she 'd even culled through the minor characters in ali 's life , like the exchange student from holland who 'd given ali a pair of wooden shoes as a token of his affection , the greasy-haired jet ski operator in the poconos who always told ali he 'd `` warmed up the seat just for her , '' or mr. salt , the school 's only male librarian , who always told ali he would bring in his first-edition harry potters especially for her if she ever wanted to read them-gag .