"Knock, knock."

The Professor cast his gaze to the door, smiling when he saw Mary Ann peeking through the bamboo. "Good evening, Mary Ann."

Mary Ann walked over to the Professor's desk. She felt sad seeing him just sitting there with a closed book in front of him. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," he said. He kept his annoyance hidden. Couldn't anyone talk about anything other than Erika Tiffany Smith?

"Are you sure?"

"Really, Mary Ann. I'm fine. Relieved."

"Are you sure?" she pestered.

"I hardly knew the woman," he said, his irritation now coming through. "Why is everyone making a big deal of it?"

"Who else is making a big deal?"

"Please, everyone's been talking down to me all day. I'm not heartbroken. We wanted different things. Erika is a lovely woman, but I think my attraction to her was in part due to her attraction to me."

Mary Ann leaned against the edge of the desk. "How do you mean?"

Almost laughing, the Professor said, "I'm not the first choice among women."

"Are you serious," Mary Ann said, "you're one of the most handsome men I've ever met!" She blushed once the words were out of her mouth.

He didn't notice. "I'm not saying I'm without aesthetical assets, but women tend to glaze over when I speak. Erika did. The couple of women I 'dated' in school did. Even you and Ginger do."

Defensively, she replied, "I'm interested in what you have to say."

Realizing the implications of what he said, he quickly corrected, "No, I don't mean to say that. I know you're interested. Believe me. That hasn't gone unnoticed. You pay more attention than anyone else here these days. Still, I know I speak too technically. I try not to. It's a tough habit to break."

"Professor, no one is asking you to change. Yes, we need clarification sometimes, but we've all benefitted from your knowledge. You and the Howells aside, I don't think any of us went to college. Well, maybe Ginger, for theatre. I know I've enjoyed learning new things. I always liked science. It wasn't my best subject, but I enjoyed it."

"Oh?" he said, lightening a bit. "What was your best subject?"

"History," she answered. "Top of my class."

"You've never mentioned that before."

Mary Ann shrugged. "You never asked."

The Professor chuckled. "No, I didn't."

Going back to the original topic, she nudged his shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"

"I promise, I'm fine. As I've already said, I'm relieved. I didn't really want to get married. Not after just meeting the woman. I was really being greedy the more I think about it. I saw an opportunity with her, not love and a future. She sensed that. I know that's what drove her away."

Watching his expression turn back to somber, Mary Ann scooted down from the desk and knelt before him. "Don't put it all on yourself. She saw her own kind of opportunity in you."

"I suppose."

"Really," she said, "I think you knew all along it wouldn't last."

"Hmm," the Professor hummed, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

"What's so amusing?"

"I can't say I knew the entire time."

"Why is that cause for a grin?" she questioned.

"Because I'm realizing you were the one who made me accept the fact she and I didn't belong."

"Me?" Bewildered, Mary Ann stood again. "How? When?"

Maintaining his smirk, the Professor said, "Remember when you said to me it would be nice for me and Erika to live in this same world once we're married?"

"Yeah?"

"That was it. Though I'd been combating the question myself, hearing you put it so simply made me realize how ridiculous it all was. So, for that, I thank you."

"You're welcome?"

Standing as well, the Professor took her hand. "Thank you for checking on me. I really am okay."

"Of course," she smiled, though confusion lingered in her eyes.

"I hope the whole thing can blow over. I don't like all of the attention."

Stepping back, she said, "I'm sorry. I should have realized."

Trying to hide the frustration of yet another foot-in-mouth statement, he pulled her back before she could let go of him. "No, no. Not you. I mean everyone else."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You don't have to pretend for my sake. I can be told when I'm being a bother. I know I tend to butt into everyone's business."

He shook his head. "It's different with you. You 'butt in' because you care."

"We all care."

"I know," he said, perplexed. "It's still different with you. You're not condescending or pitying me. Or, your pity comes off less pathetic."

"I'm not pitying you," her voice was rigid. "I think you can do better than Erika Tiffany Smith. Much better."

"Do you?"

"Absolutely! If you ask me, the woman is arrogant and rude. Not at all the kind of person you should marry."

The Professor's eyes widened. "Why such hostile feelings toward her? Aside from the bungled rescue."

At last letting go of his hand, she waved off the statement. "Silly, really. If I tell you, you'll just laugh."

Going back to the chair, he said as he sat, "I promise I won't."

"Why does it matter? I thought it was obvious. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It doesn't matter – my connection to her, that is. Did she say something to upset you?"

Mary Ann crossed her arms, looking away from the Professor. "It's what she didn't say that upset me."

"Excuse me?"

"When we were introduced," she started with a sigh, "all she could do was look at you. I was nothing to her. Not that I was expecting great attention, still I was starstruck. A 'hello' and 'how do you do' would have been nice. I went to high school with girls less moony-eyed over boys than she was with you. A woman of her age! Mrs. Howell was right about her from the start."

The Professor leaned back in his seat, a smirk across his face.

"You find this amusing?"

"Immensely," he said.

Upon her pout, the Professor continued. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Jealous?" she repeated. "Of her?! Really, Professor, do you know me at all?"

"Ah, come on. Doesn't every woman want a life of luxury and wealth at some point in her life?"

Her arms remained crossed. "Your tone tells me that's not the kind of jealousy you meant."

Teasingly, he said, "You did say I was handsome."

"I think those lessons with Ginger messed with your ego."

"Worse than moping?" he asked, conceding to his normal voice.

"Much worse than moping."

"Ah," he breathed, "back to my experiments then. Before Erika arrived, I was on the brink of perfecting my diethyltoluamide mixture. We'll need it for our crops if we want to avoid the Insecta pandemic we experienced last year."

Walking behind the chair and placing both of her hands on his shoulders, she bent down and kissed his cheek. "There's the Professor I know."

Tilting his head back to look at her, he said, "Will you trust that I'm okay now?"

Though unconvinced, she gave in and nodded.

"Good."

"Get some rest, all right?"

"I'll be fine."

"I mean it."

"Goodnight, Mary Ann," he said, sitting up straight.

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving. Goodnight, Professor."

She was almost out the door when she added, "By the way, I might be able to help you with the repellent. Growing up on a farm you learn a thing or two about keeping the bugs away."

An eyebrow raised, he glanced back at the door, but she was gone before he could reply. All he could do was smile.

Maybe there's a woman for him after all.

The end.