A squad car pulls up next to the apartment building I’m approaching. I nod to the two officers and they smile back. One of them seems familiar. It’s below zero out. “Well, I suppose you don’t mind letting us in.” It is the same cop. He’s a white guy with salt and pepper hair. There … Continue reading Don’t Squeeze the Charmin
post office
Mercy
Like most people, I tend to be parsimonious with my mercy. Mostly because time is like blood to me. I only have so much. When you are a letter carrier, people try to befriend you. Often they have nowhere to go. They are prisoners of their maladies and handicaps. They pester you as if you … Continue reading Mercy
Macabre Mailboxes and a Minneapolis Murder Mystery
As a letter carrier, I get paid to walk in circles. It is not such a horrible thing to stroll through the same neighborhood every day, although the job does get dull and the weather is sometimes horrible. Like any walker, I note the banal passage of the seasons. I had forgotten this collection of … Continue reading Macabre Mailboxes and a Minneapolis Murder Mystery
Hello, Mailbox
Early on in my postal career I had this little apartment building on my route with mostly Somalis living in it. A little boy with a round mischievous face began coming out to watch me put the letters in the boxes. "Hello, mailbox!" he would say to me. This got to be his little joke. … Continue reading Hello, Mailbox
Dollar Bill
For many years, I befriended alcoholic coworkers far older than me. It was only after becoming a father that I realized that I was attempting to patch a hole in my life caused by my estrangement with my own. There was Frankie who drove to work in a Mustang convertible and sang Bob Dylan tunes … Continue reading Dollar Bill
Crow City 