Short

Before Julia leaves rehearsal for the day, Shawn Barr suggests that she visit Mrs. Chang to offer her a specialist position to make the flying monkey costumes. Julia asks Olive and Gianni to come with her and they agree; Julia plans to ask her mother to set up the meeting. Julia mentions Ramon in passing to Shawn Barr, and as Olive and Julia leave the theater, Julia tells Olive about Ramon dying earlier that year. When Julia’s mother picks her and Randy up from rehearsal and learns that Julia was doing wire work, she’s nervous and a bit upset. Ultimately, Julia convinces her mother that she loved the fly work and that “playing two different roles and learning how to do wire work and fly is helping [her] reach [her] true potential” (131).

That evening, Julia’s mother shares the news about Julia and Randy’s new roles with the rest of the family. Tim, Julia’s distant older brother, shows uncharacteristic interest in Julia’s experience with the flying harness and they reconnect. Julia’s mother calls Mrs. Chang, who agrees to meet with Julia, Olive, and Gianni about the flying monkey costumes. As Julia gathers photos of flying monkeys for inspiration for Mrs. Chang, she wonders about how few women play flying monkeys in other productions, including the film. Julia’s mind wanders through thoughts of animal hybrids to thoughts of a new pet, but as she curls up on a chair outside to rest, she falls asleep imagining Ramon.

Julia’s parents have scheduled an orthodontist appointment for her, even though Julia is concerned that getting braces during the run of the play may upset Shawn Barr or in some way jeopardize her spot in the cast. Julia’s father drives her to the appointment but allows Julia to go into the office on her own, so Julia spends her time in the waiting and X-ray rooms thinking about careers and wondering how a person knows what they want to do for a job. Julia decides that if daydreaming and taking care of dogs could be a job, that would be the one for her.

The orthodontist decides to x-ray Julia’s wrists as well as her teeth to measure her bone age. When Julia brings up her concerns about the play, the orthodontist offers to postpone braces until after the run of the play. The orthodontist also mentions a name that Julia hears as “El Frank Bomb,” but when Julia looks it up later, she realizes it’s L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Julia is fascinated with the idea of writers—the creators of stories and worlds—and takes note of several famous writers who were also smaller than average.

Olive arrives at Julia’s house and the two of them meet Gianni at Mrs. Chang’s to talk to her about working on costumes for the production. Mrs. Chang has already begun work on a flying monkey costume prototype, and based on the questions she asks Gianni about the flying harness, it’s clear that Mrs. Chang has done work in theater before. Julia, Olive, and Gianni learn more about Mrs. Chang’s life, including her age (76) and that she moved to the town to be close to her daughter. When Gianni presents her with the job offer, Mrs. Chang offers an interesting counterproposal: She will work on costumes for the play, but not in exchange for money. Instead, she wants a role as a flying monkey herself. Julia volunteers to ask Shawn Barr about Mrs. Chang’s role at the next rehearsal.

Instead of waiting for the next rehearsal, Gianni and Olive offer to bring Julia to Shawn Barr’s motel to discuss Mrs. Chang together. After getting permission from her mother, who is busy on the phone with work, Julia rides with Olive and Gianni to the Bay Motel, where Shawn Barr and the other performers from out of town are staying. At first, Shawn Barr is delighted that Mrs. Chang can make the costumes and doesn’t want to be paid a large fee, but he immediately says no to her request to be a flying monkey. Julia confronts Shawn Barr about discriminating against Mrs. Chang because of her age, and Olive follows up with a discussion of bias in the theater from her perspective as a little person, a woman, and a person of color. Shawn Barr is persuaded by this argument and agrees to allow Mrs. Chang to audition, but only if she is medically capable of flying in the harness. As Gianni drives Julia home, Julia notices that Gianni and Olive seem to like one another and are making plans to spend more time together. Julia reflects on the growing attraction between the two and on Shawn Barr’s declaration that art is “asking people to take another look at themselves and at each other” (180). That evening, as she is adding a napkin from Mrs. Chang’s house and a matchbox from the motel to her scrapbook, Julia writes a short journal entry with her thoughts about art, career, and creativity.