Bike Parking
I took one of the bike share bikes to meet friends for dinner, but every bike docking station downtown was full. It took me 10 minutes visiting three stations to find one where a guy was removing a bike so I could take his spot. I asked if he was leaving and stood behind him waiting for him to leave. A minute later a woman approached him, "Excuse me sir, are you leaving?" I answered for him, "Yeah, I'm taking his spot," though it should have been clear since I was standing six inches behind him holding a bike. The woman said, "I've been waiting five minutes, that's mine." I told her I'd been biking around for ten and also standing here for a couple, then I asked, "Where's your bike?" She told me it was down the street, her husband was looking for a different dock. I told her I was taking the dock. "I can't believe you'd do that, it's mine." So I said, "I'll tell you what: we can paper, rock, scissors for it." She said, "excuse me?" her voice rising several octaves over the two words. "No?" I said, "Flip a coin instead?" She walked away and said loud enough for me to hear over her footsteps, and with her back turned, "I just can't believe anyone would do that." I took the spot and left. The woman didn't want the spot. I mean, she did, but what she wanted even more was the moral high ground. It wasn't hers to claim. Either that or she has a gambling problem and didn't want to relapse.
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