The Letter. Part Two.

Having wrote my friend yesterday, I planned to post it today, first class registered post. I post everything registered post because it is 100% tracked from start to finish. That means, it is guaranteed to arrive.

I work near my home. The post office that was near work was a thriving post office shop. The only competition was the corner shop opposite. I only went to the corner shop when the post office shop didn’t have what I wanted in stock. Sadley the post master’s son was attacked while he was at work in the post office, and the post office was robbed. The lovely post master, was devastated, at the attack, and he decided after he and his lovely wife and worked SO hard in the small community to shut up shop; and do something different. The post office was going to close-down anyway, and we were all shocked and sadden to hear, but this was the final straw. It was sad to see them go. They were loved and known in the whole community. The lovely post office building was soon knocked down and flats were quickly built there instead. The post office box was still there.

The greedy shop opposite, got even more greedier, now there was no competition at all! They put everything up. In covid they went ‘nut’ with their prices. Even the stamp of the queen, they added their own prices on to what was already an expensive stamp! I said to him, when my Manager sent me to get stamps, “Does the Queen know you are charging these extra prices for her stamps?” He replied, “No,” I told him, “I’m going to tell her!” His four pints of milk went up every month, until it was ridiculous! I encouraged my work colleagues, not to shop there, and slowly they stopped, going, and went to Morrisons, Tesco or Aldi instead.

As I wanted to send my friends letter, registered post, so it would be signed for on arrival, I had to go to a post office, a simple stamp would not do. I thought of walking to town, but time had slipped away with me, with my semi chilled morning, before I was due to start work. It would be a waste of petrol to drive to the town, just to post the card, I couldn’t justify that.

I decided instead to look on my maps on my phone to find the nearest post office to my home. What came up was the post box near to me. I was tempted to use the greedy corner shop next to work, where they charge extortionate prices for their stamps, but I just couldn’t. it would grieve me, plus because they are not a post office, there wouldn’t be the orange sticker that shows the registered post and track system, that I wanted.

I remembered years ago, there was a post office about six minutes from my home in the car, that would still be nearer, than going into the Town and parking at the supermarket then queuing up in the main post office. Going to this post office, there would be no queue.

It was rush hour, and when I was on the main road where I knew the post office was, before I could get there, there were temporary traffic lights, so this meant, only one lane of traffic could drive at a time. Time was going…..

I saw the post office shop, but there wasn’t anywhere to park outside, as cars were already parked there. I parked on a single yellow line, I don’t like to do this, but I had to try and risk it for just two minutes, while I went into the post office.

I asked the busy shop owner, “Is this a post office?” He replied, “No,” I then said, “This was a post office shop before.” His customer said, “Yes it was, but it isn’t now.” I said to her, “Thank you,” And then to the shop owner, “Do you know where the nearest one is now?” His face showed, he couldn’t have cared less, and his customer said, “Yes, go up the road, and it will be on your right, about five minutes’ drive.” Again, I said, to her, “Thank you.”

I hurried out the shop, and got in my car, planning on driving in the opposite direction to work, but when I saw the long line of traffic that had built up, I knew I would have to join it, now or much later, far up the line. So, when it was safe to do so, I did a three-point turn and joined the long queue of traffic.

Her letter was not going to be posted today! I got to work, with ten minutes to spare.

Tomorrow I am working 9 till 5 so I don’t know if I will get the opportunity to post it then. I plan to start work 10am on Saturday, so maybe I could post it before I go to work, that would be a long shot really, with things I have to do, before I go to work.

So, it is looking like it will be posted on Monday!