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seven Joselino arrives with the newspapers every morning shortly after seven. He prefers to ring the doorbell rather than summon attention with the brass knocker cast in the shape of a hand. When I open the door, I usually find him flicking through the pages, stealing a glance at the headlines between call and answer. His bicycle is propped against the curb on the side where the foot pedal is missing, an entire day’s delivery stacked in the wooden box fitted above his rear wheel. After work Joselino rides a flashy motorbike, as impressive to behold in the streets of Antigua as his handsome, kiss-them-and-leave-them looks. He peers up at me from beneath the peak of his baseball cap and grins. His dark eyes sparkle, but it’s the gleam from the gold in his teeth that dazzles most. “Buenos días, Jorge!” he declares, even though the news he delivers makes for anything but a good morning. Knowing that I live in Canada, Joselino informs me that there’s nothing about it mentioned in today’s papers. I recall once reading about a “Brain” Mulroney attending a summit meeting, and the sports section occasionally announces the scores and standings of the Blue Jays and the Expos. But not much news about Canada filters south to Guatemala. One morning Joselino asked if Canadian papers carry news about Guatemala . Not very often, I told him. I also told him that, as part of my job, I write from time to time about Guatemala, but that the content and style of my efforts are usually quite different than the standard fare of the Guatemalan press. With a cry of “Hasta mañana!” he jumped back on his bicycle and resumed his round. I thought afterward about Joselino’s question and the kind of news that daily fills the delivery box on his bicycle. I also thought about the dozens of times I get asked, “How was Guatemala?” on my return to Canada. I clip bits and pieces from the newspapers that Joselino delivers each time I visit Guatemala , and later I file them with my field notes as a record of the trip. Those yellowed clippings and scribbled logs allow me to look back and remember. the delivery MAn ...

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