That smell was my body. It had been slowly decomposing since I died, the stench seeping from the living room out through the walls.
Mom was already irritated, still brooding over what to do with me. Her tone was dismissive.
"My daughter's home. She's got a temper, so don't go bothering her."
"It's probably just some takeout that went bad, or a dead mouse or something. I'll have the cleaning lady deal with it tomorrow."
After she hung up, the more she thought about it, the more it gnawed at her.
She opened our chat window and hammered out a message.
"Eudora! The neighbors are complaining about a smell. What the hell are you doing in there? I don't care what you think. You'd better have that place spotless by tomorrow!"
The message sent successfully. No reply came.
Her expression darkened. She tossed the phone aside.
But she would never know that the Eudora who used to keep the house clean had already died on her birthday.
Three days after the party, Mom drove Aileen back toward the apartment downtown.
Aileen draped herself over the back of her seat, working on Mom the whole ride.
"Mom, she's probably furious. She might not even let me through the door."