The day’s first sunrays streamed through the skylight as the fax machine started to hum and buzz. Paul was in a deep sleep and this startled him to full alertness. His wife could sleep through anything it seems. He felt around the side table for his black rimmed glasses and sat on the end of the bed and stretched. He got up; staggering at first, to see what had disturbed his much needed rest.
He reached for the fax print-out and did a double take. It was from the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition producer. Paul was to go to the next worksite before the rest of the crew and take one cameraman along. The next site was Media, Pennsylvania-his hometown! He smiled with a bit of uncertainty. Was he ready to go back home after all these years? His job as a carpenter/design on television had made him a well known person. He was more of a laid back guy and had always been, until this once-in-a-lifetime job came his way. He didn’t mind getting recognized, but he liked his privacy too.
He went and nudged his wife and she looked at him through half-opened eyes. He told her about the next assignment and she just smiled. She knew that Media held a special place in Paul’s heart. Going home would be good for him. Almost like a vacation.
Before he knew it, he was heading back east. Home to the place where he was the baby of the family. Home to where he acquired his love for carpentry. He still thought back on the time when as a five year old he helped his dad in the process of rebuilding their home after a fire. He was a little tyke, but he learned to swing the hammer quite well.
From the plane’s window, he could see the familiar green, marshy areas that were located right outside of Philadelphia before the plane circled to land. Some things never change. He had been recognized a few times on the plane and he chatted with the people who loved the show and even gave out a few autographs. This day he happened to be wearing blue jean overalls and a sheep farmer’s hat with earflaps. If he wanted to remain in the background, this ‘get up’ made him stand out even more. Joe, the cameramen had a good laugh as Paul was approached by yet more people who recognized him because of the show. Usually it was just his infamous black glasses frames that made people look twice.
The two men piled into a waiting limo. Paul had objected to being driven around in a limo, but there it was and it was a chilly March day, so he hopped in to get out of the cold.
The traffic was bad in this area, especially around the concrete jungle of the airport. When the limo finally made its out into the surrounding suburbs, Paul relaxed a bit and put his head back and dozed a little. He happened to reminisce about his years in high school where he performed on stage and was a lead in the musical Guys and Dolls. His oversized checked suit was a hoot and an audience pleaser. Paul snapped to as the driver got off at the 352 bypass cloverleaf where Paul saw the Granite Run Mall to his left. His old hang out still looked the same! He wondered if the Orange Julius was still there. He had downed quite a few orange shakes there after school. Then in the next second, it occurred to him that they were going to a very familiar place. His stomach did a little somersault. The limo turned onto Barren Road and there was Penncrest High, his old school! Penncrest didn’t look the same; it has been remodeled to accommodate a larger student body. In front of the school was a wave of red and gold-students in their school jackets holding signs that read ‘Welcome Home, Paulie!’ or ‘We love EM:HE!’ He was really touched by all of this and showed off his gapped tooth smile to Joe. When he got out of the limo he waved and looked over the crowd for a familiar face. A man, about his age stepped forward. Paul recognized him as Bob, his best friend from high school! He hadn’t seen him for years. They were 18 years old again and gave each other a little arm punch and then a bear hug. Paul would learn it was Bob who arranged all this!
There was a large cardboard cut-out of a bus, at least 7 feet long by 5 feet tall that looked just like the one used on the show. Most people know that the climax of the tv program is when Ty Pennington and the family getting the makeover beckon the driver to ‘move that bus!’ Now all the Penncrest students started to chat ‘move that bus, move that bus!’ It was then moved slowly to reveal a frail little girl in a wheelchair. She was about five years old and wore a little pink hat with the front brim turned up. No little girl curls or pigtails fell to her shoulders as she was obviously bald beneath the hat. Her skin was very pale white and she had big brown doe-like eyes. She was wheeled over to where Bob and Paul stood. Bob knelt down and kissed his niece Juliette on the head. She was a leukemia patient and had undergone chemo which made her weak and wheelchair bound. Like Paul’s family, her family home had burnt to the ground. Before Paul heard Juliette’s story, he too knelt down and held her tiny hand. He had watery eyes and tried to hold back his tears to no avail. Juliette was a precious child and his heart had already melted.
After Paul heard about Juliette and her family’s plight, he again knelt beside her to ask her a special question. He wanted to know what he could build for her. She answered in a whisper, ‘I’d love a swing set with a fort, please’. Paul told her that he would love to build her one. The kids from the school had been standing quietly taking all of this in. When they heard about Juliette getting a new house plus a swing set, they cheered. Coming home was easier than Paul had ever imagined.
What’s real: Paul being from Media and going to Penncrest. Paul’s family home did burn to the ground and he helped his dad as a little boy to rebuild it. He did star in Guys and Dolls in the senior play. In fact, he was an important member of his class. And he had a best friend named Bob. The roads, mall and drink stand are all real places.