Mr. Peabody stepped inside his penthouse. As he went in, he said, "Here we are."
Standing behind him was a thirteen year-old girl. She was dressed in a black hoodie with faded blue jeans. Her black hair was down and had become slightly messy from the wind that blew outside. She said nothing as looked down at the floor, not paying much attention to her surroundings. She said nothing and stood in one spot close to the entrance.
The canine motioned her to come further inside the apartment. "Come in! Make yourself at home!" He smiled at her. She didn't smile back, but she stepped inside the room further.
"Well, now that we're here, why don't I give you a tour of the home? You can go in any room you want except for my room, of course."
Finally, they came to the last room. As Mr. Peabody opened the door, he said, "And this is your room. I hope you like it." It was spacious for a teenager's bedroom. There was a queen-sized bed with the headboard against the wall to their right. It was neatly made, with three purple pillows against the headboard and a purple comforter covering the bed. There were two sleek, black nightstands on both sides of the bed, with a lamp on the right one. To the right of the door was a big, red dresser, and to the left of the door was a huge closet. A big, wooden vanity with a circular mirror attached stood a few feet from the foot of the bed, and a bunch of wide shelves were attached to the wall of the left of the room. There was a window that took up almost the whole wall that was across from Mr. Peabody and Josephine.
Josephine didn't show any emotion, but she stated, quietly, "It's nice."
At this, Mr. Peabody beamed. "I'm so glad you think so! Now, make yourself comfortable while I make us some lunch. What would you like?"
"Anything is fine."
"You must have a favorite food. I'm a great chef, if I do say so, myself. I can cook anything."
"Whatever you have is okay."
"Alright. How about some spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread and salad, and for dessert, Baked Alaska?"
"That sounds okay."
"Wonderful! Why don't you make yourself at home while I get started?"
Josephine went to the living room and sat on the couch. Mr. Peabody called from the kitchen, "If you want to, you can watch television. The remote is on the coffee table."
Later, Mr. Peabody came walked into the living room. "Dinner is ready." He frowned, slightly, when he saw the teenage girl looking down at the floor, arms crossed. The TV was off. She hadn't touched the remote. She hadn't touched anything. She got up and followed him to the dining room, where food was set out on the table. "Help yourself," he said.
Josephine carefully dished out a little spaghetti and a small amount of salad and a piece of garlic bread. Once she served herself, Mr. Peabody dished out food for himself. They were quiet for a few moments until Mr. Peabody attempted to make conversation. Josephine mostly responded with one-word sentences or nodded or shook her head. When she finished the food on her plate, Mr. Peabody asked, "Would you like some more?"
"No, thank you," she replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay. The Baked Alaska will be done in a little while. You can go back to the living room, if you want to, while I do the dishes in the dishwasher. It won't take me very long."
Josephine left the room and went back to the living room and sat on the couch again. After doing the dishes, Mr. Peabody came into the living room. He sat in a chair and said, "We've had a big day."
"Yeah."
"I'm so happy you're here! It feels like I've been waiting for ages for you! If there's anything you need, you can ask me. I'll do my best to accommodate you."
"Okay."
Mr. Peabody talked a great length, pausing often to give his foster daughter chances to speak, but she barely said anything. After a while, he got up and said, "I think the dessert is ready."
He got up and went into the kitchen and asked, "How many pieces do you want?"
"One. A small one, please."
Josephine sat down at the table, and Mr. Peabody handed a plate with a piece of Baked Alaska on it. Then he set his plate down at his place at the table, and sat down. They ate while Mr. Peabody talked some more, encouraging her to talk, as well, but he didn't try to force her to.
Later, after they were finished eating, Mr. Peabody asked, "How was it?"
"It was good. Thank you."
She turned and sat on the couch in the living room once again while Mr. Peabody sat in a chair. He talked more, and then, he turned on the TV. He handed her the remote. "We can watch anything you like, as long as it's appropriate."
Josephine slowly took the remote and flipped through the channels until she stopped at one of the news channels. She set the remote back on the coffee table. "The news? Alright," Mr. Peabody said. When commercials came on, he would try to discuss what had been shown, throwing in random facts about each country here and there. The thirteen year-old seemed to not pay much attention but did nod from time to time.
Later, Mr. Peabody stood up and yawned. "I think it's time for bed. We have a big day tomorrow. Would you like to go shopping? I know you would like some new clothing and things for your room. We can spend the whole day together. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
"I guess," Josephine replied, quickly.
"Good! Well, good night. I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well." He smiled at her, but she simply walked past him and went into her room.
Mr. Peabody sighed. He knew fostering a teenager wasn't going to be easy, but with all that he had accomplished in his life so far, he was sure he would be a good parent. He just had to give her time to warm up to him. He wasn't going to rush her.
After looking at Josephine's bedroom door for a few moments, Mr. Peabody walked into his room to go to sleep.