‘Yes, I do. That is why I’m persistent. I can see that you are extremely hurt. Tell me what happened to you. What have us Indians ever done to you?’

She looked at me, her eyes sad and tired. ‘What will you do if I tell you? Can you erase the feelings that I have been carrying in my heart?’

She flared up again. But pulling herself together, she said, ‘I don’t want to be rude to you anymore. Please go. Leave me alone.’

We sat in silence for a while. Then I said slowly, ‘I’ll go back. I have no right to disturb you. But I have a question. Can one leave without knowing why his country is hated so much by someone else? Will you please tell me?’

Tears brimmed in Lailin’s eyes. She looked at me for a while and answered, ‘I don’t know. Because, even today, I don’t know which country I actually belong to.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I am sorry, I won’t be able to speak about this anymore today. Give me some time. Come back tomorrow. Please.’

I could sense the surge of emotions and the degree of discomfort she was struggling with. Without saying another word, and reining in my curiosity, I left.

The next morning when I went to meet Lailin, she was waiting for me, her bags beside her. Her eyes were red; she might have cried before my arrival. We sat facing each other, silently drinking coffee. I didn’t want to rush her today.

After some time, she asked, ‘What comes to your mind when you look at me?’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

‘Where do you think I come from? Look at me, tell me my nationality.’

I was at sea. With her slanted eyes, straight jet-black hair, fair complexion, slender build, what could this woman’s nationality be?

‘You could be Canadian-Chinese for all I know. But you don’t really look typically Chinese. But you are Chinese, though you are a Canadian citizen. You are Chinese, aren’t you?’ I was speaking rapidly.

After a few minutes of silence, she said, ‘In places like Hong Kong, China, Canada, Australia and many other countries, there are many people who are Chinese but don’t look typically Chinese. Because they –’ She paused halfway and then continued, ‘I don’t know why I chose to speak to you. I never thought I would speak to an Indian. It is your persistence that has forced me to speak. Perhaps your love for your own country has compelled me. But I have been thinking since last night: is it really necessary to talk about these things? It has been so long. So many years!’

I looked at her face; I just could not fathom what she meant.

‘I don’t understand, Lailin. What will you gain by not sharing? Who knows, if you share, you might find a way out. If you can think of me as your friend and not as an Indian, it might be easier for you to talk to me.’