(ISAAC is on the subway heading to work. At 125th Street a YOUNG WOMAN gets on the train, listening to her headphones and moving her head to the music. She’s smiling. She’s basically the worst sight first thing in the morning, and she sits right next to ISAAC. After a moment the WOMAN across from them leans forward and speaks to the YOUNG WOMAN.)

WOMAN: You look like you’re in a good mood.
YOUNG WOMAN: What?
WOMAN: (gesturing to the young woman’s earbuds) You –
YOUNG WOMAN: (removing her earbuds) What?
WOMAN: You look like you’re in a great mood.
YOUNG WOMAN: I am. I’m so happy. I woke up in the best mood.
WOMAN: I thought it might be what you’re listening to.
YOUNG WOMAN: What?
WOMAN: What are you listening to?
YOUNG WOMAN: Oh — Paul Simon, “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.”
WOMAN: That’s a good song.
YOUNG WOMAN: (reading from her iPod) Paul Simon.
WOMAN: Yes.
YOUNG WOMAN: (offering an earbud across the way) Here — listen to it.
WOMAN: No, thanks, I know it.
YOUNG WOMAN: It’s old.
WOMAN: Yes.
YOUNG WOMAN: I like to have a little bourbon when I listen to it.
WOMAN: (leaning back) Ah, yes.
YOUNG WOMAN: But not today, it’s too early. Just a little puff-puff.

(ISAAC is in an elevator heading up to his therapist’s office. A MIDDLE-AGED  WOMAN gets on the elevator, shaking the rain from her umbrella.)

WOMAN: This weather!
ISAAC: I know.
WOMAN: It makes every bone in your body ache!
ISAAC: It’s really awful, I’m so sick of it.
WOMAN: Well, now, let’s not get carried away. (leaning in) It’s not awful, because God made it.
ISAAC: (leaning away) Ah.
WOMAN: Everything, good and bad, is from the Creator.
ISAAC: Mm.
WOMAN: We want everything to be nice, but he says, “No, I have to show you I’m steering the ship.” And we can’t complain –

(She touches Isaac’s arm, leans in again.)

WOMAN: – and we can’t judge.

(The elevator doors open at her floor and she gets off.)

FIN.

(ISAAC is at Symphony Space, waiting for a discussion with Joan Didion to start. He sits next to two chatty women.)

WOMAN #2: So where does the wood end and the stone begin?
WOMAN #1: It’s almost all stone now. We wanted the backdoors to open and have it be like, bam: California.
WOMAN #2: OK, yes, I’m picturing it, the wood and the stone.
WOMAN #1: Amber, almost orange stone. Very bright. It’s costing us a fortune. You would not believe how much it all costs.
WOMAN #2: I believe it. Trust me, though, it’s worth it.
WOMAN #1: Oh, I know. And Frank gets it, for the most part. The horizon pool was a no-brainer.
WOMAN #2: You get in, you look out, there’s pool for days.
WOMAN #1: I think the hot tub will take more convincing. He’s never going to want to spend money again after this.
WOMAN #2: Best decision we ever made. The kids are in it all the time.
WOMAN #1: And that’s exactly the thing, I don’t want the kids growing up without that experience, you know? I had a hot tub growing up, and my brothers and sisters and I were in it all the time.
WOMAN #2: If you can get Frank to cough up a little extra, put in a fire pit.
WOMAN #1: Really?
WOMAN #2: Fires are great with people over.
WOMAN #1: Oh my god, he’s going to blow a gasket.
WOMAN #2: Tell him just because it’s a summer house doesn’t mean you can’t go in the winter.

(Late at night. ISAAC is riding the subway home. Across from him a MAN, a WOMAN, and another MAN are talking.)

MAN #1: That was crazy, man.
MAN #2: I know. I’ve never hit a woman before. Never.
MAN #1: Me either, man, but still.
MAN #2: Do you think it was, like, bad?
MAN #1: No. She was comin’ at you, man.
MAN #2: (to the WOMAN) What do you think? You tell me.
WOMAN: (resting her head on his shoulder) It was fine, she was fucking crazy.
MAN #2: Yeah, she was fucking crazy. I just — uhh, I’m a good guy, you know, and I was always raised, like, don’t hit women.
WOMAN: (half-asleep) Whatever. You don’t do it, like, a lot.
MAN #2: You should’ve hit her. That would’ve been better.
WOMAN: No, I would’ve missed.
MAN #2: Yeah, you would’ve missed.
WOMAN: With my luck I’d miss her and hit, like, a kid.
MAN #1: What’s the kid doing in a bar?
MAN #2: Yeah, hitting a kid would be worse. Ugh, shit. (to a NEARBY MAN) How about you, man: you ever hit a woman?
NEARBY MAN: (shaking his head, laughing) No, man. No way.
MAN #2: Oh god. I’m the only one?
NEARBY MAN: You’re the only one.
MAN #1: No, you’re not the only one.
MAN #2: (to the NEARBY MAN) Listen to this: we’re walking down the street, minding our own business, and this woman comes running after me, screaming all this shit at me, claiming I did something to her. I don’t know this woman, I don’t know what she’s talking about, but she starts swinging at me and pushing me and shit, and I just clocked her finally. I didn’t even think. She fell down. Was that bad?
NEARBY MAN: (laughing again) No comment, man. No comment.
MAN #2: Oh, shit!
MAN #1: This is our stop. Come on.
MAN #2: (gathering the now-sleeping WOMAN) OK. (to the NEARBY MAN) Hey, goodnight, man, good luck with everything.

(The A train, headed uptown. ISAAC sits across from a ONE-ARMED WOMAN who is reading a magazine. The TWO-ARMED WOMAN next to her leans in.)

TWO-ARMED WOMAN: You people inspire me.
ONE-ARMED WOMAN: What?
TWO-ARMED WOMAN: You people, just the way you adapt –
ONE-ARMED WOMAN: Oh, no, no, please.
TWO-ARMED WOMAN: What happened?
ONE-ARMED WOMAN: Nothing, I was born like this.
TWO-ARMED WOMAN: So you’ve never known any different. Wow.
ONE-ARMED WOMAN: ”You people” is just a little –
TWO-ARMED WOMAN: (overlapping) Wow. Well, you inspire me. Truly.

(The TWO-ARMED WOMAN settles back. The ONE-ARMED WOMAN goes back to her magazine.)