Oliver was worried. He had been looking forward to his present for weeks and today was the last day the mail would come before Christmas. The postman normally passed by at 1pm and the sun was already high in the sky. If it didn’t happen today, he wouldn’t get his gift this year and that would be terrible.

The street Oliver lived on was a dead end and never saw much traffic, making the sound of a postman’s motorbike quite obvious from miles away (especially to a little boy who was standing at the front door listening for it).

He looked back at the big clock in the living room. 

12:57. Almost time.

He opened the door, went out onto the front porch and peered his head around the corner of the house. No sign yet. That’s okay Oliver thought, it wasn’t quite 1pm and postmen were rarely early. He went back inside to wait.

The next three minutes felt like an eternity for Oliver. He fidgeted and paced and kept looking back at the clock. Every second took forever and he was sure he even saw the hands go backwards a few times. It was painful for the little boy but eventually time moved forward as it always does and the clock finally struck 1. 

As quick as a grasshopper Oliver sprung onto the front lawn and ran down to the mailbox. He stood still and listened but couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of cicadas in the nearby trees. He looked both ways down the street and couldn’t see anything either. Oliver frowned but kept watching and waiting.  

Five minutes passed. 

Ten minutes. 

Fifteen minutes. 

Oliver was on the verge of tears. He wished as hard as he could and promised to always be good but after twenty minutes he just knew that he wouldn’t be getting his present today. His hopes were crushed and he felt that innocent disappointment that only a child can feel. He turned around with his shoulders hunched forward and walked solemnly back to the house.

Then, just as he had given up all hope, he heard it, the familiar sound of a motorised bicycle riding over grass and bitumen. He was coming! He was coming! Oliver ran back to the mailbox and just like a Hollywood movie, the mailman, with long locks flowing out from underneath his rose coloured helmet, came around the bend and headed directly for Oliver.

The boy stood frozen. Too scared to move in case this wasn’t real. His eyes were as wide as saucers when the postman stopped in front of him and pulled out a package from one of his matching mail bags. 

“Are you Mr Oliver Caddies?” he asked

Oliver just nodded.

“I’ve got something here for you”

The boy slowly reached his hand out and the postman placed the little package in his palm. 

Oliver burst into tears. 

“Thank you dad!”