Chapter Text
I am just a simple postman, just like the rest of the thousand postmen out there on the street. I don’t really like talking to others, so I'm glad I don’t have to do it often. Even so, I am obsessed with the expressions that people would make to the words that others would tell them. I honestly dislike face-to-face conversation because I think it's very hypocritical. People would study the look on your face and try to say whatever they think pleases you the most. They’re usually insincere and only do so in order to gain something from you. That's why I prefer the words written between the lines. Only written letters can truly express what a person is thinking. I might be wrong though, because I never received a letter for myself.
I'm aware of how lonely my life is and I really wish I had a friend. But then, why would people want to be friends with a simple postman like me, who doesn't even like communicating? Even though I wish I had friends, I don't mind being alone. At least it removes the stress of having to socialize. I still wish to receive a letter addressed to me. I've seen those joyful expressions on people's faces, and I want to know what it feels like. Maybe I would make the same expressions too. I can only dream and imagine. But for now, I will continue to live this lonely life.
I deliver many different kinds of letters addressed to all sorts of people. There are people who would send many different letters or packages meant for many different people. I always assumed those people were either very rich or very generous. Other times, I would deliver many different letters that are all addressed to the same person. Sometimes the recipient would look have a slight shine in their eyes every time I come back. Other times, they would sigh and I swear that one person threw her letter straight into the trash. I sometimes wonder what kind of life those people are living. I would sometimes have an idea of it though, because I do tend to read or take a look at the contents sometimes. I know that might make me sound like a creep, but I swear it’s usually an accident! Some people just don’t know how to package things properly.
Anyway, I do feel bad for peeking into people’s lives sometimes. I don’t really think I have the right to do so. That’s literally invading their privacy! I guess this is why I take pride in being a postman. Because now that I think about it, people likely put a lot of their trust in us. Imagine putting your secrets into a piece of paper, with the possibility of it being read by people other than the one they want to send it to. Yet here we are, their secrets sealed away in an envelope being carried by a postman, hopefully to be sent to the person they want to send it to. There isn’t much to being a postman, but I’m glad people like putting their trust in me.
Speaking of which, I remember sending letters to this policeman. Many people often like to say bad things about policemen and people with authority. I’m not saying that I disagree, I see where they’re coming from. But this policeman was very nice to me. And his dog seemed to like me as well. He understood how I didn’t like talking to other people and would often give me a little something every time I left his office. Yes, he was one of those people who received a lot of letters and packages. He seemed very jittery whenever I told him they came from the same person as last time. I think he might be keeping a lot of secrets because of that. But I digress. After all, he treats me nicely so the least I could do in return is not look into his letters or packages.
So where was I now… Oh right! So, every time I left his office, I would receive something from him. He always called them “goodbye presents”. Sometimes it would be a treat that he was eating when I came in but just couldn’t finish it. The ones he gave me were usually chocolate since his dog can’t have it. Sometimes, he would just give me a small note attached to his letters or parcels that said things like “Thank You Mr. Postman” or “Stay Safe Out There”. I really like those notes. Say what you want about it but those are the closest I could ever get to receiving an actual letter. And I’ll be sure to treasure those forever. Honestly, I was never fond of calling them “goodbye presents”. Why would he call them goodbye presents? We were always going to see each other again anyway.
As the days went on I would come over to the policeman’s office more and more often. Eventually, I felt comfortable enough to tell him my name and actually talk with him like a normal person instead of being completely silent. He probably thought at one point that I was mute or something. His dog, whose name is Wick, was always excited whenever I came over. He then told me that he got into some trouble with a bad group of people and a lot of the letters and packages I’ve been delivering to him were from them. I was concerned for his wellbeing, but at the same time I couldn’t believe that I was being told what I was hearing. I felt like he shouldn’t be telling any of it to me. I’m just a postman! Who happened to be delivering that kind of stuff to him! I told him that he really shouldn’t be telling me any of it but he told me that it was okay and that he trusted me. Of course, I felt flattered that he did but…
…
Anyway, a different postman was soon assigned to do the delivering instead of me. I didn’t mind. I still knew where his office was, and he apparently went out often, so there were still many opportunities for me to meet up with him. I usually ran into him sometimes while I was working, or would visit him on my days off. As usual, Wick was excited to see me. The way she would jump up to pounce on me will always be adorable to me. I thought: I should get a dog like her someday. I think I would make a good dog owner.
Well, I think my friend thought so as well because one day when I came to his office he told me, “Victor, you’re always so good at dealing with Wick. She seems to like you too, since I’ve never seen her get excited about anyone else other than you. Have you ever considered getting a dog?” Of course, I nodded. I’ve always liked animals but I just thought I would never be able to afford a pet. “Would you be okay with having Wick as a pet?” I couldn’t believe my ears, of course I want her as a pet. So, I guess you could say that was the day I adopted Wick as my dog. But then…
“Why would you just give Wick away like that?”
“Well,” he said, “I wasn’t originally planning to give her away. The threats from the gang have gotten worse lately and I decided that the best thing to do was to move far away from here.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes, but I thought I shouldn’t just leave without giving you a little something to thank you for. You are a good friend to me Victor, especially in these hard days of mine. Wick has been a good friend to me too, always there to keep me company, just like you. However, some of the threats the gang had sent me involved hurting her, burning her even! So I thought, maybe she won’t be safe if she continues to stay with me. Wick is an amazing dog and she deserves a good life with an owner that may never cause her harm. Also, she always seemed to be so much happier around you. So I thought, maybe, you should keep her instead. You could consider her as my last goodbye present to you.” I could never forget his smile when he said that.
I was happy to now officially be the owner of Wick and all, but I was still worried about him. “Is there any chance of you coming back one day? What if Wick misses you?” I didn’t really ask that because I thought Wick would miss him, but because I think I would. I always wanted a friend. And now that I had one, he was just about to disappear from my life like that. The expression on his face already gave me the answer to my question. I guess he knew I was upset from the look on my face because he then smiled and patted my shoulder. “Victor, everything will be alright. We’ll keep in touch and we could send letters to keep each other updated! I’ll stay safe out there, Victor. I promised both you and Wick.” Those were the last words he told me.
I went home after that, Wick happily following after me. Finally owning a pet was nice but… that happy feeling was overshadowed by the fear of the future, especially that of my dear friend. I went to check on his office the next day and sure enough, he was no longer there. My friend was no longer there.
Hmm… Letters… Come to think about it, I’ve never received a letter from him yet even though I consider him as my friend. Hell, he never even told me his name! I guess I should have asked him before he left but I don’t think that would make a difference anyway.
Months have passed. I think a whole year has passed at this point? I guess it doesn’t matter. A lot of time has passed since he left, and I have yet to receive a single letter. I like to be hopeful and think that maybe he had sent me something but never got delivered. But part of me can’t help but wonder if he’s just like everyone else around me. Telling me things that I want to hear, in order not to upset me so he could gain something from me. But then again, what would he gain from me anyway? I’m just a postman. Maybe he really did mean all those things to me, maybe I really was a friend to him. Or maybe he just needed me to get rid of Wick…. I hope not. Wick is a good dog and I could tell that he really liked having Wick around. Maybe he just wanted me to have company…
Company… Well, I might never know whether or not he also considered me as a friend, but I definitely thought he was my friend. And he definitely gave good company to someone with a very lonely life. But until I receive a letter from him and make sure that he’s okay, I guess this little postman will return to a lonely life once more, without any friends…
…
I mean, I guess I could call Wick my friend. After all, she always keeps me company and spends time together with me. She also helps me feel a little bit better whenever I have a bad day. This is what having a friend is like, right?
…
Yeah, I guess this little postman isn’t so lonely after all. He has a little furry friend to keep him company in this world. Plus, she reminds him of his other friend, so he’ll make sure to take great care of her in memory of his other friend.
Although, having a human friend would really be nice too. A dog can’t write letters after all. And this little postman would be more than glad to receive his first ever letter!
…
But for now, I guess Wick is the only friend I have.