Frightmare Mansion - Chapter 5

Mom pats the sofa and dust blows from it - she coughs, "Thank God they left all of this furniture behind, with our budget we're going to need them, at least for now."
"Oh no! It smells like an old man farted in here. Why can’t we get new furniture?" glancing over my shoulder.
Mom just gives me that look - you know, the stop asking stupid questions look.
"So why did they leave all of this crusty old stuff behind anyway? Was it because they didn't want to pay to haul all of it to the dump?"

"Now Skylar work with me here. The previous owner was an elderly man. He had passed away, and his relatives offered all of his belongings to me since they all live out of state."
"How convenient, they just didn't want of get stuck with all this garbage."

This garbage you call it, was all of the worldly possessions of a very old man, so have some respect."
"How can I have respect when it smells like he's still here,"Poking my finger into a burned out cigarette hole in a shabby recliner near me - "Look at all of the gross stains on this thing! Is that a saliva puddle stain right there? This thing looks like someone died on it - Mom's eyes nervously shift a bit. Then it occurs to me, wait a minute, that disclosure thing - "Please tell me he didn't die in here, in the house - did he?"

She looks kind of uneasy, but says nothing, sort of like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
That's when I realize, "Oh God, he died here! You know how I feel about stuff like that!"
"Yes I know, and I don’t want you telling Kylie and Justin anything!"
"You said this house wasn't haunted!"
"Just because someone dies in a house, doesn’t mean it’s haunted. Now just make the best of it."
"But you lied to me!"
"I didn't lie to you, I just forgot to mention it."
"You're not a good liar."

"I know," she admits.
We look at each other, and smiles seep in. I know she wants only the best for us. I'll try to make her happy and make the best of it. Maybe sunnier days are ahead, who knows.
"Well, which room did the old fart die in anyway?"
"Skylar please have some respect for the departed."
Okay, I smell more rotten stuff coming up, "Alight, where did he die? Come on Mom, where did he die?"
"Uh, I - I - alright he was found here - "
"Where?"
"Right here, on the recliner."
"The one I have my hand on right now?!" I immediately step back from the tattered up thing. Mom can see the look on my face isn't good. Well that explains the burning cigarette, the saliva stains and I don't even want to guess what those dark brown stains on the seat cushion are.
She tries to appeal to me, "Okay that recliner is going out - first thing tomorrow. But let's just get settled in first. Okay, is that a deal?"
I fold my arms in front of me, I let her hang for a few seconds, giving her a hard time, "Alright, it's a deal," I mutter.
Mom's face lights up again.

Chapter 1 https://steemit.com/writing/@magik4283/frightmare-mansion
Chapter 2 https://steemit.com/fiction/@magik4283/5gmg5h-frightmare-mansion
Chapter 3 https://steemit.com/fiction/@magik4283/4xns1s-frightmare-mansion
Chapter 4 https://steemit.com/fiction/@magik4283/6kumzu-frightmare-mansion