Diary of a 21st Century Nobody - Manners please!

I am not naive. I know that there are very rude people in the world. It is just that I don't usually find them on my doorstep mumbling about my address!!

My dog had alerted me to this individual's presence by barking wildly (as he generally does when vehicles park outside our home), but since I was not expecting any visitors I assumed my neighbours were to be the recipient of whatever this visitor had. The driver got out of the van, opened the back door of the vehicle and began to move boxes around. I just continued with my work. However, after the dog had continued his barking frenzy for a further 2 minutes, I went to the window to quieten him and saw the same driver struggling, under the weight of a huge box, down my driveway.

Very puzzling! Has hubby been purchasing goods without telling me? Have I won something wonderful? Mm, unlikely on both counts.

Meanwhile, the driver must have left the parcel outside my door as he was now making his way back up the path empty-handed. He rummaged in the van again, re-appearing with another parcel which seemed to be not much lighter than the first one! There was a loud knock at the door....

I would love to tell you what this deliveryman said to me in greeting as I opened the door, but I honestly do not know! He mumbled quite curtly at me, and when I replied by smiling and saying "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that" - he simply thrust some electronic gadget at me followed swiftly by a plastic pen-like item. I think he may have said something as he did this, but once again I cannot tell you what, if anything other than a grunt, it was!

A nice, warm feeling spread over me, and I put on my sweetest of smiles.

"I'm afraid not. I'm not 'Weston'" I said.

"It's Drovers Lane isnt it?" he snarled, in a manner that sounded like a challenge.

"Actually, " I said sweetly, "this is not Drovers Lane....and that is why I am not Mrs Weston. This is Drovers Chase. Do you know where Drovers Lane is?"

His angry stare went from me ,to the 2 large parcels on the doorstep, back to me again, and then to van parked parked at the top of the drive....

"I've just lugged these down here!" he protested (as if I had asked him to).

"So it would seem. And yet, I cannot take them!" was my reply.

What I can tell you is that by this stage I was getting a little - just a little - ticked off with him! He had come to my house, knocked on my door to gain access, and was now being patently rude to me. I would not take from him the proffered articles, but looked him in the eye from my elevated position on the front doorstep and asked "Are you sure this is for me? I am not expecting..." He cut straight through my sentence in a surly tone saying "Weston.It's for Weston."

Now the battle lines were drawn! He wasn't even going to allow me to complete a sentence!

"Perhaps so," I began, "but..."

"Weston, on Drovers Lane".

He had interrupted me again!!

"Yes!" I replied sternly, "So it is."

He thrust the gadget and pseudo pen at me once more - "Sign here" he instructed me.

There was another mumbled comment which I failed to hear, and he shoved the gadget into his pocket, and took one more look at me "Got to do the job twice now" he said.

"Yes", I answered, "so here's a tip - smile at people and be polite, and if I were you I would check the address and knock on the door BEFORE I got the boxes out!" and I, very gently, closed the door on him and his bad manners and his parcels (or rather 'Weston's' parcels!!)

I let the dog bark at him until he had packed up the parcels again and gone!

It made my day, really.....