Going Postal

Two glass doors that both open outward on outside hinges into a foyer ... or vestibule ... so they fan out from the middle.

A man gets to the door ahead of me, walking briskly, opens the door on the left with his hand on the right and stops. his right shoulder is partially blocking the right door and he appears bothered by the line inside. This is a very busy post office on a Saturday morning.

The post office still has not figured out that more people need the Saturday hours or potential evening hours than would use a Tuesday morning. of course, this is the same place that took out the postage machines and left a "Good news, now that you are here you can buy your stamps at the grocery store" poster up.

I am surprised that he has stopped so suddenly. In a car, I would have skidded and just missed rear ending him. I did not bump into him. I had decided to follow the path of least resistance and was angling toward the left door that he had already opened. As I am about to reach for the right door and say, "Excuse me," to get him to move, he turns at me, visibly angry, "Am I in your way? Here, let me get that for you!" He slams open the right side door, missing me somehow. He turns away from me after a moment of angry eye contact and goes into the box area, storming through the crowd. This takes at most a few seconds for the entire scenario to play out.

I could have done many things. I remained calm and said nothing. I watch him walk away before I decide to move forward to check my own mail in my own box in a different wing of the post office.

He was a few years older than me; gray haired with a mustache and maybe a bit taller but thinner. For a moment I think it was possible that he would have struck out at me. Had the door hit me ...

I realize I am in Ready Stance position.