I’m working on my computer in the small, shaded seating area on the West Side Piers. A man near me is repairing his bicycle – an elaborate, labor intensive process that involves removing and cleaning various parts – at one point he apologizes to me for spraying lubricant in the air. A few minutes later he apologizes again, this time in advance, for asking me a question about my computer. He asks how much memory the processor has, or some other technical question to which I don’t know the answer, and I reply that it has enough for basic functions, etc. He thanks me, and seems eager to make more small talk, but I give signals that I’m trying to concentrate on the text I’m writing, so he goes back to his repairs. A short time later I become aware of another potential distraction: a couple, just out of earshot, appear to be arguing. They’re pacing back and forth, acting out a sort of theatrical Punch & Judy show: one storms off, then turns and walks back to say one last thing, then leaves, then returns, then they switch roles. I try to ignore the escalating drama, but bicycle man has been paying close attention, and he says to me, ‘They don’t seem to be having a good day,’ or something like that. I nod, then try to go back to my work. But my nod is enough to convince bicycle man that I’m on his side, and he shouts out, ‘Hey guys! Hey, chill out! You’re scaring people.’ The man, who up until this point has been the more passive party in the argument, turns suddenly vicious and begins shouting at the bicycle man. ‘Who the fuck are you!’ ‘You fucking pussy!’ The woman simultaneously tries to talk him down while at the same time berating him for ‘scaring people’. The bicycle man, realizing his intervention was a mistake, beats a hasty retreat: ‘Hey, I’m on your side, man – ‘. For a moment it seems like actual physical violence could erupt. But after a torrent of threats from the arguing man it becomes clear that he’s just using this intervention as an opportunity to reassert his masculinity. The arguing couple eventually totters off, and calm is restored.