章 17: Chapter 17

And it came, after the final show, after all the goodbyes to fair regulars and fans and other performers. We were settling up, splitting tips and pay—I’d almost forgotten I was getting paid for this. Paid to play fiddle on stage with a talented, enthusiastic band for a loud, enthusiastic audience, paid to have the most fun I’d had in years.

“You know,” Hitomi said, holding out a check to me, “we don’t have anyone else lined up to play fiddle going forward.”