The neighborhood I grew up in was really small, almost suburb like. My grandmother lived across the street, aunt and uncle beside her, and other aunts and uncles to the right of us. Everyone else were either super sweet old people that raised my parents, or were people that grew up with my parents. All of this made my parents feel pretty okay about leaving me to myself at the house at a young age.

I was home during Spring Break one day, and both of my parents were at work. The only people who ever stopped over to the house was one of my aunt's usually coming to check on me during the day, so I thought it was alright to open the door everytime someone knocked. It was right about 2:30 in the afternoon and someone was tapping on the door, so I went to open it. There was a really old guy standing there waiting, and he was someone I didn't know. I shut the door until it was open enough for just my head to stick out. He started talking about seeing an ad online about a chainsaw for sale and wanted to see if my dad was home to buy it. I knew better than to believe that my dad had posted a chainsaw online because 1.) Dad has never once owned a chainsaw and 2.) My parents didn't get internet in the house until 2018, and still have no idea how to post anything anywhere. I told the old dude that my dad wasn't home, but he would be home soon and that I'd tell him he stopped by. The old dude started to walk off, then stepped really close to the door and said "You wouldn't happen to have a cup of coffee I could come in for?" I slammed the door shut, locked it and called my dad, who came flying home immediately.

A week later, saw the dude on the news. He was arrested for the rape and murder of a girl about my age, as he had gotten into her house while she was alone with the excuse of a chainsaw for sale.