<p> </p><p>—</p><p>At the Abuja National Stadium, the place was filled with people sitting and waiting for the bike race to begin. It was a Wednesday, the day designated for bike races.</p><p>A young man, around 37 years old, stood wearing three-quarter-length pants, a sleeveless shirt, and a small towel around his neck. He seemed to be waiting for his opponent, but even after 40 minutes, there was no sign of them.</p><p>He looked at the referee and said, “This is complete disrespect! How can we be waiting for someone for 40 minutes and they still haven't shown up?”</p><p>The referee responded, “It's not a man; it's a woman.”</p><p>The young man scoffed, "A woman? You should have told me earlier. I would have left because even men have never beaten me, let alone a woman. She’s probably scared anywa—" Before he could finish, the referee interrupted him, saying, "Look, she's here." He pointed towards the direction from which she was arriving.</p><p>He saw two people on a power bike, both wearing helmets. The person at the back was hugging the rider.</p><p>As they stopped in front of him, the woman got off. She was wearing knee-length shorts, a small top that barely covered her chest, and long high heels.</p><p>She removed her helmet and handed it to the person behind her.</p><p>She looked at the referee and said, "I'm so sorry for coming late," without even glancing at the young man.</p><p>The referee replied, “It's okay.”</p><p>She continued, “Good. What are we waiting for? Let's start the race.”</p><p>The referee told her, “Go inside and get ready.”</p><p>She smirked, “I'm already ready.”</p><p>The young man widened his eyes in disbelief. “With those heels?”</p><p>"Don't worry," she replied.</p><p>The man laughed mockingly. “You really think you can race against me? You better leave now, or you’ll be embarrassed. You’re talking to SUDAIS, the unbeatable bike man!”</p><p>Before she could respond, her friend said, “Worry about yourself.”</p><p>Sudais kept laughing.</p><p>The woman walked up to him and asked, “Are you challenging me?”</p><p>He laughed again, “You’re not even worth challenging.”</p><p>She licked her lips and smirked, "If I win, you must promise never to ride a bike again. If you win, I promise to quit riding bikes forever." Her Hausa had a unique accent, making it clear she wasn’t fluent. She was Indian.</p><p>Without hesitation, he agreed.</p><p>Her friend warned, “Think twice before accepting the challenge.”</p><p>"There’s no need," Sudais said confidently.</p><p>The woman turned to her friend, “BEELAH, sit there and record everything. I want him to watch his defeat over and over again. This will teach him a lesson about challenging NEESA.”</p><p>Sudais also called his friend, Hafiz. “Hafiz, record everything.”</p><p>As Hafiz set up the camera, Beelah glanced at him like she recognized him from somewhere but ignored it.</p><p>The referee announced, “Entry fee for the race.”</p><p>Without looking at him, Neesa asked, “How much?”</p><p>"50,000 naira," the referee replied.</p><p>Hafiz handed over the money, but Beelah doubled it. "Let’s add extra for his medical bills when he loses," she said.</p><p>Both racers put on their helmets. Neesa extended her hand for a handshake. "Best of luck," she said.</p><p>Sudais shook her hand, but as soon as their hands met, both of them quickly pulled away, feeling a strange shock.</p><p>They got on their bikes.</p><p>Beelah whispered, “Best of luck, bestie.”</p><p>Neesa grinned, “I’ll give him a special style.”</p><p>"What style?" Beelah asked.</p><p>“The one from Bang Bang, like Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.”</p><p>"Okay," Beelah laughed.</p><p>The race started. Both bikes sped off, but surprisingly, Neesa was ahead while performing stunts like in a movie.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
