Bob the Mailman

Bob has delivered the mail in our neighborhood in Midtown Key West for twenty years. He knows everybody and everybody knows him. The distinctive rumbly sound of his mail truck is part of our daily routine. When we met for the first time, just after we closed on our house, Bob told us that when he goes on vacation we will get other people's mail, and sure enough, he was right. After four years in KW, if we find mail for someone else in the mailbox, we say 'Uh oh! Bob must be on vacation.' He is quick to give you his personal cell phone number and during our brief daily chats I have listened to him field calls from people who clearly rely on Bob to check on things at their homes as well as deliver the mail. He takes special care of the older folks on his route. And kids just love him. But my favorite thing about Bob the Mailman is that he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. He's got a dry, sarcastic wit and perfect punchline delivery that could earn him a spot on the comedy circuit when he retires from the USPS. It started with our first meeting, when he leaned out of the mail truck as he drove away and shouted 'Don't forget! It's Bob! And spell it backwards, whaddya get? Bob!' When he brings my packages to the door he always says something like 'And what did princess order online this time?' If he arrives at the house on an evening that my husband and I are sitting outside on the lanai, having a drink and chatting about the day, we usually get 'No, no, don't get up. Can I get you anything?' But my favorite is when we pass his mail truck on our bikes, kid free and heading out for a nice dinner. 'Oh no, don't worry about Bob!! You two go ahead.....seriously, don't worry about me!' It always cracks us up, somehow making the event of having a sitter and getting a night out even better.