The Stuff of Dreams

When a Dream Seems Dead

"Absolutely not," Mei sternly said with crossed arms.

"Come on, Mei. It's not that bad," Po argued.

"I'm not going to be someone's maid."

Po rolled his eyes. "You're not going to be his maid. You're just going to be helping him with proofreading and editing some of his papers."

"And how am I going to do that? I don't have the in-depth knowledge of story format and grammar like you."

"You get better over time, and he has resource books that will help you if you have a problem," Po sighed. "Look, all you have to do is cook and edit his papers. They're not even his stories–just some business documents. You could get some experience from it while you look for a new job. This is just to help you get by, okay?" The female panda huffed and glared to the side. "And it does seem like you somewhat enjoyed his company. If he does anything wrong, you can always quit."

"But he'll probably kick you out of his class," Mei said.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, I've learned as much as I can really. Now I just have to actually send out my papers. And I can always get the lessons from my friend, Crane." Mei stayed silent. "Look, I know it's not ideal, but it is worth something. Why don't you just try it out for a week and see how you like it." The female panda looked to her kitchen and sighed, finally nodding. "Great, I'll call Tai-Lung back tomorrow."

Tai-Lung had offered Mei a job as his cook and editor while she looks for a job. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Tai-Lung glared at his latest story, glancing over the words but never picking up their meaning. His mind weighed the idea he had just proposed to Po. Just then, he heard a car pull up by his house.

Ding-Dong!

Tai-Lung opened the front door where Mei stood wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt with black short sleeves. Tai-Lung strained to keep his smile down. Her shirt made it confusing, almost as if she were naked. "Uh... Good morning, Mr. Tai-Lung. I'm here for the... job offer you mentioned."

"Right, come in," Tai-Lung promptly said. "I understand your nervousness. I promise that I'll try to make this as comfortable as possible."

"Thank you, Mr. Tai-Lung," Mei replied. Tai-Lung nodded. "Where exactly did you want me to edit your papers?"

"There's a small desk upstairs, just as you open that door," He pointed up the stairs. They walked up, opened the door, and Tai-Lung showed her the room. It wasn't tiny. It had a computer, two chairs, a small rack of reference books, a desk, and plenty of room to walk around; it even had a bathroom. On the opposite end was another door. Mei assumed it was his office and decided it was best not to go in. On the desk stood a stack of papers waiting for her. "I'll leave you to get started."

"Did you want me to make you breakfast first?" Mei asked shyly.

"That won't be necessary. I'm not hungry during the morning."

Grrrrroowwwlll

"Darn it," Tai-Lung grumbled under his loud belly's roar. Mei covered her giggle.

"How about I just make you a light breakfast first?"

"I... I have a meeting to go to at 10 so-"

"I'll be quick. Besides, it's never good to skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day," Mei smiled. Tai-Lung looked at her as she walked away. Her words replayed in his mind, and he sighed. A small picture of his child-self with two other snow leopards laid on the desk. Tai-Lung picked it up. His eyes glanced at the shiny glass as his hands gently grazed it.

"I didn't think I would hear that phrase again," Tai-Lung mumbled to himself.

The day went on and Po didn't get any calls from his sister nor from his teacher, so he assumed that everything was okay. As he was finishing up with some kind of paper, Po found his mind wandering back to that dream with the tiger. The panda huffed, almost infuriated that she came to his mind. That's when a knock came at the door. "Oh, Mrs. Fa... I mean Tigress. What are you doing here?" Po asked.

"I just wanted to know how you were doing. Some of the employees aren't really good with making people feel welcomed."

"Really? I mean, I don't really know anyone else here other than Viper and you, but I don't feel alone."

"Really?"

"No, but then again, I'm not really that social," Po smiled.

"Well, that's good." The panda looked at Tigress, not her outfit, but her body. Her eyes looked around the room, and she crossed her arms. It wasn't much to go off of, but something was up.

"Is there something bothering you, Tigress? You seem on edge," Po said. Tigress blinked at him before easing down into the chair that stood across his desk.

"Most people here wouldn't have picked up on my worried face."

Po shrugged, "I just see things differently. What's up?" Tigress sat quietly for a moment.

"Po... you've never been in a relationship, right?"

Po rose his eyebrow. "No, I haven't."

"I'm sorry if this is too personal but-"

"I'm just surprised I'm that see-through."

"You are," Tigress smiled kindly. "But I ask because I'm having problems with my boyfriend."

Boyfriend.

It seemed like the tiger of his dreams drew away in an instant, and even though it was summertime, Po could feel the unforgiving cold of snow around his body, making him shiver. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Po quickly smiled, "Just a weird chill." He cleared his throat. "So you have a boyfriend. For how long?"

"About a year or so." Po felt like he was literally digging his own grave, and salt was being added to his wounds. "But I wanted to ask you if you could help me a little."

"How so?"

"Well... he's very sweet, loving, and kind, and he does pull his own weight."

"But?"

"He's...," Tigress sighed. Po tilted his head. "He's a doctor and his schedule is sometimes demanding, but he makes it work for us."

"And that's a problem?"

"It isn't!" Tigress quickly corrected, "I just...I feel..."

"Why come to me in the first place?"

"Well, I can't talk to Kai or Mei-Ling about this, and most of the women here are kinda... more air-headed than most," Tigress confessed.

"And I'm a fresh perspective?"

"And you can see from the outside looking in." Po gave a big sigh and relaxed into his chair. While his heart yearned for the space to break, his mind coldly came up with a solution.

"Is he the kind of guy to solve problems more than he listens?" Po asked. Tigress shook her head. "Then I would tell him what's troubling you... if you can put it into words."

"I guess."

"If he's willing to work with you to make it work, then I would tell him what's going on," Po smiled. Tigress sighed, looking out the window before standing up to leave. "I hope it was good advice."

"It was. Thank you, Po." She smiled with an invisible weight on her lips. Po did the same as she left. Once the door was closed, Po dragged his fingers across his face.

"Great, Po. Just Great."

To be continued...