Love Conquers All
by Sailor SwiftHeart
Rated:  PG

*Chapter One: Help From A Stranger*

	Ken Shinosaki was sitting in his favorite armchair, chasing his blues away
with a bottle of beer.  He was a twenty-seven year old man with the start
of a beer belly.  He resorted to beer to hide from his real life problems.
Two years ago, Ken married a twenty-five year old witch from hell.  He has
regretted his marriage ever since.  Ken's wife's name was Cheryl.  Ken
found out that the only reason she married him was because of his bank
account.  Cheryl knew that Ken was a well-paid actor.  When she met Ken,
Cheryl acted nice and innocent, hoping to make him notice.  He did.  That
was two years ago.  Now, Ken went to work, came home and sat in front of
the television.  It had become a ritual.  He never talked or spent time
with Cheryl.  She was always high on something.  She treated Ken like shit.  
	While watching television one evening, a commercial came on that caught
Ken's attention.  It was a commercial about a hotline that was made to help
those going through problems.  Ken jokingly laughed, but then became
serious.  The commercial started talking about people who had a drinking
problem. Ken couldn't help but pay attention.  He looked down at the beer
bottle in his hand.  Deep down, he knew he had a problem. He grabbed the
closest piece of paper he could find and jotted down the toll-free phone
number that they gave.  He dialed the number and hung up.  He didn't want
to tell a complete stranger that he was an alcoholic.  He needed time to
think things through.  He pondered over what was most important to him.  He
came to the conclusion that the most important thing in his life was his
acting.  He got enough courage to dial the number again.  A female's voice
came over the receiver.
	"Hello, Crisis Centre, how can I help you?"  the voice said.
	"Hi,"  Ken said, "I... uh... have a problem."
	"Well, why don't you tell me what it is and I'll see if I can help you out
in some way."  the voice said.  Ken liked hearing the woman's voice.  It
was so comforting and soothing.  "By the way, my name is Lita."  
	"Hi, Lita.  My name is Ken." he told her, "I really don't know why I
phoned.  Your commercial just appealed to me."
	"That's usually why people call in.  The commercial has a way of getting
people to realize what life is all about.  Tell me, Ken, do you have a
drinking problem?"  Lita asked.  Ken was very hesitant about answering.  He
finally admitted it with a meek voice, his voice breaking with sobs.
	"That's the first time you've ever admitted it right?"  Lita asked.
	"Yes, I guess it is."  Ken said.
	"You should be very proud.  It's hard to admit your problems to a complete
stranger.  It's even harder to admit your problems to yourself.  That's the
first step to recovery.  You should be proud!"  Lita said.  Ken really
needed to hear those words right now.  Lita had such a soothing voice.  It
made Ken feel better.
	"Why don't you tell me about yourself."  Lita suggested.
	"I'm not sure what to tell you.  Let's see.... I'm twenty seven years old,
unhappily married and I have no life.  Is that good enough?"  he asked
Lita, sarcastically.
	"Oh, I don't think that's true.  I bet you have a lot of good qualities.
When we become depressed, our picture of life tends to become foggy.  I bet
you are a very caring man.  Let me ask you a question, Ken.  Have you ever
thought about killing yourself?  I know this is a hard question to answer,
but in order for me to help you, I really need to know."  Lita questioned.
Ken was silent for a brief moment.  He replied by saying, "I have thought
about what life would be like if I were dead.  Sometimes I wish that I was
never born at all.  Or, sometimes I felt that it would be best for everyone
if I put myself out of my misery!"  Ken said.  "I really need help, Lita.
I don't want to be dead.  What should I do?"
	"Well, the first thing I want you to do is to promise me that you will
never do anything drastic.  Promise?" she asked.
	"I promise, Lita."  Ken answered.
	"The second thing I need you to do for me is to realize that you are
entitled to happiness.  You DESERVE it, Ken.  You are a special and unique
man with a lot to offer others."  Lita said.  Ken agreed to think as
positively as he could.
	They talked for another hour.  Actually, Ken did most of the talking and
Lita did the listening.  Ken really needed to get a few things off his
chest.  Lita was a really great listener.  She learned a lot about Ken,
just by listening to him talk.  She heard that he really was a
compassionate man who had a lot of mixed emotions.  Before saying goodbye,
Lita said, "I would really like you to call me again.  Will you?"
	"I sure will.  Thanks for your help!"  Ken said.
	"Don't forget about your promise."  Lita reminded him.
	When Ken hung up, he felt as if a big weight had been lifted off of his
shoulders.  He felt as though there might be a positive side to his life.
It didn't even bother him when Cheryl came home from the bar, drunk as
usual.  Ken decided to call it night.  He went to bed and dreamed the most
wonderful dream.  He dreamt that he was at a picnic with his wife and
children.  Except, the wife in his dream was someone Ken didn't recognize.
It sure wasn't Cheryl.  It was a woman whom he actually enjoyed being with.
He actually had fun.  The kind of fun in which he hadn't had since his
wedding.  
	Ken woke up to Cheryl screaming in his ear.  She kept saying her stomach
hurt.  Like Ken really cared.  He ignored her screams.  The only reason her
stomach hurt was because she was probably throwing up all morning from her
hangover.  Ken looked at his pathetic wife and vowed never to drink again.
This was something that would be easier said than done.  But Ken was going
to try his best at it.  He didn't want to end up like Cheryl.  He needed
help.  More specifically, Lita's help.  
	Over the weeks, Lita had become a great help to Ken.  She gave him courage
to face his problems; she gave him a new view on life.  Slowly, Ken was
becoming more and more positive.  It was a long process, but Ken was
determined to take every step.

***