Hindsight Makes Val Paranoid

Monday, I was headed to the bank to get money to reimburse Hick for his cash outlays on the Beauty Shop part of our Double Hovel flip house. I also had the Menards bill ready to mail, which I planned to do at the main post office over in Sis-Town, which is where the bank is. The I figured that I could save myself that loop and just put it in the drive-thru mailbox in Backroads, since I would be passing by it on the way.

As I approached the drive-thru mailbox, I saw a white SUV parked on the non-mailing side of it. That's where the postal people scoop out the contents into a white plastic box at 11:00 a.m. But this was 2:00 p.m. So I didn't know if they might be running late, or what the situation was. The woman standing by the mailbox was wearing brown clothing. That's unusual. Postal uniforms are blue.

Still, I pulled up to put my envelope in the snout of that mailbox. The Pony says that it is officially called a "snorkel," not a snout. For a moment, I considered asking that lady if it was okay to drop it in there. Then again, when I read that USPS section on Reddit, postal workers are always complaining about customers bothering them when they're trying to do their job. So I held my tongue. She did not look up or acknowledge me, so I figured she was sending a subtle signal not to bother her.

I put my bill in the snout, and drove away. Immediately, I regretted my actions! Why didn't I just keep that bill, and continue to Sis-Town and mail it at the main post office? What if this lady was some imposter, trying to break into the mailbox??? As I made a U-turn (everybody does!) after mailing, I saw that she had a piece of paper in her hand, flapping in the wind. Like she was trying to tape it to the mailbox.

WHY would that happen? She was on the other side of the mailbox. Not the side people see when they drive up to mail something. Who would read such a sign taped to the other side? Surely she wasn't some random resident trying to post a lost dog sign. And why was she wearing brown? She wasn't driving a UPS truck. And most women don't run around town in matching brown pants and shirt, like the fabric for Dickies brand clothing.

Now I have to ask The Pony if he knows what was going on. That's his route, along the Backroads post office, though it's not his job to collect the mail from that box. 

I really wish I had my Menards bill back.