the long flat grey concrete building at the end of the industrial parkway

the letter came. the secret society revealed itself to me. they wanted me to show up for an interview for a casual position. a casual position is loosely defined as a job with the post office that involves you working for them as much and as long as they want you to. by its definition a casual postion involves working part time hours, six days a week, six hours a night, 36 hours a week that typically are stretched out to 40 or more hours a week with no overtime pay, no benefits, no insurance and no hopes of advancing. the sword constantly hangs over your head for three months at a time depending upon whether the post office needs you for each three month period or not. but i was ready to do it. to get my foot in the door. i was ready to subject myself to working from midnight until 6am six days a week if that would advance myself in the high postal priests eyes.
i came in for the interview on a sunny mid-week afternoon and sat with a small conference room full of applicants. middle aged housewives, former fast food restaurant employees, people with a few problems to whom working a part time job for 9.50 an hour with no concrete hopes of continuing with a regular position was a step up. we sat around and chit chatted. half of the people had worked here before and then did things that were not mentioned in the conversation in between the irregular periods that the postal service no longer needed their services. it sounded like a modern day equivalent of building the transcontinental railroad. all types considered as long as you didn't mind long demanding hours and the possibility that you would be given your walking papers in a few months. everyone looked willing and able to accept that. we were temporary acolytes.
the applications were starting to be reviewed. i sat there and started to read the paperwork that we were being handed. welcome to the usps. the first memo detailed some of the responsibilities and expectations- its tough, its hard work, alot is expected of you. are you sure that you want an interview? we all did. the interviewers asked us the same thing and did a roll call. our applications were handed out to us. mine was missing. the 12 page application of work history, mental and health history, security and confidentiality agreements and tax forms that i had filled out twice in the past, the paper forms that had informed the usps that i was looking to be used as a temporary casual employee and had gotten me a letter and phone calls to show up at this long low flat concrete processing facility was missing. gone. not in the interviewers possession nor in the files of the local distribution secretary's cabinet. i was there. my name was there. but as far as the usps was concerned i was a ghost. did you fill out the application? i was asked. ok, fill out the forms again and await your interview. i grimly contemplated recalling my past ten years of work history, phone numbers and addresses and to put it to paper again. i proceeded to be a number in the usps's files once more. ps form 1073-5.34 deliberate omission of any relevant information regarding previous work history or health information will be considered a violation of the trust that the usps has put into you, the loyal and willing casual employee of the usps and will be punishable by more paperwork and forms to fill out...