Another slow build. Please be patient. Lisa is exploring the new world around her. Bringing questions about herself to the surface. Questions that she is beginning to ask herself about herself.
This story is completely written and takes a while to
really
get going.
Even though my parents had dropped off both of my brothers for their first day; I think it was especially hard for them to drop off their only daughter and then turn and walk away. I know that my dad was on the brink of a major emotional breakdown, as was I. But we held it together as we all quietly carried my stuff up to my new dorm room. I cried as soon as I was alone. And I was truly alone and scared for the first time in my life. No friends... No family. Here, in a sea of unknown faces.
The way the rooms were laid out in this 15-story dorm was that every room had a sink, a mirror, and was connected to the next room by a shared shower with each door locking on your own side. Just before I was heading down to the cafeteria for my first taste of dorm food, I heard a gentle knocking on the shower door. Opening it, there stood a cute little brunette with light brown eyes with gold streaks and a smiling face... my first friend.
Her name was Carrie, short for Caroline. She was a bit taller than me with slightly bigger boobs... but then most girls are. We decided to have our first cafeteria experience together. First impression, from the way she dressed, I could tell that her parents were somewhat well off. Me, it was just the usual: a casual braless tank top, cut-off jean shorts with my blonde hair up in a ponytail, and sandals.
The cafeteria was only half full, as the rest of the students hadn't arrived yet. But as I looked around, you could see it. Those who hadn't made a connection yet looked totally alone and scared. I felt for them. Because if this girl, who was sitting across the table from me, hadn't taken the step to knock on the bathroom door and introduce herself... I would be just like them.
Sitting across from each other with our first tray of dorm food we got to know each other.
Carrie had a nice soothing personality and was just a bit more outgoing than I was, but not one who was full of themselves She came from a larger city and had a graduating class that was at least twice the size of mine. She wasn't sure what she wanted to major in, but was leaning toward something in Communication. I had no idea what a person could do with a degree in Communication, but... Oh well.
She was fascinated with my growing up on a dairy farm, where the milk that we drank on a daily basis was raw - non-pasteurized with a smooth and creamy flavor that you couldn't find in the store. Her only experience with dairy came out of a milk carton. And beef and vegetables from the grocery store.
Carrie envied the size of my high school and the closeness between the kids that I grew up with. She kind of wished that her class was smaller, as she probably only knew a quarter of her classmates. We both shared the same roommate fears.
We hung out the rest of the evening, alternating between her room and mine. Occasionally a girl, or two, from down the hall would appear at one of our open doors and introduce themselves. Soon, we had a gaggle of 18-year-old girls. Various sizes, shapes, and personalities. It was fun. We all seemed to get along as we shared our backgrounds, high school experiences, and how we came to pick this particular university to attend. We all had the same fears... Roommates ranked right at the very top for everyone. I was the only 'farm girl'.
It was approaching 1:00, and while the only thing for the next day was meeting our new roommates, we all decided to call it a night.
Slipping between the cool clean sheets in my usual sleeping attire of fresh panties and a thin t-shirt, the first thing I noticed was the noise from somewhere down the hall, even at 1:00 in the morning. I guess that's going to have to be something that I'm going to have to get used to.
..........................................
My roommate didn't move in until late morning the next day. She was about my size... everywhere and that brought smiles from each of us. Later, we would be nicknamed 'The Pixie Twins'.
First impression was that she was a cute simple-looking girl with minimal makeup. She was dressed in a soft white peasant dress with a sash wrapped around her tiny waist. Her shoulders were bare and the dress came to about mid-thigh. Those first few moments, I could tell that she was quiet, shy, and yes... scared. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief that my new roommate wasn't some loud and outgoing 'party girl'. Quite the opposite.
Her name was Alice. Instead of being blonde and blue-eyed, she had rust-colored hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a soft hazel-green and she had a scattering of freckles across her nose. The skin of her shoulders was smooth, creamy white, and freckle-free. It appeared that she spent very little time in the sun, as her skin seemed to be as 'sun sensitive' as mine and maybe even more so.
I helped her and her parents bring her stuff from their car up to the room, which wasn't much. When everything was sitting around the room, there was an awkward silence. I knew it was their time to say 'Goodbye'.
I just said that I was going to get something from the snack bar and asked Alice if I could get her anything. She quietly shook her head.
Twenty minutes later, with a couple of Cokes and a large tray of fries, I found Alice just sitting on her bed cross-legged. Her eyes; red and puffy. Her cheeks tear-streaked. Her parting appeared to have been worse than mine.
Placing the second Coke that I held on her desk along with the order of french fries, she managed a warm and appreciative smile as I settled down on my bed.
"Thank you. You knew didn't you; how hard it was going to be for all of us?"
"Yeah. I went through the same thing yesterday. I'm the youngest and my parents' only daughter. It was hard for all of us, especially for my dad. Here have some fries... junk food always seems to help to take the funk out of anything, or at least that's what I keep telling myself."
That brought the first smile. Man, she looked cute when she smiled.
Sitting on my bed we chatted as she went about unpacking, hanging up her clothes... putting underwear and little bras in her dresser drawers. I couldn't help but notice the small worn brown leather case as it laid it on her bed. It looked like it held some kind of musical instrument And whenever she would pick it up, it was done with great care, like it held a deep meaning to her.
Anyway, like so many others here, she was from a large school. Her major was music. The case contained a violin that was her grandfather's. She was in the high school band and also played with the local city symphony. It was through an endowment fund through the local symphony that she was awarded a grant for at least her first two years at school.
Wow. Alice must be really good at playing the violin. I had never really heard a violin in real life. I knew what they sounded like but that was about it. My only exposure to violin music was through the recordings of Charlie Daniels. Alice later told me with a grin that that wasn't 'violin playing' that was 'fiddlin playin'. At some point, after we all got settled, I needed to encourage her to play some real 'violin music' for me.
Alice's dream was to teach music at the high school level, continue to play her violin in any symphony she could find, and maybe get into a position to offer private lessons.
