23. The Pile of Paper

Sammy looked at the pile of paper on the floor. Whenever he finished reading his mail or a newspaper or magazine, he threw it into this pile. This was his recycling pile. At the moment, it was almost two feet high. It was time to recycle.

He squatted down, protecting his back. Sometimes, just sitting down would cause his back to go out for a week. He scooped his hands under the pile and slowly stood up.

He walked over to his front door. Hands full, he struggled to turn the doorknob and open the door. He walked outside and down the stairs. So far he hadn't dropped one piece of paper. He walked to the blue trash bin.

There was no way to lift the lid of the recycling bin with his hands full. He carefully put the pile of papers down and then opened the lid. The bin was completely full. Damn, he swore.

Sammy gathered the pile into his arms and trudged back upstairs. Pleased that he still had not dropped any paper, he lowered the pile back onto the floor. Then he stood up, but just a little bit too fast.