To whom it may concern:
Around midnight last Friday, I parked my bike in the Kinghorn parking lot. I planned only to leave it there for about fifteen minutes while I picked up a friend off campus. When I drove back to the lot, all the spots were taken, so I was required to park in the Noyer garage.
I told myself my bike would be fine. It was locked up, and not a particularly pretty bike anyway. The handlebar grips were falling off, there was no kickstand and the gear shifters are stuck in one spot.
You, however, thought differently. To you, my bike was the Holy Grail, apparently. So hot you couldn't keep your hands off. So what did you do? You found a way to remove that bike from the tree.
Normally, the loss of a physical object wouldn't bother me too much. It is, after all, just a bike. Call me spoiled, but I have never felt an incredibly strong connection to pieces of metal and rubber. Obviously, I would feel worse if my car was stolen, but I've had this bike for years and it was quickly approaching its last ride.
That being said, I did lose something I've had for quite awhile. It was probably my oldest possession I have kept with me at school. And I no longer own it, because of you.
But it's not only the physical void you have caused. This weekend, I was planning on participating in the 2nd annual Tour of Muncie. I had been looking forward to riding in the event the entire week before you took my bike, but no. You had to take my dreams away.
But it's fine. Really. I was totally planning to spend a ton of money on a new bike. I'm really excited about it. Instead of paying $10 to ride, I'll probably end up spending about ten times that. Which I can totally afford. As a college student, I'm obviously flush with cash.
But don't think I'm bitter. I'm not. At all.
Seriously, though. Why my bike? I mean I've kept it up the best I can so it was as shiny as a bike can be after almost 10 years. But you had to realize it wasn't the most beautiful bicycle on campus.
You didn't even leave my lock behind. Not that it would be functional after you were through with it, but it would have been a nice gesture.
I guess a better question to ask would be, "Why steal bikes?"
Sure, some bikes are worth quite a bit of money. But I would guess that a majority of bikes on campus are worth less than $200. I spent five times that on my computer. And that's a lot easier to steal.
And why steal at all? You totally disrupted my week and I'd guess my bike isn't the first bike you've stolen. So it's not just my schedule you've likely disturbed. Stealing is not only illegal; it's terribly inconvenient. I'd prefer to use stronger words, but I value this job more than my opinion of you.
In closing, I'd just like to thank you. Thanks for making me use what little money I have left in my bank account to buy a new bike to get around. I really appreciate it. And I hope you have a great time riding my bike. Next time, I'll just bring my bike with me wherever I go.
Safe journeys,
Benjamin
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