The Most Expensive Free Bicycle Ever.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I know that technically I shouldn’t be posting this until I’ve had a chance to talk to my SO (whom I have called, but he didn’t answer his cell, so I’m just waiting for him to look at the Caller ID and say, “Hey, auntie em called!” and call me back), but I’m sitting here feeling yicchy and am having trouble getting any sympathy from my boss, so here goes:

My SO asked if he could borrow my truck to help a friend move this Saturday. Since weekends are pretty much the only chance that he and I get to see each other (we live 1.5 hours apart), he took the truck last weekend, and left me his brand, spanking new Honda Civic for the week.

Can you see where this is going yet?

So this morning, for work, I had to travel about 30 miles out of town to a small community of about 1500 country folks. I took care of my business there, and on the way back decided to look around a bit (cool old houses, and whatnot). Well, it turns out that it’s Spring Cleaning Day in this little town (as I was told by one of the residents), so everyone is busy purging their homes of old junk.

One such body had left a bicycle in his/her driveway, with a sign taped to it saying, “TRASH”. Wasn’t a bad looking bike. A little old (probably 70s-era, quite similar to this bike, which I found on ebay) and some rust on the coils under the seat, but I found both of these characteristics quite charming. Overall it looked pretty good–the chain was intact, the brakes were functional, and the tires were inflated. And it was free for the taking!

I decided to be the taker.

I thought that maybe when my SO is in town on the weekends, we could go on little bike tours: he could ride my bike (a much more manly-looking hybrid, which I got in 1997), and I could ride this one. Wouldn’t that be fun?

So I very carefully eased as much of the bike as I could into the trunk of my SO’s car, tucked a towel (which he keeps in the backseat for his dog) around it to prevent scraping, tied the trunk lid down with a dog leash (dogs come in handy, don’t they?), and went on my merry way.

I stopped by my house on the way back into town, took the bike out (carefully!) and deposited it in my garage before heading back to the office.

As I walked back to the car to close the trunk, I saw them.

Scratches.

Scratches on the bumper.

Scratches on the bumper of a brand new car that ain’t mine. :eek: :smack: :frowning:

I can only assume that they happened on the drive home, because I was SO! careful about getting the bike into and out of the car.

The scratches aren’t horrible (my boss didn’t see what the big deal was at all), but up to this point the car didn’t have a scratch on it, so I felt awful. My one ray of hope was that maybe they wouldn’t be that expensive to fix, and I could have it all pretty again before I even had to 'fess up to the SO.

So, thinking it might ease my mind, I went to get an estimate: $220.

[Expletives deleted because this ain’t the Pit]

I don’t think that my SO is going to kick me in the head or yell at me or anything–he’s forgiving almost to a fault.

But I feel horrible and I hate my new bike now. :frowning:

P.S. My SO asked yesterday if he could borrow the truck for yet another week, because he’d been invited to a BBQ and was asked to bring his grill . . . I wonder if he’ll change his mind about that now.

2

Just tell him to scratch your truck up a bit, to get even. :wink:

Nah, really. If he’s a gentleman, he’ll realise the intent you had when you picked up that bike, and forgive you for it. Sure, the first scratch on a new car always hurts (which is why I recommend kicking a dent in it right after you get it, to get it over with), but it is after all just a car, new or not. And you didn’t render it dysfunctional, you just got it some wear and tear.

You’ll be alright.

3

Cars are impossible to keep pristine.

My 1998 Toyota Camry has matching scuff marks on the corners of both bumpers from columns in a parking garage.

I parked in a compact space very soon after we bought it. Forgot it’s not a compact. There’s a reason they label 'em that way. Easy to get into, a beeyotch to get out.

El Hubbo weren’t too happy with me.

:frowning: In udda woids, I know how you feel.

But was also forgiven.

4

Be sure you’re naked when you tell him.

5

My car has little scratches and dings all over it, and it’s still fairly new. I’m not having it repainted til I move out of apartment complexes with idiots who can’t park. Yea, it kinda sucks, but more will come.

6

…and holding a six pack.

7

Ah – wait til he drives up with your truck and when he’s not looking, bash the passenger door with a baseball bat. Then screech “Oh, what have you done to my precious truck?”

That’ll get you a free pass on the scratches :slight_smile:

Well, actually, I wouldn’t worry about it. Cars are born to be scratched. And the first one’s always a bit of a relief – then you can stop worrying about it.

8

A scratch?! A friggin’ scratch on my brand-new, ultra-shiny, can’t-believe-I-have-this-great-car-omigod-I’m-so-happy-it-still-looks-like-the-Honda-factory-just-burped-it-out-of-its-womb, EX-BOB?

EX-BOB’s scratch cherry has been taken? And I had to read it on the SDMB to find out? :eek:

Oh well. :slight_smile:

Had I actually seen that phone call (for some reason nothing came through on the Caller ID), I could have told you that the fix-it places won’t actually fix the bumper–they just want to replace them on the Hondas. Silly people.

Anyway, that’s fine, Hon. Life goes on, you’re not hurt (not that you would have been, taking on a bike like that–not exactly dangerous, I hear, unless you’re Meg Ryan in that damnable City of Angels movie…), and for all I know, I might be able to wrangle a lifetime of nightly (ahem) concessions out of this. :wink:

Oh, and I love you. Right on a message board with thousands of voyeurs.

9

If they’re scratches, some “color-back” or “color cure” wax may work a minor miracle for you.

If they’re smudges of bike (ie: rubber from bike tire) on the bumper, Goo Gone will take them off.

10

Well, since everybody paid their $6.50 to peep this schmaltz, I love you, too. :slight_smile:

But I am getting the bumper fixed. Nadine insists. If you can talk her out of it, fine, but you don’t have long, because I’ve got an appointment for Monday.

Unless gotpassword’s advice really does result in a miracle.

Next time I’ll just buy you a goddamn bike.

11

No, no, no… don’t get the bumper fixed! There’s no sense in wasting money on something small like that, when we could be paying off hired killers to help us cut down on the dogs we seem to collect. (And collect the insurance. We do have insurance on the furry ones, don’t we? I thought your family had insurance for everything! ;))

Seriously, a scratch would have happened eventually, anyway. I’m okay with scratches, really. So, please call the place and cancel the appointment.

Leave Nadine to me, anyhow. She loves me more, remember?

And I have a bike. If you really loved me, you would already know that. :smiley: