brute force.

Subway. Waiting for the 1 train uptown. Giant TV screen in the middle of the platform next to the padlocked trash bin. A woman putting on makeup on giant TV screen. Like, she’s filming herself. Says “Mia” at the bottom of the screen. Her name. Mia is an expert makeup artist. Apparently. Puts on foundation and all the rest in about seventeen seconds. She looks barely legal. Amazing. My train arrives, and I get on. I sit next to a woman who doesn’t look like Mia. We both get off at the last station. That night I dream I am Mia. I am putting on makeup. Except I make a mess of it. I film myself but my clip never makes it to the giant TV screen on the subway platform. I could be Mia’s grandfather in terms of age and gender. My skin needs more foundation, I suppose. I wake up in a cold sweat. I fix myself a coffee, then get on the 1 train downtown. Get off at the station where I saw Mia the day before. I stand a foot away from the screen waiting for her to come on. I have my video camera ready to film her doing the thing with the makeup. Seven trains go by. No Mia. On the giant TV screen I get MTA clips, a GAP commercial, tips for how to ride the subway safely, fall deals for late-summer travel and I am encouraged to befriend a wearable AI companion. This last one I do not comprehend at all.