Remember when staying home alone was absolutely the coolest thing you could do when you were like, 8? When you broke into the sugary cereals and that stash of Oreos your mom hid for herself and didn't know you had found? Remember when being left home in middle school was awesome because it meant watching all those crappy cartoons that were on while your parents normally watched the news or other adult-y shows? Remember in high school when being left home alone was the best because you could make all the bad decisions you couldn't make when your parents were there?
REMEMBER WHEN BEING HOME ALONE WASN'T THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD?
Here's the story.
I'm in my new apartment in my new town, listening to old punk rock and web surfing for night stands and rugs. The album of old punk rock runs out, which is fine. Quiet is nice, too. It's odd, I usually have my iPod on 'Repeat All' but that's okay. I'll turn it on if the quiet starts bothering me.
Then there's a bump in the hallway. And another. And another right in front of our door. The handle bumps and jiggles. There's shuffling about in the hallway. There's another bump.
"Hello?" I call. Maybe my roommate got back and couldn't get her keys out.
*Mumble grumble* says the hallway in a deep, masculine voice. Not my roommate.
The shuffling in the hallway continues; I become acutely aware of my lack of defense weapons. I'm getting lightheaded from holding my breath. I count to ten and let it out, then go toward the door. The shuffling shuffles away.
There's an Amazon package on the doormat. And one at the door across the hall. I laugh, grab the package, and go back inside, being sure to lock the door.
I get back to my computer, I keep surfing the web, la da da da da.
Then THIS starts playing out of the dead silence with the great acoustics of an empty apartment.
And I'm practically in tears.
Now, I'm blogging about it, and I'm laughing, but still practically in tears. Oi vey. So now I remember what a racing heart feels like.
Somehow, when you're supposed to be the adult, when you don't have the protective figure granting you independence, and you're just the one who's supposed to be in charge, you feel a lot more vulnerable.
Being home alone now is much less fun than when I was 8, 12, or 16. Now it's not about the freedom, it's about the responsibility. Amazing how growing up does that to you.
On a final note before I get back to surfing: Congratulations, New Found Glory. You've successfully pranked me like no one else ever has.
