I do not own Pepe or Penelope (This is inspired from the short Past Perfumance with the movie theater and falling into a tub of water.) The dress Penelope wears in this chapter is based off of a dress I saw while shopping and wanted it so badly. Oh well, what I need is more important than what I want. If I couldn't have it then Penelope would.

Chapter Nine

Sentimental Cinema

Penelope had strangely felt lonesome after Pepe had given her the flowers. She felt a secret longing for companionship, a simple friend that she could confided her troubles in about her family and to laugh with. That seemed near impossible with the rate that she was incredibly shy.

"It is not my fault," she would tell to herself. Penelope hadn't been around other children during her childhood which caused her to never understand how to introduce herself or start conversations.

Feeling more want than fear of being out on her own Penelope decided to go to the movies one weekend.

It had rained a little that morning when she woke up, but Penelope felt chipper. She wore a dress she had been given to wear for courting, but felt it was too lively to wear for something for dull and depressing. It was a turquoise dress with a black sash and little white flowers scattered in it. She ironed out all of the creases the best she could. Donning on her usual black flats Penelope went to the closest theater near her complex only to be disappointed that the afternoon matinee had films that were rated "R" for violence and other things that made her feel nervous. There was one film an old black and white film about a woman who was torn between two men of her life. Since that had a safe rating for Penelope she chose that one.

Buying only some bon-bons for a treat Penelope went into the theater.

She looked around the dimmed room.

"Where are the people?" she shouted in disappointment. "To think I spent a whole hour ironing this dress!"

Not caring about if anyone would yell at her for shouting in a theater she sat in the first row and opened her box of the ice creamed candy. She didn't know that at the moment she had shouted someone had been in the theater.

Pepe had felt bored out of his mind half of the night before from endless worries about that cat nearly raping Penelope. Yes, the "R" word. Pepe hated that word. It only made him feel nauseous. The thought that some idiot would try to hurt a woman, or worse a young girl like his sisters horrified him and infuriated him. The only thing his family could think about that was:

"God help the man who does such thing to his daughter if he has one!"

To help put his mind at ease of the event since Penelope had left in such a hurry the next day Pepe went to the theater to clear his head. He didn't feel very hungry so it wasn't surprise that he placed his small bag of popcorn on the floor and then clumsily tipped it over which prompted him to crawl around to clean it up. (Or rather slide it under the row of chairs in front of him.)

It was Penelope's shout that startled him and then caused him to peek out over the row of chairs to see Penelope. His heart's pulse ran a beat faster and his heads began to feel moist. Wiping them on his pockets he boldly crawled over the rows down to the front with his popcorn bag stuffed in his back pocket.

Penelope could only smell the rich chocolate smell of the bon-bons when Pepe so quickly sat a seat away from her in the row she was in. In the dim light of the movie beginning to play he could see the petite shape of her legs which criss- crossed each other.

"I don't know why," he though. "She's one of zhose women you rarely see. Zhe kind zhat you see een a forest or een a field of flowers."

Penelope was different in comparison to other girls he had known; she was modest, gentle and shy. Shy seemed like a tender quality. She didn't deserve to be among such riot-like men that Pepe had seen her with. Pepe even found himself having trouble following along with the movie because he could only lean his head back against the chair and stare at her, full of curiosity about her life, dreams, hopes, and desires. Everything just to make it short and sweet.

By this time Penelope had payed attention to the movie and found it…sappy. The big bottle blonde curly haired woman was getting on her nerves and the men weren't appealing in any way.

She wished she had a watch with her to know what time it was, but since she never found the need for one she would have to suffer through wondering how long the movie would go on.

"Ask her you idiot!!" it rang in his head. "What's zhe worse she could tell you?"

Pepe frowned at his impulsive thoughts and ignored them…for a while. It was only half an hour into the movie that Penelope had felt like she had seen the sappiest film ever and Pepe felt a sudden urge to ask her out on a date. If this counted at a date that would make his day and maybe even his bachelorhood complete.

"Just ask her!"

"I didn't know you liked zhere type of movies." He said aloud to her. He knew there was nobody else in the theater, just them.

Penelope was startled by him and screamed spilling her candy on the floor. It was a funny sight to Pepe. What Penelope did was like something he would see only in a well-written comedy. The timing of her reaction with the candy flying into the air and then scattered on the floor was just comical. Pepe snickered, but refused to crack up in concernment that she might feel offended. Penelope looked horrified by him. Her eyes went huge and she clutched the bon-bon box so hard that it caved in from her grip. Then she felt embarrassed had he heard her shout only a little while ago?

"What are you doing here?" she asked her voice almost as fast as a tape recorded being sped forward.

"Passing zhe time," he said casually and moved into the chair next to her. "I was wondering Penelope eef you would be eenterested een going out weeth me?"

"I would only date you if I had to," she said to be polite.

"I would never date him, even if he was the last man on earth!" she though hotly, but Penelope had been raised by a good father so she was not a cold hearted person.

"And I do not have to," she continued.

"Popcorn Darling?" asked Pepe holding out the crumpled and smushed bag. Penelope knocked it out of his hands thinking something bad was mixed in the snack.

"Flirt," he merely said. Penelope looked confused. Pepe rested his chin on his knuckles and his elbows on the folded armrest. Penelope noticed how thin his wrists and arms were. The sleeves of a dark purple and black plaid over shirt went halfway on his arms. Penelope shot up out of her chair as Pepe leaned to her face and moved two chairs down only to have Pepe follow her. He crawled easily over the armrests as if they were perfectly flat. Penelope scooted backwards and then turned over to scoot away realizing that he probably saw up her skirt. He didn't, he was too star-struck by her face.

Penelope found that she was on the farthest side of the theater with a door that led outside. Quick as lightning she dodged for it and Pepe went after her.

She walked quickly and Pepe walked steadily behind her. The two didn't know it, but they were walking up what they thought was a hill which was really a movie prop ramp that led to a deep tub of water for stunts.

"Now what?" he asked. Penelope turned on her heel and faced him. She felt overwhelmed of what to say of whether to be rude or kind. He was smiling at her. That smile was actually addicting. Her lips twitched, but didn't take full shape. She only looked at him and saw that he had some sort of attractiveness to him compared to others she had been with. Just decked out in tight blue jeans, an over shirt, a collared shirt of black underneath that revealed a little bit of white from his throat, with black and grey skaters he actually seemed in a way…cute?

"I have something to do and you should go your own way," she said. She turned again on her heel and walked on. Pepe still followed her, still persistent on asking her out.

"Well, weell you at consider going out weeth me?"

Penelope couldn't answer for she fell over the side of the ramp and landed in a six foot tub. The ramp wasn't very high so she didn't feel pain from her tumble. Just as she was slowly rising up from the bottom something hit her. She felt that the something was heavy and pushed her down and what felt like a jaw line and neck fit into the curve of her shoulder. A hand gripped her wrist and her feet kicked against someone's ankles. She couldn't breathe and panicked then someone lifted her up by her dress strap and she felt air kiss back into her body. Pepe had gone over the same as her and had pulled her up. Since the square like tub was as tall as he was he gripped the outside with his arm and yanked Penelope back up.

Penelope coughed and spluttered as her two hands gripped the side for dear life. A small crew was staring at them angrily.

"Get out!" yelled the director in a booming voice. Pepe heaved himself out and a small pool formed at his feet as water ran off of his clothes. Two assistants were pulling Penelope out. Penelope didn't stand up; she crumpled down and coughed harder.

"Back!" shouted Pepe pushing the assistants aside knelt to her level. Just when he was down to shake her out of it Penelope was standing.

"Thanks." That was all she could say to him. Pepe smiled at her. As he stood up Penelope felt small and fragile next to him.

"Why don't you two have your eentimate sweems somewhere else, like at night somewhere far away!!" snapped the director right in Penelope's face.

Pepe's face looked so threatening at that moment the director stepped back looking apologetic. When Pepe turned around to face Penelope, she had already ran mortified that someone thought that she and Pepe were trying to do something that frightened her.