Chapter 2 An Encounter.

IF I HAD KNOWN

I shouldn't have looked him in the eyes when he'd entered the class.

I shouldn't have stopped him when he came late.

I shouldn't have spoken to him. Then Maybe, just maybe I would have. . .

|STILL ON THAT DAY.|

08:01am!!!

I rushed out of the taxi I'd boarded and gave the driver the amount we both agreed on. Thankfully the traffic congestion wasn't heavy, otherwise I could have gotten to school at a time more late than one minute past eight.

Even though I knew I was late, I couldn't help but admire the school structure from where I stood outside the gate, holding my bag tightly. It wasn't my first time seeing the school but Everytime I did, I always stood to appreciate the building. I guess I was structurally fetish. Any good thing I saw, I couldn't pass by it without admiring it first. After feeding my eyes by looking at the magnificent and spacious building of the university, I exhaled in and out.

A new chapter, Here I come_ I whispered to myself and indeed it was a new chapter. Infact, it was a new story of my life, just if I didn't enter that school compound. . .but I did.

I walked. . .I ran through the humongous compound of the university, towards the administrative block - the math 101 professor office, precisely. As I ran, I moved my head three sixty degree, because I still couldn't help but admire the structural architecture of the school, the whole buildings were all tall and high, the flowers which surrounded the compound made the whole place serene and more aesthetically pleasing

Finally, I got to the front of the administrative building and just like the other buildings within the school, it was really tall and huge, and being the structural fetish I was, I also couldn't help but admire the building. I was so sure that if I had all the time in the world, I could have stood and watched all the buildings within the University until dawn. If only I had the time. . .

TIME?!

I looked down at my watch and saw that time was far spent already. I was twenty minutes late, all thanks to my fetish nature for beautiful and huge things. I ran at a speed of ten kilometers per hour - note the exaggeration, till I got to the front of the professor's office. I was breathing heavily, my heart racing along with my pulse, I kept my hand akimbo style as I tried to return my breathe to normal because of the amount of energy I'd released whilst I ran, was really much.

Once I regained my composure, I used my hands to smoothen my gown, then I knocked. My heart couldn't stop racing as I knocked on the professor's door, because on my first day of work I was late, meaning my 'first impression' started on a bad foot.

Damn you stupid underwear_ I cussed my new underwear, because I actually thought wearing a new underwear could guarantee me a happy year throughout my little time in the University, but i was already messing up.

So much for the belief I had in my mum's intuition.

"Come in." I heard a deep baritone voice say from behind the door.

How tense I was at that moment was so alarming, I thought I could even faint from the amount of tension that had accumulated into my body. I clutched onto my bag tightly, holding it as if it was my life saver- maybe it was- then I kept my hand on the door knob and twisted it open.

I entered the small, but well furnished office. It was actually one of the most beautiful offices that I'd entered, also it wasn't my first time entering into the office, but still, I couldn't help but admire it. The office wasn't painted, instead, flowery wall papers were plastered onto the four sides of the wall, the ceiling was an exception because it was painted with a pure white color. The office was also cold, thanks to the over-healthy air condition. A water dispenser was by the corner of the office, near a sofa. Then, the professor's desk stood at the far end of the office, with two other chairs opposite his.

"Good morning sir," I greeted bowing a little with a small smile on my face. "I'm so sorry I'm late sir," I said, meaning every word I'd said. I didn't move from where I'd stood by the door as I continued to apologize. "I'm sorry sir."

"What can I say, Tiwa?" I looked up at the professor; professor Felix. It was obvious the fair man could have been in his late sixties, or early seventies. He was a man with a no nonsense face, though he was nice. "You know first impression matters a whole lot, Tiwa?"

I know that, sir_ I answered within me, because indeed I had that in mind the first day I knew I got the job. I had always wanted my first impression to be really great, punctual and anything relating to good.

"I'm sorry sir," Was the only thing I could say in response to what he had said. "I'm really sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"I hope so, Tiwa," He said, and for some reason I was relieved when he said that. I interpreted it as he'd let me off the hook. "You might be really good at what you do, but I want you to know that punctuality is key, same as consistency."

I nodded, not saying anything in response because there was absolutely nothing I could have said, except 'sorry sir', so I said that.

"Sorry sir." I had told him and he nodded, then he smiled. The man actually smiled at me.

"Come and sit." He said.

I walked towards the chair opposite his, sat on it, with my bag laying on my thighs. The office was quiet as I awaited professor Felix to say something but he didn't, rather, he stuffed his face into some scripts which were on his desk. Eventually, he looked up and said; "So Tiwa, I'm sure you know what your job is."

In Fact, I actually knew what my job was and my roles, but I just wanted him to go over it again for me, so I told him; "I don't, sir."

He nodded and briefed me about my roles in the University as an assistant mathematics lecturer. My role was primarily to take over his classes anytime he was absent or sick, help in taking attendance of the students, and also help in setting exam questions

"Alright then, you will follow me to each lecture room where you would be filling up for me when I am absent." He looked at me with a straight face, I knew he was waiting for a response from me, so I responded after some nanoseconds of hesitating.

"Okay sir, and is there anything else I can do for you?"

He nodded and smiled widely. "Well you know i'm a very busy man with a very tight schedule, so you would be filling up for me most of the time."

He said. I knew professor Felix was a very busy man, and apart from being a mathematics professor, he was a very popular counselor and one of my role models. Yes, professor Felix was my role model. I first heard about him when I was in my senior secondary school one, he came to my school to counsel us on the purpose of education and mathematics in the world. His speech really motivated me to thrive my best and be who I was then. So, the man was indeed a very busy man. I was even sure that Orange University paid him real good.

"No problem, sir." I replied. Professor Felix stood up from his seat and gestured for me to follow him, so I stood up, held my bag in my arm and followed.

I followed professor Felix out of the office and out of the administrative building. I trailed at his back as we walked through the school compound, passing through the Senate building, the bursary, then we began to reach the departmental faculties, but we didn't stop. Instead, we kept on walking until we got to the engineering faculty and yes, I couldn't help but admire all the tall buildings and people passing around the area.

The campus was really filled up, students passing, some paired up in groups talking and gisting. I couldn't help but wonder how the students were that much, given the situation of the country then, whereby people would say there wasn't money in the country, and believe me, the school fees was the president of Nigeria salary - two million upwards.

Finally, just when I thought we weren't going to stop walking - it wasn't like I wasn't enjoying the view within the University, I was just fatigued- we entered into a lecture room, which by the way, was filled up with student more than fifty students, and I knew at that moment that it was going to be the first class that I'd be taking.

"Good day, sir!" The students greeted uniformly as we got to the front of the class and I couldn't help but look down at my shoe. Well, you couldn't blame me, I was nervous, it being my first day.

"Good day students," Mr Felix replied and I could hear the strictness in his baritone voice. "Right here with me is Miss Tiwa Alade, my new assistant lecturer. I'm sure you all might have heard about her. She is one of the youngest and brightest mathematicians right now in the country."

Wow!_ was what I could think to myself. The appraisal professor Felix passed on about me really made my head swell up with pride and fulfillment. I was happy that someone I held in such high esteem had passed some accolades to me. At that moment, I was beyond happy, because I knew my dreams of being one of the best mathematicians in the world was coming to reality. . .but if only I had known.

"She would be lecturing you anytime I am not available," I raised my head up and saw him pointing at me with a smile decorating his face. "Miss Tiwa, over to you now," he came closer to me whilst I just had a nervous smile on my face, because I was indeed nervous. Infact, I was antsy. "You would be lecturing them now, and as soon as you are done, come over to my office so I will give you the teaching timetable."

"Alright sir." I still had my nervous smile as I replied to him, he nodded at me and proceeded to leave the class, but then he stopped, turned around and looked at me.

He used his hand to call me over and I went to go meet him, he said, almost whispering; "Tiwa, try to ignore most of these electrical engineering students, because they can be very frustrating and annoying, well it's their final year so just bear it."

I nodded, assimilating everything he had told me, then he handed some papers and textbooks to me, Which consisted of the syllabus.

"Thank you, sir." I appreciated him, then he left the class.

After Mr Felix had left, I and my pounding heart were left with the class, looking dumbfounded and a little bit shy I must say. I went over to the small lecture room podium and placed my bag, alongside the stuffs professor Felix had given to me on the podium. I couldn't look up, because I was tense. Anyways, I was able to summon courage from where it was, faced the class of about fifty and said;

"Professor Felix, had done the honor of introducing me, so I guess I will skip that part," I released a low chuckle, and all eyes in the class were on me. The worst thing being that I couldn't even read their faces, they all looked impassive with a bored demeanor.

I looked down at the guide book on the podium, flipped through it, searching for the next topic I could teach, and since they were final year students, their math was complex.

"Today I'll be teaching you calculus," I said trying to avoid the gazes of the students, so I just looked ahead. A hand went up. "Yes?" I asked with a friendly smile on my face, at the same time I tried to look professional.

A lady who sat at the forefront stood up, her face bored just like the others. She cleared her throat and said; "We've passed through calculus."

"I know you would have, but the one I'll be teaching today is going to be a subtopic, I mean implicit derivatives." I still retained my friendly smile on my face.

"Okay, if you say." The lady shrugged and had her seat. Once she sat, I saw her murmuring with one other girl next to her, but I ignored. I mean I didn't want to be that strict lecturer on the first day of work, even though I knew I wasn't.

"Let's begin then." I walked to the board, took a marker which was there, then proceeded to write the topic on the board, and just as I turned to face the class, in order to carry them along, I saw someone enter into the class.

"Excuse me," I cleared my throat. "Are you meant to be in this class?"