What a strange world we have created! Yesterday, our son, Paul, who lives here in Vancouver, discovered that his $800 bicycle had been stolen. He'd had it for just two years; he admitted that he had failed to use the strongest of two locks he has, and that the best, most expensive lock, was attached to the bicycle. He doesn't have a car, so his bike is his primary mode of transportation for shorter trips.
Today, he went to the bike shop where he had bought his bicycle to find himself at the end of a line of 10 customers, a line which didn't budge for 10 minutes, at which point he went home, where he started searching local "bikes for sale" ads. He soon found an offer of a bike "for a small person". Paul is small, so he called, learned that the bike was still available, and could be seen at a building just two blocks from his apartment. He was there in a flash.
The seller was a 70-year-old man, same size as Paul. He had bought the bike about 10 years ago, but barely used it. Paul says it looks like new, fits him perfectly, and came "fully equipped" — original invoice ($700 plus taxes), lock with keys, bike pump, water bottle holder, tool kit, comfort seat, handlebar riser, rack, kickstand, and a pair of decent panniers. He was selling it because osteoarthritis had stopped his riding years before, and his wife was tired of it taking up room in their storage locker. And now the kicker:
The ad hadn’t mentioned a price, so Paul immediately offered $400. That didn’t sit well with the seller: “I can’t take more than $200. I’m not out to screw you.” Paul figures that the original value of the bike plus accessories had to be at $1,000. He asked if the man would take $250. Nope. So Paul now has “wheels” again, and essentially “lost” only $200.
I guess that every time we think that the world is out to get us, we need to remember that there are really good people in the world to balance the weight of the jerks.
Bob