Rags To Rags Story

Sean Johnson was homeless.

He had a little hovel to call home, in the well-to-do enclave of Highland Park, Illinois. No one bothered him at his residence under a highway overpass. It wasn't much, but he liked it.

One would assume that a homeless person would be hard-up for money, and therefore rather short on material possessions. Little wonder, then, that the local police found it odd that Mr. Johnson would have a very expensive mountain bike at his humble abode.

When questioned, the vagabond admitted that he had taken the bike from an open garage. Perhaps he felt that the people he stole from were wealthy enough to replace the bicycle, while he was destitute and in dire need of transportation.

Perhaps not.

He also said that he had taken another bike before, but discarded it. What good would a bike do him if the tire went flat or the chain broke? Toss it away, since he couldn't pay to have it fixed, any more than he could buy the part to fix it himself.

Oh, and there were other bikes. He sold them. On line.

Quite the entrepreneur was Sean Johnson. He got himself over to the local public library, where he could create an e-mail account and post a notice on E-bay or Craigslist. Very clever, to open up a used bicycle shop via the Internet. Just like that, Mr. Johnson created himself an occupation that brought in some much needed cash.

The shop wasn't open for long, as the vagrant has been charged with theft. He'll end up in the local jail, where he'll have food and lodging without having to resort to theft.

Should he find a jail cell preferable to a makeshift encampment under a bridge, he just might be back at his old job as soon as he's served his time, in an attempt to return to the comfort and security of the jail.