It was beginning to get dark. Mr. Peabody had desperately been searching for Joey for what seemed like forever. He had frantically asked everyone he met if they saw her and gave each of them her description. Some had answsered that they had, and Mr. Peabody followed the directions that they said Joey had taken. Although he felt like he was somewhat on the right track, he couldn't help feeling more lost than ever.
Finally, Mr. Peabody stopped and rested against a brick building. He was out of breath and worn out. His heart was pounding from both the running and the fear that had almost taken over him. He tried to tell himself to stay calm and focused, but he was in despair. He attempted to avoid thinking of the worst.
Once he caught his breath, Mr. Peabody began walking again to continue his search.
Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the alley that was next to the building that he had previously rested against. Curiously, he walked down the alley and saw a big, dark lump. He was about to dismiss it and continue his search, but then the lump made a sound. Was it...crying?
Cautiously, Mr. Peabody approached it. "Hello?" he asked, not even sure he would get a reply.
All of a sudden, a head raised up and looked at him, shocked. Mr. Peabody gasped.
"Josephine!"
He quickly put his arms around her and almost cried. "I was so worried about you! I've been looking all over the city! I-"
Suddenly, Joey violently shoved him away.
Mr. Peabody took a step back, trying to keep his balance. Then, he gaped at her. He had not expected her to be so aggressive. He didn't know what to think or what to say.
"Leave me alone!" Joey exclaimed.
"Josephine, why?"
She didn't answer.
Trying to recover from the shock, Mr. Peabody said, "Come on. Let's go home."
Surprisingly, Joey stood up. They went back to the penthouse in a cab.
"Tell me why you ran off," Mr Peabody said after they ate dinner.
Joey sat on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, avoiding eye contact with him. She didn't reply.
"Josephine, tell me!" he tried to keep calm, but it was hard for him to at that moment. "Was it because of the shopping? Did we do too much in one day? You need to tell me what made you want to run off."
Joey sighed. He wouldn't leave her alone about it unless she answered. "It was the crowd. There were too many people around us, talking at once. It made me feel..." She couldn't find the word that described how she had felt.
Mr. Peabody sighed. "So, you ran away from me?"
"I couldn't handle it."
"Please, don't do that again," Mr. Peabody said, sternly. "And, I don't approve of violence."
"Whatever," Joey said, quietly.
"What? Listen to me. I expect you to show respect. I will do the same for you, if you do the same for me. While you're here, you are expected to follow the rules I've set. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good...Go to bed, Josephine. It's been a long day."
Joey got up and went into her bedroom.
Mr. Peabody tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't. The memories of the events that had happened that day played in his mind over and over. He knew that some people didn't feel comfortable in crowds, but he never heard of someone running away from them. He had been scared about the possible things that could have happened to her, even though he didn't want to imagine them. And the way she pushed him...
Then, he thought about how he reacted earlier, how he spoke to her. Of course, her behavior had been intolerable, but he wondered if he had been too hard on her. Perhaps not, but even still, he wanted to let her know that he cared."
He got up out of bed and left his bedroom and knocked on Joey's door. When there was no answer even after he said her name, he went in. Joey was laying in her bed under the covers, seemingly asleep. "Josephine?" he asked.
Joey sat up and asked, "What?"
"About what I said earlier...I don't want you to think that I dislike you. I really was worried, and my feelings came out in the form of anger. I'm sorry I was so harsh, and I'm sorry about what happened today."
"I'm...sorry, too," Joey said.
"Given the circumstances, I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will ask us questions and make comments to us about our situation, but, since I now know you are strongly overwhelmed by crowds, I will try to prevent you from being in them."
"Thanks."
"Just promise me that you won't run away again, and that you will not be violent."
She was silent.
"Josephine?"
"I hate making promises."
"I need you to do that for me, though. I need to know that you'll be safe and that you'll control your aggressiveness."
Joey paused, then stated, "I'll try to keep that promise."
"Good enough," Mr. Peabody thought. He couldn't expect change overnight. He said good night to her, and she said the same to him. Hopefully, they would both get some sleep.