If that's what it takes

49

Zoey ate her dinner quickly, her eyes not leaving her plate as she chewed and swallowed every morsel of food on the plate. "I'm still hungry." She said as she looked up at Derek as he placed another mouthful of food in his own mouth. He tilted his head as he chewed, watching the fork in her hand wave in slow circles as she demonstrated shoveling food from his plate.

"You're still hungry?"

"Yes... so hungry..." She whispered as she sniffled.

"That hungry?"

"Hungry like a bear." She replied.

"Like a bear...?" Derek asked. "Like... a big... gnarly grizzly bear... or like Mister Derek there?" Derek asked, nodding toward the pink bear in her arms.

"Like a big grizzly bear... GrrrROWL!" She exclaimed as Derek laughed, watching her smile slightly.

"Well, let me get you a little more pasta... we don't want me to get eaten next, do we?" Derek said as he took her plate.

"Don't worry, I'm a Veggie Maryanne bear..."

"A Veggie Maryanne bear?" Derek asked as he got up and walked over toward the stove with her plate in his hand.

"Yes, I don't eat meat when I'm a bear...so I won't eat you up."

"Ah... that's a good thing..." Derek said as he scooped some pasta into her plate and watched her as she watched him. "Can... we talk about a couple of things?" Derek asked, treading lightly on the subject, though he knew that it was important to talk to her. He placed the plate in front of her and watched her tilt her head. "We should probably have a couple of rules around the house..." He said, watching as she dropped the fork in her plate and her eyes widened as she put her hands in her lap. "Hey, what's that all about?" Derek asked as she swallowed hard.

"No rules..." She whimpered.

"No rules?"

"No..." She shook her head. "No rules..."

"How about some... guidelines?"

"Guidedlimes?"

"Something like that... nothing too big of a deal... just some things that you need to understand..." Derek said softly.

"What? Was I bad? Did I do something that made you angry?" Zoey asked, her hand still refusing to touch the fork.

"You weren't bad... just listen... when someone comes to the house... like Miss Rachel did tonight... you should try your best to be polite..."

"I didn't like her." Zoey stated defiantly.

"But you should still be polite..."

"But she hurt your heart... and I don't like her... and she was making you talk mad..." Zoey explained.

"I know... I know you're trying to protect me... but I need you to act like a big girl, and be polite... because otherwise... it looks like I'm not teaching you any manners..."

"I know manners, but I don't like talking to her. She has a stuck in the air nose and she smelled funny."

Derek chuckled at the way her nose wrinkled up when she said the last part, though he put on his serious face once again. "Can you be polite for me, please?"

"I will try... but I can't make any promises." She sighed as she looked down at her plate.

"Also..." Derek said as he watched her look up at him with a curious look. "Don't climb up near the stove anymore..." Derek said as he tilted his head. "I'm not trying to be a bully... but it's dangerous and you could have fallen, or burned yourself..."

"I'm careful."

"I understand that... but you have to ask." Derek replied. "Now eat up your dinner... and we'll get ready for your bath."

"I'm not hungry anymore." Zoey muttered as she turned and grabbed Molly, gripped Mister Derek and snatched up Floyd. She slid her arm into her backpack and carried all four items out of the room, leaving Derek by himself at the table as the kitchen door slammed behind her.