This Instrument Blows

(In the early days at my new university, I rebound hard into a relationship with a terrible person. I am an emotional wreck for a laundry list of reasons going into it, and am likely going through a bout of real depression, which she makes considerably worse. She belittles me, yells at me, and mocks me frequently. About halfway through our short relationship, I am sitting in her living room having a conversation with her and her roommate.)

Me: “I think it would be awesome to have the ability to just pick up any instrument in the world and know how to play it well. Especially the stranger ones.”

Her: “Oh, yeah? Do you know how to play the skin flute?”

(As stated before, I am not in a good emotional [and therefore mental] state, and when she says, “skin flute,” my brain produces an image of a PAN FLUTE and I accept it. I respond accordingly.)

Me: “No, I don’t, but that would really be cool to learn. I’ve seen some people do some neat things with those.”

Her: *whips a shocked look over at her roommate, who returns it*

(I am confused as to why they would look so shocked by me happily admitting that I’d like to know how to play [what I think is] a pan flute, but the subject changes and life continues… until weeks later when I finally end that mistake of a relationship and begin the work of repairing my life. A couple weeks after the breakup, I have some memories cross my mind, including that exchange. It is then that my brain finally decides it’s time to appropriately remember what a “skin flute” is.)

Me: *alone* “…HEY!”