<p>I don’t know what my mailman’s name is.</p>
<p>But I feel sorry for her. I used to be able to get the mail when I came home from school, at 3:30 or 4:00. Now there are budget cuts and layoffs. She has a longer route and more houses, and cannot get to my house until 4:30-5:00. However, all she’s done so far is bring me good news (MIT rejection, only one so far, was online)</p>
<p>His name is Ken, he has long wavy blond hair, and a large unkempt beard. Rumor has it, that his wife hung herself three days before the new millennium. Ken’s quiet, doesn’t like to make eye contact, and lives in the same neighborhood as his mail route. In case your wondering, yes, he delivers to his own house. Another thing you should know about Ken, is that he is always on time. Come rain, hail, or snow, Ken will have the mail in my mailbox at 1pm. </p>
<p>When I was younger, my dog (bless her heart), Kirby, broke out of the back yard and viciously attacked Ken. This was the only time I have ever seen Ken get angry (he put the mail in the mailbox and stormed off cussing at his bloody pinky finger.) To be honest, that was the only time I have ever seen Ken show any emotion at all. Nowadays, a “hey how you doing Ken?” evokes a simple, poker-faced “good” every time. Even when his wife hung herself in their garage, Ken was back at work the following day, detached, unaffected, impassive. My dog was euthanized for the attack, which left Ken unable use his left pinky finger ever again. Ken didn’t file a lawsuit though, or even call the authorities, it was my dad who had Kirby put down. “There’s too many young children in this neighborhood to keep a dog like that here. She’s just too big of a liability” he said. I cried for a month straight. </p>
<p>The years went by, I got older, more mature, applied for colleges, but Ken stayed the same. Unchanged. Lonely…Empty.</p>
<p>That was, until yesterday, when Ken walked up to me with an ear to ear grin. That sight alone was enough for me to forgot the reason why I was sitting in a lawn chair waiting impatiently by the mailbox. Then I realized what he was holding. In the same hand that my faithful German Shepherd Kirby had once mauled, was a letter marked with a distinctive U-S-C. </p>
<p>Ken handed me the letter, still gleaming with a purpose.</p>
<p>“You know Joe, I’m a USC alum, I had no idea you were applying.”</p>
<p>“I had no idea you talked…Or knew my name for that matter.”</p>
<p>Ken laughed, for the first time in history.</p>
<p>“Well, you gotta open it now, since we’re officially acquainted and all.”</p>
<p>I was sweating, nervous, and quite frankly a little freaked out. Had the creepy mailman come to humiliate me? I mean, after all, I had already been rejected from two other colleges, and USC was really just a long shot anyways. Then it dawned on me. The contents of this letter had been altered by Ken, and what ever was inside now was surely going to explode when I opened it.</p>
<p>“Nice try” I said, handing Ken back the letter.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>I had no other choice, I took a few steps back, and shielded myself behind the mailbox.</p>
<p>“You open it.”</p>
<p>Suddenly, Ken’s smile deteriorated, he looked uneasy.</p>
<p>I thought to myself, “ah hah! Let the fireworks begin.”</p>
<p>“You really want me to?” Ken said.</p>
<p>I simply nodded, and then turned the lawn chair upside down, creating an additional barrier as a precaution to any shrapnel which might make it by the mailbox. </p>
<p>Ken took a deep breathe, looked at the sky, and whispered something (presumably to his wife.)</p>
<p>“Okey dokey”</p>
<p>I plugged my ears.</p>
<p>Ken opened the envelope (without taring it at all), and he took out the letter. His eyes slowly glazed over the text. He smiled.</p>
<p>At first, I was in shock that Ken was still in one piece. I was puzzled, I was alive, I was…</p>
<p>“You got in”</p>
<p>I was in.</p>
<p>jcarroll6,</p>
<p>Very good! Loved it!</p>
<p>Did any of you apply by the early deadline or did you apply RD?</p>
<p>jcarrol that was epicccc</p>
<p>great story jcarrol!</p>
<p>not that great of a story.
awesome writing to make it sound great.</p>
<p>hahah this thread is just for fun and keep people’s minds off the stress, no need to critique…</p>
<p>i sure hope y’all are going to be creative writers or something because both of those are hilarious…</p>
<p>My mailman Ben came two hours ago. He faithfully drove up my road in his little white jeep. I could tell we got mail because he stopped directly out front of my house, although I couldn’t see what he put inside. I’ve decided that we have way too many trees in our front yard. I could see him stare at my house for what seemed like a full minute, then he drove away. I didn’t go out to meet him today. I am tired of him telling me he has nothing for me. </p>
<p>I have now looked at the back side of my mailbox about 45 times. I don’t want to go out there and see nothing in it. I am curled up on my sofa and every time I try to put my feet to the floor, I stop…pull them back, and then check my status like a pathetic goober. Geez…what a geek.</p>
<p>I really hope they don’t log how many times we check our status per day (per hour)…how embarrassing would that be?</p>
<p>go check!! hahah i bet this will be the night you get it JUST because you aren’t going out :p</p>
<p>@tornados: EXACTLY how i feel/what i do… sigh</p>
<p>come onnn guyss you cant give up now! ive gotta say tho… i dont blame you. every day its getting more and more disappointing seeing a tiny mail stack when i get home from school. but this next week or two are the MOST likely times you’ll get it, if you think about it… i say give it another chance haha</p>
<p>omg this is hilarious 
<3 <3 <3</p>
<p>It’s 10pm and dark outside. I waited all night long for someone from my family to get the mail, but no one did. Each one of them said, “Anything come today?” Ok…don’t they get that I would have painted the inside of the kitchen cardinal and gold if I was truly accepted. </p>
<p>Hang on…I am going outside to the mailbox. Be right back.</p>
<p>NOTHING…deep sigh…</p>
<p>@tornados</p>
<p>10pm…how i would love it if it was 10 right now haha</p>
<p>dbroncos…where are you? I assumed Colorado somewhere. What time is it?</p>
<p>no im actually east cost…its almost 2 am</p>
<p>Ooooo, I see what you mean. I saw the dbroncos and just assumed lol. Well, look at it this way, you are three hours closer to your mail time than I am and it should be a “wave” day! lol</p>
<p>i thought the wave originates from SoCal, So won’t it take like monday or tuesday to reach the east coast?</p>