The Newspaperman
Each morning we need a cup of tea and the daily newspaper. The newspaperman delivers newspapers to us and many other houses in the neighborhood. I hear his motorcycle every morning when he comes to deliver the daily paper. He comes promptly at 6.30 a.m. every morning, rain or shine unless something extraordinary prevents him from doing so. He greets all the people during their morning walk. He is always very pleasant and has a smiling face.
Each morning he rides his bicycle distributing newspapers. He is so regular and prompt that I do not need any alarm clock to wake up. The newspapers are neatly stacked on his bicycle carrier. At six-thirty, the neighbors’ dogs start barking as he arrives and I know it is almost time to get up for school.
As the newspaper gets dropped within our gate all those in the family try to have a glance at it as per their interest Though he comes every day, I do not get to see him. I only pick up and read the newspaper he had left at the door. I only see him once a month when he comes to collect the bill.
Promptly on the first of each month, at six-thirty in the evening, he shows up with his bills. This time he rings the doorbell and I usually have to go and pay him. My mother will have got the money ready one day earlier and instructed me to pay him. It appears that his regular, almost regimental, rounds of newspaper delivery has made him behave like a robot. Even if it is raining heavily, we never miss seeing Joe doing his daily job. He is very efficient, very prompt and does not smile. That is certainly very robot-like.
Nevertheless, I appreciate his reliable service. For one thing, I am never without the daily paper. Some of my friends complain that their newspapermen are very unreliable. Thanks to him we get the daily news right at our doorstep each day. Not so with mine, he is the best.
