The Mail Seekers

Today’s episode of The Mail Seekers comes to you from Tok, AK, the twice-traveled town on The Alaska Highway – thusly called because you must go through Tok both coming and going. It’s Saturday, July 24th, and the Tok post office is closed, but The Seekers were told to knock on the inner door around noon and ask for their package.

Mike and Trish pull up to the Tok post office at 11:30 AM, a little early for the pickup, so they enter the EDGE and have lunch – sliced turkey breast on wheat bread with lettuce, mayo and cranberries. The meal is enhanced by potato chips, the ridged variety. Mike finishes his sandwich and enters the post office.

Knock, knock, knock.

“What do you want!?” The door is closed, but a woman is shouting from somewhere in the bowels of the PO.

“I’m here to pick up a package.”

“What box number!?”

“No box number; it’s general delivery.”

“What’s the name!?”

“Delaney and Roberts.”

Rustling, shuffling and a loud grunt are heard from within, a pause, then “Oh!” Another grunt.

The door is opened by a shriveled diminutive woman. She has a package in her hand. She says, “It has Delta Junction written on it so I was going to send it there. I need to see some ID.”

Mike pulls out his wallet and opens it to show his driver’s license. The woman hands Mike the package and he leaves the PO thinking, good grief; if I hadn’t been there right at noon, the package would have been buried in the Delta Junction pile and probably on its way back there by this afternoon. But, I got it – and it only took 6 attempts!

And there you have it, faithful readers. The Seekers seek no more – until they have the next batch of mail forwarded from Arizona. God only knows where (the USPS sure as hell won’t} that batch will end up, what circuitous route it may take, and when, if ever, it will arrive at the correct location.

“Priority Mail, 2-3 days, anywhere in the US.

Oh, yeah.