“Rae . . .” I begged one last time.

She exhaled with fury. Then she spun on all points of her feet and stomped back up the stairs in her big black boots, fuming and mumbling to herself.

It wasn’t until she was gone that I heard the music playing in the room, the volume so low it was scarcely perceptible. I hadn’t noticed it amid all the drama, but there it was. The same song, on a loop.

I don’t wanna get over you—

TWENTY-SEVEN.

I squinted at the shattered glass house with Yanmei inside, trying to make out how the experience was going for her. All I could see were blurry, broken up shapes at a table.

I had a hunch that October was going to feel a real connection to Yanmei, and I was right, because when Yanmei’s time was up, October stood and hugged the girl. She hadn’t done that with anyone else all day, and Susan, the woman behind me now—a seventy-one-year-old art-loving grandmother of seven, on her third visit to the exhibit—said she hadn’t seen anything like that the first two times.

Yanmei’s smile was so big when she exited the glass house, I thought it might lift her off the ground. I was hoping she was going to make eye contact with me so I could check in and give her that thumbs-up I’d missed out on earlier, but the security guard at the back door ushered her to the rear of the gallery, where she had the option to exit the museum or to go up the steps into the main lobby; Yanmei headed up the steps.

When I was second in line to enter, I noticed the computer screen to my left, positioned on a bronze base at the end of the queue, framed much like the house itself, only without the broken glass. It displayed instructions pertaining to the performance:

SFMoMA and October Danko, in association with the Thomas Frasier Gallery, welcome you to Sorrow: This is Art. Please follow these directions to insure a pleasant and meaningful experience for all participants:

Be seated immediately upon entering the exhibit.

Once you are seated you may take the artist’s hands. You may speak to her if you wish but are not required to do so.

.

The artist will remain silent throughout the performance.

At no time during the performance are you permitted to use any electronic devices. Photography, video and audio recording are strictly prohibited, and failure to abide by this rule will result in your immediate removal.

It is not mandatory that you participate in the performance for the full five minutes and may leave at any time.

If you chose to remain inside for the duration of your segment, a chime will sound when your time is up.

When you hear the chime, please leave the room swiftly and quietly through the exit.

Thank you for your cooperation.

I broke one of the rules. Before I went in, I opened the voice memo app on my phone and pushed record. I wasn’t trying to be subversive, I just didn’t think I would remember what I said if I didn’t record it, and I wanted to remember.