"There," said Stella to no one in particular, "done." She threw the used dishtowel into the hamper in the bathroom and turned around to look at the apartment. She had gone into full on cleaning frenzy and had spent the last three hours cleaning and tidying every nook and  cranny in her apartment. Two black trashbags and two boxes were full of stuff she decided she no longer wanted. Some clothes, old magazines, and other detritus of life. She wanted to pare down, to reduce her life to basics, wanted less clutter. One of the boxes held books she was donating, and the other one held knick-knacks she no longer cared about. The content of bookcases along the wall were pleasingly scaled down, and the decorative items meaningful and not kept just because. Now it was time for a shower and a trip to the store for a charging cable for her dead cell phone.<br/><br/>A while later...<br/><br/>Stella looked at her phone and at several missed text messages and calls but there wasn't anything from Anton. She tried to shrug it off but it stung. In a weeks time now they hadn't talked, hadn't seen each other, and not even a text from him. "Well, what did I expect," she said to the cat, "And why did I agree to stay for three more months? Why? Why didn't he have the guts to tell me he wasn't in to me?"  She shook her head, her mood soured from the earlier cleaning high. She put the phone away as it rang...a quick look at her phone and she retracted the hand that had reflexively reached for it. It was her mother. A few moments later the call went to voicemail. A few moments after that a text appeared.<br/><br/>Stella, I know you're there, call me back. - Mom.<br/><br/>Stella didn't know why her mom signed off like that. It was obvious it was Mom... but she knew better than to point it out. With a  sigh she picked up the phone and dialed. There were the usual questions of 'was she eating enough, how was work... etc, and then her mother predictably pounced.<br/><br/>"... so did you tell the young man you liked him?"<br/><br/>"Mom, I don't want to talk about this."<br/><br/>".... so he blew you off?"<br/><br/>"Mom, please."<br/><br/>"...has he asked you out?"<br/><br/>"Mom, drop it, please."<br/><br/>"I'm sorry honey, but it's his loss, there are plenty of other...."<br/><br/>"Mom, sorry, I have another call coming in I need to take, bye,"<br/><br/>She hung up and with a groan closed her eyes and dropped the phone. She loved her mom but wished her mom would just accept that more than ever before her spinster cat lady status was practically a given.