The Greenish liquid looked ugly. The small bottle was given to him by some filthy hobo after he gave him some loose change when he saw him in the alley near his house as he came home from school. He only wanted the man to go away.
“This is the answer to all your problems.” The man had said.
“How would this bottle solve my problems?” Jim had enquired, surprised that his coins actually reaped something in return.
“You’ll see, just spray it sparingly on yourself.”
I should have known it was too good to be true. Mom and Dad said they would be out shopping all afternoon. But I figured I didn't have to worry about them. Without fail, no matter how long they said they would be gone, it was inevitable that it would be twice as long as they predicted before they got back. If they were just "running to the store for a few things" and said they would be back in fifteen minutes, it would be a minimum of thirty, if not forty five or even an hour. This time they said they would be gone "a couple of hours." Therefore I knew it would be many hours until they returned, probably not until well after dinner time.
"You sure you don't want to come along?" My mom had asked.
"No, I'm just gonna hang here, maybe watch a movie or something," I said.
"We'll be gone for a couple of hours," my dad added. Yeah, right.
"OK Guys. Take your time. I love you both."
"Call us, or text us if you need anything Samantha."
"I will, Mom."
"We love you too, Honey," My dad told me. "And remember to lock the door when we go, Sammie. You'll be here all alone."
"OK, Dad. Although, I am seventeen, in case you forgot. I have been home alone before. But of course, I'll throw the deadbolt as soon as you're gone."
My little brother Bobby had slept over at his friend Drew's house the night before. They had soccer practice, or little league, or bowling ... something like that ... that morning. Then he was spending the rest of the day with Drew's family, which he does all the time. I was sure that after whatever activity they had (soccer, kite flying, etc.), they would all go to get something to eat, or for ice cream, or to a movie or something like that. My mom said Bobby was staying at Drew's again that night, so I didn't think I had to worry about seeing him at all. Besides, he's loud as hell, so I felt certain that if he came home unexpectedly, I would hear him from the moment he entered the house.