Carrie: That day, Tim popped the question.

Tim: How'd you like to have dinner with my folks Tuesday night?

Elizabeth: I'd love to.

Carrie: On Tuesday, he called with some bad news.

Tim: My mother's not feeling very well.

Elizabeth: Well, gosh, I'm sorry.

Tim: Could we take a rain check?

Elizabeth: Of course. Tell your mum I hope she feels better.

Carrie: When she hadn't heard from him for two weeks, she called.

Elizabeth: Tim, from Elizabeth. That's an awfully¹ long rain check.

Carrie: He said he was up to his ears and that he'd call her the next day.

Elizabeth: He never did call, of course. Bastard².

Carrie: She told me one day over coffee.

Elizabeth: I don't understand. In England, looking at houses together would have meant something.

Carrie: Then I realized no one had told her about the end of love in Manhattan. Welcome to the age of "un-innocence." No one has breakfast at Tiffany's, and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible. Self-protection and closing the deal are paramount³. Cupid has flown the co-op. How the hell did we get into this mess? There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of women like this in the city. We all know them, and we all agree they're great. They travel. They pay taxes. They'll spend $400 on a pair of Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals. And they're alone. It's like the riddle⁴ of the Sphinx. Why are there so many great unmarried women and no great unmarried men? I explore these sorts of issues in my column and I have terrific⁵ sources: my friends.

Peter Mason: When you're a young guy in your 20s, women are controlling the relationships. By the time you're an eligible⁶ man in your 30s, you feel like you're being devoured⁷ by women. Suddenly, the guys are holding all the chips. I call it the mid-30s power flip⁸.

Capote Duncan: It's all about age and biology. I mean, if you want to get married, it's to have kids, right? And you don't want to do it with someone older than 35, 'cause you have to have kids right away and that's about it. I think these women should just forget about marriage and have a good time.

Miranda Hobbes: I have a friend who'd always gone out with extremely sexy guys and just had a good time. One day she woke up, and she was 41. She couldn't get any more dates. She had a complete physical breakdown⁹, couldn't hold on to her job and had to move back to Wisconsin to live with her mama. Trust me-- this is not a story that makes men feel bad.

Charlotte York: Most men are threatened by successful women. If you want to get these guys, you have to keep your mouth shut and play by the rules.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Rain check

Rain check是美国流行口语，典故出自露天举行的棒球比赛。棒球是最受美国人欢迎的运动之一。如果球赛进行时天公不造美，骤然倾盆大雨，不得不暂停，观众可领"雨票"，或用原票存根作为"雨票"(rain check)，球赛改期举行时可凭之入场。

Rain check这句话后来有了引申意，广泛应用于日常生活中。

比方说有人请你吃饭或看戏，假如你刚巧因事不能奉陪，你可用婉谢的口吻说：May I take a rain check？直译是：可以给我一张雨票吗？地道英语的引申义是：这次抱歉不能赴约，下次有请必到。

上句是很客气的委婉讲法。如果约你的朋友已经是很熟的了，你大可直接说 I'll take a rain check，换成汉语就是："改天吧。"

2. Up to one's ears

意思是"deeply involved or occupied to full capacity深陷在（工作中）"，例如：We are up to our ears in work.

3. Close the deal

本意是"Complete a transaction¹⁰ 完成一件交易"，例如：Jack was delighted to close the deal. 这里指"结束一段情事"。

4. Get into

意思是"Become involved in卷入，陷入"，例如：He got into trouble by stealing cars.