Mr Dibbs Fixes Bikes

19

TW: Contains racist slur.

Sunlight had caused Alfie to rise early and, after taking half the contents of a pharmacy for his myriad ailments, he found himself at a bit of a loose end. Too early to take a walk into town, he wandered around the empty house trying to think of things to do, but nothing caught his fancy. Even the computer, that he disliked at the best of times, had little to offer. Yet, to fill a little time, he browsed an online shop.

Still nothing came to mind. Any bicycle parts, or tools, that he found he knew he could buy cheaper elsewhere, using his old contacts. He felt happier paying for things from small businesses, anyway, rather than adding to the glut of profits such sites as this had pouring into their coffers by the minute. Tidy as ever, he returned to the homepage of the site, even though he knew it made little difference.

There, something caught his eye. It wasn't something that he had ever considered before. Why should he? The town, though not filled to the brim with innocent angels that could do no wrong, had a low crime rate. There were the odd burglaries, but they were so odd and out-of-place that they would cause consternation to ripple through the community like a tidal wave. The issue of the stolen bicycle had concerned him, however.

Not only that someone would steal something at all, or that they had stolen it from his own garden, but that the lad had had to suffer accusations and a visit from the police over the entire incident. That did not sit right with him. Not at all. This product, though relatively expensive to run, would have proven the lad's innocence. Intrigued, he clicked upon the product and took care to read everything about it.

Home security. A series of cameras that attached to the WiFi network that he had struggled, at first, to understand. Unlike prevailing wisdom, old folks were not technologically illiterate. Not all of them, at least. Alfie was not someone born in the mists of time, when cars were all called horseless carriages. He had lived through a time of burgeoning technology, seeing televisions turn to colour and grow and then become almost as thin as paper. He had bought Charlie his first computer when the lad turned eleven and they had had computers ever since.

Charlie would have had one of these home security systems from the off. As soon as they became available. Alfie wasn't a dullard, he would have appreciated the thought and the engineering that went into it. How things worked had always fascinated him. Now, this product caught his imagination.

The bicycles in the big shed were priceless to him. Examples of ingenuity from decades passed. Should anyone ever steal them, he would become bereft of one of the few things that he could still love. One of these cameras installed in there, another watching the back yard, one for the front and one for inside the home. All ready to begin recording as soon as they caught movement, sending the footage online. A monthly subscription cost that made him whistle, but, perhaps, one worth paying.

His finger tapped at the side of the mouse and frowned. He could afford it, and he knew a lad a few doors down that could help him affix the cameras. A newcomer, only having lived in the town for a mere five years, but a good lad. Hardworking. A few quid for his troubles and Alfie could feel safe in the knowledge that, should any of his bicycles go missing, Frederick would not come under suspicion. He couldn't abide that happening again. The lad and his mother deserved peace and safety as much as anyone.

It took a cup of tea and a full English breakfast to come to the decision. Strictly speaking, he should have stopped eating such fatty foods after his scare, but he needed the energy to think over the problem. Now, washing the plate and cutlery, he knew he needed to buy that home security set. Wiping his hands on the tea towel, he returned to the living room, clicked on the awaiting web page and tried not to regret it.