For the umpteenth time, she tried to concentrate, but could not. Her thoughts were continually straying. She stood up from her reading desk and began to walk up and down the classroom. She could not understand why her H.O.D, Mr. Madu Ogbonna would not just let her be. He didn’t seem to see anything good in her and picked on her for the slightest reason. In fact, he made it definitively clear that he did not like her. Even during lectures, she was always the subject of mockery and ridicule. Therefore, when he asked her to see him at home, she was surprised. She was not a bit fooled he might have changed his mind. However, the danger signals began to beep when instead of asking her to see him in his office; asked her to come to his house after school hours. She was certainly in a fix. Would it be safe to see him at home and alone or should she go along with a friend? She shuddered at the last idea. Knowing him very well, he would be mad at her if she visited with a friend, so she struck that idea out. After a tiring mental battle, she decided to honor the invitation. He was sitting behind his desk, clustered with scripts and papers and mopping through a book. She scanned the room, and noticed three other girls. “Good evening, sir,” she said and turning to the girls, she said ‘hi’ to them. “Fine evening, Maya. Fancy you coming to see me. Do sit down please, and make yourself comfortable.” She shook her head. “Thank you, sir, I’d rather not sit. You…em ... You wanted to see me, sir?” “Oh, that? Yes, but do sit down first. What will you take? Brandy, beer or whiskey, anything?” “Nothing, sir. Thank you.” “Surely, you will take something, anything,” he insisted. One of the girls let out a snigger and another shuffled her foot on the floor. “Now, you girls got to beat it, fast. I’ve got urgent business to attend to,” he was hardly looking at them. The girls, unable to contain their anger, shifted stubbornly. The chagrin they felt boldly written on their faces. Her presence certainly spoiled their fun and she felt sorry for them. “But…but sir…you…you,” one of the girls started. “But what, Janet?” he snarled. “I said you should come back tomorrow and that’s it. Now, beat it.” Sneering and sulking unpleasantly, and swinging their hips from left to right, the girls stormed out of the house. “Don’t mind them. You can imagine, instead of reading their books, they prefer jumping from one lecturer’s bed to another in hope of influencing their grades.” Although his remarks hurt her, she said nothing. So, that’s it, she thought, the moment they have you in their beds, you become another useless good for nothing girl. God! Who knows what he takes her for, obviously another cheap pick up? “Come on, relax and take that look off your face. We are not mourning anyone,” he smiled. There was again that look in his eyes, a look she had seen so often in the past in Jeff’s eyes and she knew the meaning. She shuddered and offered a silent prayer. “Em…em …You wanted to see me, sir?” “Oh! That? Yes. But do sit down first and make yourself comfortable.” “No, thank you, sir. I would rather stand. I have a fellowship to attend.” His eyes narrowed. “Fellowship? Nonsense! Did you come here to attend fellowships or to study?” “I … I.” “Look, Maya, I have been intending to talk to you about your grades. Sit down, please.”     She shook her head. “I’d rather stand, sir. Thank you.” “Well, if you insist, but you will do me a favor? Can you just call me Ogb?” She raised her brow. “But…but why, sir?” “You see Maya, you are a pretty girl,” she could see the naked desire in his eyes, and she shuddered a little.“In fact, you have everything a man could ever ask for and even more. Come,” he ordered and walked over to the dressing mirror. When he got to the mirror, he stopped and turned. “Take a look at yourself in the mirror. What do you see?” She glared at him. “You don’t want to tell me? Okay, I’ll tell you,” he turned to the mirror and addressed her reflection. “I see a brilliant and intelligent girl. Brilliant in all ramifications and beautiful beyond words, but there is a ‘but’,” he turned to her again. “Do you know what the ‘but’ is?” “No, sir,” she snapped, she was no longer interested in hiding her chagrin. “Ogb,” he corrected. “But never mind. Maya, you see, I must confess. I have been waiting for you to grow up, if you know what I mean?” he laughed lightly. “There’s so much we could do together. Everyone, even your course mates have been coming to me for help except you, why?”  “Maybe that’s because I don’t have any problem.” He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have any problem, did you say?” “Yes.” “Oh, so you are comfortable with the ‘D’ and ‘F9’ you made in my courses?” “I don’t believe that is my result, sir. Besides, getting a D and F in your courses doesn’t mean I did not pass them.” “Well, if you are comfortable with making Ds and F9s, I guess there is nothing I can do then. But remember, with a result like that,” he shrugged. “I wonder where it will get you. Besides, without me, there is no hope of you ever graduating from here.” “I don’t think so, sir.” “Ogb,” he corrected again. “Sir,” she ignored the correction. “The scriptures made meunderstand I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “I’m aware of that,” he mocked. “But your God will not come down from heaven to mark your papers or reconcile your result? So, you see what I mean?” “You are wrong, sir. Besides, I am not only interested in academic qualifications; I’m more interested in my relationship with my God and bearing Him witness.” “That may be, but that isunimportant. You have a reason and purpose for coming here, and that, I can help you achieve. I can make you graduate with a good result. Come here,” he reached for her. She stepped back. “If…If that’s all you called me here for, sir, I beg to leave.” “Come on, don’t play hard to get with me,” he barred her way. “All the girls, everyone is doing it. It’s the in-thing.” “It’s the in-thing, you said and all the girls are doing it?” she retorted, fire in her eyes. “Just listen to yourself; just look at what you are encouraging. You, who should know better, but the moment I turn my back, I’ll become another useless girl who jumps from one lecturer’s bed to another instead of reading my books.” “Come on, it’s not like that. You are in the university, the Igbos call it ‘Mahadum,’ meaning knowing everything literally. By extension, it means you are free to do whatever you like without any punitive measure or anyone checking on you. Besides, everyone is doing it, so what’s the difference?” Her eyes turned feral. “I am the difference. The Christ in me is the hope of glory and He makes all the difference. I am not just an ordinary girl; my body is the temple of God, and I am the apple of God’s eye.” “Ha! Ha! Ha!” he laughed and clapped his hand. “That’s very beautiful, very, very beautiful. I like them fresh and young. Come,” he ordered. She refused. “Okay, give me a peck before you go, just a peck,” he grabbed her, but she wriggled out of his grips. “Oh, come on, stop playing hard to get,” he said and pulled her to himself, beforeplanting a kiss on her lips. Shocked and repulsed, the bile broke free and she lost control of her senses. Without knowing when, her hand landed on his unsuspecting face with the speed of lightning. “Shit!” he cried as the impact connected and a thousand starsexploded in hishead. However, before he could open his eyes, she stormed out of the house, banging the door with a ferocity that said more of the pain and anger she felt. “How dare …?” she fumed as she hurried back to the hostel. “How dare …?” she wiped her lips. She could still feel his hands on her body, his mouth on her lips and the dull repulsion she felt. She should have known it; she should have known he was up to something and that the invitation was merely a trap. She felt so gullible and vowed never to fall for such gimmicks again or visit a boy in his lodge again. Like a rabbit startled out of its hole in broad daylight, she ran back to the hostel without looking back.
***
“Hey! Saint Maya is back!” Bianca cried the moment she saw her. “How was it?” another sneered. Looking around, she noticed three other girls besides Bianca. “Was he a rough rider?”Another blocked her way; itwas one of thegirls shemetat the lecturer’s apartment. “I missed my shot because of you, pretender,” the third girl hissed. “Hey, that’s…that’s rude of you,” Maya stuttered, feeling as if she had joined them. “Oh give me a break!” cried the second girl. “Look, no dey use church dey deceive us. We know wetin dey.” “Listen, you should mind what …what…” “Forget them, Maya. You are welcome to the club,” Bianca said and wrapped her arms around her. “We’ve been waiting for you to grow up. Your obstinacy had us all worried for a while, but we’re definitely glad you’re here.” “Bianca, that’s no way to talk,” she started. “I …I only went to see him for…for,” she broke off. She could not find the right excuse. “Nobody is interested in your excuses,” one of the girls snapped. “After all, we all have one reason or the other to visit. You do not owe anyone any explanation. It is your life. And like Bianca said, welcome to the club, period.” They laughed and fell over each other. She’d never felt so humiliated before ever in her entire life, never felt so misunderstood, insulted and so cheap and she wished the earth would open and swallow her. ‘Oh God,’ she cried. ‘How could Bianca be so careless and thoughtless? Does she not know she is hurting her? Why is she insinuating these unheard of fallacies and making hideous, preposterous assumptions? She fled from the room and went straight to the Chapel, and there in the solitude of God’s presence, she poured her heart out to God in prayer and as usual, asked God to help her change Bianca. Yet, despite Bianca’s negative attitude towards her, she was determined to let her light shine, but Bianca was hell-bent on suffocating her aspirations. Pretty, brassy and crude, she ridiculed everything she did, even when she tried to befriend her and tell her about Jesus Christ, she snubbed her. Therefore, she went to God in prayer and asked God to help her change her, but when she opened her Bible, her eyes fell on John 13: 34, ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.’ She tried to show love to Bianca repeatedly but all she met was rejection and she cried unto God again, but God only referred her again to John 13: 34. “But …but I don’t even like her.” “Why? What do you mean by you don’t even like her? Do you choose whom to like? I created her, she is my daughter too.” “I am sorry, Lord.” she cried as realization hit her. Therefore, she tried to show Bianca love despite all the rejections. One day, after a particularly tiring day at school, she had come back to the hostel and met Bianca crying. She went to her and consoled her. To her surprise; she opened up and poured her heart out to her. She told her of her involvement with cultism, sugar daddies and drugs and how they were taking a toll on her. “You are the only one who cares,” she sobbed. She put her arms around her and they became friends. “It’s okay.” “I’m sorry for the way I treated you.” “You don’t have to apologize. I have nothing against you.” Gradually, she led her to Christ, and with time, she gave her whole life over to God.