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18. M e n t i o n

e i g h t e e n : mention

|mention : The act of tagging another user's handle or account name in a social media message. The mentions can range from tagging in memories to relatable social media posts etc.|

When I was young, I always hated being home alone. I don't know why, but the very thought of being all alone made me shiver. I was paranoid all the time and checked the doors again and again. I locked the windows and pulled the blinds down. The slightest sounds like a dripping faucet or a passing car would push me into hysterics.

Once, when I was ten years old, my parents didn't come back till ten at the night. I remember my babysitter, Ellen telling me that she would be back in fifteen minutes and that she was going to get "groceries". Obviously at the time I didn't know that "groceries" infact meant going third base with a guy in my backyard.

I remember sitting on the couch in front of the TV when I heard "weird noises" from my backyard. Being an idiot and a rather inscrutable person that I was, I decided to follow the noises. I saw silhouettes of two people and well what happened after that is a rather interesting story.

My ten year old self failed ton understand that the "weird noises" and the silhouettes belonged to none other than the aforementioned babysitter and her boyfriend. And so, I did what any sane person would do.

I called 911.

I called 911 on my babysitter.

My babysitter who was having a hot make out session in our backyard.

My babysitter who the cops found having a hot make out session in our backyard.

My babysitter who refused to babysit me after that incident.

And just so you know, I don't blame her. But after that incident, my parents made it a point not to leave me home alone for most days, anyway. Until I was old enough and did not need a babysitter.

Fast forward to a few years later and being alone was something I craved. Being alone meant one less day of dealing with my parent's marital problems. Being alone meant that I could curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of coffee rather than locking myself up in my room with music blaring to drown out heated arguments. Being alone meant silence.

And silence was what I needed.

Ironically, silence was all I had for years. After Mum and Dad split up, after Daniel left, and Jenna turned her back on me, I was home alone all the time. And even when both Mum and I were at home at the same time, there was hardly any sound, any commotion that could tell us of each other's presence.

The silence which I loved turned deafening until I began filling it. That's how music became my companion.

Ever since, things started getting better between my parents my house became a home again. Now, the nods and the uncomfortable silences were replaced by conversations, lunches, dinners and everything else that a normal family has. But today was different. Mum had gone out for work and Dad was busy with his family. So after a long time, I got to be home alone again.

And surprisingly, I was enjoying every minute of it.

By that, I mean that my speakers were blaring Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' at full volume whilst I jumped up and down on my bed. I was wearing what was now my favorite T-shirt which read 'I have a beautiful daughter. I also have a gun, a shovel and an alibi.' Before you ask, yes I nicked it from my dad. We bought it a long time ago but the T-shirt came back into existence some few days ago after he walked in on Dan and I. And even though it reached my knees, I still stole it from him because I absolutely loved it.