Someone Stole The Trek!

That was my first thought when I pulled into my driveway last night to see my garage door open. The fear that went through my body was indescribable. Before I even did a check of my possessions, I knew it was gone. I didn't know how long the door had been open or how it had been opened...but I knew my beloved bicycle that I had for less than six months was a casualty. It took me a minute to turn off the motor and spring out of the car (yes spring) to see the empty spot that the Trek had called home. My body was shaking as I turned on the garage light hoping somehow that my eyes had deceived me and that it was still there. It wasn't. I called my mom, texted a friend and did everything I could to keep from bawling.

One of my best friends had the wisdom to insist that I call DK, a guy who is knowledgeable about nearly everything, and have him determine whether the open door was the cause of human tampering or mechanical malfunction. It turns out it was a mechanical malfunction so basically the person who acquired my bike simply walked into my garage and rode the bike out. It was the ultimate crime of opportunity.

I had a friend stay with the repair guy today while I put my detective skills, gained from reading an abundance of mystery novels, to work. I began my quest to find my bike. I drove through my subdivision examining every house as best I could while rolling past. My neighborhood has low crime stats so I did not see this action as risky. Then I decided to check out a nearby apartment complex. I rode through noticing an abundance of children's bikes and BMX bikes on apartment balconies, but alas no Trek.

Then I turned into another section of the complex and pulled up to a guy parking my bike outside of an apartment. Seriously, HE and IT were right in front of me! At this point I had two options, call the police or do as my friend had suggested and simply ask for it back. She assured me that this method had worked numerous times during her youth (presumably when another neighborhood teen had taken one of her belongings). I thought about how this guy did not appear to be a teen boy who had grabbed The Trek just for fun. He was a grown man. I stopped the car and rolled down the window several inches.

"Can I have my bike?" The words were out before I knew it. The man professed innocence and mumbled about how he got it from some kid, a response that probably didn't even sound believable to him. I told him I did not care where he got it, I just wanted it back. At some point, tears started flowing. He looked at me like guys tend to do when a female starts crying and said "There is no need for that". He looked perplexed and pondered my request for a few minutes that felt like a half hour . I could see his inner struggle. He finally agreed to let me have the bike. I went to my trunk, grabbed my bike rack and loaded the bike onto my car. Before I finished, he asked if I needed help with it. I declined. He shook my hand and I told him he was a good man and you know what..... I meant it.