I first met “Steve The Mailman” about 25 years at a local trivia night. He played with a small team but very competitive team. We eventually got to know each other and found out that we had a mutual interest in local sports and rock music. We would have countless conversations as the years rolled on….
People sometimes
ask why we called him “Steve The Mailman”. It’s simply because he worked as a
mail carrier and would show up for trivia every week in his full USPS uniform. For
those who didn’t know his name, they would just refer to him as “The Mailman”.
I had a lot of
great discussions with Steve over the years. He was a really smart guy. He sat
in with our trivia team several times over the years. I used to love the way he
would frantically wave his hands and say, "No, No, No!" when we were
debating an answer. If we decided to dismiss his answer, he would just shake
his head and say something like, “Ok, whatever, You guys are crazy. But
go ahead and turn it in.” And when Ray (our beloved trivia host) would announce
the answer, Steve’s answer was often the right. Like I said, he was pretty
smart.
In more recent
years, Steve would catch me after the Wednesday night trivia contest, usually
on the parking lot. Walking to my car in almost empty parking lot, I'd hear a
semi-distant "Hey, Ken". I would look around and see Steve sitting in
his car like a character in a Batman movie. I’d walk over and Steve would say, “I
want to get your opinion on something.” From there, the conversation would sometimes
go on until 10 o’clock or later. We would talk about sports, music and general
life. Sometimes, Tina would text me and ask if everything was ok because it was
so late and I wasn’t home yet. I would explain that I was talking to Steve The
Mailman and that I would be home shortly.
Steve was very
generous too. Through the years, he would bring me random gifts. He might stop
by the table before trivia, hand me a book and say, “I saw this and thought you
might like it. I’d like to get your thoughts on it after you read it.”
One of the most unique items that Steve ever gave me was a large painting. He explained that he picked it up a recent yard sale and got it for practically nothing. Steve said that “the guy didn’t know what he had”. Honestly, that made two of us! It turns out that it was painted with drumsticks, of all things, by Black Sabbath drummer, Bill Ward. Steve said that he had nowhere to hang it so he wanted to give it to me. The look on Tina’s face was priceless as I walked into the house with the chaotic art piece. It eventually secured a spot in my mancave where it still hangs today. It kind a reminds me of the leg lamp in “A Christmas Story” except in this case, it’s a Bill Ward drum-stick painted “major award”.
Steve also loved live
music. He would often go to see classic bands when they came to the Maryland
area. One particular concert, attended by several mutual friends, brings back a
chuckle. Steve often bough a solo ticket so he could secure a spot close to the
stage. In this case, we were at Rams Head in Annapolis. With neatly-positioned
tables throughout, the venue is set up more like a restaurant than a concert
hall. Well, on this night, Geoff Tate (from the band, Queensryche) was the
headliner. Steve was sitting a table right in front of the stage, literally a
few feet from the band. Well, for some reason, Steve decided to order a large
salad right as the band was kicking into some of Queesryche’s classic songs. With
his head buried in the large salad plate, the band tried to look past it. Meanwhile,
my friends and I were sitting at a table a couple rows back and taking it all
in.
After the show, we
met up with Steve and busting his balls about it. Well, shortly afterward, the
bass player from the band stopped by. He was a really nice British guy and
asked if we enjoyed the show. As the conversation progressed, Steve chimed in
with something. The bass player responded with soemth9ing like, “Hey, I remember
you! You were the guy eating that big arse salad. You were really tearing that
thing up!”
My friends and I
were laughing so hard we could hardly breathe. Meanwhile, Steve just smiled and
shook his head. He was a good sport and took the ribbing like a man.
Through the years,
I always appreciated Steve’s generosity and thoughtfulness. But perhaps most of
all, I appreciated that he valued my opinion. We didn’t always agree but the
conversations were always interesting.
It’s obvious that
Steve’s health had deteriorated rapidly over the past year. But he still continued
to show up for trivia until the end.
Hopefully, there’s
a trivia contrast on the other side. If there is, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.
Just don’t let them talk you out of your
answer. I am going to miss you, brother.
kw
