Bicycle MIA For 2 Years (J-Christmas Special)

I now have every reason why I should hate myself every December 27. It was the day I lost my bike which I only had for a year. Nakakapanghinayang but its true, everything I own disappears.

I hate myself because I let it happen.

         December 25, 2005 was the day when I have what I touted to be the greatest gift I ever have, next to the miracle that it is my I-Pod Nano (but I got that the next year). A bicycle was given to me as a gift from my ninong and my ninang (siblings of my mom). It's been a while since I last had one that's why I  was grateful that I get to have this one-of-a-kind gift.

           The next year, I celebrated me and my bike's first and only anniversary together :0. The next day, i took a whole afternoon ride with my bike, cruising around the picturesque fishing village of Coloong in Valenzuela. The place is so quiet and peaceful, nothing but the chirps of the birds and the horns of traveling non-motorized sidecars (de padyak).

The following day, December 27, 2006, I took advatange of a newly paved provincial road in Obando, Bulacan right across the border from my house so I decided to cruise there as well after I went somewhere else using my bike.

              I don't know what I was thinking but I was darn surprised to see my dad (who supposedly was away for buying groceries) at home cleaning the car. I panicked, at first I thought my dad might scold me for taking my bike to just somwhere. I never knew the limits of how far I could go with the bike but the limit my dad gave me was strictly within our subdivision (which is no longer a biker's paradise than it was 10 years ago). I decided to park my bike just beside our garagedoor OUTSIDE the house and watched it over from our roof deck. While figuring out how I could bring my bike inside the house, I was there guarding it all the way up there.

      But I let my guard down when I had to eat dinner with my family. Thoughts of my bike filled my head.

But it was too late.

   The moment I finished my meal, I checked outside and my bike is GONE! I don't what to do, I don't know how I could explain it to my parents. It was a foolish thing that I parked it there outside! Grrr...

I asked our neighbors if the saw a bike that was parking outside our garagedoor and one of them said that she saw one of the servants from next door took it inside. We went f=there and asked the owner if they, in any chance, had his servants take my bike. He denied the allegations.

But the neighbor insisted that she saw  the old man next door ordered his servant to take the bike. But we can't forcibly make him admit that "stole" the bike, without good evidence other than just witness accounts. (The old man is still alive BTW).

My kuya was the first from my family to noticed that my bike was missing, 2 days after it disappeared. I can't explain to him but the only thing that I said is that I let it happen. Eventually, my parents found out and my dad was furious. Cut the long story short, he scolded me and called me insulting and verbally-abusing (that's how my guidance counselor see it as such) names, yada yada.

The following days, hopeful that I could still locate my beloved bicycle had since then keep a solid eye on every bicycle I see on the streets, fearing that it may have been mine that they were using.

    The same time, I was having thoughts of what I should have done if I was at the same scene again otehr than just parked the bike outside the house. I should have had the bike kept by one of my most trusting neighbors so that at least I know that my bike is safe with them.  Or, had I did park it outside, I should have excused myself from dinner and secretly bring the bicycle inside the garage via the garage door but in a very quiet way.

And tomorrow, i'm going to celebrate the second anniversary of my bike being on M.I.A. status. Waghhh!

Ang laki kong tanga!!

[Dapat last year ko na ito sinulatsa Multiply pero busy ako noon kaya nakalimutan ko]