A Broken Mailbox Redeems Humanity
6am several weeks ago. I’m sipping a fresh cup of coffee while walking past my front window, and notice an SUV half in my driveway. The driver was delivering newspapers, and backing up and moving forward incrementally.
I live at the very end of a dead-end / cul de sac, so the curb of the street near my driveway is curved. This not only makes it hard for people to park properly on the street, but it also can be fatal for mailboxes. My old one had been knocked silly by someone backing into it a couple of years ago. My wife convinced me that buying a solid, cast iron, expensive new box and pole would address the problem. I wasn’t so thrilled about the expensive part but I went along with it anyway.
The SUV is right in front of the mailbox. I think to myself, “Please don’t back up…” CRUNCH!!.
The SUV knocks the mailbox off the pole. I grab some clothes and run outside shouting at the driver, who is either oblivious to what happened or trying to get away in a hurry. She claims ignorance and I ask her what she plans on doing about my mailbox, which seems to be in good shape, aside from the piece of metal connecting the box to the pole being broken.
We exchange phone numbers and she agrees to pay for the damages, which turn out to be about $90.
I didn’t expect her to pay, partially due to my overall cynicism about these things. If she wasn’t the regular paper delivery person, maybe she would have had no motivation to do so. But a week later, my mailbox is fixed and I find a $90 check in my front door.
Two nice things to conclude from the experience. People can be honest and responsible, and cast iron mailboxes are pretty darn solid.