Autobiography Of Red

Awake in his hotel room at three a.m., Geryon looks down onto the "empty street below" (98). He decides to leave his hotel room and walk around the city. He hears a voice and follows it to a bar, outside of which a man stands. When Geryon approaches, the man bows and asks, "Tango?" (99). Geryon stumbles into what he realizes is "the only authentic tango bar left in Buenos Aires" (99). He watches three "ancient musicians" (99) play for a few patrons, being served an "orangeish drink" (99) by a gnome. A woman in a tuxedo joins the musicians onstage and begins to sing "typical" (100) tango songs. They all sound the same to Geryon. He begins to fall asleep.

When he awakens, the musicians and patrons have gone. The singer leans over a glass while the gnome sweeps around her feet. She approaches Geryon and he sits upright, trying to "organize his arms casually" (100). He finds he "woke up with an erection" (100) and has no pants on to hide it. The singer, unconcerned, sits down at his table. She begins to smoke a cigarette. Geryon wonders what to say to her and begins to talk about her singing.