My Dog Knew He Was Garbage

After the anesthesia from my surgery, I apparently confessed my undying love to the nurse.

She just laughed, told me I had a thing with Dr. Chen, and I shouldn't get too carried away.

Right before I totally blacked out, I think I blurted, "We broke up! I'm so over Ethan Chen."

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Talk about awkward. The surgeon was Dr. Chen's mentor, and Ethan was there assisting. If the nurse hadn’t come to see me later, I wouldn’t have known what I'd said.

Apparently, after "I'm so over Ethan Chen," I’d added, “I’m into gorgeous nurses like you now. Mwah, mwah!”

And Dr. Lee, the surgeon, totally added fuel to the fire, saying, “Well, well, looks like the little chick flew the coop. Who’s the lucky fella who stole my student's girl?”

Maybe because of that cheesy addition, everyone assumed I was kidding. No one believed I wouldn’t like Ethan or that we’d broken up. I guess even Ethan himself didn’t believe it, because after the discharge paperwork, he took time off work to drive me home.

I watched him busy himself, packing my things, and I said, looking down, "Someone’s picking me up."

He looked up, "I already took the time off." There was a hint of annoyance, mixed with maybe something else, in his eyes.

Ethan was far from a great boyfriend. If I hadn't just had surgery, he would never have thought of offering me a ride. It was like, I worked in the same business park as his hospital, and every time I asked him to pick me up, he acted all put-upon.

One time, he actually came to pick me up, and his little med student intern was sitting in the front seat.

The front seat. That has a special meaning in a relationship, you know?

Ethan is a big deal. A Johns Hopkins medical school graduate, now working at one of the country's top hospitals. Of course, his background was impeccable. His parents were both college professors. Maybe he thought it was impolite for a friend to sit in the back. I bet his colleagues thought the same thing. And this intern, working alongside Ethan, was definitely way more “important” than me.

If he hadn't been picking me up, I might not have cared about another woman in his front seat. But he was picking me up. My work was a ten minute drive. Why couldn't she have sat in the back?

When we stopped, the intern offered me the front seat. I smiled and kept the door closed, stopping her. I just got in the back.

It was a terrible day, for sure. I had been feeling queasy for days, and had just had a cup of soy milk. I was starving and wanted some chocolate.

As I opened the wrapper, Ethan said, “Don’t eat in my car.” Cold, with a hint of irritation. I saw his tight jaw in the rearview mirror. The intern chirped in, trying to be cute, and told Ethan not to be so strict with his girlfriend. I got out halfway home.

He didn't even ask where I was going. As soon as I was out, he took off without a second look.

I never rode in Ethan’s car again. This incident was like a splinter in my mind. I kept telling myself it would fade with time, bu...