Gone with the Wind

Map of Trafalgar Road and Church Street in Oakville.

My Week-1 delivery route took me through Mississauga to Oakville today. Compared to my Week-2 route, it's much shorter. That one takes me into Burlington, Hamilton and Ancaster. A longer day to be sure.

I started my day as usual, arriving at work shortly after 10:00. It was nice out. At almost 14C the temperature was usually warm for the beginning of March. It was windy though. Quite windy.

Being the lighter week, I wasn't so rushed. I had one extra delivery in Brampton at Dr. Tejpal's office. I go there once every four weeks instead of two. After him it's Mavis Bristol Dental.

By late afternoon I was finishing up in Oakville. Having completed a sizeable delivery at Big Hit Kickboxing I made my way to Dr. Kaloti's. Their office is a repurposed house on the northeast corner of Trafalgar Road and Church Street.

After dropping off the towels I went back to my vehicle which I parked in the driveway beside the house. Sitting on the pavement by the driver's side door I noticed an envelope. It was addressed to 128 Trafalgar Road.

I knew we were on Trafalgar Road, but I didn't know exactly where 128 was. I decided I'd go back into the office to see if the receptionist knew. While walking back I saw the building across the street had a sign indicating 126 Trafalgar Road. Another nearby sign read 132.

The receptionist didn't seem to know where 128 was. She said she'd take the letter and toss it back into the mailbox. So I left it with her and walked back out. That's when I noticed another sign on the building across the street that read 128 - Institute for Hormonal Health. That was it. I went back in and grabbed the letter and told the receptionist it belonged to the building across the street.

While waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street I noticed a lady with a lot of mail go into 128. When the light changed I walked over and went in and told her I found the letter across the street. She thanked me for returning it and I left.

As I was waiting to cross the street I noticed another letter on the street. I ran over to pick it up and saw another one... and another one. These ones were scattered on the road and sidewalk at the intersection of Church and Trafalgar. I gathered them up and ran back to the office and gave them to the lady.

After all that excitement I went back to my van and started towards my final destination. I barely got out onto Church Street when I noticed another envelope on the road. I put my hazards on and stopped and hopped out and scooped it up. Of course it was addressed to 128 Trafalgar.

Not far from that one was another. I think it was on the road. I ran and grabbed it. Then on the walk back to the van I saw another one on the sidewalk. I believe this one was number seven.

I hopped back into my van and drove around the block back towards 128. On the way back up Trafalgar I saw another envelope on the sidewalk. I stopped my van again and put the hazards on and ran across the street. An elderly lady was approaching the letter. She got there just before me and bent over and picked it up.

Before she turned it over to look at it I said something like, "It's addressed to 128 Trafalgar Road". She turned it over to see it was. I told her a lot of their mail was scattered around the area and I was picking it up and bringing it back to them, so she gave it to me and continued on.

I saw one more letter on the sidewalk and grabbed it and drove a few metres back across Church Street and parked with my hazards and went back in the office. Again.

That was it... nine pieces of mail scattered all around the neighbourhood. The wind did quite a job. Letters were all over the place. There were all sorts. Some were bills, the others I don't quite remember. A few of them had tire tracks across them from being run over by cars. Hopefully I found most of them, but who knows.