Warning for terminal illness and widowing.
Cataline Paula [Charleston] Tenney (24) is Cady’s track coach and Cady happens to be Cataline’s adoptive second cousin. Motivated by charity runs, Cataline has found running to be her new favourite sport. Cataline is a daughter of Pearl’s cousin and she’s helped Pearl get closer with her extended family when her immediate family ignored her mental health issues. Cataline is the eldest of three. The youngest is a girl Cady’s age and the middle is a 17-year-old boy on Chris‘s basketball team. Cataline and Chris get along as fellow coaches and Cataline is excited to see her brother play in championships. Cataline and her younger sister have bonded more as sisters lately despite the decade age gap and a lot of that is because of Cady.
Something Cataline isn’t vocal about when you first meet her is that she’s a widow. Cataline dated a guy when she was 16 who was ill with a rare autoimmune disorder he’s had since birth. During their teenage years, he was fine as long as he took his medicine and their relationship seemed pretty normal. However it took a turn for the worst in adulthood as unfortunately people will the illness don’t live very long. Despite his degeneration throughout his illness, she never stopped loving him and never saw him as lesser to her. She hated when people called him “crippling” or asked her, “Why would she want to date that sickly guy?” Even comments that meant well like, “That’s really nice that she puts up with him and all his medical drama,” were comments Cataline absolutely despised. They’ve still managed to have a relationship and do things and talk about things unrelated to illness and medical because Cataline’s boyfriend was a person too. He proposed marriage to her in college and planned to marry after college, but ended up pushing the wedding sooner given his condition. The marriage only lasted two months until he passed away. Despite his unfortunate inevitable death, Cataline is grateful she met him and had a romantic relationship with him. She truthfully never wants to remarry and if she has children in the future, she wants adoptive children only since she doesn’t want a pregnancy from someone else‘s sperm even if it’s just an anonymous donour. She goes to the same therapist about grief and stress as Cady does for her conflict regarding her birth mother.
Cataline credits Pearl for the amazing changes she’s made in her life and she says Pearl is always welcome to hang out with her cousin and that part of the family whenever she wants. Cataline lives alone but loves visitors and is good friends with another coach of Cady’s. Cataline always loves to have snacks whenever she hangs out with people and memorised every family member and friends’ fave snack. Her brother sometimes snuck her snacks into basketball practices. He’s gotten caught but Chris is cool and decided if the players want refreshments to keep them motivated for the games, then they deserve them as long as they don’t make a mess. She hasn’t seen Pearl’s godsister much outside family reunions but she wants to know more about her and how she’s helped Pearl. Cataline’s younger sister has been supportive of Cady and is in her friend group of 4. Cataline also sees Pearl’s youngest adoptive child like a sweet cute younger sib, although they’re technically second cousins.
Chris was created by @A.B.Galaxy.