The Mask Man In The Woods

2.

CHAPTER | TWO

"We can't rebuild this house. It's way beyond repair, Varia."

I sighed and picked up a cabinet door. "It's not that broken, Javon. It's just dirty and missing a few parts."

Javon scoffed. "That's the biggest understatement of the year."

I frowned, planting my fists on my hips. "I left my mama all alone to suffer. The least I can do is fix up the house she grew up in. This isn't only my childhood home, but hers too."

Javon wrinkled his nose in disgust and hooped his thumbs through the belt hoops of his jeans. "Can't we leave this mess to the buyers to fix? What's the point in putting money into something that we're going to sell?"

I averted my gaze and crossed my arms over my chest. I chewed on my lower lip and I could feel Javon's eyes burning holes into the side of my face.

"We are going to sell this house, right?" He asked.

I squirmed uncomfortably under his stare and slowly shrugged one shoulder. "I've been thinking..."

"Here we go."

"What if we move here?"

"Are you kidding me? We can't move here. I have work in the city and we can't just change Drakon's school. He just started school."

"I don't mind changing schools. I like it here. And, we have a backyard to play in!" Drakon spoke up, standing in the doorway with a goofy smile on his chocolate covered lips.

I smiled. Drakon was only seven years old with a mop of black hair covering his eyes. He refused to cut it and said it was the style for boys to have long hair. His blue sparkled as the late afternoon sun hit his eyes at the right angle. He was small for his age, but he didn't let that get him down—especially when it came to girls.

Javon sighed, clearly not liking the idea of moving back to our hometown. I walked over to him and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "If you can't do it for my mama then can you do it for me?"

Javon sighed again and leaned forward until our foreheads touched. "Alright, but I won't quit my job. I'll manage somehow."

I squealed and threw my arms around his neck. He laughed and Drakon fist pumped the air. "Yay! I get to have a backyard! Quick, Dad, build me a swing set!"

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The minute Javon gave the ok; I crashed into the nearest Home Depot to buy everything I needed. Drakon tagged along, helping me pick which appliances needed to be fixed or be completely replaced. Javon went back to the city to let his boss know of the move and discuss about transportation.

It had been almost a week since I started rebuilding, and I never been more excited since my wedding day. I sat back against the wall, a soda can dangling from my fingertips. I breathed in deeply, looking over the work I managed to finish in five hours.

The living room was cleared out completely expect for one chair. The living room was clean for once in eleven years and I smiled lightly. I tore down the greasy wallpaper and scrubbed the floors until I was able to see my reflection. The fireplace looked slightly dirty, but at least it wasn't covered in flies and dead rats. The windows were replaced and I left them open to let the fresh air invade the house.

I titled my head to the side when my eyes landed back on the chair. As I was clearing everything out, I spotted the big red chair underneath a pile of empty beer boxes. I pulled it out towards the center and cleaned it until it looked like new.