Sherman had set his alarm especially early for that special day. It was 7AM and he started to clean up his room, not even thinking about breakfast. He made sure none of his clothes were lying around randomly and that none of the minerals from his collection were scattered about. He organized all his books neatly as well as all the stuff on his desk. He then started to make his bed. Everything had to be perfect.
That wasn't too hard. It was easy! I'm not messy anyway. I'm missing something though, but I don't know what it is.
Sherman then took out a piece of paper and a pen. He had to write the poem. He didn't know how to begin but as soon as he thought about her, inspiration came to him and the words simply flowed onto the paper.
Should I give it to her for her to read when she arrives or should I give it to her when she's about to leave?
"Sherman! Breakfast's ready!" Mr. Peabody called.
Not hearing a response, he knocked, "Sherman?"
Opening the door and finding the room completely tidied up, Mr. Peabody just smiled and thought to himself.
Ah, the things a boy would do for a girl he likes. If only it was always this easy to get him to do his chores.
"What do you have there, Sherman?" he asked, "Are you writing her the letter?"
"Yes, Mr. Peabody! I'm done actually. I just don't know when to give it to her. Any ideas? I was thinking I could give it to her when she leaves or hide it in her bag. Too bad she can't stay too long."
"Yes, I think you should do that. Put it in her bag just before she leaves. She won't be leaving until tomorrow. Her parents called last night, while you were asleep, saying that she could sleep over here," said Peabody happily, already seeing the joy on the boy's face, "But for now, let's have some breakfast."
But as he was walking out the door, almost forgetting about the surprise he had prepared with Penny's parents, Mr. Peabody stopped, "Wait a second, Sherman. I think you should go wash up first. I'll meet you at the table."
"Oh, ok, Mr. Peabody. But why?"
"Just do as I say Sherman."
Having brushed his teeth, washed his face and fixed his hair, Sherman exited the bathroom and headed for the door of his room, excited for breakfast and the potential surprise that Mr. Peabody seemed to be hiding. He wasn't expecting to see Penny waiting patiently and smiling at him as he opened the door. He jumped back a little but, once he had regained his senses, took the girl in his arms and hugged her tightly.
She hugged him back and said in her sweetest voice, "Good morning, Sherman."
Completely disarmed and weakened by her voice, Sherman just kept hugging her. Mr. Peabody could do nothing but watch. He thought to himself, confused.
Should I let them do this? I need to speak with her parents. They seem extremely happy together though. Is this young love to be encouraged? They haven't even said that they like each other but it's pretty obvious. Nobody would want to ruin something like this. Only someone with a heart of pure stone would do that. Still, it doesn't seem right at this age. I must consult her parents.
After a minute's pondering, Mr. Peabody finally decided that they had hugged quite enough for the moment and called them to the table. He had prepared some waffles for breakfast that day which made the children even happier.
"I love these waffles!" exclaimed Penny, "Thanks, Mr. Peabody!"
"You're welcome Ms. Peterson. So what do you two have planned for today?"
Penny had no idea so she looked to Sherman.
"We don't really know. A movie maybe?" Sherman suggested.
"Alright, Sherman, you've got a lot of movies. Just choose one," said the dog.
Curious, Sherman asked Penny, "What time did you arrive this morning, Penny?"
"Oh, about 8. I arrived just before Mr. Peabody called you for breakfast. He said you would be washing up so I went in front of your door to wait for you," she said, again with her sweet voice.
Sherman felt like his heart was melting every time he heard her speak like that. It didn't help that he found her extremely pretty. Whenever he looked at her, he felt weak but extremely elated. Mr. Peabody could see it. But it was such an innocent thing so he didn't stop him.
After they had finished breakfast, Sherman and Penny helped the dog clean up a little. When that was all done, they headed over to Sherman's room for a movie.
"What do you want to watch, Penny?" asked Sherman.
"Well, what do you have?"
"Well I have Disney…"
She cut him off as soon as she heard it and shouted, "Disney! Do you have Frozen?"
"Umm, yeah," Sherman said, a little startled by her enthusiasm.
Sherman put the DVD in and turned on the TV. They then both sat at the foot of the bed to watch the movie. Just a few seconds after the film had begun, Mr. Peabody came in with a huge bowl of popcorn. They jumped up in excitement, thanked him for it, and started voraciously devouring the treat. Ten minutes into the movie, and the bowl was nearly empty.
Already feeling slightly tired, Penny moved further back and rested against the head of the bed. She was feeling a little weird too. Something was making her slightly light-headed. It was an inexplicable feeling but she knew it was positive in some way. She got comfortable with a pillow, and enjoyed the movie with Sherman.
Now to call Penny's parents, let's see what they think.
"Hello, this is Patty Peterson speaking," said the voice through the phone.
"Hello Mrs. Peterson! This is Mr. Peabody. I just have a few questions for you."
"Oh, sure, Mr. Peabody. Is everything alright though? Are the kids ok?
"Yes of course. They're having great fun watching a movie."
"Oh, that's great! Penny does seem to enjoy Sherman's company."
"It seems she does. It appears that Sherman appreciates her company very much as well. This is what I've called you for Mrs. Peterson. I have a hunch that my son has a crush on Penny. Do you think that your daughter likes Sherman as well? I can see it on their faces. I'm almost certain that they like each other."
After a brief moment of silence, she replied, "Well she hasn't mentioned anything about it but, now that I think about it, she does talk about him a lot."
"Mrs. Peterson, I think this will develop into something much more very soon. The real question I have for you, and for Mr. Peterson as well, is: Should we stop them, or encourage them? Do you think they're too young for a relationship? However, the thought of stopping them feels terrible. It's such a precious and innocent thing. Surely no harm could come of it."
This caused Mrs. Peterson to think really hard. She talked to her husband about it for a little while, then, got back to Peabody.
"Mr. Peabody, we will speak with Penny when she gets back. Once we learn more from her, my husband and I would like to arrange a meeting with you to talk about it. For now, just watch over them closely please, Mr. Peabody."
"Of course, Mrs. Peterson. Have a good day."
"Goodbye Mr. Peabody."
Halfway through the movie, and Sherman was quite tired of sitting so he decided to move backwards to join Penny. At first he expected her to move away from him a little, but she did exactly the opposite. As he rested his back against the headboard of the bed, she moved in a little closer. He got under the covers, as it was slightly chilly, and she did the same. Sherman was really surprised by this but was content either way.
Woah, maybe she does like me. This is way too perfect.
Maybe he can tell that I like him. Don't be so obvious, Penny! Oh, but I can't resist it.
It was only 10:30 in the morning but Penny was starting to feel sleepy again. Indulging herself, she rested her head on Sherman's shoulder, and closed her eyes. Sherman froze. He didn't want to make the slightest movement in case she pulled away. He was completely overjoyed.
Oh my god, this is actually happening. I hope Mr. Peabody won't be mad if he comes in here. Should I lean too? Oh, I'd love to.
Sherman couldn't resist. He rested his cheek on top of her head. He was immediately attacked by her perfume, which had a certain scent that Sherman loved and it wasn't too strong, then by the softness of her hair. It was softer than any of his softest pillows. Sherman never felt better in his whole life. He closed his eyes as well.
I hope she doesn't mind. Well if she did, Sherman, she would've said something! Well, I don't care. This is amazing. I never want this to end. I hope she's just as happy as I am.
Penny, he definitely likes you. It's obvious now. Oh my god, this is perfect. Leaning on him is even more comfortable than lying in my bed! Oh, Penny, don't assume, don't assume. He probably doesn't actually like you. But stop being a party-pooper and enjoy it!
The pair had big smiles on their faces, completely content with the situation, despite all the thoughts bugging them in their minds. Right as they fell asleep, Mr. Peabody stealthily entered the room. He was expecting them to be asleep, but would never have guessed that they would be sleeping the way they were. It was such a precious moment and only someone with a heart filled purely with hate would've wanted to ruin it. So instead, Mr. Peabody quietly closed the door and headed to the kitchen to make them some lunch.
Sherman woke up, having had the best sleep in his life, to see Penny still asleep with her head on his chest. He didn't want to move but the clock said it was noon so Sherman knew that Mr. Peabody would probably be coming in soon to call them for lunch.
I have to wake her up. But I don't want to! This is absolutely perfect.
Sherman relaxed for five more minutes, savoring the moment. But, inevitably, he did what he had to do.
"Hey, Penny, time to get up. It's almost lunchtime."
"Ok, Sherman," she said with a smile.
And what a sweet smile it was. Sherman, completely enchanted, smiled back.
"We didn't finish the movie," Sherman said, trying to sound disappointed when he was actually grateful that they had both fallen asleep.
"That's alright. I've probably seen that movie a gazillion times anyway," she replied, "Plus, I got to have a great nap."
The way she spoke sounded almost as if she were flirting. Sherman didn't know what to say. There were so many thoughts going through his mind.
She's flirting. She is, I know it. Does that mean she likes me? Or, does she know I like her so she's taunting me? Help! What do I say?
Maybe I went too far there. Maybe he's creeped out. Oh no. What should I say?
"Penny…"
"Sherman…"
They broke the silence simultaneously. They stopped, then, as if they could read each other's thoughts, started laughing hysterically at how awkward the whole situation was.
"Sherman! Ms. Peterson! It's time for lunch," said Mr. Peabody, hearing their laughter.
"Coming, Mr. Peabody!" Sherman replied.
"What's for lunch, Sherman?" Penny asked.
"I don't know. I guess we'll have to find out," he said excitedly.
Mr. Peabody had been busy for just over an hour preparing their meals: a rib-eye steak for Sherman and some pasta for Penny. As if they hadn't had a huge bowl of popcorn only two hours ago, they dug into their lunch. There wasn't much conversation over lunch. Mr. Peabody just sat there eating his salad, and watched them attentively. They were in such good moods but they themselves didn't understand why. However, the genius, and probably anyone else for that matter, could tell exactly why. All they did was smile at each other. To break the silence, Mr. Peabody asked if they had anything planned for the afternoon.
"I don't know exactly what to do, Mr. Peabody," he replied, but had an idea soon afterwards, "Can we go to the park?"
"Of course, Sherman. Just be careful not to trip or fall into any ponds," he said, teasing his son a little.
"Do you want to go to the Park, Penny?" Sherman asked, making sure he didn't drag her into things she didn't want to do.
"Are you kidding me? Of course I want to! The park is great! I'll go wherever you want to go, Sherman."
Can this get any better? Everything seems to be going great. Penny is being so nice. Does she like me? I'm just scared that she doesn't. Well I'll see once she reads my poem. I hope it's not too bad.
The phone rang.
"Yes, this is Mr. Peabody … Oh, Mr. Peterson! ... I'm doing great and so are the kids. … What about you? … Oh, perfect. I would like to speak about the matter quite soon. … Well that's great because the kids are about to leave for the park. … Ok, I'll see you soon. Goodbye."
"Am I in trouble, Mr. Peabody? Do I have to go home early?" Penny asked worriedly.
"No not at all, Ms. Peterson. Your parents are on their way here to talk about other matters. You don't have to worry. Just run along to the park with Sherman and have fun!"
"Cool!" they said together.
Running back up to his room, Sherman grabbed a small ball to play catch with.
"Let's go Penny!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Yeah!"
"See you later, Mr. Peabody!" they said together.
Taking the elevator to the lobby, they were practically jumping up and down. Once the doors had opened, they ran out and headed for the park.
"Welcome, Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Peterson! I hope you're both doing well today."
"I'm doing great!" said Mrs. Peterson.
"So am I. But I will admit that we're a bit worried about the whole thing."
"Oh, come on, Paul, it can't be that bad," said Patty.
"Yes, I do believe that it isn't something to be overly worried about," the genius replied, "Care for a round of Einstein on the Beach?"
"Oh yes!" the couple said in unison.
They got straight to business. The mood was overall positive.
"Mrs. Peterson, I can assure you, your daughter couldn't be happier when she's with him. I can say the same for him. He absolutely enjoys her company," Mr. Peabody stated.
"So we agree that they're best friends. Great friends. They enjoy each other's company very much. They seem to have huge crushes on each other. It's a perfect situation from their perspective. It would be such a shame to destroy what they already have," added Mr. Peterson.
"Yeah, I mean, how bad could it turn out to be? I know young love is usually discouraged but, now that I think about it, what's so bad about it? They're so young and innocent. They don't have that many responsibilities to be distracted from. They'll even learn how to be even more responsible through this, I believe. They'll learn how to be less selfish, to think about others first before themselves. As parents, what else could be better than seeing our children turn into beautiful people? What else could be better than to see them happy? Isn't that what we want? Let's let them have this while they still can."
Mrs. Peterson had said all that had to be said. Her husband and Mr. Peabody agreed wholeheartedly.
"So we'll just sit back and watch?" Mr. Peabody confirmed.
"Yes we will," said Mr. Peterson, nodding his head and looking at each of the others.
He then turned his head to Mr. Peabody and said with a smile, "Mr. Peabody, please call me and my wife by our names. Let's start making things less formal."
"As you wish, Paul," he smiled and looked at the other, "Patty. You can call me simply Peabody as well. Now, would you two like another round?"
"Sure!" they both said.
"To the kids!"
"Catch Penny!" shouted Sherman, throwing the ball.
"Got it!"
"I didn't know playing catch could be so fun!"
"Well it's fun with you, Sherman!"
He couldn't believe it. It was as if it was all a dream. He just kept catching, and throwing the ball back.
They both got tired eventually and decided to sit on the grass in the shade of a tree. Again, Penny rested her head on Sherman's shoulder but this time she took Sherman's hand and grasped it tightly. He was so surprised that he almost pulled away. Once he had realized what was actually happening though, he was in complete bliss. He first made sure that nobody was watching them then closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. Penny did the same. But, whether they liked it or not, their friends, Jill, Abby, Carl and Mason were watching them like the bunch of stalkers they were. They were hiding behind the cover of a bush nearby. They had initially arranged to meet up there at the park to get closer as friends but as soon as they saw the young couple they reverted back to their stalker modes.
"This is amazing!" Jill shrieked.
"Calm down, girl. But, yeah, this is amazing!" Abby said.
"I wonder if they're official," said Mason.
"Maybe they're not even sure if they like each other. Know what I mean?" asked Carl.
"No," they all replied.
"Well maybe Sherman doesn't know that Penny likes him and Penny doesn't know that Sherman likes her," Carl said, clarifying what he said.
"Well we don't know that either," Abby responded.
"We better not tell anyone," Jill said, receiving nods from the rest.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, the children were greeted by the smell of great Pizza.
"Oh, Mr. Peabody always makes awesome Pizza!" shouted Sherman.
"Hush now, boy. Don't get too excited," his father said, "Have a seat and enjoy your meals. Wash your hands first!"
They did as they were told and headed for the bathroom. As they were washing their hands, Penny flicked some water in Sherman's face just like she did in Florence. Sherman was hit with nostalgia. He just smiled and looked at her admiringly. They headed back over to the dining table and Sherman made sure to pull out a chair for Penny.
"Thank you, Sherman," she said in her sweetest voice.
He almost shivered at the sound. He sat next to her and across his father who pretended not to see his gentlemanly act.
"So what did you guys do at the park?" asked the dog as they started eating.
"Well we played catch mostly, then we just sat under a tree to rest, then we walked around and came back home," Sherman said, obviously leaving out the best part.
"That sounds fun. Well you two should get to sleep soon. It's been a busy day," his father replied, pretending not to know they had quite a long nap.
"Not right after dinner though right?"
"Yes of course, Sherman. Watch some TV if you want before going to bed."
"Ok, Mr. Peabody."
Once they had finished eating, the children helped Mr. Peabody clear the table again.
"Thank you very much for the meals today Mr. Peabody," said Penny, genuinely thankful.
"You're very welcome Ms. Peterson. And you Sherman? You won't even give your thanks?"
Sherman simply ran to his father and hugged him tightly. The dog chuckled slightly and said, "You're welcome, my son. Now you two run along now and get ready for bed."
Once they were both ready for bed, they sat in front of the TV to try and become sleepy. Mr. Peabody knocked and entered.
"Everything going alright in here?" he asked.
"Yes, Mr. Peabody," they replied together.
"Oh, wait, Mr. Peabody. Will I have to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor?" Sherman asked.
"How kind of you to volunteer, Sherman, but I don't think that will be necessary. I'm sure Penny's parents wouldn't mind you two in the same bed."
With this, the children tried their best to hide their happiness, not only from Mr. Peabody, but from each other. Penny was still unsure if Sherman liked her and likewise for the boy.
Oh, how they are young and naïve. They don't know that most other parents would not tolerate this one bit. They don't even realize that their joy is written clearly on their faces.
"Oh ok, Mr. Peabody," said Sherman finally, trying to act like he hadn't been shouting with joy inside.
"Ms. Peterson, may I call you Penny from now on? Your parents have elected that I call them by their first names. Shall I do the same with you? After all, our families are getting quite close," Peabody asked gently, trying to distract them.
"Oh of course, Mr. Peabody. I don't mind. I did like the 'Ms. Peterson' title though. It made me feel like an adult. But it's ok," she replied cheerfully.
"Ok, well you two have a good night. I'll see you with bacon and eggs in the morning. I'll turn the lights off now so I'm counting on you to turn the TV off Sherman."
"Ok, good night, Mr. Peabody," he said.
"Good night," called Penny just as Peabody was leaving the room.
With the room all to themselves, Sherman asked her, "What do you want to watch, Penny?"
"I'm actually going to sleep now. I'm really tired."
"Oh ok," Sherman responded, initially disappointed but realized soon afterwards that lying down with his crush was much better than watching some silly cartoons, "I'll sleep as well then."
They got under the covers, Sherman removed his glasses, and Penny curled up next to him. As he slid further beneath the covers and put his head on his pillow, Penny put her head next to his and said, "Good night, Sherman. I…"
Should I tell him? No. I can't. He has to tell me first. That's how it works. Boys make the first move. But what if he never says it, Penny? You should tell him now. It's the perfect moment.
"You?"
"I… umm… I loved today. It was awesome. Thank you, Sherman," she said, still hiding it.
"You're welcome, Penny. Thanks for coming over. Good night."
Sherman could feel Penny's soft, smooth hair brush against his cheek, he could smell a hint of perfume lingering in the air and again in her sweetest tone she said, "Good night, Sherman."
His heart melted as he finally fell asleep.