The conference

It was a fine day in May when you took Dawn to school in your car. A few days before that she'd been injured while playing volleyball and now her ankle was in a cast. It's not like you had anything better to do during a study week.

"Hey, what's going on here?" you asked your baby sister as you passed by the Granger Conference Center.

"Some sort of international conference. I think we're going there next week" she told you.

"Huh, cool. What's it about?" you asked.

"International relations" Dawn said.

"So all potential diplomats, huh? Maybe you'll find an ambassador's son or something" you teased.

"Oh sweet, I'll have diplomatic immunity if I marry him" Dawn said, making you laugh. She giggled and looked out the window as you sped by.

"You okay getting out?" you asked.

"Can you help?" Dawn asked in return.

"Sure" you said, unbuckling your seatbelt, getting out to walk around and help Dawn to her feet. She leaned on the car while you reached into the backseat and got her crutches out of the car. When you handed them to her your baby sister smiled broadly.

"Thank you" she said as she put her hands through the loops that would go around her lower arms.

"You're welcome. You going to be okay?" you asked.

"Simone'll meet me here in a minute" Dawn said, looking around. Sure enough, the brunette came rolling up on her bike a few minutes later.

"Hi Dawn. Hi John" Simone said as she stopped and got off the bike.

"Hey Simone" you said, the teen smiling brightly at you. You then turned to Dawn. "I'm going to go to the deli to get some lunch for myself and mom. You want something for later?" you asked her.

"You know what I want" Dawn said, grinning. You nodded and smiled. Dawn loved the simple BLT sandwich so you got her one every time you went to the deli.

"Take good care of my baby sister, okay?" you asked Simone.

"Yes daddy" the teen said with a sly grin.

"None of that, please" you said, hugging Dawn and walking back to the driver's side door.

"You're no fun" Simone said. "Let's go, Dawn." Your sister laughed and nodded, slowly making her way to the front door after saying bye.

At the deli there was a line at the counter. You frowned. That never happened so you were curious as to why. It was a little later that you realised there were a lot of foreign languages in the air. You heard German, French, some Japanese, and far more languages you didn't even know or could only guess what. Was that !Xhosa? You thought it might be, what with the clicks and all. Huh, that was pretty cool. Listening without hearing anything specific, you sort of immersed yourself in the international atmosphere until you were next in line.

"Hey Kelli" you said to the girl behind the counter.

"Hey John" she said, smiling. "What can I get you? The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks. Also, can you make a BLT for Dawn?" you asked.

"No problem. Anything else?" Kelli wanted to know.

"Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Can you make a roast beef sandwich too?" you said.

"Sure. Want me to wrap it all up in foil?" Kelli asked.

"Please" you said with a nod.

"Alright, no problem. I'll get it ready for you. You know the drill" she said.

"I do. Thanks Kelli" you said, handing her two paper bills. She smiled at you as she returned your change.

"So how about that date you promised, huh? You're free now" Kelli said. You grinned at her and shook your head.

"You're not" you teased.

"Ah, just you wait" she replied with a laugh as you walked off to sit down at one of the tables nearest to the take away counter.

"John, your order is ready" you heard. Looking up from your phone you saw Kelli with a bag in her hand.

"Ah, great, thanks Kelli" you said as you got up and walked over to her.

"Don't forget I still want to go on that date you promised" Kelli said.

"Take a number" you teased as you took the bag from her.

"I already did. Mine says 1" Kelli replied.

"I'm sorry, all our lines are busy at the moment" you told her with a grin.

"Playing hard to get's only going to get me to try harder" Kelli said.

"That's the point. See you later, Kelli" you said.

"And you, tease" Kelli said, watching you go with a grin on her face. You were about to exit the place when two Asian men stepped inside and one of them bumped into you.

"Gomen" the man said, bowing to you.

"I'm sorry, I don't..." you said.

"Gomen nasai" the man said. Then a young woman appeared behind the men and talked to them briefly before looking at you.

"He says he's sorry" the young woman said with a smile.

"That's quite alright, it happens" you said, taken aback by her beauty. The woman said something and the man bowed again before walking past you, apparently satisfied that you'd accepted his apology. The woman nodded at you as she followed the men in and you couldn't help but watch her walk in.