Theodore is a fair skinned fast growing young man who lived in the village. With his spotless skin and a well chiseled body he became a center of attraction especially to women that even some young men of his age were jealous of. His family is well known by the villagers for their unique ability to farm and produce different kinds of crops and vegetables on a large scale. Theodore himself also gained a great reputation for his ability to solve mechanical problems and with that he helped the villagers in fixing their farming equipment, inflating their flat tires as well as repairing their motorcycles and bicycles. Theodore was having a great time enjoying the money and attention he gets from everyone.
One day he heard a news presenter announce on the radio that their damaged village roads had been commissioned for repairs. The following day he saw different kinds of vehicles coming into their village. He watched from a distance and saw people with almost the same body complexion as his stepping out of one vehicle with helmets on their head and this had been his first time of seeing anyone about his own skin colour because since his childhood growing in the village, he hadn't seen any fair person except for himself.
A few weeks later, the reconstruction of the road commenced and from his workshop he could see the heavy machines doing the job and the vibration he felt in his shop was tremendous. It wasn't long after the construction of the road began that he started noticing the presence of other guys as fair as him in the village very late in the evening. A part of him liked it but he just couldn't take it because soon he wouldn't be getting much attention from people in the village as he used to. So one day, after he closed from shop and was riding back home with his brand new bicycle, he came across a shop along the road side where there were a few young men and women among the villagers drinking, chatting and having a nice time together but what broke his heart the most was when he caught side of another young guy in their midst who also was fair in complexion like himself.
He furiously stopped by and walked to where the people were sitting and he called to one of the girls he had known all through her childhood “Mary don't you know it's getting dark already and your people will be waiting for you back at home” Mary replied, “No my parents won't be coming back anytime soon as they went on a journey to a neighbouring village and will be spending the night there. Then furiously Theodore pointed towards another lady and said even you too.. why are you here by this time, what do you think you are doing? Everyone's attention was all focused on him as he spoke. The young lady whom he asked the question simply replied “we are just having a nice time and by the way, why do you suddenly care to know?.
Theodore stuttered a bit before getting dumbfounded. The other young men of the village were all staring at him because of his action which was also strange to them. Then the foreigner who is fair in complexion now spoke up and said “Hi my name is Michael” and stretched forth his hand to have a handshake. Theodore felt anger within but tried to suppress it to not be revealed. He refused to stretch out his arm for a handshake instead his eyes wandered to all the expensive looking foods and drinks on the table in front of everyone. So Michael, taking notice of this, told him he’s free to join the fun and request for more seats to be brought to the table.
Theodore later sat down and the conversation seemed to continue but Theodore was always interrupting Michael and was aggressive in the way he spoke. But Michael was calm, soon after Michael made a good remark concerning Theodore’s bicycle which was parked by the side and told Theodore he also loved riding himself pointing towards his own bike. Theodore didn't feel good about that as it was to him like a challenge. So he continued making aggressive statements in their conversation until it got to the point where he challenged Michael to a race.
Unknown to him Michael’s bike was an electric bike while his had to be pedalled in order to move. Everyone was happy they were going to watch the two race so immediately Michael pushed his bike to the nearby road after removing it from its stand. They were both ready and in line and Michael told him to count for them before they took off. Theodore started by counting “3,2, and as he was about to finish his last statement of “Go” Michael was already ahead of him though some feet ahead and Theodore pedals with all his strength to catch-up but it was as Michael was riding on the breeze because his body was calm and weren't shaking except for his cloth that was blown by the breeze.
Theodore who hadn't seen anything like this bike before but also didn't want to lose kept doing all he could in his own strength but even at that it was as though he was fighting a lost battle but he kept pedalling hard and never give up until it was as though he himself was flying and he could feel great rushing of wind through his ear and clothes and his legs feels light on the pedals like breeze. The next thing that happened was him climbing an object which he didn't see clearly as it was getting to nightfall, then losing balance and then landing on a gravel hopped by the roadside. Michael, who was looking back once in a while from his own ride, saw what had happened and returned back to meet him.
Everyone else gathered and they later assisted him to the village clinic where his wounds were tended to and after a fine looking nurse who was also fair in complexion gave him a medicine to take and handed him a glass of water. Theodore, who hasn't been familiar with going to the hospital but prefers herbal medicine, hesitated for a while before opening his palm and accepting the medicine because the nurse told him it will help cease all the pain and help his injuries heal faster.
Unknown to him, it was a bitter pill. He immediately put the medicine in his mouth and gradually raised the glass of water to drink like one who is still contemplating whether to take the medication or not, then all of a sudden he tried to spit out the medicine in his mouth with his other hand but the nurse who was standing close by restrained him from doing so but instead helped him raise the glass of water to his mouth and he drank the water. Immediately he let out a loud sigh and said “Madame it's a bitter pill”. They later left the clinic and assisted him to his house. Michael and the other young people from the village kept visiting him until he made a full recovery.
They all became friends and he later learnt that Michael was the son of one of the road engineers. Later, while Michael was about to leave the village with his father as the road project was completed, he gave his electric bike to Theodore as one to replace his other bicycle. Theodore was so happy he couldn't contain his joy and was there on Michael's last day in the village to say his final goodbyes to him.