Home Alone is one of my favorite movies. It got me thinking about being home alone. I’m a very happily married woman of 8.5 years now and thoroughly love living with my husband. I’m the relatively messy one in the relationship and this, as trivial as it may seem, has been the spark of most of our tiffs (well, it cuts into some insecurities I have, but that’s a story for a different essay). Anyway, when Richard is home alone, he often cleans. He does other things, too – mainly, his job (because of COVID). He gets to listen to his audiobooks or YouTube videos in peace, without me interrupting to ask some silly question. I’m sure this is heavenly for him. He also gets to talk to himself and listen to music however loudly he likes. I have my delicacies too, when left home alone: reading in silence, writing in silence, turning the A/C up to 80 in the summertime (I’m cold natured). I’ve heard of women who, when their husbands are away for a few days, will take the opportunity to sprawl out in the big bed. Yes. And some women won’t shave their legs for a while. Eh, thankfully this isn’t a huge deal. The dog gets free range of everything, including Richard’s side of the bed. When left alone, I can cook my canned tuna pasta Mediterranean dish that Richard wasn’t fond of.

As a kid, the idea of being home alone was more of a fantasy. Sure, there’s silly little things now that I like doing when left to my own devices – a lot of them actually do include cleaning so that things are in order when Richard gets home. But as a kid I remember thinking, much like Kevin did in Home Alone – that when I grew up and lived alone I’d have it made. Of course these fantasies were contrived when I was in the roughest of my teenage years, adults existed to thwart my dreams, I had no job, and my parents paid for everything. But you know, I was going to have a spotless kitchen and desk and dining room. I was going to eat lots of ice cream, sleep in, and have a dog. Oh, and a glamorous car to drive around in. Never mind the energy and time and work it would take to get all these things. And for the record, my parents created a most wonderful home for my brother and I.

And even now as an adult, I get a little scared on occasion when home alone and I hear something that sounds like a doorknob turning or a stranger at the door, even if it is the mailman. And the sheets are cold without Richard. Billy is a great listener, but he doesn’t offer much advice. And thanks to Richard, I get enough protein and iron in my diet – when he cooks. He’s better at cleaning. Sure, being alone has its perks, but after just half a day or so, I miss my family (Richard). And I miss Billy when he’s at daycare. So maybe being home alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. ~