On the beaten path

I’m not a smoker. In fact, I’m one of those non-smokers who can’t stand to be in the general proximity to someone with smoke on their person, let alone coming from their mouths.

When restaurants still allowed smoking, I was one of those customers who refused to sit in the non-smoking section anywhere near the smoking section. Imagine, being seated based solely on geography, like the smoking table next to you was in a different time zone.

So, imagine my state of mind when a cigarette-smoke-infused package entered my home. I didn’t leave the negative feedback because the item laundered clean-smelling and fresh, but I nearly did.

I began to notice other items arriving on the doorstep that smelled of smoke – some from Ebay, some from other sources.

It wasn’t until some time later that I had an answer to the puzzle. I was sitting at the red light on Broad at its intersection with Cornelia Street when I glanced next to me and saw a U.S. Postal truck idling at the light. Sitting amongst the packages and letters was a postal carrier, puffing away on a cigarette.

I was appalled. Here was a government employee polluting the air in a government vehicle and infusing the poison that is second-hand smoke into the U.S. mail.

That image stayed with me for months and popped up again the other day when I saw two appliance delivery trucks pass me by on Broad Street. Both trucks had people in the cabs who were smoking. Now, unlike the postal worker who was surrounded by letters and packages, an appliance delivery truck has its goods in the back. However, a delivery person enters people’s homes. And you’d better believe I don’t want a delivery from someone reeking of cigarette smoke.

As both trucks drove through the intersection, drivers and passengers enjoying their smokes, I couldn’t help but wonder: the next time I have something delivered, do I have to request a non-smoking employee?