Days passed, and Lara and Anna's grandmother, Mrs. Ruth Jolly, lovingly took care of both of them. She looked after them and helped in bringing them up with affection and discipline. Meanwhile, Mr. John remained busy with his work as an advocate. As the years went by, one evening both Lara and Anna returned home from college. Lara happily told her grandmother that many of her friends liked her hairstyle and admired her beauty, which made her the center of attraction.
Anna often looked at Lara with a sense of sadness, as she felt insecure because of her darker complexion.
The next day, Lara came home with an invitation to a college dance programme in which she was going to act as the Queen. Hearing this, Mrs. Ruth Jolly asked Anna what role she would be playing in the dance programme, but Anna remained quiet.
Meanwhile, Lara laughed and said to her grandmother that Anna did not look good and wondered how the college would allow her to participate in the programme. These words hurt Anna deeply. The next day everyone went to watch Lara's dance programme, and she even received an award for her performance.
Later that evening, Anna sat alone outside in the corridor, crying quietly for almost two hours. Eventually, her father came and took her inside and comforted her during dinner. After a week, Lara again started teasing Anna about her dark complexion, which hurt Anna once more.
Anna remained silent, but deep inside her heart she felt very hurt. She often wondered why her sister laughed at her because of her dark complexion. Their grandmother, Mrs. Ruth Jolly, noticed Anna's sadness and tried to comfort her. She gently told Anna that true beauty lies in a person's heart, kindness, and talent, not in the color of the skin.