LUKIE'S BMX:STOLEN

Lukie's Ninang Rose who only comes to Venice with his employers on summer invited us for lunch last Sunday. She and her daughter Kaye will go back home to Milan this week. We were rushing out of our door when Gerson, our 6 year old neighbor, asked where is Lukie's bike. Its always parked on the right side of the house... now its not there. Santa's present last Christmas is gone!

Gerson said that his brother Gerome's bike was also stolen last night but his father found it parked outside the grocery store (200 meters away from our place) early that Sunday morning.The automatic main gate of our village is not working. It had been widely open for a week now. Making it easy for the thieves to sneak in.

I was so upset that I keep on talking about the bike while we went to Lido for lunch. But, I was more disappointed because my son seems not affected at all. It seems nothing happened when its the "worst crime"(hehehe) that ever happened in our little village. When I was a kid, if a toy is gone missing, even the simpliest 'gading'(rubber band), my life is doomed.

I told Boogie that maybe Lukie knows we would replace the stolen bike so there's no worry at all. Huh? That ain't good! His BMX is even way expensive than the bike my husband is hesitant to buy for me.

Of course Ninang Rose gave his godson Lukie an amount for a gift and Mama and Papa will just add a bit for yet another bike. But, we decided we won't till our son learns a lesson from his bike being stolen.

When we went home that night to feed Dylan first before we'll go and have dinner at Cat-cat's 12th birthday bash (hehehe pansin nyo, nakikikain na lang every Sunday), our neighbor asked me a minute for a talk. Boogs and Lukie raised for the gate so just me and Dylan on his baby carriage was left for whatever interrogation(lol) this neighbor will do.

Fronting our home is a hotel and restaurant, AL CASSON, run mostly by their family members. They only open during summer and on Carnevale. Its from them we buy our yummy pizzas which they cook the traditional way - with stone oven heated by woods or charcoals.

So our neighbor, the son in law of the hotel owner, told me that he saw two men last night with Lukie's bike. OMG.... he did?... I asked were they 'straniere'(foreigners) and answered no. They were Italians who live around the area only on summer to work in one of the camping village here. Then he told me he was wondering why these two got Lukie's bike and stopped them to ask. I wasn't listening anymore because Dylan wants his food already but when our neighbor said he took the bike, my eyes grew big and said, "YOU DID?" He said YES and the bike is inside the hotel SAFE AND SOUND (sound, what?hehehe).

I saw him with a halo arms clasped wearing a white frock that very moment. Then I run home to shout, PAPA, PAPA! UN MIRACOLO!(a miracle)....