WE ATTEMPTED...

I didn't feel like answering the phone.
Lately, the still cherished and celebrated caller ID has given way to being able to actually hear who's calling. Somehow the old fashioned land line seems to trump the cordless phone when it comes to clarity. The caller ID-less landline is reminiscent of a time when you just answered the phone because it rang. There was no debating, screening, or scrutinizing. You just answered and the sound of the callers voice ID'd them---or not.

When my phone stopped ringing, it suddenly occurred to me that I was still waiting for another delivery--the last one. Maybe I SHOULD have answered the phone! (How many times do we complain that we were at home all day and don't know HOW we missed the UPS or FedEx driver?) It's sad when you have to find time go out of your way to retrieve something that someone was attempting to place into your hands at your own doorstep.
I ran to the windows facing the front of my building. I didn't see UPS, FedEx or USPS trucks so I assumed the call I missed was a telemarketer. I also assumed that if the caller had been someone I knew, my cell phone would have rung shortly thereafter. I went back to what I was doing, then heard a bit of a commotion in the stairwell. Then the knock came. It WAS UPS! The last of the gifts had arrived in time for Christmas--just like Amazon.com promised! I would have been so disappointed if I had missed the delivery. Further disappointment in my decision to let the phone ring would have come courtesy of the door tag that had already been prepared. The truth of the door tag would have smacked me in the face because the driver DID make an attempt.
"Good afternoon. Your call box isn't working, Ma'am." I didn't bother to tell him that it was. Perhaps I should have. I signed for the package, said an enthusiastic "Merry Christmas", and closed the door. I looked out of the window again. Where had he come from lugging all of those packages? He had my large box and 2 more destined for other last minute shoppers. There were few cars parked on the street, but none making it impossible for the van to have space right in front of the gate. Where was it? I watched as the deliveryman exited the gate and headed down the street. I went to another window to see where he was going. He went to the corner and crossed the street. There was the truck, running, with a driver waiting inside.
Looks like they're traveling in two's during this holiday season. "Smart move, not leaving the truck unattended", I thought. I wondered if that's just an east-of-the-river DC practice, or a general rule anywhere in the city as Christmas day approaches? Either way, I do so appreciate the effort to get the package to me in spite of my failure to answer the phone. Frankly, UPS has been on the ball, lately.

I also appreciate the convenience of shopping via the internet. Crowded malls during this time of year don't appeal to me at all, and anything I've forgotten--tape, wrapping paper, batteries, etc. can be easily scooped up at the neighborhood Rite-Aid...: )
Now I can get to wrapping...: )