Lorelei tried her best to prepare herself for the smell, but she still cringed when they stood outside Christina's door. Luckily, the mask Lorelei was wearing hid her disgusted facial expressions. She thought that being a nurse would have prepared her for any smell, but Christina's apartment smelled of something rotten and decaying. She shuddered at the thought of what could be under the piles of junk.

Jesse knocked on his mother's door. They had bought boxes of garbage bags, masks, gloves, and a bucket full of cleaning supplies. Lorelei was holding onto the boxes and Jesse had the bucket.

Christina opened the door. She was wearing her faded flannel robe, but her clothes underneath were clean and tidy. Her hair was tied in a knot and her glasses were on top of her head. She was smiling and giggled when she saw Lorelei and Jesse.

"You came," Christina said. "You actually came here to help."

"Of course, Mom," Jesse said. "We told you that we'd help."

"Alright, let's get to work. Give me those bags, Laura."

"Lorelei."

Every time that Jesse had to correct Christina, his voice became a little sterner. It bothered Jesse more than it did Lorelei.

She passed Christina the box before following her into the apartment. The sight of the piles of junk and garbage up to the ceiling was less shocking to Lorelei this time. She tried her best to keep her gaze straight and not to look around horrified at the mess.

Christina covered her face with a mask before pulling out a garbage bag. She put her hand on hip and looked around.

"I don't know where to start," she said.

"Let's just throw everything away," Jesse said.

"You can't do that! This is my stuff."

"Mom, it's all crap."

"It is not. Besides, you know I am struggling for money. I could sell some of this stuff."

"It all stinks."

Christina let out a huff of breath and closed her eyes. She was trying to control her anger. How different was she when sober? Was she going to shout and kick them out of the apartment again?

"Why don't we throw out the stuff that is obviously garbage," Lorelei said. "We can start with all the take-out containers and coffee cups."

"No receipts," Christina said. "If you see a receipt, give it to me."

"We can do that."

They each took a garbage bag and a pair of gloves. Christina turned and focused on the garbage on the opposite side of the living room. Jesse and Lorelei focused on the same pile. Lorelei was thankful for the gloves when she saw the blue and black mold growing on the edge of the containers and inside the cups.

Jesse shook his head as he cleaned. They quickly had garbage bags full. Jesse would tie the end and set the bags in the hallway.

"I'm going to bring these to the dumpster," Jesse said.

He left the apartment and Lorelei's chest tightened. She was alone with Christina. She hated being alone with a boyfriend's family. Even with Matthew, she got anxious being alone with his mother. She grabbed another bag, but almost all of the garbage was taken out of the living room. Christina crossed her arms and smiled as she watched Lorelei.

"You are a beautiful girl," Christina said.

Lorelei froze. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her mouth was growing dry.

"I am so glad Jesse found you," Christina said. "Seeing the way he looks at you makes me happy. Do you love him?"

"I do," Lorelei said. "I love him a lot."

"Please, don't break his heart. I don't think he could handle it again."

"Again?"

"Jody."

Lorelei bit down on her lip. Jody's name always seemed to come up in conversations about Jesse's life. She hated being compared to her, especially since Jody seemed so perfect.

"I thought he would move back to Vancouver after their break up," Christina said. "I hoped he would. I really miss him."

Lorelei's mouth had gone completely dry and a lump was forming in her throat. Did Jesse stay in Toronto for Jody? Did he have hopes that she would leave Mateo? Would he get rid of Lorelei if Jody wanted him back?

"I always thought that they would be getting married," Christina said. "I don't know what made her break up with him."

Please, stop talking, Lorelei thought to herself. Please, stop talking.

"It came out of nowhere too," Christina said. "They were home for the holidays and then soon as they get back to Toronto they are no longer a couple."

A wave of nausea hit Lorelei. Was Christina telling her this all on purpose? Was she trying to scare off Lorelei?

She pulled her gloves off and tossed them into the garbage.

"Jody is nice," Lorelei said, her voice coming out in a squeak.

Christina raised a brow. "You have met her?"

Lorelei nodded. Jesse took her to The Alibi early in their relationship. She recalled how Jody was drinking copious amounts of alcohol and was making Lorelei do the same. Jesse was angry about that, but what about it made him upset? Was it because it was Jody?

The door opened and Jesse walked in. Lorelei's heart ached when she thought about losing him. Would he leave her for Jody? They were still good friends, but was Jesse still in love with her? She could not ask him now in front of his mother.

Jesse threw his arm around Lorelei's shoulder and pulled her into his chest. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath so that she did not cry. The awful stench filled her nose, but she did not care. She was consumed with the thought of losing Jesse.

It was a harsh reality to realize that a relationship either ends in marriage or heartache.

"What next?" Jesse asked.

Christina let out a deep breath. She pulled her glasses off the top of her head and set them on her nose. She surveyed the room.

"I think I need a storage locker," she said.

"No," Jesse said. "You need to get rid of this crap. It's not sellable."

"What about donating it?"

"Mom, it's trash."

Christina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Trash?" she asked. "You obviously don't know what you are looking at."

She went over to one of the piles and dug through it. Lorelei knew she should have stepped away from Jesse, but instead, she clung to his hoodie. Jesse slid his hand down to rub her back. Christina pulled out a blue plaid onesie for a baby.

"Look at this," Christina said.

"Baby clothes?" Jesse asked.

"Your baby clothes," she said. "You were so cute in this. You always slept through the night when you had this one specific onesie on."

"Mom, I'm thirty now. You can get rid of my baby clothes."

"But what if you have a baby? He or she would be so cute in this."

Lorelei thought back to being in the hot tub with Jesse. He talked about wanting a family. He said that he wanted two or three children with Lorelei. She had to push the thoughts of him wanting Jody instead to the back of her mind.

"We have to get rid of all that stuff," Jesse said.

"Think about the memories attached to it," she said. "It would be so cute if you gave it to your son or daughter."

"That thing is covered in rat feeces and probably rat pee. I'm not giving that to my child."

Christina balled up the onesie and threw it back into the pile. She crossed her arms and her brows furrowed.

"You're making this difficult, Jesse," she said.

"Me?" he said in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"You're trying to embarrass me."

"I am trying to help."

Christina threw her arms up in frustration.

"Fine!" she yelled. "Just throw all my shit out."

"Mom, if you keep yelling we're not going to help," Jesse said.

Christina pulled her gloves off and threw them into the garbage bag. She pulled her mask down so that it was around her neck.

"I need a cigarette," she said.

She stormed out of the apartment. Jesse sighed and rested his chin on Lorelei. She let go of his sweater and stretched out her aching knuckles.

"Let's keep cleaning," he said. "We can probably get a lot done. Let's get rid of everything covered in rat shit."

Lorelei's mind was heavy as she continued to clean Christina's apartment.