Some might be used to finding deceased animals as they start their day and some might find rodents to be a pleasant part of life. I belong to neither such camp. I will spare you the gory details of this encounter, but suffice it to say I was a bit put off. Though others may have been concerned with the well being of any other rats in the vicinity I was more worried about the possibility that there were indeed more rats in the vicinity.
Hoping against hope, that this macabre find was not evidence of an infestation, but instead was simply another different bakery "sending a message," I proceeded inside.
As is my custom, I made my way first to the back room, disarmed the alarm and poured some water into the coffee pot. I then headed up front, started the coffee, logged into the computer, and filed the overnight paperwork. I was about to unlock the front door when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.
I whirled, letting out an angry "Whoooo" of terror, half expecting to be pounced on by a gnarled, grizzled, fanged beast carrying rabies, cholera, and bubonic plague. But it was no rat before me. I found myself looking down in utter incomprehension at a small package, about four inches by eight and an inch thick. Closer inspection revealed that a carefully written note had been rubber around it. The note read "Sorry this is late," signed Fouad.
The package was a VHS video tape. I hurriedly unlocked the door, turned on the open sign and rushed back to the work area to examine this strange interloping package. The note was not hurriedly scribbled but instead obviously printed on a computer, but using a font emulating fine penmanship. The tape itself was an exercise video, made in 1994 called Step Reebok The Video. On the cover, an athletic woman with strong calves is bathed in an eerie blue fluorescent glow. 
The video belonged, a dozen years ago, to a video store. It said Three Day Rental. Twelve years previous, the owner chose to follow other pursuits and closed up shop. At the time, the store I manage was located next door, where the bakery sits now. A former video store being quite spacious and well suited to the sale of high end paint, my boss moved over and occupied this current location almost at once. I opened the terse note and found that it had been printed on the back of a flier for the old video store. I had coupons that expired in February of 1997. I was not yet 18 when this coupon outlived its original purpose. I spent much of the rest of the day considering the intervening years: my own adventures and missteps and those of this tape.
Fouad also included a phone number. I considered calling several times. I thought about thanking him, congratulating him, berating him, demanding an exorbitant late fee... And what to do with the tape itself. Perhaps I will place it on a shelf next to some exterior high gloss and wait for someone to rent it again, wondering where I might be in 2021 when it is returned.
