Ever since I turned sixteen, I had been begging mom and dad to give me the chance to stay home alone while they went to visit my grandparents.

Although I loved Nana and Pop, I wanted the opportunity to show my parents that I was responsible enough to stay home alone.

As soon as dad told mom he thought it would be okay for a weekend, I was overjoyed. I felt like how I imagined a life in prison would feel if they suddenly gave him a full pardon after only a couple of months. I couldn’t wait to call my friends and tell them I was staying home alone. First, I called Nana and Pop and told them I would miss them that weekend, but I could now stay home alone. I told them how much I loved them, but I was sixteen now. I hung up, feeling freer than I had ever felt. I called my best friend and told her that mom and dad gave permission for her to stay with me. I never expected her to call everyone we know and tell them it was party time at my house. By the time the party ended, I rushed around trying to clean up the mess that even my best friend left me with when she went home. I thought everything was good until I looked at dad’s leather chair and realized there was a large hole in the seat. I went in search of a reupholstering service that was near me. I thought I may ‌get the chair reupholstering service to repair the chair before they got home. I was grasping at straws when I asked if they had an upholstery repair kit for leather chairs.

Southwest style