Page 4 of Ruthless Serenade
"You know what? As soon as my salary is quadrupled at Vision Media, I’ll book a flight to Bali for me and Sharon. A one-way, might I add." I can practically feel the butterflies in my stomach as I think about it.
"Yes, please!" Betty exclaims. "We can start each day with a sunrise yoga session on the beach."
"Nah, I’ll be too busy sleeping in until noon and then finding a hot local to marry on the beach." I laugh.
"Speaking of hot locals, any potential husbands on the horizon?" Betty asks.
"Husbands? I don’t even have a boyfriend."
"Oh, honey, let’s start small. How about going on a date first?"
I sigh. "I haven’t been on one in forever."
"Well, you’re young and gorgeous. There’s gotta be someone out there dying to take you out." Betty sounds mysterious.
"I’m not really looking for anyone right now." I pause for a second. "The only guy I could date right now is Albert Solomon."
"Seriously?"
I shrug. "Yep. He keeps getting at… things. And I’m finding it more and more difficult to avoid him."
She groans. "Ugh, what the hell, girl? What is it about you and your bosses? Remember when Maron hit on you?"
I certainly do.
"But seriously, babe," Betty continues. "You’re still young, hot, and you could have the world if you wanted. There’s gotta be someone out there just waiting to sweep you off your feet." She pauses. "And I happen to have that someone on my database."
My eyes widen. "No way!"
"Yes way. This guy, Nesbit McCullan, is a catch. He’s rich, successful, and has a soft spot for kids. What more could you want?"
I heave a sigh. "I appreciate it, but I think I’ll pass for now. I don’t think I’m ready to date, Bets."
Betty gives me a sly grin, "Stop it, Mindy. When was the last time you let yourself have some fun?"
It’s a rhetorical question, but it catches me off guard. She’s right. Fun hasn’t been the focus lately. At least not the kind of fun Betty is talking about. I spend the little free time I have with Sharon and I’m loving every second of it. She’s the light of mylife. As for my nonexistent love life? I’ve got other priorities right now.
"Betty, dating is secondary at the moment. Sharon just started school, and well, it’s been a challenge for her. Plus, the logistics are a nightmare. Just an hour ago, I had to call Tania again for an emergency pick-up. How could I fit in a romantic relationship? When? When Sharon is sleeping? Or playing in her room on her own which she rarely does? She’s always where I am." I sigh yet again. "Sorry for ranting. All I want to say is, maybe when she’s older, I can start thinking about myself."
"Listen, Mindy, you can’t just bury your own hopes and desires. If you keep pouring all your energy into work and raising Sharon you’ll eventually burn out."
I don’t mention to Betty that sometimes I download dating apps and browse through them at night, hoping to find a decent guy. A partner for me, a stepdad for Sharon, imagining a nice guy treating me well, and being in love with my daughter. We’d have wild sex all night… and then I wake up from my ridiculous fantasy.
I take a deep breath. “Alright Bets, set me up on a date with this Nesbit guy. Who knows, he might be the one.”
“That’s what I like to hear, babe.”
I finally pull up along the curb outside my apartment block and bring the car to a halt. Facetiming my bestie on my way home made the trip feel so much shorter. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. I really miss Betty. Sometimes I wish I could just wrap up my life in New York, take Sharon, fly to Bali to meet her, and never look back.
“I'm home, Bets. Gotta go. I'm sure Tania wants to skedaddle now to feed her cats or meet her boyfriend or something.”
“Give Sharon kisses for me,” she adds.
As soon as I end the call with Betty, I feel loneliness descend on me once again. I find myself thinking about the past seven years. It's been a long time since that night when everything changed. When Maron exited my life and… got killed.
After almost five months of grieving him and our relationship, I found out I was pregnant with his baby. It was a shock, to say the least. I was a total mess. Finding out that he left me with a child just made the pain worse. It was Betty who was with me through it all. She helped me find a small apartment, came with me to doctor’s appointments, and all the rest.
I never tried to reach out to Maron’s family. I thought about it a lot, but I felt it was best to not tear open old wounds. Maron and I fell out really bad before he got shot. His family must have been in a lot of pain already after losing him. Besides, who would I talk to from the Korolev family? Maurice? Definitely not. I don’t even know where he is. Timofey? We weren’t that close. Or Maron’s mother? She probably doesn’t even remember who I am. Sometimes, it’s best to just leave things as they are.
