Stolen Bike

Last minute chores include fertilizing my plants.

The sprinkler system had just gone off so I was feeding the plants in my backyard when I noticed two kids coming down the road. They were carrying boogie boards and trying to thumb a ride when one delinquent spotted a bike parked between two trucks along the road.

“Hey I found a bike,” one kid said. With his toe he kicked the kickstand up and climb on board. No hesitation, but they scanned the vacant lot for an owner who might be in the weeds taking a whiz.

“Hey, that’s not your bike,” I yelled over my fence.

The two perpetrators looked up. The rider slipped off the bike, but didn't park it.

“Is it yours?” the other asked.

“It’s not yours.” I retorted.

“It was just lying here.” he offered as logic for the crime.

“No it wasn’t. It was on its kick stand.” Is there some rule that if a bike is upright, it’s not fair game?

“Yeah, but it was just here.” Maybe there is a rule?

“So is that truck,” I said indicating the parked vehicle they were standing near. “That’s just there too. Would you steal that?"

Incredibly, the kid without the bike said, “Well, maybe.”

“Put the bike down, take your boards and get out of here.”

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? What didn't you understand?"

The kid unceremoniously dropped the bike near the fire hydrant, but neither moved down the road. Instead, they raised their thumbs for the next car.

I went back to measuring fertilizer for each plant, but popped up to peep over the fence after dropping pellets on each plant. By the time I got to the end of the fence the two juveniles had a ride.

The heap-of-a-bike, most likely stolen in the first place, had to be harder to ride than to walk. The chain and gears had more rust than the hull of a sunken ship. For the next two hours the bike sat unclaimed on a road with lots of foot and vehicle traffic. I went to retrieve it, knowing someone would spot me “stealing” the bike.

Now I had a derelict bike, worthless except for two good tires. After consulting with the complex's secretary, I decided to see if the people upstairs want it. If not, I'll leave it by the dumpster and let whoever takes it have it. Just as long as those two kids don't get it.