Paper Girls

     I get the newspaper delivered to my house every day. I guess that's part of being a reader. I was happiest on the big trip when the hotel had a free newspaper for me to read in the morning. Anyway, it really bothers me when I get the little tip envelope included with my paper. I wish I had a paperboy, you know a kid on a bike, to tip. Not some adult in a crappy car throwing the paper out the window and sometimes under my car in the morning. I feel the kid worked harder getting those papers out. He would be just a kid with a first job, of course you'd want to tip him. You'd also know him as he'd come to your door to get paid. I have no idea who delivers my paper. Payments for it automatically come out of my account every month and go straight to Newsday. You decided to deliver newspapers for your adult job why should I tip you? When I had a job noone tipped me.
     I don't know when paperboys became obsolete. I can guess when the papers warred with each other on which could be delivered earlier. Although I think they are supposed to be here by 6am, which isn't all that early. Maybe it used to be 7. I really don't know for sure. Maybe the world is just too dangerous and not enough mothers would let their kids out that early to be paperboys anymore? Would I have let my boys do it? I'd like to think so. Although, I may not have wanted to get up and go pick up the papers in the morning for them to deliver. I think that's how it works.
     When we were kids my girlfriends' brother was a paperboy. He was really sick for a few days over the summer once and my girlfriend and I filled in for him to deliver the papers. I remember her mom didn't want her doing it by herself. I guess because she was a few years younger than her brother, and also a girl. My mom let me do it with her. It was so much fun for us. We were some of the only people up and out that early in the morning. It was so quiet and peaceful all you heard were the birds. We were lucky the days we wroked were beautiful ones. And not too hot because it was so early. The route wasn't very far away, maybe 5 blocks or so. But it was somewhere we didn't usually go. It wasn't easy throwing those papers from a bike but we managed.
     Being maybe 12 at the time it was a great adventure. I found a small pink flower dish on the street one of those days. It was dirty but pretty. I still use it as a jewelry dish on my dresser in my bedroom. I'm not even sure my girlfriend knows that I still have it. I think it's a shame that boys (and girls) don't get to have some of these early on learning experiences that we did. I think we are better people for it!