I sit at my table, reflecting
On many things, including
The bright light of the sun
Reflecting off the inland sea
I dream of a time when I
Was young and delivered
The daily newspaper
At five in the morning
For five years. I knew my
Customers well and could
Tell when they were hurting
Or doing well. I knew when
alcohol was involved or when
couples were not getting along
many times, I was told to come
back later when I went to collect
the forty-five cents for the week.
at Christmastime, I was rewarded
with generous tips from some
and almost nothing from others
one of my non-paying customers
moved to Ada and was still up
to non-paying until I went to
using the charge cards only and
was told that the only reason he
came to me because he could
get what he wanted and pay only
when he felt he had enough money.
A few others didn’t like it but it
Saved me about three hours on
Sunday afternoons writing up bills
Which I hoped would be paid.
Soon it was a nonissue. That was
about the time the insurance companies
stepped and made-up rules we had
to follow, limiting my discretion in
how much I could dispense while
they offered three times the amount
for the same copay if the customer
would order through the mail. This
of course, affected business and many
stores closed. We made it through.
Stanski
May 22, 2023, ^
Steve Haarman 