getting the better of me.
Perhaps, I was a fool to entertain a romantic relationship with Teddy. Without knowing about his past, it
would be impossible for us to continue this relationship further.

His head suddenly came into view, once he stepped out of his car doorway. I could hear the loud
slamming of his door even from a distance. He rubbed his hand over the hood of his car profusely, as if
he was trying to suppress his emotions before making his way over to me.

I leaned against a brick wall, not wanting to go Teddy when he was in a temperamental mood. When he
was ready he would come to me, so I pressed the heavy box of pie against my stomach and let the lids
of my eyes gradually close. The wind was faint against the side of my face; the ends of my hair
brushed upwards to the side of my neck and cheek. I could hear the roaring of car engines and the
sounds of laughter from the people enjoying their meals on the outdoor patios. The sound of Teddy’s
footsteps appeared; that light patter with the faint scraping of his expensive leather brogues against the
hard pavement. Once that distinguishable sound stopped I opened my eyes, and there he was, staring
down at me with an apologetic look.

“None of this is your fault.”



“Yes, I know that,” I scolded him quite sharply.

A quirk of his right eyebrow rose upwards, for he was not used to seeing me in such an angry state. He
licked his top lip quickly while lowering his handsome head. “Look, I am sorry.” He raised a hand to rest
over my right shoulder, feeling the thin fabric of my sunny yellow dress. “I should have told you before
to never mention my name aloud. At least, not here.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell you,” he sighed. Teddy looked over his shoulders as he heard a group of men walking down
the sidewalk, more rowdy than most people as they headed to a tavern. “Not here,” he emphasized,
after he raised his chin to finally look at me. “In the car.”

The box of pie was thrust into the center of his chest. “Here,” I rapped out with a deathly stare about
me.

“I am sorry,” he meekly relayed, since he knew I was more than upset with him right now. “Let’s go.”

His left hand fell over mine gently; he interlaced our fingers together before giving it an affectionate
squeeze. I followed him willingly, bringing my body close to his own before we entered the busy parking
lot.

Was I a fool to be so in love with him, I wondered, to allow myself to feel this way? There was a
suddenness to this all; the way I felt about him was new and strange. I could feel his careful gaze upon
my side profile, fraught with worry that he should lose me after all. If I was smart, I would heed others’
advice about him, remember the red-flags that earnestly warned me to stay away from him. Someone
with that many secrets could never give their whole life to me - their whole heart. Still, I had the
strangest inclination that Teddy needed me far more than I ever could. I was his lifeline, that grain of
sanity that he needed for his own well-being. I was his calming classical music, the never-ending
silence of his house, the peaceful lapses of the ocean on a cool spring day. I was his inspiration and his



passion, an innocent flower that bloomed in all its joy. When I finally turned my head to look in his
direction, catching that earnest look in his eyes, I began to realize that I was something he dearly
needed. He was attracted to me from the start because of my pure, innocent nature. I was something
untainted by the world, like the flowers that he cared for about his house. If he represented all that was
darkness, then surely I represented all that was light.

“Sela, I am sorry for what I did back there,” he uttered in a broken voice, after we reached his car. “If
you want me to take you back home…” He lowered his chin a margin, so he could no longer look me in
the eyes. “I understand.”

“Why can’t I say your real name, Teddy?”

“Because of the history my family has here,” he articulated in a sorrowful way. “But I don’t want to get
into details.”

“History?” I breathed out sharply. “What kind of history? That woman back there, Marjory, she had
nothing but fear in her eyes when she found out your name. Teddy, what could your family have
possibly ever done?”

“Terrible things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he hushed. He turned his head to the left, gazing upon the full parking lot
with uneasiness.

I laid a hand over the top of his chest, rubbing it softly to gather his attention. “Alright, you said enough
for now. I promise to not mention your name in public if we ever come down here again.” My hand
moved upwards to tug at the end of his bow-tie. “You got all dressed up for me tonight?”



“Is it too much?”

“No, you look quite handsome,” I assured him.

“And you look quite beautiful,” he said without hesitation. “I like the lipstick you put on tonight. A light
peach shade. I will remember that for the next time I draw your portrait. The one I gave you will be just
one of many.”

My cheeks were turning a shade of rosy pink, as I did my best not to touch my lips with the tips of my
fingers. “Oh?”

“A bit of a distraction,” he pondered aloud. “Your lips.”

I offered him a cheeky grin, since I was not used to hearing such flattery from him.

His voice was levelled when he asked: “Should we go inside now?”

“Yes, of course,” I piped up. We were both in better spirits, so it felt right that we should return back to
his place. “What did you pick up for dinner? Is it still a surprise?”

Teddy never answered me until we sat inside of his car. He turned on the engine by twisting his key in
the ignition, and then I watched him put on his seatbelt. “I decided on grilled lamb chops!” he said with
glee. “Mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and I even picked up a bag of espresso. I intend to make
you a nice cup of coffee for tonight.”

“To go with our dessert?”

“Yes, my dear.” Teddy wore a broad smile now, which created small crinkles around the corners of his
dark eyes. He reversed out of the parking spot with certain ease, and was now finding a way out of the
packed parking lot to get back to the main road.



“Do you ever drink?” I prompted up, after I caught sight of the busy patio outside of a two-story tavern.

“No.”

“I do, but it’s mainly on social occasions. I grew up in a household that was incredibly religious, so I
never really had a taste of it until I was older.” I turned in my seat to face Teddy. “How come you don’t
drink?”

“Bad encounters when I was a child,” was all that he revealed to me. His right hand clenched over the
steering wheel, which immediately gave me some level of concern.

“I don’t understand. You drank as a child?”

A false smile spread over his handsome face. “No, Sela.”

“Then the experience-”

“-can we please not talk about that now?” he bellowed out with a great burst of anger. “I have to
concentrate on the road.”

I bit down on my lip, realizing I had made another error. Perhaps, I was too curious for my own good. If
our relationship should ever crumble, I was certain my insatiable curiosity would be the cause of it.

The car inclined upwards, carving down the winding road at a brisk speed. The sunlight was wavering
over the horizon; the blue sky lacked its lustre and now a flavescent lighting peaked over the top of the
hill in a last effort to spread its light. Soft piano music came through the speakers; the tune was filled
with melancholy to fit Teddy’s sullen mood. I stretched out a hand and rested it over his top left thigh. “I
don’t mean to be so daft,” I entreated, which made him tilt his head in my direction. “Sorry, I
overstepped another boundary again.”



“There is no boundary,” he assured me with his posh British accent, which denoted his high status and
upbringing he must have acquired under his guardian. “I don’t drink alcohol because it reminds me of
my father.”

“He drank a lot?”

“That is an understatement,” he assured me. “But I would like to change the topic.”

“Okay, Ted.” He laughed at his new nickname, and then I knew for sure that everything was right
between us.


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