Straight cut

The particular courier service was a bit like postal delivery. Even if a person has the will to get out of his soft bed and report to the parcel delivery points at the crack of dawn, where his later working hours have started.

Alpár was originally a postal employee who used a neat, medium-sized wheeled cart to deliver ordered letters or online products to people, and he felt a small amount of appreciated gratitude when, once in a while, it happened on a very rare occasion that retired people actually kissed him back and forth when they heard him usually ring three times with his little golden bell.

"My subpar!" Well, it's finally here! - one of the old women fell on the neck of the adult, somewhat bedraggled man with real grandmotherly concern, and with real tears of joy took the envelope, which contained a sum of money, presumably his monthly pension. "Would you like some tea cakes or Easter ham, my dear?" There are plenty more! Just tell me! offered the old woman. Alpár bowed modestly and only answered that he was very happy if he could help people a little.

Unfortunately, a postal worker still earned less in those days, as did teachers. The moment Alpar was informed that downsizing was likely to be expected as a result of savings and reorganization, the man was no longer surprised that one day he found himself in his boss's spacious office, where he had to sign his termination contract.

- We are sincerely sorry, dear Alpár, that we are losing such an excellent and precise workforce, but I promise you that if a job opportunity arises again, we will count on your cooperation! - pushed his usual gibberish at this time, his boss, who was not particularly upset by the fact that he had betrayed quite a few of his trusted employees.

"Thank you for the opportunities, boss!" See you later! - he bowed politely, then quit his job at the post office and started working at a courier service, where he had to perform almost the same delivery tasks as at his previous job, only this job seemed to require flexibility and the ability to adapt from subordinates.

It happened several times that the medium-sized service van that the company provided for their employees - who knows why - suffocated, even though Alpár carefully made sure that, for example, when changing gears, he did not release the clutch suddenly. Or when, on cold, winter mornings, you had to crank and warm up the engine, because in addition to spiky icicles, your feet would freeze due to the radical decrease in heat sensation.

In cases like this, Alpár tried not to despair, but always called the central dispatcher on his wig's radio and asked for directions on what to do in the event of a breakdown. The answer was always the same. Wait patiently in the bitter cold for - depending on the traffic - and then they will send a colleague with the tow truck, who will eliminate the problem in seconds. Yes! The colleague came two full hours late, and Alpár had to think a lot about where he could hide in a warm place before he caught a cold, since he had problems with his immune system since childhood.

"Goodbye buddy!" Well, what's the matter?! asked the ambulance colleague.

"Well... the truth is that he suddenly... died!" Neither out nor in! - he spread both his hands, shivering a little from the cold.

The big, bear-shaped guy lifted the engine compartment of the car with professional professionalism and peered into the engine, then with his oil-stained hand, which he had previously used to shake Alpár's hand in a rather unpleasant way, he touched quite a few wires and asked Alpár to sit at the wheel and start the car until then. broken down chute until they can start it up.

"Well, one more time then!" he poked the wire.

The truck made a hissing, gurgling sound like most people with a cold who have an obstructed airway, but it still wouldn't start.

"That's enough buddy!" Well, I have some bad news! Either the carburetor or the timing belt based on what I heard! - he poked his big, shaggy cauldron under the baseball cap. "Listen, old man, if you want, I can take you into the city!" I have to drag this little cutie in anyway!

Alpár pondered for a while! He came to the conclusion that he had to be moving in this cold, so that his body wouldn't get even colder, so he jumped into the mother-in-law seat of the trailer car and he and the bear-shaped man set off towards the city, accompanied by a pickup truck tied to the back of the car.

On the way, they had a pleasant, friendly conversation.

"...Then how are you doing, mate?" Hauling packages and letters from one place to another can be a tedious chore! - he wanted to light it, but he immediately noticed that Alpár was in real danger of suffocation if he only saw cigarette butts in his surroundings, so he did not open it out of sheer tact tta who

"I think it's tolerable!" he answered. "Before that, I worked at the post office, and the pensioners loved me!" - he felt less proud as he said this sentence.

"Dude!" I see you still have a lot to learn! Who the hell wants to lug packages back and forth all day?! he asked somewhat cynically.

"Well, the truth is that... I was burnt out and I really needed the job..." he revealed.

"I understand, mate!" In vain - he waved. "We still have to live on something, don't we?" - there was a sharp turn, and Alpár thought that if he hadn't been buckled up, he would have flown out of the windshield.

"Then do you have a family, a wife, children?" - he asked again when silence settled over them again.

- Well not really…

"Is there a barn now or not?" he looked at her with sly eyes.

"Well... actually... it would have been..." he said mysteriously. "I don't like to talk about it."

"Well, heck!" What happened? Did you break up or did he?

- Pay attention! Let's not push the topic! It was a long time ago, I barely survived, etc.

- OK. Dude! And how do you plan your life? Because I guess you don't want to do this s**t for the rest of your life, do you?!

"Wow!" Difficult question! It would be nice to go abroad or do something related to literature!

"Hahaha... That's a good joke!" Just tell me, don't you have a fever or a fever?! - laughed.

"If that's the case, then I won't speak again!" - Alpár sensed that the other wanted to make fun of him, and he couldn't stand it.

"Hey, old man!" You don't have to suck things up right away! We're just kidding! - he began to explain, as if he considered the situation solved.

- OK! - he nodded, but he wanted less and less to trust this man, who was so friendly and directly in his mood.

After barely half an hour's travel, they turned into a site that looked like a junk yard. It is full of old, old-fashioned vehicles, used or parts that have started to rust. Real barter trade, you only need to know what the buyer's needs are.

- We arrived! At least it's not snowing anymore! the bear-shaped man declared as he opened the driver's seat and pulled a small lever that was used to lower Alpár's small truck to the ground.

"Thank you for the ride and the help!" - he answered, and then decided to head for the courier service's office instead, although it wouldn't have made much sense, since more than six hours of his working time had already been wasted. And those plus or minus two hours really do not divide or multiply.

"Hey, barnyard!" If you want, I can take you to the office! - he offered with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, but... I'll take care of it..." he said. He was about to leave and turn his back on this whole failed day, when the bear-shaped man stopped him again:

"Hey buddy!" You know what? I'm with you one piece! My MASZEK-forge is right around the corner! - he declared with no small amount of pride, because it was later revealed that the car's license plate had passed through more hands than it should have.

Alpár alone had already cursed the whole day that this hot-headed, excessively curious person had landed on him, like a fly on flypaper.

He got into the big, teddy-bear man's tuned-up, special car, which later turned out to be a Ford Mustang GTO, with a six-cylinder, roaring engine, which, if you stepped a little closer to the gas pedal, smoothly drove the two hundred kilometers per hour.

"Hey buddy?" How about my car?! Not bad huh? Where do you get such professional quality? I whisper: nowhere! �" with that, he already started it with the lock key and revved up the engine, which resembled the sound of a buffalo, with real pleasure. They turned out of the site with screeching wheels a bit like Steve Mcqueen in the chase scene from the movie Bullitt.

"Can you really drive, mate?" asked Alpár, crouching on the mother-in-law's seat, with interest.

"There were attempts, but nothing serious..." he admitted.

"That's familiar!" Let me figure it out! Your teacher told you all your childhood that you are good for nothing and that you will be a loser for the rest of your life! Did I hit you?! - he got to the point, and somehow Alpár also guessed this right away, because his surprised eyes widened a lot.

"Why are you so surprised mate?" My old man used to suck me all the time too! But you know what I said to myself, that I know how to do things, and behold a miracle! I managed to settle into a nice little life! If I may give you a piece of advice. Never believe people who basically want to take your dreams away from you, because then they win, and you can go scavenge on the garbage heap!

"Well... thank you very much..."

"There's nothing!" It's free! Listen! I'll drop you off at Blaha's and f**k you if that suits you?

"Sure, no problem!" I have a little more to do... - he whispered, because he really just wanted peace and quiet around him for this day.

- Reason O.K. �" took a sharp turn with screeching wheels, and then left Alpár at the corner of Blaha-tér, where the morning rush-hour traffic was quite congested! "Well." then... bye! - he extended his hand and deliberately squeezed the outstretched hand of Alpár, who felt that he was already seeing stars from the minor pain. "If you need anything, just call the dispatcher and I'll fly!"

Alpár got out of the American-style, turbocharged car wonder, and carefully closed the door of the mother-in-law seat. The bear-shaped man also went about his business with screeching wheels and high gas, while Alpár decided to walk back to the Astoria, where he still had his favorite bookstore and, just for the sake of sheer curiosity, peeked and poked at the discount, discounted books. All the while he was wondering what he had heard from this strange fellow. What should you do differently to get your life back on track?

He went into the bookstore, said hello, took a basket on his arm and started flipping through books.