"How Kyla Got Her Bike Back 

My bike had been missing for one week when I received the Offer Up link 
to an ad selling my bike. A friend saw it for sale there and sent me a FB message right around 
midnight on Monday. 

Taking his advice, I created a burner Offer Up account, email, Google Voice #, 
and I even went as far as to choose the alias (redacted) 

I sent the seller an offer for the asking price of $350 then fell into an anxious sleep 
because it was well passed my bedtime (a strange happenstance that I was even awake at this time). 
In the morning, I saw the seller had responded with his number. According to the time stamp, 
he responded around 2am. I am up at 6am every morning and he was back responding to me at about 
6:30, so this guy really just needs to get some sleep. 

I said I could meet at noon, after I got off work. He said he needed the cash and would bring the 
bike to me. I responded that I worked at the Trader Joe's in Hollywood and could take a break when 
he got here to pick up the bike. I had been very anxious all morning - worried I would tip him off 
somehow or that someone else would buy it before I could get an appointment and any other possible 
scenario led me to reactionarily almost tell this potential Perp my daily location, etc. so I am 
not sure if that was the right thing to do or not. But oh well, I did it, and so the story continues ...

He said he would be there in 20 minutes, and so I did the first thing any rational human would 
do and started panicking. I closed up the shop for my ten minute break, immediately went to the 
security office (the TJ's and my shop are at the W), and let them know what was about to happen 
(and where) in case they should be ready for a possible confrontation. 

I told them I was actually pretty nervous because I had never done anything like this before but 
also because of the general unpredictability of what was about to occur. The guard was amiable 
and actually pretty interested in the case. He said he would be watching on the camera we would 
be meeting under (at the TJ's bike racks) and would have one of their guards at the ready around 
the corner if needed. 

I had also been texting with a friend who lives close to the TJ's. She happened to be right On It, and 
immediately dispatched her partner (and my friend) to be there as back up. As an aside and note 
to timing, this was all happening within 10 minutes of the seller saying he was coming to meet 
me - the sheer range of emotions I went through in that short time is hard to describe, even now a 
whole day later.
 
I also stopped into the Trader Joe's to check the bike racks for the potential-Perp from the window 
inside and to warn the manager. I also wanted it to look like I worked there. As I am telling 
the manager what is going to go down, the dude rides passed the door on my bike. I say to the manager,
"see, that kid is on my bike. I am going to get it back now." As I am saying this, I see Ryan
(back up) come into view across the street. This could not have been timed better had we been
paid actors. 

I walked out of the TJ's slowly to give Ryan time to cross the street, being sure
to keep out of view of the potential-Perp. I take a deep breath and turn the corner. The seller 
is eyeing Ryan but then sees me. I say, "what's up, is this the bike, blah blah, can I look at it,
etc." He says sure and luckily has leaned it up against a bike rack a few feet away from him. I 
go to look at it, squat down to check the components, take the lock I had brought (key in lock re
ady to go) out of the bag, and lock it to the rack. The seller turns to me upon hearing the steel
y clank of lock closing, and I say (this is actually true and almost verbatim): "Ok, so this is my 
bike. One of two things can happen here: you can walk away, or we can call the cops." 

I mean, really, I didn't even know I had it in me. I hope my voice came out strong, but inside 
I was pretty shaky and sounded warbly. In the made for TV version, I sound like Dirty Harry. 
Either way, I hadn't even finished the sentence before the seller said, "you got it" and went 
into a story about how he found it (unlocked) on Normandie after hearing a commotion and then it was 
just there. Not sure if I believed him, but at this point, the bike was back in my possession. 

He even tried to shake my hand and asked for a dollar "for a soda" (sorry, bro, I didn't bring any 
cash to this meet up and that stuff's bad for you). He walked off, probably having a fair amount of 
walking home to do (like I did seven days before, when my bike was stolen), and after having, quite 
literally, brought the bike back to me. At work. On my ten. 

Stolen: 8/7/18 between 22:45-22:55 at 7/eleven on Edgemont & Santa Monica Blvd (East Hollywood) 
Recovered: 8/14/18 approximately 08:50 at Trader Joe's on Selma & Vine (Hollywood) 
Police Involvement: Minimal. I filed a report, but the retrieval mission happened before they could 
even be dispatched and before the detectives on my case were even clocked in
for the day. 

WRITE DOWN YOUR SERIAL NUMBER(S)!! 
 
Seller's link on Offerup: https://offerup.com/item/detail/527339431/