Valet Parking

Frank won't put his bike away.  He rides home from school around 3:30 and parks his bike at the end of the driveway in front of the garage door.  I come home at 5:30 and can't pull all the way in because the bike is there, and really, I should be grateful that the bike is there and not stolen, because it could easily be stolen.  I ask and ask and ask.  The bike is there every night.

I used to drop my bike in the front yard when I got done with my paper route.  My dad got tired of asking me to put my bike away, so one day he "stole" it.  He hid it from me and I had to walk everywhere for a week or so until the neighbor living behind us asked me why my bike was parked behind the garage.

I thought about stealing my own son's bike.

I've been thinking on this for a few weeks.  Last night I suggested another plan.

"Do you know what valet parking is?" I asked him when I walked in yesterday.

"Sure.  That's where you have guys in tuxedos park your car and put the keys on a little board so that when you come back they can run out and get your car for you."

"Do you know how much that costs?"

"No."

"It's expensive.  It costs more to use valet parking than to park your own car because you have someone else doing the work.  Does that make sense?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if I have to put your bike away every day I am going to start charging you.  It's going to cost you 50 cents for me to valet park your bike."

He studied my face to see if I was serious.  And then he went and put his bike away.