Bad Seed

“Well…” I sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“Good thing we have four courses to get through,” Julie said with a grin.

I shook my head and chuckled. Julie kept me on my toes more than anyone ever had. Just a simple conversation felt like I was being challenged in the best way.

“We dated for a long time,” I said. “On and off for three years. But about four years ago now, we ended things for good after I found out she was cheating on me.”

“Oh.” Julie’s eyes widened. “Wow. I’m sorry.”

“I’m over it.” I shrugged. “At the time, it was devastating, to say the least. I really loved her, but when I saw that she was using my credit card to buy things for her boy toy, I knew it was time to cut bait and run.”

“She used your card?” Julie asked, shock filling her voice.

I nodded. “Classy, huh?”

“What a bitch.” Julie shook her head.

I laughed and nodded in agreement. “I didn’t realize it at the time,” I said. “But she was always wrong for me.”

“I can understand that,” Julie said. A dark look crossed her face.

“Your ex?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Julie nodded and grabbed her champagne glass. She took a long sip and looked away. As much as I wanted to hear her story, I didn’t want to force anything.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” I said. “It’s okay.”

“Fair is fair, right?” she asked lightly.

I smiled. “I guess so.”

“We were together for two years,” she said simply. “Two years, and I thought I was in love. Really, truly, deeply in love. The kind of love that actually means something.”

“I know the feeling,” I said kindly.

“But,” she said. “He finished medical school and started his residency. Apparently, I didn’t fit into his plan after that. He dumped me because he was too busy for a relationship.”

“He’s an idiot,” I said simply.

Julie nodded. “I realized that afterward,” she said. “It just sucked because I put so much into our relationship. I sacrificed my time and my energy. God, I even helped him track down his long-lost brother.”

“Long-lost brother?” I asked, frowning slightly.

“Yeah,” Julie said. “His mom had a kid just a few years after he was born. She couldn’t keep the baby, so she gave him up for adoption. My ex, he always knew about the baby, but he never met him. He wanted to, though. So, I helped him figure out which adoption agency his mom used and stuff.”

“But you never wanted to meet him yourself?” I asked.

“No.” She shook her head. “He didn’t want that. He said it was too new, too fresh. He didn’t want anything to complicate their relationship. Which, at the time, made total sense to me.”

I laughed. “Not really. If you went through the trouble of helping, you should’ve met his brother. I mean, at the very least.”

Julie shrugged. “I just chalked it up to confusing family dynamics,” she said. “I didn’t want to step on any toes, so I took a backseat.”

“Confusing family dynamics are a bitch,” I said knowingly.

“Yours?” Julie asked, raising her eyebrows.

“I’m adopted, too,” I said. “My parents adopted me when I was a baby.”