Only in Movies?

Sometimes I think that little ridiculous things only happen in movies, until they happen to me.

For example, I was waiting on a package from an online purchase and USPS attempted to deliver it on Monday. The slip they left me gave me the option to sign it and indicate where to leave it, to wait, or to go pick it up at the post office which closes at 5pm (big help). Reluctantly I signed the slip and wrote "back door" and hoped for the best. I came home yesterday from work and the slip was gone, but there was no package. Hmmm. Why would he take the slip and not leave the package? I asked my neighbors if they had seen it, but they said "no."

I said, "Maybe he didn't leave it because it was raining." But Mike assured me that he's received packages before in a bag when it's raining, so that didn't exactly boost my confidence. So I went back into my apartment and played the what if/where is it game with Andrew on the phone. (Poor guy, it was his suggestion to sign the slip rather than go pick it up, so I made sure to let him know that I may or may not be blaming him on the inside for this situation.) Well, at this point there was nothing I could do since the post office was closed, I didn't have a slip, I didn't have a tracking number, and trying to guess was creating more tension.

Well today I came home early from work (yay for half days before holidays!) and came through the front door--we have a mail slot in our front door--but there was no mail. Hoping that the mail hadn't come yet, but lacking confidence that this was true, I went to check the back door just in case. And feeling the emotions of a toddler on Christmas morning seeing their presents for the first time, I saw a cute little box on the back step. "That's sure a funny sized box for what I ordered," I thought, but picked it up nonetheless. "Tim Douethesy...Who is that? What? Wrong address. Wrong sender." UPS had left the package for my neighbor at my door!! What are the odds, this has NEVER happened before and they gets lots of packages at the apartment next door. I wish I could have watched the whole situation unfold. My expressions went from surprised, to hopeful, to crushed all in an instance. (A bit dramatic, huh? It's just a package.)

I walked next door, placed the package on their door step and went back inside. Confident that the mailman hadn't come yet, I opened my blinds so that I could see when he walked up the street and continued on with my afternoon. Again, like a child, when I saw him walk up the street I jumped up so I could talk to him and find out what happened with my package. Not wanting to seem as pathetic as I was, I waited for him to leave the package. I had left a note for him on the front door telling him I was home to accept it, but he went straight for the back door. Thinking that I had given him enough time to get to the front door, I went down to open it, right at the second he was knocking and almost gave him a heart attack--poor old guy. What a lame-o--I looked like I was waiting in the foyer for him all afternoon! Well he did have my package, he explained the route a parcel has to take between the carrier and post office for re-attempting delivery, and went on his merry way. But not before my rude neighbor (recent conclusion, I hadn't met her before today) walked up to us and asked "Can I help you with something?" after she saw us talking and pointing to the back doors as I was explaining where UPS and FedEx leave packages. Was that rude to mention the competition to him? It's no secret that they deliver too. Anyway, this girl wasn't very nice. And that was that.

So, the moral of the story: Always trust USPS.