Friday – 6:30pm
I first met Yumi while researching a project at the Toronto Reference Library (TRL) in downtown Toronto. The TRL wasn’t busy that night because it was a Friday evening. As a result, I was occupying a large table by myself.
Out of no where, a petite girl, of Asian descent, sits across from me. I remember greeting her with a smile as she sat down. She politely smiled back, to ackowledge my friendly gesture, and began unpacking her belongings from her oversized backpack.
I must admit, at this point, I did not pay her a lot of attention. Why? Because she looked to be around 40 years old and very FOB-ish. She did, however, have cute facial features. After this initial greeting, we both went about our business.
7:30pm
About an hour after she sat down, I decided to grab a coffee at the Tim Hortons (outside the TRL) so I can regroup mentally. Before I left to grab my java, I asked this woman if she could watch my belongings for 5 minutes. She replied, “Yes, I can watch them.” Her voice was soft and delicate.