Natalie: I could have made it work. He um...He really fit the bill. You know?

Ryan: The bill?

Natalie: White collar, college grad. Loves dogs, likes funny movies. Six-foot-one, brown hair, kind eyes, works in finance but is outdoorsy...you know, on the weekends. I always imagined he’d have a single syllable name like Matt or John...or Dave. In a perfect world, he drives a 4Runner, and the only thing he loves more than me is his 5)Golden Lab. And a nice smile. What about you?

Alex: Let me think. You know, honestly, by the time you’re 34, all the physical requirements just 6)go out the window. Like you secretly pray that he’ll be taller than you. Not an asshole would be nice. Just someone who enjoys my company, comes from a good family. Because you don’t think about that when you’re younger.

I don’t know...someone who wants kids. Likes kids. Wants kids. Healthy enough to play with his kids. Please let him earn more money than I do. You might not understand that now, but believe me, you will one day. Otherwise that’s a recipe for disaster.

And hopefully some hair on his head. But I mean even that’s not a deal breaker these days. A nice smile. Yeah, a nice smile. Nice smile just might do it.

Natalie: Wow, that was depressing. I should just date women.

Alex: Tried it. We’re no picnic ourselves.

Natalie: I don’t mind being married to my career. And I don’t expect it to hold me in bed as I fall asleep. I just don’t want to settle.

Alex: You’re young. Right now you see settling as some sort of a failure.

Natalie: It is...by definition.

Alex: But by the time someone is right for you, it won’t feel like settling. And the only person left to judge you will be the 23-year-old girl with a target on your back.

(納塔利向賴安和艾麗克斯說起與男友分手的事。)

艾麗克斯:他發個短信就把你甩了?

賴安:這就好像用網絡來把人炒了。

艾麗克斯:(你男友)真是個滑頭混蛋。

納塔利:那我算什麼?愛上混蛋的人?

艾麗克斯:我們都這麼做過。那些混蛋都率真,猜不透也很有趣。所以他們展現混蛋的麵孔時,我們都大吃一驚。

納塔利:我是跟著他到奧馬哈市來的。

賴安:真的?

納塔利:我原本在舊金山獲聘了一份工作,當時他得到了一份康尼格拉食品公司工作。他說我們可以一起開始新生活。所以我隨他來了。

賴安:去了內布拉斯加州?

納塔利:我16歲時認為,我到了23,就會結婚了。或許有個孩子,白天窩在某個辦公室,晚上消遣一下。原本我現在應該開個大切諾基吉普車了。

艾麗克斯:生活確實可能會讓人感到如此枯燥乏味。

納塔利:我想問,你以前覺得你以後會……

艾麗克斯:這個對我來說可不行。

賴安:到了一定年齡,你就不會給自己設限。

艾麗克斯:有時會壞事。

納塔利:我不想說任何關於反女權的話。我對你們前輩所做的一切都充滿感激。

艾麗克斯:我們很樂意。

賴安:幹得好。

納塔利:有些時候我覺得,如果我沒找到那位真命天子的話,不管我多麼成功都毫無意義。

艾麗克斯:你真認為他就是真命天子?

納塔利:我本可以讓這成為事實的。他隻是……他真的很合乎我的要求。你知道吧?

賴安:要求?

納塔利:白領,大學畢業,喜歡小狗,喜歡有趣的電影,六尺一吋(一米八五),棕色的頭發,迷人的眼睛,在金融界工作,但是喜歡戶外,比如在周末的時候。我一直想他該有個簡單的名字,比如馬特或者約翰……或者戴夫。在完美的世界裏,他開四驅汽車,除了我以外,唯一他更愛的是他的小狗。還有,他笑容迷人。你呢?

艾麗克斯:我想想。坦白說,一個人到了34歲的時候,外在要求已經沒意義了,例如現在你私下期望他要比你高。如果他不是混蛋就好了。隻要他愛和我待在一起,有不錯的家庭背景。年輕時候不會想到這些的。

我不知道怎麼說。隻要那人想要小孩,喜歡小孩子,想要小孩。身體健壯,可以跟自己的孩子玩就好。希望他掙錢比我多。你現在可能還不明白,但相信我,終有一天你會的。否則那會後患無窮。

希望他頭上還有點頭發。但我想現在這也沒什麼大不了。迷人的笑容。對,迷人的笑容。迷人的笑容就都解決了。

納塔利:啊,實在高興不起來。我應該和女人約會。

艾麗克斯:早就試過了。我們自己也不是什麼好東西。

納塔利:我不介意這輩子“嫁”給事業,但也不祈求這樣就能讓我幸福入睡。我隻是不想安定下來。

艾麗克斯:你還年輕,如今在你看來安定下來像是種失敗。

納塔利:本來就是。

艾麗克斯:等找到合適的人時,那就不是這種感覺了。到了那時候,就隻有那個23歲的無知女孩才能評判你自己了。

Care & Careless 無求則無怨

(Ryan and Natalia are out to take photos.)

Natalie: What happened to Alex?

Ryan: She had to leave town early to get to a meeting.

Natalie: That’s too bad. Where’s she live?

Ryan: Chicago.

Natalie: Thinking of going to see her?

Ryan: We don’t really have that kind of relationship. Try it over there. That’s great.

Natalie: What em...kind of relationship do you have?

Ryan: Well, you know...casual.

Natalie: Sounds pretty special.

Ryan: It works for us.

Natalie: Don’t you think there’s a future there?

Ryan: I never really thought about it. What’s going on here?