Two Episodes Involving a Mailbox

A few hours ago, I decided to share another story from my Tistory blog. This time, however, I'll also cover something that happened recently. Although the second incident isn't directly related to the mailbox, it was caused by the mailbox number, so I'm including it anyway. By the way, in the US, it's against the law for anyone other than postal service carriers—like Amazon or UPS drivers—or anyone from another household to touch a mailbox. So, for example, if a neighbor's mail or package is mistakenly delivered to your house, the best approach is to inform the owner that it was "wrongly delivered" and hand it to them directly.

So, let me tell you about these two incidents.

Mailbox Replacement After 8 Months

Late one night, a year and a half ago, someone rang our doorbell. It turned out to be our neighbor who had accidentally rammed our mailbox, denting it and making the door unclosable. He offered to compensate us. Instead of ignoring it, I thought, "What a considerate neighbor!" and, because I was lazy, I left it as is for over six months. Two seasons changed before I finally did anything about it. I felt so bad for the postal carrier who delivers our mail every day.

(And, surprisingly, we never received a warning from the subdivision management office.)

The problem was that for months, there was no car parked at the neighbor's house. We wondered if they had moved. My sister, with a serious expression, said, "Why didn't you fix it right away? You're responsible for resolving this." This stressed me out. So, I thought, 'Let's wait a little longer. Maybe they went on a trip...' But...

My guess was right. The car reappeared one day, and I was finally able to talk to the man who had rung the doorbell that night. He explained that he had been traveling back home for two months. When I cautiously brought up the mailbox issue, he said, "I remember. Of course, I'll compensate you." So, I contacted the mailbox company, got a quote, showed it to him, and a few days later, I finally received the repair money in cash. The issue was resolved smoothly.

Of course, the prepaid mailbox replacement went well, and I sincerely thanked the repairman for his hard work under the scorching sun.

A Mishap Involving the Same Mailbox Number

Addresses in the US always start with a number, and I don't know what to call it, so I'll just call it a mailbox number for convenience. Luckily(?), there are two other houses in our subdivision with the same mailbox number as ours—within my knowledge, anyway. Both are within a 5-minute walk. One is uphill from our house, and the other is downhill.

A few weeks ago, my sister showed me photos proving that two of her packages had been delivered to the wrong house. It was her workday, and she planned to leave early to check. I strongly advised her against it because I knew exactly where those houses were. I had a strong feeling it was the house uphill. (Our packages had been delivered there a few times before). Plus, the house was built by a completely different company and looked much newer.

And...my guess was right again.

The photo matched the house uphill perfectly, and there, neatly placed in the corner, were my sister's two packages, addressed to her. I considered telling the homeowner and getting them, but since they were ours, and even with security cameras, they'd see me identify and take them anyway, so I carefully took the two heavy packages and carried them home, huffing and puffing.

My sister and mother rejoiced and expressed their immense gratitude. I think I'm a sister-obsessed person. I'm almost ready to risk my life for her. Even then, I was so worried and anxious that I even posted about it in the community and walked there and back. That day, I felt incredibly proud and accomplished.

I'm writing this happily, but I just went out to check the mail, and there's junk in the mailbox and around it... It looks like someone's playing a prank with malicious intent, and my mood has soured a bit.