The Slice: You’re not getting this bike

So I was riding home from work and a young guy walking in the opposite direction asked me if I wanted to sell my bike.

As I was halfway up a block that requires effort to climb and didn’t want to lose my modest momentum, I just said “No” and kept pedaling. But by the time I leveled off at the next cross-street, I might have been smiling.

I couldn’t say if that kid was 17 or 22. I hadn’t been paying attention. But clearly, there was a young man with a discerning eye. Obviously that lad could spot a decent bicycle when he saw it.

The bike is nothing fancy and it was not expensive. But it’s solid and reliable. A true value.

So imagine that. A complete stranger spots it and wants to make an offer on the spot. Cool.

I was enjoying the unexpected affirmation of my bike-choosing acumen when 2009-style skepticism kicked in.

Wait a second … Suddenly I saw the whole scenario. Had I been interested in selling and stopped to haggle, that kid might have expressed a willingness to pay a decent price. Of course, he would have wanted to take it for a quick test-ride.

And, had I been dumb enough to agree, he would have disappeared around the corner – never to be seen again.

That would have been a bitter lesson.

Stuff is just stuff. Sometimes things get stolen. But when the object in question is something for which you have genuine regard or even affection, well, that’s sad.

OK, there’s no proof that he had any such intention. Maybe he was just joking around. That’s probably it.

I finished my ride, thinking about how suspicion has become my default attitude.

As the garage door went down like a curtain after I parked, I watched my bike until it disappeared.

It’s a good bike. I think so, anyway. Maybe that’s all that matters.

Today’s Slice question: Who holds the Spokane record for taking the most showers in one day?