The Paper Girl

A woman makes a cup of tea before sitting down to write her next story that is due by the end of the day. As she waits for the tea to steep, she thinks about how she first learned to enjoy the benefits of a warm cup of tea.

The woman writes a feature column for a daily newspaper where she highlights upcoming events in the area. Her connection to the newspaper goes back many years, before the days where most people read the newspaper online or on their mobile phones, when physical newspapers were delivered and read. As a young girl, she had a paper route where she delivered the morning newspaper to subscribing customers in her neighborhood.

Every morning at around 4 am, the newspapers were delivered to her house. She packed them into two large canvas bags that she carried on each shoulder. She would then walk to up to each house on her list and leave the newspaper on the “Welcome” mat. If it was raining, the newspapers would be placed in plastic bags to keep the papers dry. After finishing her route, she would return home and have a quick breakfast before leaving for school.

At the end of each month, she would go to each customer where they would pay the monthly fee for receiving the newspaper. One of her customers was an older woman who always seemed to be in the middle of having cup of tea each time when she rang the bell.

On her first visit, when the older woman answers the door, the young girl says, “Hi, my name is Ann. I live in the brown house down the street. I am the person who delivers your newspaper, and I am here to collect the monthly fee.”

The older woman says, “Hello. It’s nice to meet you. Please come inside. I was just about to have a cup of tea. Would you like to have a cup of tea?”

The young girl says, “No, thank you.”

The older woman picks up a tray that was on the kitchen counter and places it on the kitchen table. She tells the young girl, “Please, have a seat.”

The young girl takes a seat at the kitchen table and waits while the older woman prepares her cup of tea. The older woman dips the tea bag a few times into the cup of hot water before removing it and placing it on a small dish. She adds a spoonful of sugar and pours a small amount of milk into the tea and stirs it with a small spoon. She takes a sip and then says to the young girl, “Are you sure you don’t want a cup of tea? It’s very good and warms the senses.”

The young girl says, “I’m sure. I’m not very hungry.”

After the older woman finishes her cup of tea, she asks the young girl her how much she owes for the paper, and writes a check for the amount. 

The following month when the young girl returns, the older woman is once again in the middle of making a cup of tea. As the older woman finishes preparing the tea, she tells the young girl, “I know your family. I used to be a schoolteacher and taught at the school you now attend.”

The young girl waits for the older woman to finish her cup of tea. After she finishes drinking the tea, the older woman writes the check for the newspaper subscription.

To avoid interrupting the older woman’s routine, the young girl begins to vary her route so her house is the last house she visits. Regardless of the time, the older woman tends to be making a cup of tea each time she visits. Each time, the older woman offers her a cup, but the young girl politely declines.

On one visit during the middle of winter, the young girl is coughing and the older woman can tell that she is in the midst of a cold. The older woman says, “I see you have a cold. Please have a cup of tea. It will make you feel better and help dry up your cough.”   

The young girl says, “Ok.”

The older woman prepares her a cup of tea. The young girl drinks the cup of tea. The tea has a slight floral scent and the taste has a hint of berries. The tea warms the young girl. As she drinks the cup of tea, she also has a small cookie. Before the young girl leaves, she thanks the older woman, “Thank you for the tea. It tasted very good.”

The older woman says, “You’re welcome. It should help you feel better.”

On the next visit, when the older woman offers her a cup of tea, the young girl has a cup of tea. The young girl tells the older woman that the tea she had on her last visit helped her get over the cold.

The older woman says, “I thought it would. Tea is like medicine. It can help all sorts of conditions. It can soothe a sore throat, help you fall asleep, settle a stomach, or provide relief from allergies. When tea is brewed, the tea leaves release healing properties.”

The information provided to the young girl about tea stayed with her over the years. When she was sick, she would often make herself a cup of tea. She would add a little bit of honey and lemon to it to help soothe a sore throat.

Over time, she learned about the health benefits that different types of teas can provide. She learned that a cup of green tea can provide energy, that different types of teas that can help treat a cold or reduce a cough, improve your skin tone or make your hair shinier, improve leg circulation, or improve your overall health. She also learned to spend time browsing the aisle where teas are located to learn about the different types of teas available and their health benefits. Her friends learned that best gift to give her is an assortment of teas.

As the woman prepares her tea before she begins writing her next feature story, she reflects on how that when given a choice, we seem to prefer a have a cup of coffee. For some reason, coffee seems easier to make or faster to drink, but the better choice is a cup of tea. The small effort to make the tea is well worth it. She thinks about how she first learned about the health benefits of tea as she was working as a paper girl, and eagerly begins working on her next assignment where has been asked to write a feature article about a new tea store that recently opened in the area.