Page 9 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

“You know my kitties make me happy. They’re my emotional support animals.”

“You don’t need fifteen emotional support animals.”

“You don’t understand how much they help me get through the dark days.”

“I get it that your cats help you feel better. But couldn’t you spend time with large amounts of cats by volunteering at the animal shelter?”

“You know I don’t feel well enough to do that.”

“I know depression is an ugly beast. I get it. I’ve been to therapy with you enough to know that. But I also know that it helps to get out of the house and stay busy.”

“I do stay busy. My kitties keep me busy.”

Tessa felt like she was going in circles talking to her mom. She never knew what to expect next. Sometimes her mom had out-of-control outbursts when she got angry. And the smallest thing could overwhelm her. It was no wonder with her house being such a wreck. Anyone would be overwhelmed living like that. Tessa kept her own home spotlessly clean. After growing up with her mom’s messy habits, she decided she wanted to be as clean as possible. She couldn’t stand to live the way her mom did.

She moved into the kitchen and helped her mom wash the dishes so the pots would be clean for dinner. That was how her mom washed dishes. They sat dirty on the counters until she needed to use them. Then she decided to wash them, only to put them on the cluttered counters so the food could dry onto the sides. It made Tessa’s skin crawl to run a kitchen like that. When she was a kid, she didn’t know any different. But as she got older, she started to clean the house herself since her mom wasn’t doing it. When she turned eighteen, she moved out as soon as she could so she wouldn’t have to live in such a mess anymore.

Her mom started collecting the cats after she moved out. Now the entire house smelled like one giant litter box. The cats got tired of their litter box not being cleaned out, so they used the bathroom all over the house instead. Tessa was about to start wearing a face mask when she went to her mom’s house because the air didn’t feel safe to breathe.

“What does your therapist say about the house?”

“We haven’t discussed it.”

“You haven’t? I told you last week to discuss it with her.”

“Well, I forgot to bring it up.”

Tessa wondered if her mom forgot, or if she just didn’t bother to mention it because she didn’t want to face what her therapist would say to her about the state of her house. Her mom had turned into a full-blown hoarder.

Tessa didn’t know what she could do to help her mom. The situation had gotten out of control. How would her mom survive if she decided to marry Benson and move to New York City? What would she do without Tessa coming over to check on her? Was it worth it for Tessa to give up on her dreams so she could spend the rest of her life pushing her mom to clean her house?

She was tired of fighting with her mom. She loved her, but she couldn’t force her to make better decisions.

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