The next morning Rian woke up especially early. She had intended on making her legendary Baked Apple Dumpling for Easter dinner. Her mom would be doing most of the cooking and whenever she cooked she didn't allow anyone into the kitchen because she 'didn't want anyone distracting her while she was in her element', as she put it. So instead she and Kira wemt over to their friend Niecey's house to cook, talk and give her a chance to think about last nights events. Yongguk however had other plans. He intended on talking to Rian the first chance he got but once he woke up she was already gone. As Yongguk sat at the table eating breakfast he coudln't help but feel that maybe Rian had avoided him intentionally.Suddenly his thougts were interrupted by Mrs. Shaw

"So what do you think about that Yongguk?"

"Huh? oh yeah that sounds great."

Mrs. Shaw stopped cooking, placed her hands on her hips, and faced Yongguk "Well now I know you weren't listening. I said how about I not cook anything and we all go to a 24-hour McDonals to eat instead?"

Yongguk started to blush "Sorry."

"Dont be sorry. You came down stairs more in a daze than a kid in a candy shoppe. Nearly poured orange juice on your pancakes and syrup in your cup."

"Thats how we eat pancakes in Korea, Mrs Shaw."

Mrs. Shaw's face went from confused to blank then to apologetic. "I didn't mean-"

Then Yongguk began to smile "Gotcha!"

Mrs. Shaw began to smile, then she raised her spoon as if she were going to hit him with it."Good because I was about to say..."

"Rian said you like jokes."

"That I do. You can tell me all the jokes in the world as long as you quit calling me Mrs. Shaw."

"Do you think it sounds old? What else shoud l call you?"

"Well I am older but Mrs. Shaw just sounds like I'm the wife of drug lord or something. Right?"

Yongguk began to laugh. He began to see were the humor of Rian came from. "Actually it does kind of."

"Oh baby don't laugh it's scary. You got one of them horror movie laughs."

Now it was Yongguks turn to be blank and confused.

"Gotcha!"

Yongguk and Mrs. Shaw were beginning to build a positive relationship and he wanted to do the same with everyone else in Rians family especially her father. "So where is everyone else?"

"Well Sean and Stephan went to play ball. Rian and Kira went to a freinds house to cook and Spinner is watching T.V."

"What about Mr. Shaw?"

She quicly looked up and pointed ehr spoon at Yongguk, or at least he thgouth she was. "He's right behind you."

Yongguk nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around to be greeted by a straight-face Mr. Shaw.

"Who's asking about me?" Mr.Shaw questioned.

"Yongguk was just asking where everybody was is all."

"That's good becuase if it was your mother I would've said Antartica."

"Leave my mom alone."

"I'm serious." Mr. Shaw turned towards Yongguk.  "I've never heard a woman who can talk for two hours about coleslaw."

"Haha very funny. Can you leave so me and Yongguk can contiune our conversation?"

"Sorry my love but I gotta talk to Yongguk for a second."

"Well hurry up becuase I need him to help cut these potatoes."

Yongguk and Mr. Shaw began to leave out the kitchen and just as they were at the door Mr. Shaw quickly shouted back. "You're the woman in this house. It's your place to cut the potatoes and anything else I want!" But before he was finshed he quickly ducked because moments later a potato was hurled towards his head. "It wasn't me it was the kid!"

"B.S. He is too sweet to speak to any woman that way!"

"I was just kidding. You know I love you and worship the groudn you walk on."

"Mhm well you can do all that from the couch tonight."

The whole thing was throwing Yongguk off. Mr. Shaw was acting like acompletely different person. He was so animated, so chill, and so...relaxed. Yongguk actually saw a smile on his face at least before a potato was being hurled at his head. Now he was following him back to his office and in his mind he couldnt' help but feel more and more like he should pray the further they went down the hallway.

"Have a seat Yongguk" Yongguk sat across from Mr. Shaw and tried to match his body-language.

"So Yongguk I'm going to be blunt so we can get these things out of the way."

"Okay"

"Are you Christian?"

"Yes"

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how woudl you rate your investment, care for my daugter, and intent to prolong this realtionship to my daughter."

"Um...one being the highest or ten?"

"Ten."

"A nine."

"hmm"

"And why not ten and don't bull me?" Yongguk was caught off guard by Mr. Shaw sudden use fo prfanity. 'I guess she got her conservative nature from her mother.' he thoguth to himself

"Everything is great its just that..."

"She's black?"

"No!"

"She's not skinny?"

"No!"

"What? She hasn't slept with you yet?"

"No!! Mr. Shaw it isn't any of those things..."

"Then what is it?"

"I love her it's just that I don't know if... if she loves me?"

"Hmm." Mr.Shaw held his hands like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons and Yongguk coudl only  hope that was a good sign. "I can anwser that right now." Yongguk looked at Mr. Shaw questioningly.

"She does?"

"In the past Rian has introduced her boyfriends to us, usally after they've dated for a month or by accident."

"How does that show she loves me. If anything it means she...wants to keep this some kind of secret."

"Or it means that she wants to treat this relationship seriously."

"Yongguk I'm going to be honest. When Rian, and all my children really, were born I never thougt or anticipated they'd date anyone else outside of there race, especailly Rian. She went through this deep 'Black Power' phase in high school, thats when we started calling her Rian. When we found out you were Korean we all were thrown for a loop. But anyway, Rian's older sister herself dated someone who was white but he turned out to be an abusive user. So many people view will sleep with a person of color but few wodul have a meaningful relationship with one. I couldn't protect one daughter from one scenario but I will protect Rian from anyone and anything."

"Mr.Shaw I'm sorry that happened but I'm not abusive, my parents raised me better than that. I don't just want Rian for her body. Rian is so much more than that. Rian is the most giving person I know. So much so that I feel like it's a fault sometimes. She runs miles for people who wouldn't give her an inch. Her mind is the night before a revolution. Her spirit, her spirit is so strong and so guarded that I hope and be so greatful is someday she were to share just an ounce of that with me."

"I've been watching you Yongguk and Rian too, for that matter and I have to say, I'm impressed."

"What do you mean?"

"When Rian takes time on things it means she cares abott them. I remember she had written this poem in high school that would count for a hefty portion of her grade. She worked on that thing for months on top of her other responsibilites. We offered to help but she wouldnt' let anyone read it. So eventually presentation day came and she had written the best poem in her school and had won a two thousand dollar scholarship."

"Must've been a really deep poem."

"Not really. It was a Haiku..." In that moment both Yongguk and Mr.Shaw had reached an understdnign as they both laughed about a girl whom they loved.

"I'm impressed with you Yongguk because you seem 'cool'. I saw you carry my daughters bags in when you came. Which tells me that you aren't selfish. She came to your room last night and you didn't push her into anything, which shows your responsible and patient. You know her which means you care about this relationship to. The only other concern will  be adressed when you meet Karter."

"Why? What are you expecting from me?"

"You'll see." Mr. Shaw exited his office leaving Yongguk confused as to what to expect from the infamous Karter.