I've come across many animals while out serving... and these aren't even the one's that I've had to serve. From barely missing a deer while driving in a wooded residential area at dusk, to waiting on a gaggle of Geese to slowly walk across the street in the early AM. They always make me think of the Allstate commercial where all of the animals start screaming after the squirrel almost gets hit, then I hear Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom song in my head....
Early one morning I was serving someone in an apartment complex near a local lake. I finally located the apartment which was on the second floor, so I began to head up the steps. It was eerily quiet... and before I knocked on the door, I glanced to my right...back down the stairwell, to see a large raccoon just standing there on his two hind legs looking up at me. It appeared as if he were standing there with his arms crossed looking at me as if to say... "Where ya gonna go now, huh?" one way up... and only one way down. All I can think is... this SOB is gonna come charging at me, and this big strong guy is gonna scream like a little girl..... "RABIES!" waking the person that I needed to serve along with ALL of their neighbors. Finally, after about 10 minutes of curiosity the masked bandit finally moved along. No one was even home where I needed to serve. Oh well.
Another late evening... on a very dark street, the house that I pull up to has zero lights on outside with waist-high hedges on both sides of the sidewalk. I get out of the car, walk around the front of the car towards the house and I see an opossum walking on the left side of the hedge but it begins to run into the hedge. As I begin to walk up this dark sidewalk, I'm thinking that it's just a straight, smooth sidewalk... but to my surprise it has steps. I begin walking.. missing the first step, but kicking the second step and falling face forward. I caught myself with one hand since the other had the legal documents, but came face to face with the largest, ugliest rat (opossum) that I've ever seen. Don't let 'em fool ya... oh no.... they don't all play "possum." I obviously scared it, cause it scurried away... and I think I jumped up just as quickly to get away from it myself. I did get that serve... after all of that, I better have.
And finally, last but not least would you believe I came face to face with an actual beaver. Well, ok... not face to face... but close enough...and well, not an actual beav...well you'll see. Was on my second attempt to a guy who was being served with divorce papers. He supposedly just moved in to this apartment a week or two earlier, and I was unable to reach him after 6pm on a weekday, so I made my next attempt at 6am on a Saturday morning. Got up really early for a long drive... I wanted to be there when the sun came up and before he had a chance to go anywhere. I get to the address, which is a set of nice apartments near another local lake... I park and I wait as I enjoy a little breakfast in the car. The sun begins to rise and I walk up the stairs to the servee's apartment... knock on the door... knock on the door again... and to my surprise a young lady answers the door with only a shirt on.. scratching her head from just waking up, making the shirt play peek-a-boo with, well you know. I had to explain to a half naked young lady that had just woken up, that I needed her boyfriend to come to the door for legal documents. She slowly wandered back into the apartment, waking my servee to come to the door and be served. Done.
Wild Kingdom I say...... Wild Kingdom.
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