The Gulch
Me: You ok?
Man: I just need some shade.
Scrawny Mesquite Tree |
Man: Well, I think I'd rather just go down in that gulch.
Me: Why? There's no shade down there. Are you from around here?
Man: Yes
Me: Well then, you can just cross the Country Club bridge, ride down to that ramada right over there and there's a lovely park with real trees, a restrooms, tables with benches. I'm heading that way if you want to follow me. How long have you been out? (It was one of our merely 100 degree days).
Man: Since about noon.
Me: Wow, that's a long time. Do you have water?
Man: No
Me: Well, here drink up. I don't need this. I'm just running a couple of errands.
He drank only a modest amount of water. As I turned to give him my water bottle I noticed that his Tee shirt had only a tiny bit of sweat on it. I also noticed he had no water bottle cages on his bike which was a brand-new looking suspended hybrid.
Me: Well, I'm heading on now to do my errands now. If you want to follow I can point out the park.
Man: No, I'll just go down in the gulch.
It took me about a half mile before it occurred to me the bike was likely stolen. I had not noticed the make/model of his bike so no way to call it in.
What began as a random act of kindness I'm confident turned into my being an accomplice.
Three weeks later my bike was stolen. Karma? Don-know.
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