Music recommendation - Broken Glass by Sia.
They watched as the woman and her assistant walked away from where they stood before her aunt turned to her.
"Let's go in and get you settled, so you could have a good rest. It has been a long day." Thereafter, she carried the suitcase and gestured to Hazel to open the door.
The room was quite spacious, with a neatly arranged queen sized bed close to the wall, to the right of the bed was a big window overlooking the woods, with it's curtains open. It had a closet at the left side of the dorm room, with the luggage that had been sent to the University three days before, placed in front of it.
Her aunt dropped the suitcase in her hands on the carpeted floor, she then placed her hand bag on the table provided before inspecting the room, she walked to a door at the right side of the dorm room, casting curious eyes on it before opening the door. It was the washroom. It had a shower attached to the top, it also had a wash basin in front of a medium sized mirror. She took a final look at the washroom before walking out and closing the door. She walked back to the room and looked round the room one more time before turning to Hazel.
"Let's unpack now," she said has she pulled the sleeves of her red blouse up in readiness for the task.
"Y-you don't ha-have to.....to do t-that, Aunty M-mae, I c-can un-unpack on my....my own, you.....you have do-done a lot f-for me al-already, I can....can do th-this much.... myself," she stuttered out.
"Sweetheart, I insist, let me help," she said to which Hazel shook her head.
"I don't want.....want y-you stressing your..... yourself a-aunty, you....you still ha-have a long wa-way to go and it...it is getting la-late already." Hazel said as she stared closely at her aunt, close enough that she could see her inner turmoil reflected in the tightness of her lips, the squint of her eyes, the hard lines around her mouth. Perhaps, she was thinking of the University's rules again.
Her aunt was about to say something, but Hazel spoke before her, taking her hands in hers, "A-aunty Mae, you've do-done a lot f-for m-me and I'll for-forever be grateful, please, y-you n-need to start he-heading back h-home, thank y-you for e-everything you've do-done for me.....me up till n-now," she said sincerely, with so much emotion in her voice. Her Aunt was one of the few people she could freely talk to to some extent, apart from her parents. She was the only family she had left now, as her parents are no more. She had done alot for her and she didn't want to burden her with her problems as her aunt had enough on her plate already.
Her aunt sighed for the upteenth time that day and nodded in submission while dabbing off a tear that had fallen on her cheeks.
"Take care of yourself and please, do come home when you are allowed to, it would put my mind at rest," she said to which Hazel nodded to, before hugging her aunt tightly, "I'll m-miss you," she whispered, with emotions evident in her voice.
After breaking apart, her aunt walked to the table where she dropped her handbag, took out a brown envelope and walked back to Hazel.
"Take this, make sure you eat well, okay?" She said handing over the envelope which contained some money, to Hazel.
"Y-yes, I-i will Aunty Mae, thank y-you." Her aunt nodded solemnly, before picking up her bag and walked towards the door, she turned back and opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something before she changed her mind and instead, walk out of the door, closing it gently behind her.
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Hazel blinked back the tears threatening to fall down before placing the brown envelope on the reading table next to the closet door. She walked to the window close to the bed and filled her lungs with the cool air coming in from the forest, she turned back and took another look at her dorm room, before walking to her luggage to unpack and get settled in.
She filled the closet with her clothes and other accessories, thankfully the furniture were not dusty, she then proceeded to the bathroom and placed her toothbrush, toothpaste, bathing soaps and hair wash on the space she created for such accessories.
She rearranged the bed and layed her bedsheet on it. She removed and placed her glasses on the reading table, which was yet to be stacked with books.
After unpacking and putting the room in order, Hazel decided to take a much needed nap, which she took after taking a shower.
The bed was soft and smelled like home and it lulled her to a deep, dreamless sleep.