Shameless (The Therapist #2), стр. 13
Milton Animal Clinic is owned by my father. He started this business when he was in his early thirties, after working for different veterinarians across Delaware. He’s fifty-three now, so he’s been running this business for a long time, and has made a good living. My mother has been right there beside him from the jump. She works at MAC as a groomer, but she’s also a partner with my father on the business. I started working at MAC on my sixteenth birthday, and I’m still here twelve years later, assisting my father with whatever he needs at our little family business.
When I pull into the parking lot in my black Dodge pickup, I see the parking lot is missing a particular car. My closest friend is Melissa Backer. Missy for short, and I see that her red Infinity is missing from its usual spot in the corner. I don’t know what she has going on today, but her not being here is only going to make talking to my parents about Brandon that much harder. She’s usually a shoulder to cry on and a good buffer between me and my parents when things become too rocky in our work environment. Looks like I’ll be facing the judgemental eyes of Jack and Judy alone.
The clinic isn’t open yet, so I have to use my key to unlock the door, even though my mother is behind the counter watching me struggle. She stands there in a maroon blouse and her dark brown hair hovering just above her shoulders. Her face is stern and unmoving as if it was filled with Botox, although it isn’t. I can tell from the particularly harsh glint in her eye that she’s already heard about me and Brandon, and she’s pissed.
“Thanks for the help, Mom,” I say in lieu of a greeting once I manage to get past the locked door.
Judy brings her eyes up to meet mine without moving her head. “When I offer my help, you don’t want to take it anyway. Why would today be any different?”
“Ugh,” I spit back. “Is Dad in the back?”
“Not yet,” my mother answers, her eyes going back to the computer screen in front of her. “He has an appointment in Dover this morning. It seems you and I have something to discuss on our own anyway, so I’m glad Jack isn’t here right now. I received a phone call from Brandon this weekend, and he told me you broke it off with him. Kicked him out of your house, even.”
What?” I nearly shout. The frown on my face is so tense it hurts.
“What has gotten into you, Tessa?” My mother goes on, ignoring my obvious confusion. “First, you stop coming to church with me and your father, and now you’ve broken up with a man you’ve been dating for two years. You seem to be making all these changes, and they’re wrong. Tell me what has gotten into you.”
Instead of walking to the back, where I work with my father, I place my bag on the counter in front of me and lean against it to talk to my mother.
“First of all, I didn’t break up with Brandon, Mom,” I announce. “He broke it off with me. It wasn’t me making any changes. It was him, so maybe you should lecture him about making the wrong changes in his life.”
My mother scoffs. “Well, if that’s true, then you must’ve done something, Tessa. What could you possibly have done to make Brandon want to end things with you?”
“What? I didn’t do anything.”
“Oh please, of course you did. A man like Brandon wouldn’t just act on a whim. You did something, and you need to confront it so you can find it in yourself to apologize and get him back.”
“Get him back? He dumped me, Mom. He doesn’t want to be with me, and I don’t feel like fighting to get him back if he doesn’t want me.”
“Ava, when it comes to love, you have to let go of your selfishness,” my mother scolds with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You can't sit around expecting everyone to cater to your desires and flights of fancy. Brandon is a good man, and you’ll regret it if you end up missing out on him.”
“Wow, Mom. Seriously? You sound just like him. I think I’ll be fine. I’ve cried my last tears over Brandon.”
“How can you be so naive?” Judy snips. “Brandon works hard, and is probably going to make himself a lot of money some day. You mean to tell me you don’t want to be a part of that?”
“Mom, I want to be happy,” I answer with pride, but it’s dismissed with another wave.
“You need to be secure, Tessa. If all I cared about was my own happiness, me and your father never would’ve worked out. I had to sacrifice what I wanted so that we could be together. Now look at us. We have our business, and we make plenty of money. I’m happier now than I ever thought I wanted to be back then, and I just want the same for you.
“You’re already twenty-eight, Tessa, and every year that passes, it becomes more and more difficult for someone your age to find a husband. You’re running out of time. Please listen to me. I don’t want you to end up alone.”
If I frown any harder, I think my face will shatter. I knew she’d give me shit about losing Brandon, but I wasn’t sure how bad it would be. Now that I know, I wish I would’ve called in sick again. Without Missy here to vent to, this is going to be the longest Monday in history.
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” I