When I was dating before, I had this significant encounter that I never thought would make a lasting impact on my life.

My ex lover brought me to a restaurant. We ate there for quite a while. Suddenly, I spilled the sauce on my pants. That was my college uniform, so I panicked. I can still remember my ex was just sitting calmly, as if he wasn’t worried or such. Then I asked him to get me some tissues. He just suddenly sounded annoyed as he told me to just wash it off when I get home. What’s even more painful was when he said I was so clumsy.

I was too innocent to notice that those acts should not be normalized. Years after that, our relationship didn’t grow until we just decided to go our separate ways.

Honestly, I felt like the time I spent being with him was wasted. But it helped me realize that I should never ignore the smallest red flags in the relationship. We never know it could grow bigger and bigger as time goes by.

The refusal to help me clean the mess in my skirt, and the signs of indifference, those were eye openers that he wasn’t really invested in me. Besides, giving negative comments about me knowing it was just an accident says a lot about his personality. Worse, he may not love me that much to care.