Dr. Best Friend

I have a lot of best friends. I have two best friends for life, whom I've known since I was a baby. An infant, really. One of those best friends, I was a fetus (our moms were in child birth class together). I have my three best friends from high school. I have my three best girlfriends from college. I have a post-college best girlfriend who I met at work.  I have three best friends in my Small Group (who are kind of from college, but to not complicate things, we'll call them my Small Group best friends).

I also have my best guy-friend. We met our junior year of college and have shared plenty of awesome memories over the years. We went on two vacations together and nearly killed each other during the first one. Six days together was a little much. And I made him see Wicked, which probably tipped him over the edge. We got parking tickets on the same day because we were drinking beers in a kiddie pool on his balcony and were too "lazy" to move our cars. We both fell asleep at a bar one night (it was a long day of pirate parties).We both ended up in the ER within twelve hours of each other...when I was in Hawaii and he was in Seattle. He taught me how to play Guitar Hero, how to eat sushi, and when to let go of terrible relationships. I taught him that girls don't eat as much as boys, that concerts are way more fun in the back row, and how to get rid of stupid relationships.

Today was a major turning point in our friendship. My best guy-friend filled my cavities. Dr. Best Friend is finishing up his fourth year of dental school, which means that in two short weeks, he will become an official dentist. I don't have dental insurance and he needed something to do on a Wednesday morning, so I let him give me TWO shots in my gums and drill four holes in my molars. That, my friends, is trust.

He did a great job, but I'm pretty sure dentists shouldn't talk badly about their assistants in front of their patients. I let it slide. He let me listen to Snow Patrol and The Killers and I let him put needles in my mouth. After four LONG years of listening to stories about mandibles and implants and caries (which means cavities) and loupes and occlusions, it was amazing to actually watch him in action. 

I am beyond proud. And he didn't have to sit on me to give me the shots.