Summary

Chapter 18 – As he and the others wait to find out what is going to happen with the performance, Gerald sits at the dressing table, worrying about whether everything he needs is prepared. He gets up to burn off some energy, and encounters Mima, her friendly inquiry about how he is doing triggering a somewhat rambling story that includes his dream of the night before and his history of having HIV/AIDS. As he finishes, he imagines her becoming uncomfortable, but instead she describes him as brave.

After they return to their dressing areas, they learn that as a result of an argument between Bill and the producer, the show is going to start. Everyone hurries to get into place. Gerald finds his costume and gets into position, briefly hallucinating that a lighting technician adjusting a fixture is the one who had been injured earlier...