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“For the breakup?” I asked incredulously. “That was years ago.”
“But apparently, it still stings,” Jason said. “She certainly didn’t seem to be thrilled by your success.”
“She’s certainly not the only one,” I sighed.
“Well you can’t really blame her, can you?” Jason said. “You did cheat on her.”
I closed my eyes for a second. “I… There may have been a small overlap…” Jason burst out laughing at my pathetic justification. “I thought we both knew that things were not going well.”
“Except that you forgot to break up with her before moving on.”
“I was a shmuck back then,” I said. “But I’ve changed now.”
There was a second of silence on the other line. “Have you?”
“Well… I mean… Sure… Of course.”
“Because last I heard you were just jumping from woman to woman in a string of one-night stands.”
This was the worst possible direction th
e conversation could have gone in. This was not the lead up I wanted before I told Jason that I was sleeping with his sister.
“That’s all in the past,” I said, trying to save myself just a little bit. “I think… I mean… I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” he demanded.
“Why?” I repeated.
“I don’t understand what brought this change on?”
“I got sick of all the meaningless sex.”
There was another second of silence. “Are you pulling my leg here?”
“No,” I said indignantly. “I’m being serious. I’m trying to be a standup guy here. I’m trying to see if I can hold a relationship for more than a few months.”
“Wow… Does this have something to do with a woman?” Jason asked pointedly.
I should have expected the question, but I still balked when he asked. It was the perfect opening, the perfect opportunity to come clean and tell him the truth about Molly and me. And yet, I found the words lodged in the back of my throat, unwilling to slip out.
“No,” I heard myself say. “Just a change of heart.”
“A change of heart?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“Bud, I think you’ve been in Hawaii too long. The sun and surf may have addled your brains a little bit.”
“Are you telling me you never want to settle down?” I asked curiously. “Ever?”
“By settle down, do you mean sleep with only one woman for the rest of my life?”
“I’m being serious here,” I said.
