Gettin' POSTAL on Ya!!!

Last night, I had to go to one of the three 24-hour post offices in the city of Atlanta. There are two on the Northside, and one on the Southside.

Translation: the one on the Southside is in the 'hood.

The post office is located in Hapeville on Crown Road. Anybody from the ATL knows where the place is located. It is near the airport, just off I-75.

Well, I needed to go there to mail a book and some CDs (that I have been holding on to at least a month; sorry LadyBug Mocha!) to one of my bloggin' sistas. Like I said, I've been holding on to the package, only because I HATE going to that Crown Road post office.

The lines are usually long as hell. It's like being in the grocery store or super Wal-Mart in the middle of a Saturday around the first of the month. Everybody and there Mama is up in that place. The parking lot is usually backed up and crowded, like we trying to get up in a damn club or something. So, I procrastinate hard when I need to go. I have patience isshas, and I can't stand standing in line for long periods of time. I usually ebb my annoyance by bringing along a good book to read. This usually works out well... That 20 minutes of standing in line goes by fast enough.

Well last night, the post office was apparently short on staff. There seem to be only 2 employees, and there were about thirty to forty people in line. The line stretched out of the area back past the doors, almost to the post office box area. I've seen it that bad before, but there are usually at least 5 employees manning the counters. I was happy that I brought a book along. I would have immediately turned around and left if I hadn't.

There is a side desk, where a postal employee usually sells stamps and boxes and post office memorabilia, etc... Apparently, this employee, a black woman who looked to be in her early 50's, had gone on break. She came back to the counter and then started going through the line, talking to people and culling out the people that she could service. I had a large package that I needed to mail priority, so she said she could help me. I happen to be standing next to her desk, so I was the first in her line. I was happy about that. It meant that I could mail my package and get the heck on.

Anyway, someone in the long post office line apparently misunderstood something, and went to the front of the long line that contained 30-40 people. She stepped out of line and jumped in front of someone else. I don't know what went down that far up ahead in the line, but apparently she was told that she couldn't jump the line. The lady that was helping me couldn't help this particular chick because she was mailing something express, and that could only be done at the front counter.

(I know it is hard to understand, but stick with me here. I am going somewhere with this.)

So, the chick had to go to the back of the line. And the chick is HIGHLY pissed about it.

And she starts going off. She starts snapping HARD on the post office employee who's helping me.

*LadyLee standing at the counter glancing over shoulder wondering if the chick is gonna pull out a shank. LadyLee wondering silently to herself if she was going to have to elbow the pissed off chick in her grill.*

Now the postal employee who was helping me was very professional about the situation. She apologized to the woman, even though it wasn't her fault that the chick misunderstood something.

Yes, she sounded professional, but her tone... I don't know, sounded more to me like...

"Broad, if you keep talking, I will beat the brakes off of you!!!!"

She was professional but she sounded like gettin' postal was nothin' but a thang. We were in a freakin' post office. And I was hoping that the weapons wouldn't be pulled out.

Let's just say, the chick was getting louder and louder, and the postal employee was sounding to me like she could let her salt-and-pepper hair down, take her earrings off and scrap and scratch if need be.

The postal employee smiled at me and asked if I needed anything else. I needed some stamps. The mad chick is still behind me snapping HARD.

"I need 10 stamps," I said quickly.

"Any particular type?"

"African-American stamps," I mumbled.

"Is Ella Fitzgerald alright?" she asked as she pointed to the stamps.

I am looking at her like she is crazy. I wanted to yell, "Do you realize that this chick is about to tare up this place any second now?"

"Yes ma'am, that's fine."

I paid for my package and my stamps, and I DIPPED. The arguing escalated as I was leaving.

Hope they worked that ish out. I didn't stick around to find out. I jumped in my Zoom-zoom and peeled out of there.

Anyway, the Crown Road post office location always causes me to wax nostalgic.

Why?

Because I worked there back in 1988, when I was 18 years old. (19 years ago! It doesn't feel that long. My, how time flies!) .

I thought I would share with you some of my nostalgic memories... Let's just say the Oldgirl was a bit scandalous and dramatic back in dem days...

OH MY!!

LOL!!


To be continued...