Naomi was from Barbados, a small community called Pie Corner. The family had moved to Toronto when she was eight.

“Tom Hanks has a fine collection of typewriters,” Naomi told me. “Started with a Hermes 2000.”

Naomi rolled a sheet of paper into a yellow Olivetti Lettera 10 and typed a couple of lines. The sound of the keys striking the paper was surprisingly satisfying.

“I have a degree in business. Worked retail clothing for a while, but that didn’t stick. Tried banking, and that was worse.”

“So now you sell typewriters?”

“Buy them, fix them, sell them, collect them. I do it all. My business, my hours. The only downside is that I have to put up with a grumpy Black woman.”

“I thought you worked alone.”

Naomi had a great smile. “I do,” she said.

Naomi invited me back to her workshop. I took notes, photographed the space, watched her remove the platen on a Halda.

And then she invited me to her apartment.

BRYCE ISN’T A patient man.

“I’m going back to the hotel,” he says. “You can find me there.”

I suspect that he’s hoping that Kalea will follow him. But she doesn’t. She sits at the table and waits, doesn’t even look up.

“Is he gone?”

I nod. “He is.”

“That must have been unpleasant for you.”

“No problem.”

“Bryce can be an ass without even trying,” says Kalea. “He thinks because I love him that I’ll put up with his crap.”

My rice order arrives. The server has insulated the container with newspaper and put everything into a plastic bag.

Kalea pours the tea. “So, what’s the difference between an affair and a one-night stand?”

I hold the cup in my hands, enjoying the warmth.

“I mean, is an affair something that goes on for months? And a one-night stand is just that? One night? One time?”

Mimi and I have had numerous discussions about sexual activity and contemporary mores. Is sex an “affair” if neither party is married or in a relationship at the time? If one of the parties is married, is the single person simply having sex, while the married person is having an affair? If you engage in a series of one-night stands, is this sexual freedom or promiscuity? Do such terms mean anything? Is it simply a matter of being committed or not, of being trustworthy or not, of being loyal or not? Where does polyamory fit into the conversation? Is sexual activity black and white or a decidedly foggy landscape?

Keeping in mind that in all cases, the same body parts are involved in much the same activity.

“So, Bryce had an affair?”