Redemption

Chapter 4

Rose

"A haircut?" I question and Austin nods, his hair moving with the motion. They cover his eyes and I reach up, using a finger to gently move aside the curtain of hair. His blue eyes peer down at me and my chest feels sort of warm and fuzzy like it does every time he looks at me like this. His gaze pierces into me and somehow it's intimate. I'm thankful for my dark skintone that covers up my blush, but I notice the heat that rises in his own cheeks. But Austin doesn't try to hide it, he never does.

"Yeah,"

"Hmm," I let his hair fall back into place to cover up his eyes, but Austin peeks out from behind his curtain, looking at me silently. "That wouldn't be bad." I finally say and he gives a boyish smile.

We head upstairs together, going to where Aunty waits for him in the master bathroom. She's wanted to cut his hair for some time now, due to the length, but also due to the fact that she realized Austin has been cutting his own hair. He hadn't said it, but we know. His parents don't make time for him, not even to take him to a barber. So he's been taken it upon himself to care for himself. That makes me sad. But whenever the topic of his parents come up, it seems to trigger something and he gets upset, defending them. So we're careful not to bring them up.

Aunty stands beside a chair, her eyes on the both of us as we walk in. It's been a little over a week since Austin has been coming over and I'm happy that he's getting comfortable.

"So what is the verdict?" she asks. Austin glances at me and then looks back at her.

"You can cut it, ma'am," with that, Aunty pats the chair and Austin goes to it, sitting down. She drapes a towel around his shoulders, securing it at the back before pulling out a pair of scissors. Austin watches through the mirror before his eyes find mine and I sit down beside the chair before gently taking hold of his hand.

"Austin?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Hair falls on the towel as Aunty snips away.

"Do you know why Rose calls me Aunty?"

"...beacuse she's your niece?" he asks uncertainly and she laughs lightly.

"That is true, but even if she were not my niece, she would still call me that. In our culture, it's a sign of respect. You call an older woman Aunty, and an older man Uncle, unless otherwise noted." He takes in her words and makes a sound of understanding. "You can call me Aunty as well, Austin. I would prefer that."

Austin seems to freeze at her words and I watch as his gaze moves up as he looks at her in the mirror. Aunty glances at him before her eyes go back to his hair. There's silence and he nods ever so slightly. We don't know of any family member of his that is active in his life. I've realized that Austin is not just lonely. He's alone as well.

"Thank you...Aunty," she smiles at his words, stopping for a moment to pat his shoulder.

"You are always welcome. Always."