...bike story continued
Dan was nice enough to drive me downtown today so I could go find this homeless man on the street. Maxx said he was sorry and told me that he would try and get it back for me tomorrow, but tomorrow was just too far away for my liking when I knew it could be done immediately. It would have been more fair for Maxx to go make the exchange, but I thought that I would have a much greater chance of being able to convince this guy to give it back. I was prepared to get the police involved if I couldn't do it myself.
When Dan and I parked downtown, I asked him to stay in the car and wait while I talked to the man by myself. I looked for him around Wellburns because I was told that's where he usually spent most of his day. When I spotted my bike, I approached the middle-aged man who was holding it, and explained what had happened. He told me twice about how he had HIV, Diabetes, and other serious illnesses, and needed transportation every day to get from downtown to Tillicom/Gorge where he lived. I could sympathize. But I also felt worried he was was trying to guilt me into letting him keep it. It was hard to keep pressing him to give it back. I told him that I promised to return his own bike to him, and that I understood his need for one. He told me 99% of him, was telling him not to give it back (at least until I could give him his in return) and his street friend agreed. He also said "I can't keep it though, because it isn't my bike". He didn't believe that I would bring his bike back and was really frustrated. For good reason though because I'm sure some people actually would try and rip him off and just decide to keep both bikes. His face was extremely serious and he looked into my eyes and said that if he ever saw a person riding his bike, he would kill them and put them in the coffin. He told me that's how things worked on the street. Obviously I continued my efforts to re-assure him that I was telling the truth. I asked him if he ever felt any strong intuition when someone was being totally honest. He told me that he was the other 1%, and didn't care for anyone else in this world but himself.
After leaving with my bike I felt like I had achieved something by getting it back without help. Dan helped me of course by driving which was kind of him, but I'm glad that I got it back myself through talking to him rather than getting a friend or the police to do it for me.
When I got home I dragged Maxx by the arm, and told him that he was coming with me to give it back to the guy. I felt that he should have to do *something*, and hoped that he would apologize to the man. When we got back downtown and gave it back to the man he seemed somewhat surprised, and while I was walking away he said something along the lines of: "Thank you. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you before, but everyone else around isn't like this. How was I to know?" He had a smile on his face and even though this whole thing was totally stressful for me, if it helped that man gain a little more hope in humanity, then my stress must have been worth it.
When Dan and I parked downtown, I asked him to stay in the car and wait while I talked to the man by myself. I looked for him around Wellburns because I was told that's where he usually spent most of his day. When I spotted my bike, I approached the middle-aged man who was holding it, and explained what had happened. He told me twice about how he had HIV, Diabetes, and other serious illnesses, and needed transportation every day to get from downtown to Tillicom/Gorge where he lived. I could sympathize. But I also felt worried he was was trying to guilt me into letting him keep it. It was hard to keep pressing him to give it back. I told him that I promised to return his own bike to him, and that I understood his need for one. He told me 99% of him, was telling him not to give it back (at least until I could give him his in return) and his street friend agreed. He also said "I can't keep it though, because it isn't my bike". He didn't believe that I would bring his bike back and was really frustrated. For good reason though because I'm sure some people actually would try and rip him off and just decide to keep both bikes. His face was extremely serious and he looked into my eyes and said that if he ever saw a person riding his bike, he would kill them and put them in the coffin. He told me that's how things worked on the street. Obviously I continued my efforts to re-assure him that I was telling the truth. I asked him if he ever felt any strong intuition when someone was being totally honest. He told me that he was the other 1%, and didn't care for anyone else in this world but himself.
After leaving with my bike I felt like I had achieved something by getting it back without help. Dan helped me of course by driving which was kind of him, but I'm glad that I got it back myself through talking to him rather than getting a friend or the police to do it for me.
When I got home I dragged Maxx by the arm, and told him that he was coming with me to give it back to the guy. I felt that he should have to do *something*, and hoped that he would apologize to the man. When we got back downtown and gave it back to the man he seemed somewhat surprised, and while I was walking away he said something along the lines of: "Thank you. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you before, but everyone else around isn't like this. How was I to know?" He had a smile on his face and even though this whole thing was totally stressful for me, if it helped that man gain a little more hope in humanity, then my stress must have been worth it.