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.”