Pregnant with my bike stolen.

You really shouldn't steal a bike from a pregnant woman.

The other day, I got up to ride my bike to campus. This hadn't happened in a while because Tanner's bike broke and we walked to school together.  I also wasn't really supposed to ride my bike/engage in physical activity. Well, my beautiful cream beach cruiser was gone.

Stolen.

I texted Tanner and was sad. But I wasn't angry. I was really calm and just thought to myself, oh dear, that is sad. But it's just a thing.

It didn't really bother me the rest of the day. When I got home I called to report it to the Provo police. They were awesome and sent someone over to get the rest of the information about the bike. Luckily, I had this picture to show him:

The nice police man said he would let me know if he found it. I was hopeful but not expecting much. He called me about an hour later saying he found it at a pawn shop.

This was a good and bad thing.
Good because it was found.
Bad because the person who stole it also scammed the pawn shop. They have to identify themselves through finger print and with their address and everything, verifying that the item they're selling is theirs.

She lied and so now there were two cases.

The police man told me I could come pick it up but I would have to pay the $30 to get it back. P.S. my bike is worth WAY more than $30. Poor stealer.

So I went to go pick it up. I was a little annoyed that I had to pay for my stolen bike, but the pawn shop didn't want to press charges and wanted business still. Whatever, I wasn't going to fight it, especially because the police man had probably already tried to reason with them.

I go in...the nice teenage boy working there tells me he's sorry for this big mess. I'm fine about it. They wheeled out my bike. It doesn't look like my bike. But it is. The basket was broken and I was worried I was going to take the wrong bike home.

Then I take out my card to pay and the girl says, "oh no, we only take cash".
That was the straw the broke the camels back.
I then said to the girl, "so you're making me pay $30 cash to get my stolen bike back from you, because you're not going to press charges?" I didn't say this meanly but just like...hello I'm paying for my stolen bike.
She went quiet and told me again they would only take cash.

I didn't have cash.

By this point, most of the employees were around. And yes, I started to cry silently. The nice teenage boy asked me if I was okay. I told him, "yes but I'm pregnant so tears come very easily to me."

I started to walk away, crying of course. The rest of the employees starting going in the back awkwardly.

This is the dramatic part.

I stop and say, "This is why choices matter". They turn around and stare and this silly, crying pregnant woman. I continue, "because they affect other people". I turned and walked out of the pawn shop with them all staring at me.

At least if any of those employees ever think about stealing a bike or something they'll remember me standing there crying, trying to teach the world about choices.

I still haven't gotten my bike back. I don't have cash. The police man went to arrest the girl who stole my bike but I haven't heard anything about it yet.

So next time you think about stealing a bike from a pregnant lady...think about who your choices are affecting. :)