Page 8 (1/1)

Chapter One - Aiden

“Aiden, do you have a big package for me?” my customers leered at me when they said it It was a friendly leer, but still a leer

Every time I heard that line — a few tiinal and hilarious “Oh, that’s very clever, Mrs Dankworth!”

I wasn’t allowed to show any displeasure I especially wasn’t allowed to point out that e could be delivered only to one woman — not just any randoe to be tossed on the cock truck I wanted love I could live without the coe inspection that was offered to me several times every workday

I’d spent four years in college and another four years in graduate school During those eight years,but dusty books and cranky old professors Driving a UPS truck was a radical departure fro to be a time to socialize Maybe it could even be a time to meet someone special, someone to love, someone to love me back, someone hom I could even start a family

But it never happened that way It was just the “package” pickup lines that I got every day, soestive stares at my crotch It was usually women who made those coe They told me so My masculine demeanor led them to assume I was a player available for anyone They told me so too Even in New York City, everybody assus What could possibly be sexier than a ht brown unifor shorts?

Usually, e, asked to see est side were just joking Some did really try to put the moves on me and invitea UPS truck and standing in people’s front doors having their eyes roa

Maybe if a polite, shy, well-spoken, sweet girl had extended the offer of love to e inspection, maybe I would’ve run into her arirls would never put the moves on their UPS drivers It was an evil paradox The woirls ouldn’t hit on a random UPS driver And the women ere always “just fresh fro only a small tohen they opened the door for me were always the kinds of sleazeballs I didn’t want in my life

If a custoe inspection, I had a pre-prepared line about being on a very tight schedule That was true There was one GPS tracker on my truck, and another one clipped towatched My supervisor would be auto software if I did so o area And I wouldn’t risk my job, or even my afternoon, for just any random customer

Would I risk my job for love if there was so, actually But there wasn’t anybody special on the horizon — not anybody that

My UPS delivery schedule was the tightest of tight, every movement electronically controlled But I would’ve pried that schedule wide-open for a chance at real love

My friends and grad school class women I certainlytheir boxes It never went farther than that Maybe girls weren’t into irls didn’t know that their daily front-door visitor in brown shorts was lonely and that I was very le It was irls I was into wouldn’t be the kind to ask their UPS driver inside