Truly Madly Deeply
Chapter 4; Birthday Blues
*Its Mei-Lings birthday....YAY!! Party!!*
And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish to send it to heaven
Then make you want to cry
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!! Happy Birthday dear Mei-Ling!! Happy Birthday to you!!"
"Make a wish and blow out the candles." Sarah smiled at her daughter.
Mei-Ling looked around the table at her party guests and sighed. All the kids from school where there, even Richie Vanderhause. Everyone was there.....everyone except the one person who meant the most to the little girl.
"How could he miss my birthday?" Mei-Ling wondered. She closed her eyes and blew out the candles on her cake...."I wish Shin would come see me today." she whispered.
"YAY!!" All the guest began to cheer as the candles went out.
"How old are you today?" Sarah asked playfully.
"11" Mei-Ling replied with a forced smile.
"You don't look too happy about it." Sarah sighed "Whats bothering you dear?"
"I wish Shin was here." the girl whispered "He said he would be here."
"Oh I'm sure he will be." her mother smiled "Now lets eat that cake. Doesn't it look yummy?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
******************************************
"Mei-Ling, aren't you going to play with the other kids?" Sarah asked when she found her daughter sitting alone on the front porch.
"I don't feel like it." Mei-Ling replied sadly.
"Well alright then sweetie." Sarah sighed "Try to cheer up."
Mei-Ling nodded and burried her face in her hands. She was about to give up and go back inside when she felt someone standing over her.
"Why are you so sad little one?"
Mei-Ling lifted her head and smiled. "Shin!!" she cried as she tackled the Kai "I thought you forgot my birthday!"
Shin laughed as he fell back in the dirt with an 11 year old clinging to him. "How could I forget something like that?" he asked.
Mei-Ling stood up and helped Shin to his feet. "I'm so glad you're here." she smiled.
Shin smiled down at her. Mei-Ling was still a foot shorter than he was. "Is there any cake left Shorty?" he asked.
"Yeah." Mei-Limg replied "And don't call me Shorty."
******************************************
"Now lets see" Shin smiled at Mei-Ling from across the table "11 is a pretty important age."
"How come?" Mei-Ling asked.
"Because you're not a little girl anymore."
"Oh that." Mei-Ling waved his words away "I stopped being a little girl a long time ago."
"Is that so?"
"Uh huh. So what'd ya get me for my birthday?"
"Its a surprise." Shin replied.
"Tell me." Mei-Ling pleaded "Please?"
"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"
"If you tell me, I'll act surprised."
"Sorry but no." Shin gave her a wink "You'll just have to wait like a good little girl."
"Hey!!" Mei-Ling cried "I am not a little girl!!"
Shin laughed to himself. There was that spunkiness he loved so much about the girl.
"Hey toad!!" Richie Vanderhause called from the doorway "Are ya gonna come out and play, or are ya gonna sit in here with yer boyfriend all day?"
"Shin is not my boyfriend!" Mei-Ling glared at the boy "And don't call me a toad!"
"Toad!!" Richie smirked.
Mei-Ling clenched her fists and stood up. "If you call me that again I'm gonna beat the shi...."
"Ah ah." Shin shook his head "Watch your mouth."
"Hahahaha!!" Richie laughed "Mei-Ling got in trouble by her boyfriend!"
"Go away Richie." Mei-Ling said "Just go away."
"Fine!" Richie stuck his tounge out "I didn't wanna come to your dumb party anyway. My mom made me come."
Mei-Ling glared as she watched the boy walk away.
"TOAD!!" Richie called when he was a safe distance away.
"Thats it!!" Mei-Ling jumped up from the table and bolted out the door.
"Mei-Ling!!" Shin tried to stop her, but she was too fast.
******************************************
"Toad Toad Toad!!" Richie sang as he skipped around the front yard "Mei-Ling is a toad!!"
"Shut up!!" Mei-Ling cried "Just shut up!!"
"What are you gonna do about it?" Richie asked "You better watch out or else you'll get in trouble with your stupid boyfriend again."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Mei-Ling screamed "And he's not stupid!!"
"Yes he is!" Richie yelled back "He may be a God, but he's still stupid!!"
"Take that back!!"
"Make me!" Richie teased "Mei-Ling and Shin, sittin' in a tree, K I S S I......" Richie was cut off as Mei-Ling punched him square in the face.
"I said shut up!!" she cried.
"Owwww!" Richie spat blood from his mouth "Oooooh, you're gonna regret that!!" He pushed Mei-Ling down and began to hit her and pull her hair.
"Let me go!!" Mei-Ling screamed as she punched him again.
Richie fell to the side and Mei-Ling pinned him to the ground. "Are you gonna take it back?" she asked.
"Never!"
"I said take it back!!" Mei-Ling hit him again "Take it back right now!!"
"Mei-Ling Mioko!!" a soft voice called out.
Mei-Ling winced at the voice of her best friend. A second later she was being pulled off of Richie.
"I'm very disappointed in you." Shin said "You know better."
"Sorry!" Mei-Ling crossed her arms and pouted "But he started it!"
"I don't care." Shin replied "You're a big girl now, and big girls don't fight with little boys."
Richie smirked as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"I think it would be best if you went home now Richie." Shin told the boy.
"Whatever." Richie whispered "This party is lame anyway."
******************************************
"This isn't fair!" Mei-Ling called from her room "Richie started it!!"
Down stairs Sarah and Shin exchanged glances.
"I'm so sorry about all this." Sarah said "I don't know what got into her."
"Please don't apologize." Shin replied with a laugh "I'm just glad I don't have children."
"Count your blessings." Sarah laughed "I love Mei-Ling with all my heart, but sometimes I don't think I can handle her."
"She is quite a handfull." Shin smiled sypathtically "But I'm sure a week of being grounded will straighten her out some."
"We can only hope."
"Can I come out now?" Mei-Ling called from upstairs "I'll be good, I promise."
"Do you think you can behave yourself?" Sarah called back.
"Yes ma'am."
"Then you can come out."
Mei-Ling kept her head down as she entered the kitchen. She didn't want to look at her mom or Shin.
"Sit down." Sarah said "I think its time we had a little talk."
"Yes mommy." Mei-Ling sat down and glanced nervously between her mother and her friend.
"What you did today was very wrong." Sarah said "You're too big to be fighting."
"I'm really sorry." Mei-Ling whispered "But Richie said something that made me mad."
"What did he say that caused you to hit him?' Sarah asked.
"He said Shin was stupid."
Shin smiled. "Mei-Ling you don't have to stick up for me." he said "Richie has no idea what he's talking about. Just ignore him from now on."
"I'll try." Mei-Ling replied "But he really makes me mad when he says things about people I care about."
"I know he does." Sarah smiled "But you need to show him that you're better than that."
"How?" Mei-Ling asked.
"By walking away." Shin told her "The next time Richie says something to upset you, just walk away. Eventually he get the idea that he can't make you angry anymore, and then he'll stop."
"Ok." Mei-Ling nodded "I'll walk away from now on. So can I have my surprise now?"
"Well" Shin seemed to be thinking about it "I don't know, you did get into a fight today."
"Please?" Mei-Ling batted her eyelashes "I'll be real good from now on.....pretty pretty please?"
"Well alright." Shin smiled and handed the girl a small box "Here you go."
Mei-Ling opened the box and gasped. "Wow!!" she cried as she pulled out a pair of earrings that matched Shins "Are they real?"
"Not hardly." Shin replied "They're just replicas. You're not ready to have real ones yet, but I thought you'd like them anyway."
"I love them!" Mei-Ling giggled as she hugged Shin "Thank you so mnch."
"You're very welcome." Shin replied "Try them on."
"Oh....I can't." Mei-Ling sighed "I don't have my ears peirced."
"I know that." Shin smiled "Thats why they're clip ons."
"Oh wow!" Mei-Ling cried "Will you help me put them on?"
"Of course."
"How do they look?" Mei-Ling asked once Shin had helped her with the earrings.
"They look beautiful honey." her mother smiled "Very fetching."
"Mommy, can I get my ears peirced?"
"Not until you're 13."
"But thats 2 whole years." Mei-Ling pouted "Its a long time."
"Your grandma made me wait until I was 13." Sarah said "So you can wait too."
"Oh fine." Mei-Ling made a face "I'll wait. But I wanna get them peirced as soon as I turn 13."
"Thats fine with me." Sarah smiled "Will you be staying for dinner Shin?"
"I can't." Shin replied "I must get home."
"Do you have to go?" Mei-Ling asked.
"Yes I do. But you'll see me again real soon, I promise."
"Ok." Mei-Ling smiled "Thank you again for the earrings. I really love them."
"I'm glad." Shin said "I'll see you again soon." He stood up and hugged the girl "Bye Mei-Ling."
"Bye Shin." Mei-Ling returned the hug "I love you. You're my bestest friend in the whole world."
"And you are mine." Shin replied.
"Come back anytime you like." Sarah smiled "You're always welcome in our home."
"Thank you Sarah." Shin bowed gracefully "Good bye."
Chapter 4; Birthday Blues
*Its Mei-Lings birthday....YAY!! Party!!*
And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish to send it to heaven
Then make you want to cry
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!! Happy Birthday dear Mei-Ling!! Happy Birthday to you!!"
"Make a wish and blow out the candles." Sarah smiled at her daughter.
Mei-Ling looked around the table at her party guests and sighed. All the kids from school where there, even Richie Vanderhause. Everyone was there.....everyone except the one person who meant the most to the little girl.
"How could he miss my birthday?" Mei-Ling wondered. She closed her eyes and blew out the candles on her cake...."I wish Shin would come see me today." she whispered.
"YAY!!" All the guest began to cheer as the candles went out.
"How old are you today?" Sarah asked playfully.
"11" Mei-Ling replied with a forced smile.
"You don't look too happy about it." Sarah sighed "Whats bothering you dear?"
"I wish Shin was here." the girl whispered "He said he would be here."
"Oh I'm sure he will be." her mother smiled "Now lets eat that cake. Doesn't it look yummy?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
******************************************
"Mei-Ling, aren't you going to play with the other kids?" Sarah asked when she found her daughter sitting alone on the front porch.
"I don't feel like it." Mei-Ling replied sadly.
"Well alright then sweetie." Sarah sighed "Try to cheer up."
Mei-Ling nodded and burried her face in her hands. She was about to give up and go back inside when she felt someone standing over her.
"Why are you so sad little one?"
Mei-Ling lifted her head and smiled. "Shin!!" she cried as she tackled the Kai "I thought you forgot my birthday!"
Shin laughed as he fell back in the dirt with an 11 year old clinging to him. "How could I forget something like that?" he asked.
Mei-Ling stood up and helped Shin to his feet. "I'm so glad you're here." she smiled.
Shin smiled down at her. Mei-Ling was still a foot shorter than he was. "Is there any cake left Shorty?" he asked.
"Yeah." Mei-Limg replied "And don't call me Shorty."
******************************************
"Now lets see" Shin smiled at Mei-Ling from across the table "11 is a pretty important age."
"How come?" Mei-Ling asked.
"Because you're not a little girl anymore."
"Oh that." Mei-Ling waved his words away "I stopped being a little girl a long time ago."
"Is that so?"
"Uh huh. So what'd ya get me for my birthday?"
"Its a surprise." Shin replied.
"Tell me." Mei-Ling pleaded "Please?"
"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"
"If you tell me, I'll act surprised."
"Sorry but no." Shin gave her a wink "You'll just have to wait like a good little girl."
"Hey!!" Mei-Ling cried "I am not a little girl!!"
Shin laughed to himself. There was that spunkiness he loved so much about the girl.
"Hey toad!!" Richie Vanderhause called from the doorway "Are ya gonna come out and play, or are ya gonna sit in here with yer boyfriend all day?"
"Shin is not my boyfriend!" Mei-Ling glared at the boy "And don't call me a toad!"
"Toad!!" Richie smirked.
Mei-Ling clenched her fists and stood up. "If you call me that again I'm gonna beat the shi...."
"Ah ah." Shin shook his head "Watch your mouth."
"Hahahaha!!" Richie laughed "Mei-Ling got in trouble by her boyfriend!"
"Go away Richie." Mei-Ling said "Just go away."
"Fine!" Richie stuck his tounge out "I didn't wanna come to your dumb party anyway. My mom made me come."
Mei-Ling glared as she watched the boy walk away.
"TOAD!!" Richie called when he was a safe distance away.
"Thats it!!" Mei-Ling jumped up from the table and bolted out the door.
"Mei-Ling!!" Shin tried to stop her, but she was too fast.
******************************************
"Toad Toad Toad!!" Richie sang as he skipped around the front yard "Mei-Ling is a toad!!"
"Shut up!!" Mei-Ling cried "Just shut up!!"
"What are you gonna do about it?" Richie asked "You better watch out or else you'll get in trouble with your stupid boyfriend again."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Mei-Ling screamed "And he's not stupid!!"
"Yes he is!" Richie yelled back "He may be a God, but he's still stupid!!"
"Take that back!!"
"Make me!" Richie teased "Mei-Ling and Shin, sittin' in a tree, K I S S I......" Richie was cut off as Mei-Ling punched him square in the face.
"I said shut up!!" she cried.
"Owwww!" Richie spat blood from his mouth "Oooooh, you're gonna regret that!!" He pushed Mei-Ling down and began to hit her and pull her hair.
"Let me go!!" Mei-Ling screamed as she punched him again.
Richie fell to the side and Mei-Ling pinned him to the ground. "Are you gonna take it back?" she asked.
"Never!"
"I said take it back!!" Mei-Ling hit him again "Take it back right now!!"
"Mei-Ling Mioko!!" a soft voice called out.
Mei-Ling winced at the voice of her best friend. A second later she was being pulled off of Richie.
"I'm very disappointed in you." Shin said "You know better."
"Sorry!" Mei-Ling crossed her arms and pouted "But he started it!"
"I don't care." Shin replied "You're a big girl now, and big girls don't fight with little boys."
Richie smirked as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"I think it would be best if you went home now Richie." Shin told the boy.
"Whatever." Richie whispered "This party is lame anyway."
******************************************
"This isn't fair!" Mei-Ling called from her room "Richie started it!!"
Down stairs Sarah and Shin exchanged glances.
"I'm so sorry about all this." Sarah said "I don't know what got into her."
"Please don't apologize." Shin replied with a laugh "I'm just glad I don't have children."
"Count your blessings." Sarah laughed "I love Mei-Ling with all my heart, but sometimes I don't think I can handle her."
"She is quite a handfull." Shin smiled sypathtically "But I'm sure a week of being grounded will straighten her out some."
"We can only hope."
"Can I come out now?" Mei-Ling called from upstairs "I'll be good, I promise."
"Do you think you can behave yourself?" Sarah called back.
"Yes ma'am."
"Then you can come out."
Mei-Ling kept her head down as she entered the kitchen. She didn't want to look at her mom or Shin.
"Sit down." Sarah said "I think its time we had a little talk."
"Yes mommy." Mei-Ling sat down and glanced nervously between her mother and her friend.
"What you did today was very wrong." Sarah said "You're too big to be fighting."
"I'm really sorry." Mei-Ling whispered "But Richie said something that made me mad."
"What did he say that caused you to hit him?' Sarah asked.
"He said Shin was stupid."
Shin smiled. "Mei-Ling you don't have to stick up for me." he said "Richie has no idea what he's talking about. Just ignore him from now on."
"I'll try." Mei-Ling replied "But he really makes me mad when he says things about people I care about."
"I know he does." Sarah smiled "But you need to show him that you're better than that."
"How?" Mei-Ling asked.
"By walking away." Shin told her "The next time Richie says something to upset you, just walk away. Eventually he get the idea that he can't make you angry anymore, and then he'll stop."
"Ok." Mei-Ling nodded "I'll walk away from now on. So can I have my surprise now?"
"Well" Shin seemed to be thinking about it "I don't know, you did get into a fight today."
"Please?" Mei-Ling batted her eyelashes "I'll be real good from now on.....pretty pretty please?"
"Well alright." Shin smiled and handed the girl a small box "Here you go."
Mei-Ling opened the box and gasped. "Wow!!" she cried as she pulled out a pair of earrings that matched Shins "Are they real?"
"Not hardly." Shin replied "They're just replicas. You're not ready to have real ones yet, but I thought you'd like them anyway."
"I love them!" Mei-Ling giggled as she hugged Shin "Thank you so mnch."
"You're very welcome." Shin replied "Try them on."
"Oh....I can't." Mei-Ling sighed "I don't have my ears peirced."
"I know that." Shin smiled "Thats why they're clip ons."
"Oh wow!" Mei-Ling cried "Will you help me put them on?"
"Of course."
"How do they look?" Mei-Ling asked once Shin had helped her with the earrings.
"They look beautiful honey." her mother smiled "Very fetching."
"Mommy, can I get my ears peirced?"
"Not until you're 13."
"But thats 2 whole years." Mei-Ling pouted "Its a long time."
"Your grandma made me wait until I was 13." Sarah said "So you can wait too."
"Oh fine." Mei-Ling made a face "I'll wait. But I wanna get them peirced as soon as I turn 13."
"Thats fine with me." Sarah smiled "Will you be staying for dinner Shin?"
"I can't." Shin replied "I must get home."
"Do you have to go?" Mei-Ling asked.
"Yes I do. But you'll see me again real soon, I promise."
"Ok." Mei-Ling smiled "Thank you again for the earrings. I really love them."
"I'm glad." Shin said "I'll see you again soon." He stood up and hugged the girl "Bye Mei-Ling."
"Bye Shin." Mei-Ling returned the hug "I love you. You're my bestest friend in the whole world."
"And you are mine." Shin replied.
"Come back anytime you like." Sarah smiled "You're always welcome in our home."
"Thank you Sarah." Shin bowed gracefully "Good bye."
