Page 15 of Ruthless Lullaby

"I haven’t told you about my girlfriend before, have I?"

"You haven’t. You just said you had a stable relationship and everything was going well."

He lets out a heavy sigh. "She was my first real love, you know? The kind of love that shakes your whole being and doesn’t let you go."

"You're getting poetic, Maurice," I tease.

A wistful smile plays in the corner of his mouth as he takes a deep breath. "I've had other girlfriends in the past, but Mindy... she's different. She made me feel truly alive."

Mindy?

So, his ex-girlfriend’s name is Mindy. That’s odd. I’m also taken aback by the depth of emotion in his words. I never knew this side of Maurice.

"We were together for two and a half years," he continues, "But then... I don't know what happened. I got scared, I guess."

"Scared of what?" I ask.

He nervously ruffles his hair. "I don't know, bro. Maybe I'm not good enough for her. She's smart, outgoing, and gorgeous... how can I even compare? And what if other guys try to get with her? And they will, no doubt. Do I really want to spend my whole life feeling like I'm not good enough?"

That’s new. That's the first time I hear Maurice being reasonable.

"So?" I ask.

"So, I dumped her yesterday. Thought I was doing the right thing. But now... now I'm not so sure anymore." I watch as he struggles with his emotions, the weight of his decision hanging heavy on his shoulders. "I can't stop thinking about her, Maron. About the life we could have had together. I know I fucked up, but... I don't know if I can live without her."

My brow furrows in suspicion. Despite the fact that we’ve been distant for years, I know Maurice relatively well. And right now, he is not being truthful with me. Or with himself.

"Cut the crap, Maurice. Why did you really dump her?

"We were going to start a family. I think I got scared of the responsibility," he says after a short silence. He hesitates. "And because…"

"Because?"

"Well… that woman is a beast in bed, Maron."

I grin. "Are you boasting or complaining?"

"Complaining. About libido mismatch."

Huh. He’s saying he couldn’t keep up with the woman’s libido? I’m really starting to get curious about who this mysteriousMindyis.

"Our sex life was a disaster," Maurice continues, "I couldn't satisfy her. Just couldn't. No amount of sex was ever enough for her. After a while, I had no dick left, Mindy was left unsatisfied, and sex became stale… so she came up with an idea. She started sending me nudes ‘to spice up our sex life’, she'd say. But those pics scared the shit out of me... I just knew I could never deliver what she needs."

A lightbulb suddenly goes off in my head.

She sent nudes to him?

And her name is Mindy?

I lean forward, now every nerve in my body paying attention to what Maurice is telling me. This is getting more than interesting by the minute.

"Go on, brother."

"The real shit came when she insisted on starting a family together. It turned out she can't conceive naturally so she will need IVF."

Okay.

Whoever this nude-sending Mindy person is, she can't conceive naturally.

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