The Scooter and The Bet

This story begins at the end of another - Melissa and I had just finished an afternoon of exploring the city of Marseille by foot. Hot and tired but in good spirits, we decided the perfect end to the day would be a relaxing chat sitting on the rocks at the main Marseille waterfront. We arrived, and found some nice big boulders to sit on. But before we sat down, something caught our eye just to the left of us in the water. Lurking there on the rocks in the shallow water was a motor scooter! We were intrigued and so we moved closer. 

We observed it for a long time, thinking up all the possible reasons for it to be there (murder? scorned woman?). We watched as tiny black bubbles of oil and petrol leaked out and dispersed along the surface of the water. The bubbles were becoming more frequent and we saw the oil slick spread. Not really sure of what to do or who to call, Melissa called the police to let them know. They thanked her and noted all her details but did not indicate if they were sending anyone or not. 

After a while I started plotting how I could possibly pull the scooter out by myself. Melissa begged me not to try, but I was determined. She said she was scared I would fall in the water and she did not want to jump in after me. So we made a bet. I bet her 1 Euro that I could move the scooter without falling in the water. She reluctantly agreed and I took off my shoes and my watch and climbed down the rocks into the sea. 

I stood there in the water for a while forming a strategy, then started to pull at the tire. 

It took time because it would get caught on different rocks, but I kept persisting and soon enough I had managed to get it standing up in the water with the handlebars above the water surface. Melissa was in disbelief! She was so shocked she couldn't even take pictures!

I pulled and pulled and heaved until I brought the scooter to the edge of the rocks. But what could I do now? I could not lift the scooter out over the rocks to the shore, I would have to leave it propped up at the water's edge. Meanwhile, the sea patrol cruised past on their inflatable boat, they saw me trying to pull the scooter out of the water but they offered no help, they just said 'bonjour' as they continued past us! (Perhaps it is an ordinary thing to see someone retrieving a scooter from the sea?) 

But, then just at that moment Melissa's phone rang, it was the police! They had arrived! Three smartly uniformed officers stood above us on the sidewalk. It was absolutely perfect timing. They immediately came down to the rocks and together we lifted the scooter out of the water.

The officers thanked me because I had done all the work in the water which meant they didn't have to get their uniforms wet. They said that the scooter had probably been stolen, although it hadn't been reported as stolen yet. They assessed the scooter and were quite puzzled as to what to do with it, but eventually they said 'au revoir' and walked off with it. I put my shoes and watch back on and we made our merry way home, laughing all the way. Later that evening, Melissa gave me the 1 Euro that I had won. The lengths one goes to in order to win a bet! :-)