"Thank you Lin. I'm sorry to unload. I really don't have much family to talk to . I have my dad's sister Mei and her family but I don't want to bother them. You do the same if you need any help with anything too. I'll do my best to do what I can. She does like soup. That would help my parents out a lot. Dad's not much of a cook. I'm not bad , but they don't care much for the food I cook. It's more varied than what they're use to. " It was kind of Lin to offer help. He hoped he could help her . He had heard about her older brother Bao from someone in the hospital. It was sad to see what drugs did to a person and their families. The families did all they could to help but it was up to the person to accept the help.

Lin didn't mind being the one he unloaded all of his worries on; it made her feel good that she was helping him in some small way, as his handing her that quarter had certainly helped her. That, and she had a very sweet nature. She couldn't just sit back and let him suffer or put on a fake face while inside he wasn't happy. Being fake was something that Lin couldn't stand for, as life was too short without having to shift through whether someone was being sincere with her or not. In fact, part of the reason that she was never popular was probably because she would roll her eyes at the popular people who were so obsessed with their appearance. It made her a bit on the wanted list...

But she would bring Shen's family some soup, most certainly. She was thinking a traditional Chinese soup, but nothing too heavy. Her mother would certainly know where Mr. and Mrs. Feng lived in; she would love nothing more than making a pot of it for them to eat and store for leftovers later. Her mother had taught her a lot of dishes, as she expected her daughter to marry a nice Chinese boy and cook for him. But she also made American dishes as well, taught at a wonderful Culinary school. Smiling a little, she nodded at his assurances...

Then looked down at her cup at the mention of anyway he could help. She swirled the coffee a little to mix the cinnamon and coffee, then sighed. A small bit of sadness came over her eyes as she thought of the upcoming battles with Bao and his drugs. He had started during his senior year of college, then quit at the urging of his soon-to-be girlfriend. But after the twins, he'd started again. He had recently hit such a low that his wife had sent him to the hospital, and Lin was hoping that this was the last low. But oh...she doubted that.

"I will make a pot of soup for them," she said, trying to smile. It didn't reach her eyes. "I...my family has been having problems with my oldest brother. He recently turned back to cocaine, and it seems like he might lose his family over it. I don't quite know what to do with him." This was heavy stuff for a first date, but she felt relaxed with him...like it wouldn't matter. He would listen without judging.

Shen was glad Lin had let him know what was wrong. He noticed it when he sat down today. He agreed that it was good to let your feelings out. Shen tended to do this too much. He tried more to deal with what he was feeling for the most part .

" I'm sorry Lin. " He gave her a look of sincere compassion. It was hard to see her like this. "You don't need to bear this alone. there are resources for the families of those addicted.They usually give ways to help the person , but it's up to the person to want to be helped. Drugs aren't worth losing a family for. " He didn't know what else to say . He tried his best to help her and her family. The best thing he could do right now is listen to what she had to say. To help her heal her pain.

Lin didn't normally let out her emotions on people other than her mother or maybe Deshi. She and her middle brother were closeish, so she would know everything that had to do with his current girlfriend. However, it was Bao and his family that had captured the Powen family's attention; no one knew quite how to help him get over his issues that drive him to think that drugs were the way out of his life. Lin knew he was having issues with his work. He worked as a hotel manager in a high end hotel, and the stress of his job often led him to dark and frustrating places.

She knew that she couldn't help him....no one really could, though his wife tried. It seemed that he just had to work things out on his own, however long that took. There were resources for people who had family members that were abusing, and she had even suggested to Jia that she take the twins and stay with her or her parents or just somewhere else. But her sister-on-law refused to leave her husband, something that both shocked and aawed Lin. Perhaps it would have been worse for Bao if she left....still, Lin wondered what was the best for the twins.

"I've suggested that my sister-in-law get out, for the sake of my nephews, but I don't think that she's willing to leave him. She still loves him. My family is planning to stage an intervention soon though...I just hope that it goes according to plan." That was another reason that she and the rest of her family were descending upon the house...Jia had begged them to try one last thing. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't.

Shen was surprised to hear Lin had nephews. " an intervention is a good step to take. It has a high success rate of work. Usually when the person hears how the other family member feels they usually agree to get help. Sorry if I'm getting too technical. I had a friend in college die of of an overdose my sophomore year. Me and my other friends tried to stop him but it was too late. I hope it isn't too late for your brother. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Don't hesitate to call me if you need any help ok?"He smiled hoping to help her feel better.

Hao and Liang had been a bit of a surprise to the Powen family as well, but they were to be expected after all that Jia and Bao had been married for a few years. It was just the timing that was a little off, as Jia had just gotten a large promotion that caused her to have to work more hours. However, the twins were loved all the same, especially because there were two of them. Double the love, double the fun, double the enjoyment. Lin loved being Aunt Lin; she got to spoil her nephews to death and give them a ton of love.

She nodded as he spoke about interventions and how good they were. Jia had done her research, and Lin was glad that her sister-in-law was on the right track. Maybe they just had to sit Bao down and show him that his two little boys and his wife needed him more than anything else...she hoped that was it. Smiling, she nodded. Her smile finally reached her eyes this time....and it was warm. It felt great to talk to someone who understood, and she enjoyed this relieving of all of her stress....and Shen was nice.

"I hope this works as well," she said. "You're not getting too technical; I'm glad to hear that Jia is doing the right thing after all. She wasn't too sure at first. I'm sorry to hear about your friend...I hope that doesn't happen to my brother. Thank you for offering to help...perhaps I will ask for your advice later." That was a scary thought, of Bao overdosing and not...being there anymore. Her older brother had been always been there before...to think of him as being gone was more than she could put up with. Poor Bao..."But, that's very heavy discussion. What are you doing for the Chinese New Year?" It was always a big deal with her family, and she expected the same with him.

"Probably not much. I would have spent it with my parents, but my dad said that mom isn't up to company. I'm defiantly going over there soon to see them though. How about you. I seem to remember the parties that your parents held for it. " He smiled remembering those times. It was good for the community to get together. He enjoyed going with is parents and watching the parade the town held. Same with the fireworks.

Lin smiled. Her family always did Chinese New Year up big, perhaps even more so than the January New Year. Her mother cooked and baked as much as she could, with the help of Jia and Lin to do all sort of help. There were always all sorts of decorations, and Deshi and Lin always put the twin red dragons on the top of the house. Everything about the Powen household was excitement around this time of the year; she was even planning a beautiful cake for the house to share. She decided then and there that she was going to make a small one for the Feng family as well. Why not? She felt like they could use some cheering up and some New Year spirit. Or maybe she'd make them dumplings.

Surely they would to the parade, to the community party that everyone held together. Their long standing tradition was to enjoy being with each other and love running around together doing whatever traditions meant. Lin's favorite thing used to be running with the dragon costume people; she used to pretend that she was being eaten by the dragon. Now that she was older though, she loved the baking and preparation almost more than she loved the actual celebration. It was wonderful to make a bunch of dumplings and watch people's faces light up when they ate them. That must be why she loved making custom cakes too.

"Of course we'll go to the community party," she said with a nod. "Mom and Jia and I will make all types of food, and we put decorations up everywhere. Perhaps I will make your parents some dumplings to go with the soup? I hope that's not too forward...I just don't want them to miss out on all of the food." She smiled, hoping that it wasn't too much....if it was, she would just bring them soup and let it be.

"That would be wonderful! I know my parents would love it! No, I don't think it's too forward. You are a very thoughtful person." He smiled, getting up and giving her a hug. " I'm sorry to leave so soon Lin. I'm meeting my dad this morning to talk about mom. I'll call you later today if that's alright. I'm glad I have a friend like you. I had a great time this morning, I hope we can do this again soon. And thank you again for the brownie. " He did have a great time with her. Could Lin be his soul mate? Shen's mother had once told him that you would know when you met them. She knew when she met his dad that he was the one. He wondered if Lin thought the same as him?

Lin smiled back and stood to hug him. She normally didn't allow a touch, but she liked Shen enough to hug him. Infact, she was liking him more and more....so it wasn't strange to hug him. Was he her soul mate? She didn't know, but she'd enjoyed talking about their lives and their families. Her plan to make them dumplings and soup hadn't been turned down, so she decided to do that today, while it was still her day off.

"I will bring them soup and dumplings later today or maybe tomorrow, and I had a wonderful time too." She smiled. "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked the brownie. And yes, you can call me later today."

She had accepted his hug. He was glad she did."That would be great. I'll tell them that you are coming over then. They'll really appeciate it. I'll let you know how my meeting with dad went. " He smiled and waved as he left. He felt comfortable with her. he hoped she was the same with him.

The meeting with his dad didn't go as he had hoped. His fears were confirmed. Him mom had Alzheimer's disease. His dad had done his best to take care of her but he said he couldn't anymore. Shen said he would help is dad look for an assisted living home he hated to do this to them but he convinced his dad the best he could that this would be the best for all of them. And to listen to her's doctor's advice. His parents were getting older faster than he had wanted , he would help them with the cost of the facility too. He could only do so much. He would quit his job and take care of her himself. But as a nurse, he knew she'd be in good hands.

This still bothered Shen. Should he tell Lin? She had trusted her problems to him , he should do the same . He waited till the afternoon to call her.

Lin watched him walk off, then picked up her coffee and left as well. What a good day it was at the moment, though she hoped that Shen had a good talk with his dad...there was a lot of trouble brewing in both families, and she just wanted Shen to be okay. Sighing to herself, sweet natured Lin drove to the house Bao and Jia were sharing at the moment. The entire family had gathered, and all of them seemed happy to see sweet Lin...even Bao.

While the twins ate iced brownies, Lin and her family sat down with Bao and discussed his drug problems. At first, he was defensive and harsh...but he eventually grew to see that all of his family just wanted what was best for him. He loved them all. With all of them behind him, he began to agree with whatever they said. So, nodding along, he decided to go ahead and check himself into a rehab center. Lin decided to ask Shen if he knew any good ones that would really help Bao become a better guy.

Her brown eyes were gentle as she set to work preparing something for the Fengs. She pulled her black hair behind her head, set her phone on the counter, then set to work. Having gone to culinary school, she was a very good chef and made amazing food. But one of her specialties was her soup....

She mad a light vegetable soup, stirring in limited spices and yet enough to make her soup smell wonderful. Humming a little tune to herself, she left the soup to boil and went to make dumplings. She loved to cook, ever since she was a little girl at her mother's knee. The two of them enjoyed sitting in the kitchen with a lot of food surrounding them, cooking and cleaning. She was, at the moment, a good chef because she loved doing it. Once she had the dumplings cooking, she took her soup off of the stove and put it into a large bowl with some artful sprigs ontop....then took a platter and put the dumplings on it.

She had just put the last of the dumplings on the tray when the phone rang. "Hello?" she asked in her gentle voice, putting the tray down off of the stove. Who could be calling her? It was an unknown number, as her default ringtone had rung. Her mother had said she would call her about when the cooking for New Year's would begin, but she was probably busy with Jia and the twins at the moment.

"Lin? It's Shen . How are you doing? " He'd bring up his parents if she asked him. " When would you like to meet again? I really had a great time with you." He did. He could trust her with his feelings. He was sad about what his father told him earlier. he needed to talk to someone. "How did everything go with your brother. If it's alright to ask. " He wanted to help Bao and his family . Those boys needed their dad. And he wanted to help Lin and her parents. Lin had shown him so much kindness.

Lin carefully set her plate down, then sat herself down at the kitchen table. It was good to hear his voice...she had really enjoyed talking with him earlier, and she wanted to see him again. She was much more relaxed now that Bao had agreed to go into rehab, and all she had to do was find a nice one to help him out again. For the first time in a long time, she'd seen Jai smile...that was enough for her, if not enough for her loving parents. Deshi too had left with a huge smile on his face. There was a great relief in knowing that his family would be okay...after a lot of work maybe, but Bao wanted to change.

"I'm fine," she began, twirling a lock of free hair around her finger. Nervous habit. "Things went really well with my brother, and he's agreed to go into a rehab. Do you know any good ones? Oh, and would you like to join us for Chinese New Year tomorrow? There will be a lot of food and dancing and fireworks." She hoped he'd say yes...she also hoped that he'd know a good rehab center so she could tell Bao where to go so he could get well again.

It was good to hear her voice. " That's great Lin ! I do know of one close by that has a great reputation." He named one a few towns away . " That would work out. I'm on a short shift tomorrow. So I should be there at 2 tomorrow afternoon. How does that sound? I can't wait see you again." He really wanted to tell her about his mom but if she asked he would.

Lin dropped her hand as he agreed to meet her at her parents' house the next day for their Chinese New Year celebration; technically, the next day was Chinese New Year Eve, but they got together to celebrate then. The biggest thing she remembered from her childhood was trying to stay up until midnight...sometimes she'd make it, and other times she would be too sleepy and just fall asleep on her mother's lap. But ever since she'd met high school, she had joined the other older kids and adults in dancing and eating and fireworks...and she'd staid awake.

She wrote down the names of the rehab centers, making a mental note to ask Jia which one she'd like to send Bao too, or which one Bao would like himself. They sounded like nice places where he could go and get clean without being a danger to himself or his family. She hoped that this could mean a good turn for all of her family...and a nice place for the twins to really begin to grow up in.

"That will work just fine. Mom and Jia and I will be cooking starting in the morning probably, as I'm not opening the bakery because of the New Year, so you'll probably come just as the food is ready for everyone to eat." She paused, twirling the lock of hair again. "If you don't mind my asking, how is your mother? Is she up for a visitor?"

"She should be I hope. She might not remember you. Dad says she has Alzheimer's disease. He said he was sorry he didn't tell me sooner. She's been care and that's good. But she needs more and he can only do so much. The her doctor suggested assisted living for them. Their going see the house to cover the cost but it's for her. I promised to help them too. I wish I knew sooner. I know i'm supposed to take care of my parents but I don't know what to do. I offered to quit my job and take care of them , but dad said he would be disappointed in me if I did. He told me how proud him and mom were of my career choice. " He took a deep breath he hated to unload but he had to. " They'd appeciate the food Lin. Even if mom isn't awake my dad would love the company. "

Lin's frown deepened as he told her about his parents and especially his mother. His poor mother...she couldn't imagine if her smart and quick as a whip mother got Alzheimer's. Though that being said, she was quite willing to do everything she could to help them out, with food and whatnot. Did that mean his parents wouldn't even be living together anymore? She couldn't imagine being in love with someone and never seeing them because they had to live elsewhere....

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that Shen," she said, her voice quiet and compassionate. "I will gladly help them in anyway I can as well. Today, I'll bring them soup and dumplings, and maybe I'll bring them something from the party tomorrow as well. If there's anything else I can do to help, you only have to ask me." She wished there was more, but short of bringing them good food...she didn't know what else she could do. She could hardly offer to bring them food all the time if her doctor truly felt like she needed to be in a home.

"Thank you so much Lin. You've been such a good friend.I know they would love the food. The good news is that they will be together and dad will have someone moniter his medication . I know he hasn't been taking it. I checked his pill box when he went to check on mom. I hate doing that to him but I don't like seeing him or her like this. I'm grateful I saw you in the store last night. Let me know how I can repay your kindness. " Shen didn't know what else to say . I was nice having someone to talk to.

Lin stood and put the dumplings in a tupperware(they were cool by then) while she listened to him keep talking. She didn't mind at all being the one that he unloaded on, as she had told him about her brother and her family troubles too....at least his parents would be together, so that they wouldn't have to be separated. That would have been worse than just one of them being in a home while the other was still out. Part of her wondered if she and Shen could take care of his parents if they worked together, but then she told herself that she hardly knew Shen to begin with. His parents would be fine in the home that they were going to.

"You are more than welcome Shen," she said, smiling to herself. He wasn't there to see it, afterall. "I'm glad that they will be together, and that they will both be taken care of. And I'm glad that you saw me at the store too...I'm looking forward to seeing your parents and for you to meet all of my family tomorrow. I just wish there was more I could do for them."

"I do to. Thank you again . I can't wait to meet your family either. I'll see you then . " He hung up his phone and paused for a moment. He had never felt this way about a person before. Lin was a very dear friend to him. He hoped she felt the same way about him.

He had finished his shift and had driven home to change . He changed into a black polo shirt and khaki pants hoping he was dressed alright. He didn't know what the Powens usually wore then. His family was more casual . Others were more formal. He didn't want to make a bad impression on them. He wanted her family to like him.

He had gotten flowers for Lin and her mother. Hoping it would be alright. He pulled into the driveway of her parent's home .Lin had told him to meet her here and they would go in together.

((Won't be on till late tomorrow. I'll post when I get home.))

She hung up the phone, then looked down at it a little sadly. She really liked talking to him, and it always seemed like their conversations were cut short. Oh well...she would see him the next day. He was becoming a true friend to her, and she felt like she could really trust him.

Lin drove and gave Shen's parents the bowl of soup and tupperware of dumplings. His mother was, as he expected she would be, asleep, so Lin had a nice conversation with his father over a bowl of vegetable soup. They discussed a few things, one of the top topics being her family and Chinese new year. She offered to bring over a selection of each type of food, and Mr. Feng agreed with huge smiles. Line loved that she could help him; she decided to bring over as much food as she could so that they wouldn't have to not eat anything.

The next day, she got up early and went to her parents' to help with the cooking and baking. They worked from the start of the morning to get all of the food started. The entire place soon smelled like a different combination of spices and warm scents that filled the heart. Her mother loved to speak Chinese as she worked; Jia joined them and soon the three were going back and forth in rapid fire Chinese. Lin had grown up speaking a mixture of English and Chinese, and sometimes she was more comfortable with Chinese because it was more of the at home language.

Just as she pulled out the last of the dumplings, she heard a car pull up to the front door. Smiling, she stood and walked towards the front door, walking out to greet him. Jia and Bao had decided that, after the new year, he would be going to one of the centers that Shen had recommended. They were there with their twins at the moment, and Deshi had brought his girlfriend. The last to arrive would be Shen. Smiling, she walked forward to greet him in the driveway. She was dressed with a party in mind, in a traditional sleeveless dress and bright slippers. The green and gold color of the silk matched the deep brown of her eyes...and her hair was partially pinned back because she had been cooking. She smiled at the sight of Shen.

Lin looked beautiful. Shen felt suddenly under dressed. He got out of his car and went toward Lin. he handed her the flowers. the other bunch was for her mother. He felt he had to do something to thank her. " Sorry if I'm under dressed . You look wonderful." Shen was glad to see her again. He couldn't wait to meet her family.

Lin smiled upon seeing him again. No, he wasn't under-dressed. The women all wore their dresses because it was a special occasion, and she loved having a reason to wear the silk. It was soft and gentle on her skin, which helped her avoid being so itchy at the end of the day. She felt like he was quite nicely dressed, much like Bao and Deshi at the moment. A smile went across her face as she took the flowers from him and breathed deeply. She loved flowers, all types, but these were nice and fresh. Plus, her mother would love his flowers as well. They were wonderful and smelled just right.

"Thank you Shen!" she said, smiling. It was good to see him again, and she hoped that he liked her family. "The flowers are wonderful. You're so sweet."

"I'm glad you enjoy them. I can't wait to meet your family. Dad thanks you again for the soup and dumplings. Mom enjoyed them too. " he smiled . Ready to head inside?" He hoped this would be a great day with her family. He wanted this to go well. He wanted Lin and him to be more friends someday.