person A: Last year_comma_ my family went on vacation and left me all alone.
person B: That is terrible. Did you feel lonely?
person A: Yes.  I tried distracting myself with tv and internet_comma_ but i kept thinking of them.
person B: How long did you stay alone?
person A: Till they returned home.  It was really a fairly bleak experience_comma_ and one which i am not anxious to repeat.