TODAY IS NOT FOREVER

It’s about 6:30 in the morning, still not light, still cold. From my second story bedroom window I can barely see Stanley peddling his bike, its overly large basket filled with heavy morning newspapers. Stan skips the stores but stops at each house, sets his kick stand, and lays the paper neatly on the top step. Sundays he does the same thing. I put on my warm flannel bathrobe, tie the tassel, put my feet into bunny slippers and go downstairs to get the treasure first. The door squeaks a little so I open it slowly, reach out into the cold, bring in the Lansing Herald and right there on the hall floor, I pull out the funny papers and take only them to the kitchen.

My friends pop out at me, wait for me as my drawing pencils, manilla paper, gum eraser, crayons remain in my closet until after breakfast.Ha, ha, the Katzenjammer Kids are in trouble again. Buck Rogers has a rocket ship ready to fly to the moon. (I’ll have to wait until next week to see if he gets there). Blondie and Dagwood are arguing. Colonel Hoopnagel isn’t funny but is easy to draw. I will be busy and happy all day, by myself drawing, coloring, talking to my friends. And when I am finally finished, Dad and Mom will look them over and tell me I will surely be a Michelangelo when I grow up. I have Saturday night to dream, to do imaginary things, to sometimes see Popeye, Wimpy, before my Sunday funnies come.

Dad reads every page of the paper, all the news, the obituaries, jobs wanted, jobs people want to get, cars for sale. He always cuts out the radio station programs for the week and puts it on the windowsill next to our Majestic radio in the living room. Dad has a good job, a car, hasn’t lost or found anything, knows very well what time Eddie Cantor comes on, but still covers the paper page by page, column by column–except for the funny papers. Those he leaves for me.

It’s about 6:30 in the morning, still not light, still cold. From my 4th floor condo front window I see a bright red SUV drive up, stop at the building next to mine. The driver gets out, opens the car trunk and easily takes out about 10 Lancing once a day newspapers. He lines them up in a row, under the protective overhead roof, magic marks the apartment building, and moves on to my place. The daily procedure takes him no more than 5 minutes per building. So easy. I am always the first downstairs and bring up my paper and my neighbor’s. If I wanted to be in the delivery service, I think I could carry all ten in one arm.

My coffee cup is filled with instant Maxwell House decaf and a Sweet ‘n Low. I nuke it for one minute 47 seconds. ½ a pumpernickel bagel covered with a thin piece of muenster cheese goes in the toaster oven, timed to synchronize with the coffee being ready. I put them on a tray, carry it into the living room, switch on CNN. Opening the morning paper I am affronted by a large sticker advertising a hair salon, firmly covering ½ of the headline. Angrily ripping it off, ½ the newsprint goes with it. It doesn’t matter as there is not one word of national or world news on the front page. Sport scores and a pictures of players, a list of where to find news is all I see. The paper quality is so thin, trying to turn to the inside page, the crinkling feel and sound stop me from reading it. The news that is on the following page I read, I saw on CNN 24 hours ago. My fingers are already covered with black printers’ ink.Page four lists birthdays of stars whose names are totally unfamiliar to me. They do not shine very brightly in my world.

There are 4 pages of ads, big sales, buy one get one free. I skip those. There is a sports section so why were sports on the front page? Where is the editor? Oh, there he is in the local section giving mostly social information, church meetings, weddings, bar mitzvahs, plus a few Letters to the Editor. It surprises me to find one voicing my identicalcomplaints. I save the puzzle, jumble page for last. The comics are on one side (not in color). The puzzle font is extremely small and light. Even with my excellent bifocals I cannot work them. The Horoscope remains. I read February’s and it tells me to make a change in my life today. Wait no longer. Do what I know I should do. For some reason this strikes me just right and I decide to follow the advice.

I wait for the office to open at 7:30, dial the Lansing Herald, hit 5 for the service department and cancel my subscription with them. I have been loyal for 25 years so I swallow the little lump I feel in my throat. From here on I’ll read the news on my computer, watch CNN instead of waiting for the driver in his red SUV.

This wasn’t easy - but- it is a fait accompli . If I choose, I will always be free to re-order the paper. I won’t, I won’t!