West Side.
Ross's apartment.
"Goodbye, darling."
Before heading out, Ross bade his wife Carol farewell with a smile. "Have fun with your friends."
"..."
Carol stiffened for a moment, then smiled awkwardly. "I think we will."
"That's how it should be."
Ross said happily, "Do you know why there have started to be some small problems between us?"
"Uh-huh?"
Carol forced a smile as she waited for Ross's "brilliant explanation."
"Because you don't have any good friends."
Ross looked at Carol pityingly, cocked his mouth, and shook his head, reserved yet brimming with pride. "Look at me—I have good friends like Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe. My outlook on life is incredibly optimistic. Nothing can bring me down."
"Really?"
Carol's eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
Ross lifted his chin confidently, then placed both hands on Carol's shoulders and said tenderly, "So the problem is with you, in your heart. Let yourself go, spend more time with your friends, and don't worry about me. I believe our problems will be resolved very soon."
"I think you're right," Carol murmured.
"Of course I'm right."
Ross shook his head smugly. "Don't forget, your husband is a doctor!"
Carol forced a smile but did not echo him.
In ordinary people's eyes, a Doctor of Philosophy specializing in dinosaurs was far inferior to a Doctor of Medicine. Besides, although Ross had only received his doctorate not long ago, she had long since heard enough of his boasting on the subject.
Especially during the period right after Ross got his doctorate—it had been a nightmare. Any topic could somehow be deliberately or casually linked by Ross to his doctoral degree.
"Carol, do you know why both PhDs and physicians are called doctors?"
"Carol, hurry and taste this dish. It tastes exactly like when I got my doctorate