How to Fill the Awkward Silence in an Elevator Full of Women

Today I got into an elevator on the third floor of a building in Manhattan. There were three other women in it. They ranged in age from maybe mid-40s to early 70s. One was carrying a Yorkshire Terrier and wearing oversized sunglasses. I smiled at them and stepped to the only open space. There was silence as the doors closed and we began to descend. Then, from behind me, the woman carrying the dog cleared her throat and said:

“It’s not often you see four women in an elevator.”