Happy Easter!

There are two Paul's in this story. One is just Paul who did some work on our house and there is also Paul Rym. who is somebody from long ago. The Rym. is the beginning of a long hard to pronounce name that I would probably misspell anyway.

Back in middle school, or as it was called in this area “Junior High” I made friends with a dark chubby yankee kid named Paul Rym. Paul was always smiling and had a positive attitude.

One day I walked home with him. He lived in a big apartment complex by the name of Pine Forest. Paul’s family was just as smiling and positive as he was. He had a little brother, a mother, father, and grandmother who spoke in a thick accent. She was a native of Russia. They all were thrilled Paul brought home a friend… I think they were beginning to worry Paul was not going to make any new friends in the southern town Marietta they had just moved to.

I think it was near Easter time. They were all working on putting very delicate artsy intricate designs on Easter Eggs. The mother and grandmother told me tradition of their family making such fine artful Easter eggs and it was interesting at the moment, but with me, it went in one ear and simmered for a couple of hours then made its exit out the other ear.

As we got on in high school we gravitated to separate type of friends. He the studious and nerdy type and me the unpredicted type.

Years later, after I was married I remember reading an article about Paul Ry. in the local paper. He was a Deacon in a local Catholic church – and that was also his profession, being an officer of that church. The article was about the intricate Easter Eggs that he and his family traditionally prepared every year. I think the article also mentioned he was planning a trip back to Russia to visit his mother’s birthplace.

When Paul Ro. was working replacing the support poles one of the people I asked him about was Paul Rym. He said the last time he ran into Paul Rym. Was he was visiting the neighbors of Paul and Mrs Rym. and they were performing an exorcism of their house. They said the house had demons in it.