Mia -- Week Five

Paul sifts through a pile of unopened sympathy cards and then opens a cigar box filled with his dead father's possessions. Examining its contents, he withdraws his father's watch and straps it to his wrist. When Mia arrives, she offers condolences, explaining that a colleague at her firm filled her in. Overly concerned, she says she can tell by Paul's face that he's tired and lonely. He replies that perhaps she's concerned he can't give her his full attention. She confesses she was upset when he canceled her appointment — then she felt like a jerk after she learned his father had died. That's all in the past, though, because she's pregnant now — hopefully with the child of the 20-year-old guitarist, who wouldn't put up a fight over custody. She feels different about everything already. She's even stopped avoiding the parts of her neighborhood that have noisy preschools. Noting that Paul doesn't appear as happy as she'd expected, Mia's enthusiasm falters, worrying that having a baby would totally eliminate any chance she has of landing a husband. She taunts him with the fantasy that they could have met in a bar, told each other their sad stories gotten drunk and flown off to Vegas to get married — only she would have screwed it up eventually. Paul tells her she needs to address her feelings not only of becoming a mother but also about finding a partner. As she talks out her fears of being a single mother, Paul points out that Mia sounds a lot like she did before having an abortion 20 years ago. Convinced this is her last chance at motherhood, Mia's feelings seem to solidify, and she tells Paul that she wants the baby. As she leaves, she advises him to take the day off to rest.