Chapter 21: Someplace That's Else

"I'll have the salmon teriyaki," Richie said handing the menu to the waitress.

Dawn glanced over at him with mischievous eyes. "I'll start with some agedashi dofu, appetizer maki sushi and assorted tempura."

"Anything to drink?" the waitress asked.

"A pepsi," Richie said.

"Me, too, please," Dawn said.

"Could you also bring some cutlery?" he asked.

"Sure," the waitress smiled then left.

"Not into chopsticks?" Dawn asked.

"Food's usually cold by the time I get the hang of it," he admitted.

"This is a nice place," she said looking around the small but pleasant restaurant. Watercolours of Japanese scenery hung on the walls, and rice paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. "Come here often?"

"Once in a while when Duncan has a craving for saki," he said. "So how do you like Seacouver so far?"

"It's really nice judging from what I've seen on the drive between the dojo and the hotel and the view from the suite," she replied then sipped from the mug of complimentary green tea. "It's so different from New York. Because of the stupid time difference, I've been awake at 4:30 every morning since we arrived. Back home there's always some kind of street noise like cabs and trash collectors, but here it's so quiet. The streets are practically deserted. It's kinda freaky."

"How's the hotel?"

"It's great. My bedroom has a view of Hyde Cliff Park and Robson Bay. Security's pretty tight. You have to use your cardkey to get the elevator to move, and anytime anyone comes to visit, you have to go down to the lobby to verify that they are expected."

"Wow," Richie said as the waitress delivered their drinks then left. "So how's school?"

"It's okay, I guess."

""What are you taking?"

"English, algebra, science, history and Mandarin."

Richie was sure he misheard. "Mandarin?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "We have to take a foreign language. We have a choice between French, Spanish and Mandarin. As Connor pointed out, over a billion people speak Mandarin so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some formal education in it."

"There's a Peking Palace down the street," Richie said. "If we ever go there for lunch, you can order for us."

Dawn giggled. The waitress came by with a bowl filled with small fried cubes in a sauce garnished with snips of green onion.

"Yum," Dawn said and picked up her chopsticks. "Try some."

"What is it?"

"Just try it."

Richie stabbed a cube with his fork and popped it into his mouth. "Hmmm. This is pretty good. What is it?"

"Deep fried tofu."