Miss Mary.

Ana and the rest of her teammates stood in front of the class as Samuel stated their project topic. Ana stood at the far end of the class to avoid people's gaze.

When they were done with their one-hour group presentation, they went back to their various seats. Miss Mary commended those that had participated in the group presentation.

At the end of the lecture, Ana picked up her bag to leave. "Miss Anaborhi." Miss Mary called out before she could leave.

Ana turned to look at her. "Me?" Ana asked looking surprised. She didn't know that Miss Mary knew her name.

"Of course. Please sit." Miss Mary said as she pointed at an empty chair in front of her. Ana sat down gingerly.

"So... I noticed you didn't say anything during your group's presentation. May I know why?"

"Oh." Ana smiled awkwardly. What was she supposed to say, that she had chickened out because she had been so scared to talk in front of so many people?

"It was something we all decided together. Blessing was a much better option than I." Ana said.

Miss Mary looked at Ana in a way that made her insides cringe. She observed Ana as if she was some sort of specimen to be tested out.

"I'm thunderstruck by your choice of words, Miss Anaborhi." Miss Mary said after a minute of silence. "Why do you think Blessing is better than you?"

Ana's eyebrows furrowed as she thought of what to say. "She is an articulate speaker and she did it better than I would have."

Miss Mary shook her head, as if in disappointment. Ana didn't understand why she was being so curious. Why did it matter to her anyway?

"You belittle yourself." Miss Mary said.

Ana chuckled nervously, "No, no. It's not like that. I just think Blessing is really good."

"Much better than you?" Miss Mary asked.

"She did it better than I would have."

"I asked you if she is much better than you?"

"People would have preferred her to me."

Miss Mary shook her head again, "Answer the question, Ana. Is Blessing better than you?"

Ana looked at Miss Mary as she tried to think of what to say. Her mouth opened but no words were able to come out. Was Blessing better than her?

"It's okay for people to be better than you, Ana and it is okay to know that but you should also work towards improving yourself." Ana nodded.

"But do you know what is not okay?" Miss Mary asked, Ana, shook her head.

"Belittling yourself. That is wrong, very wrong. You are capable of much more but you will never know if you don't try."

Ana nodded.

"No, Ana. You should do more than just nod your head. There's a whole world out there waiting for you to conquer it and you won't be able to do that if you don't stop being sorry for yourself." Miss Mary stood up as gracefully as ever and walked over to where Ana sat.

Ana breathed in her sweet fragrance. She wondered how Miss Mary could be so bold yet friendly. Was it in the way she walked, the way she spoke, or even her sweet fragrance?

"There are times when we want to talk to people yet, we remain silent because we fear what they might say. Will they listen to us or will they criticize us? I am here for you, Ana if you ever feel like that. My office will always be open for you."

"Thank you," Ana said softly with a slight smile.

"See you later, Ana. You can't live life without trying, always remember that." Miss Mary said.

Ana nodded and left. Her office would always be open. All through her three years at the University, Ana had never gone to the counselor's office. Yes, she had a lot of problems but had not been brave enough to visit a counselor.

And now, Miss Mary was voluntarily accepting to listen to her problems. Miss Mary! The most beautiful lady she had ever seen, the courageous lady, the graceful lady. If Ana didn't know better, then she would have thought Miss Mary had only been joking but she had seen the sincerity in her eyes, in her smile, and even in the way she spoke.

Ana made her way to the school cafeteria as she thought of what Miss Mary had said. "You can't live life without trying." Ana replayed Miss Mary's words in her head over and over again.

What did Miss Mary mean by that? Wasn't Ana living life already?

"Ana," Micheal called out, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Ana turned swiftly to look at him. He was seated with Blessing and her friends along with two other guys she didn't know. Samuel and his friends sat down a few seats away from them.

"Hi." She said softly as she wondered why he had called her.

"Sit with us. There's one more space here." Micheal said. Blessing and her friends exchanged glances. Ana shook her head with a slight smile. She knew how obsessed Blessing was with Micheal.

"I'm sure Ana has somewhere else to sit, right?" Blessing said with a forced smile. Ana nodded and left hurriedly.

After buying food, her eyes scanned the cafeteria looking for a place to sit since the cafeteria was unusually occupied. She sat down beside the library girl who had waved at her with a smile.

"Hi." Ana greeted with a smile which the library girl returned. She still didn't know her name. Ana had never asked and the library girl had never told her.

The library girl had been sitting alone before she came along. Ana wondered how she could be so comfortable being alone. She didn't look like she was worried or scared. She always had a bright smile on her face every time Ana saw her.

After eating, Ana went back to her hostel. She lay on her bed, a deep furrow appeared on her forehead as she thought of what Miss Mary had said to her in the classroom. Somehow, she felt happy that Miss Mary cared about her.

Miss Mary showed so much sincerity that it amazed Ana. No one apart from her family had ever been so concerned about her. To think that Miss Mary had noticed her in a class filled with so many people made Ana feel loved.