My Steal-Proof Bike

Last year, a dear friend bought me a brand new bike for my birthday.  I've never had such a beautiful bike and I saw a lifetime with it's strong frame and easy gear shifting.  I always locked up my bike when I took it out of my apartment.  However, it was heavy.  And I live on the third floor.  One night I left my bike inside the apartment building (there are just 6 condos in the building) but did not truck it up the three flights of stairs.  I used it many times a day and taking it up and down was just too much.  That night I also forgot to take off the wheel and seat like I usually did.  I thought that inside the locked doors of my building it would be safe.

The next morning when I was headed out to a doctor's appointment, my bike was not where I'd left it.  I had to call a cab to make it to my appointment, and I cried all the way there.  Totally heartbroken.

A friend of mine gave me his old bike when I told him about my predicament.  I wasn't about to have it stolen again.  So I painted it, making it uniquely mine.

I wanted it to be different than any other bike so that I could easily identify it.  I wanted it to make someone think twice about taking it.  But neon pink I could not handle.  I wanted to be proud of it.  So after much thought, this is what I ended up with.

I admit it's not steal-proof.  It's pretty darn cute.  But it's mine because it says it is.