Yesterday, on my way home along Yonge & Eglinton, I was awoken from my zombie state by an innocent voice that traveled from just behind my ear.

“Would you like to buy a movie for $5?”

I only had a split-second to turn before my head followed a moving 11-year old on a bicycle. His right arm was raised up and firmly snapped inside his hand were about four DVD packets – the professionally packaged pirated sachets you buy from Chinatown – of indeterminable kind (I assumed they were Hollywood blockbusters, I remembered seeing exploding cars, etc.). His head was slightly turned, legs pedaling, left hand gracefully maneuvering around the pedestrian on the sidewalk in front of the historical Canada Post building in my neighbourhood. He didn’t get that far before I gave a kind and robotic, “Oh no, thanks.”

I can’t forget the look on this kid’s face as he peddled his four movies.

There was so much courage and strength in that snapshot. There wasn’t regret in his eyes, maybe a slight sign of disappointment, but which immediately turned into a tender, determined gaze at another yuppie walking half a meter in front of me. Another marketing opportunity, another possible movie-goer, she could be interested in what I’m selling. An open-ended answer.

I was moved.

First of all, this 11-year old was doing commerce on a bike. The efficiencies that he covered from this simple – possibly, to him, a no-brainer – decision is already leaps beyond what most existing small- to mid-size operations with larger resources are going through. Trading, while covering territory, while keeping barriers (uniformed officers and possibly his parents) and prospects (rush hour customers) in sight, it was astounding to witness his natural proficiencies.

The other thing that jumped to me was how unnatural everything looked. What was a neat-looking, curly-haired, Caucasian kid, probably living in the adjoined suburbs of affluent Yonge & Eglinton, doing riding a $300 bicycle and selling pirated DVDs? I noted that while his hair was pulled back, it was shoulder length (by force or by choice?). And peddling from a bike (need to do or nice to do?) – it was puzzling.

Did he just want some extra cash, or was he in need of it? Was his family affected by the recession or was he just an extremely precocious kid? I wonder how he felt before he hopped on his bike. After he parks it back home. Will he count his earnings at once and get a Starbucks or will he save his money instead. How does he feel after constantly being turned down by five adults, including me, on that half a block. Does he have the mental and emotional switches to turn feelings on and off? Does he hear the steely determination that people hear when they listen to his hurried, increasingly quaky sales pitch?

Does he know how inspired and hopeful, and reinvigorated, I felt after watching him slow down, person to person, peddling pirated movies to moving strangers, taking “No.” again and again, unaffectedly and mentally driven by a purpose only he knew of?

Neat-looking, curly-haired, 11-year old, suburban merchant kid on a $300 bicycle, thank you for selling to me. I’m sorry I didn’t have the courtesy to stop and ask for comedies. (I was afraid to impede on your elegant retail traffic system.)