Breathe, Phoebe told herself. Her own name rang in her ears. Time had stopped when Holly said it, and now there were two Phoebes—one who was standing here in a big pink party dress, while those around her turned and clapped and stepped back to clear a path for her to reach the terrace steps; and one who was back at Mission Control, pacing before the screens, monitoring her pulse and her oxygen supply and her angle of approach, sounding the alarm that it was time to burn the engines.

“Come on up here, Phoebe!” Holly had said, and she was still beckoning her to come, waving her arms wildly.

Snap out of it! she heard Umma say, and the Mission Control Phoebe agreed that this was getting ridiculous.

“Okay!” Phoebe said to her selves, not just to silence them but to convince them it was possible. She could do this. She could walk up to the terrace even though her legs felt like Jell-O. She started out, a little wobbly at first but gathering strength as she went, grateful she’d chosen a low heel. Zanne was at the bottom of the steps, apparently as out of sorts as Phoebe felt. They nodded at each other, all the lives they’d each lived coalescing into one greeting. Phoebe gathered up her skirt and climbed. As she reached the top, Holly and Ted stepped back as one, like figure skaters who’d been paired together since they were children.

“Would you like to say a few words?” Holly said.

What was happening? Phoebe hadn’t expected the fellowship to be awarded this soon. This morning at the keynote, it had sounded like it would be a lengthy process with a jury and maybe a decision in the fall. Is this what Ted had thought she wanted when she went to him? She looked out at the crowd, trying to find a safe place to rest her eyes, a friendly face that resembled hers. She’d seen a few other Asians earlier, but it was like Where’s Waldo trying to find one now. Everywhere she looked, it was another man in the yellow hat.

“Um. I’m...just...speechless,” she said.

Holly laughed, but when she realized Phoebe wasn’t kidding, she reminded everyone to have a good time, refresh their drinks, and use the DoGood app on their phones to donate. “Yo, VIP, let’s kick it!” Vanilla Ice admonished the guests as the sound system came back up.

“Ted? I don’t understand,” Phoebe said, turning toward him, but before he could explain himself, there was a camera in her face and a light hanging over her head.