"Veera! Veera! Slow down! You will hurt yourself!"
Eight year old Veera Herrera pedaled with all her might. She laughed like a manic as she cut through the field with her brand new bike. Her long hair blew out from under her helmet and her father's voice became lost in the rapid bursts of wind engulfing her.
It hadn't started this way. Initially it was meant to be a slow ride. She had promised herself she wouldn't go too fast and worry her father. But just as she'd been about to get on her regular green bike, her father had led her to the back of the garage and presented her with a brand new red one.
As such, she had lost all self-control.
Veera firmly believed a new bike had to be ridden as fast as possible. Plus, it was taller than her last one and the break maneuvers more efficient.
She felt like Wendy from Peter Pan. She was currently flying to Neverland.
But as with all fairytales, this one too had to come to an end.
Just as she thought she'd executed a perfect 90 degree turn, her bike tilted too much to one side and one of her legs came loose. At the same time, she got a cramp in her calf.
Oh no!
Veera's eyes widened in horror as she realized she was about to crash in an epic fashion. Like a cartoon character. Only there would be no funny sound effects, only bruises and probably blood.
And pain. Lots of pain, that may involve another cast.
And lectures for months!
"Hey! Watch out!" She screamed when she saw that she was about to take out a man like a bowling pin before crashing into the gutter herself.
The man spun his head around and instead of running away he came towards her with arms outstretched. What a dumbo! Veera tried to swerve away from him as best as she could when the front of her bike hit a bump and she was dislodged from her seat.
She threw her hands out, gritting her teeth in preparation for the painful way her palms would graze the sidewalk when the man caught her and yanked her up. She never made contact with the pavement. Instead, she was lifted bridal style and held in a sturdy pair of arms.
Veera opened her eyes and looked at her savior even as her bike travelled to Netherland by itself. She heard it fall as the stranger set her down.
"Are you alright! Who's watching you?" The man inquired.
But Veera wasn't paying attention.
"Oh, no! My new bike! Dad's gonna kill me!" She rushed towards it and lifted it up with a grunt. She brushed away the dirt and breathed a sign of relief. It was okay. Only a bit of the paint had chipped. That she could fix on her own. She painted all the time.
She turned to look back at the stranger. "Thank you so much. I would have gotten hurt if you hadn't helped me."
The man walked over and grabbed the handle of her bike, examining it. "What happened? How did you lose control of it?"
Veera flushed. "I was going too fast. My Daddy was telling me to slow down, but I was going so fast and it was so fun and...."
The stranger smiled at her words. Veera looked away, not knowing why she felt so shy. She was always eager to make a new friend. But she wanted her new friend to see her doing something cool, not her falling off a bike. She was always showing off to her friends.
"You should have listened to your dad," the stranger replied in a gentle voice. "Going fast can be fun, but you have to be safe."
Veera nodded and heard her father's voice before she saw him come around the corner.
"Veera! I told you---" Her father's words stopped when he saw her standing with a man he recognized. "Theodore?"
The stranger looked between Veera and her dad, understanding dawning. "Eli...when did you become a dad?"
Veera perked up. Eli? That was her Daddy's name! So this man wasn't a stranger? That meant she would only get scolded for crashing her bike! Not another lecture about stranger danger!
Her father examined her and then the bike. "You crashed your new bike, didn't you?"
Veera nodded. "I'm sorry, Daddy. But it's easy to fix. Only some of the paint got scratched. This nice guy helped me."
Her father glanced at the nice man. The one named Theodore. She had a classmate named Theodore as well. So cool!
"She hit a bump and went flying, Eli. Luckily I caught her or she would have been seriously hurt."
Veera shrinked when her father glared at her over her recklessness.
"Right, well thanks for helping her. Or rather, thanks for being at the right place at the right time," her father told Theodore before looking back at her. "You know you're grounded right. And no ice-cream tonight."
Veera wailed and threw a tantrum.
Theodore watched her with a slight smile. "See you at work, bro."
Veera immediately stopped crying and watched him leave.
Her father picked her up, placed her on the bike and lead them back home.
All the while, she watched Theodore's retreating back. "Bummer, can't he come home with us?"