To be honest, I used to be very absent-minded. As a result, I lost many things in the past. One time, my bike was stolen, and what happened afterward was even worse.
One day, my friends and I went to a government office to get our paperwork stamped. At that time, we were young and naive. Instead of parking in the designated lot, we left our bikes right in front of the office, thinking that nobody would dare steal them under the officers’ noses. Shockingly, the opposite happened. When we finished our paperwork, my bike was gone.
I couldn’t understand why someone had chosen mine—it was the ugliest and cheapest of the three bikes. I went back inside and told the officers what had happened, but they couldn’t do much to help. Feeling sad and worried, I went home with my friends.
When I told my parents, they advised me to be more careful. Since we didn’t have much money, I couldn’t get a new bike right away. For the next few months, I walked several kilometers to school every day, hoping a friend would pass by and give me a lift.
Then, one day during class, the principal walked in and called my name. He said he needed to talk to me in his office. I was terrified.
“The police suspect you’re a thief, don’t they?” he asked.
“Of course not, sir!” I replied. “Why would they think that? I haven’t stolen anything!”
“They found your notebook at the parking lot where a government worker’s brand-new bike was stolen,” he said.
I was confused. “Government worker, my notebook, bike…” I muttered to myself.
“And the thief left behind an old bike to take the expensive one out,” he added.
“Was the old bike black?” I asked eagerly.
“Yes,” he replied.
“That’s my bike! I lost it a few months ago!” I said excitedly.
The principal fell silent, thinking for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. He believed that the thief had stolen my bike first. Later, when he spotted a more expensive one at the parking lot, he used my old bike as a decoy to take the new one. Since my notebook had been left in the bike’s basket, the police assumed I was the thief.
I listened carefully to everything the principal said and asked how I could get my bike back. He told me to bring my father and go to the police station the next day.
At the station, I described my bike in detail and explained the principal’s theory. After considering the situation, the police decided to return the bike to me.
That day became one of the most unforgettable moments for my family.