the little girl liked to collect the mail from the mailbox outside their apartment.
she was just six and not allowed to step out of the apartment by herself. through the glass pane in the front door she would see the tall mailman deposit the mail every day, usually a little before noon, when she had her lunch with her grandmother. there the mail lay until the late afternoon, when her mother returned from work and emptied the mailbox. on the rare occasion she was late in returning, and especially if a package was visibly popping from the small mailbox, her dad would open the mailbox and bring in the letters.
she 