This episode was first broadcast in July 2021. You can listen to it here
Episode 4: Home Again
The intro music fades into the buzz of halogen lights and white noise. Shoes click against linoleum and stop abruptly, and someone exhales nervously.
Jane:
You ready for this?
John:
Ready as I’ll never be
Jane:
That’s the spirit!
There’s shuffling, and a door creaks open. Once it opens, there’s dead silence.
Jane:
You remember the plan.
John:
Run it by me again. (Loud enough for the audience to hear)
Jane:
(sighs) Fine. We can’t see out of any windows and the door just leads to a white void. Right?
John:
Right!
Jane:
Good. And we keep getting letters from somewhere. Right?
John:
Right!
Jane:
(beat waiting for him to get where she’s going with this)... So there must be something outside. RIGHT?!
John:
OH RIGHT!!! But one thing real quick.
Jane:
(Tired) Yeah what is it?
John:
Why am I tied to this rope again?
Jane:
I told you before. It’s for your protection. We don’t know what’s out there. So at the first sign of danger you give this thing a tug and we’ll pull you right back in.
John:
We?
Jane:
Don’t worry about it. Now, off you go!
John:
Okay! (Screams in doppler effect)
Jane:
What the- How did you get back in the apartment?
John:
I ran out through the front door, and then I was in the back hallway. immediately came in through the back door.
Jane:
That… Is not how doors work.
John:
Try it yourself!
Jane:
Fine, I will.
Jane walks out and immediately comes in through the back door
Jane:
Okay, you were right. For once.
Sound of mail arriving. Kerthunk kerthunk kerthunk fwump shlorp
John:
Ah, you know what time it is.
Both in Unision:
MAIL TIME!!!
(light transition)
John:
One for me and one for you. Could you imagine if we got two of these one week? Ha ha
Jane:
(Done) Just start reading.
"Home again"
They say that you can never go home again. It’s a phrase that more generally means the longer you’re away the more your home changes, and that it wouldn't really be your same home anymore. In Tom’s case it was a little more litteral. He had grown up in Leeds, a small town of only a couple hundred residents. It was one of those towns that you would drive through on the way to another, often more desirable, destination.
One day after Tom had turned 18 he got into the old pick-up truck that his father had given him, and he decided that any other destination would be more desirable than spending another day in that podunk town. It wasn’t until years later that he learned that Leeds had been completely absorbed by the neighboring city and had been declared a suburb. Soon all of the old farm houses and open fields were redeveloped into rows and rows of houses with the same style, same windows and the same white picket fences.
It’s not as if he left and never looked back. He remembered those hot summer days, playing in McGill’s field from sunup to sun down. He just felt like there were never any opportunities out there for him. In Leeds there were only 5 new jobs open at one time and the others were all legacy positions passed from father to son. And as appealing as the sound of working in a regional ice cream chain sounded, he knew that if he was going to do anything he would have to leave.
Tom liked his new job just fine. It paid well enough and the hours were decent, but a majority of the time it did mean he was cooped up inside a cubicle. One of the advantages, however, was how often his job called for travel. The company was always having conferences and conventions, but since his branch was only willing to cover the cost of gas, not many people took them up on the offer.
Tom found himself in Wilkinsville the way many people come across the town. By accident. He was in hour six of his return trip from the regional conference and the thought of filling up in the city hadn’t even crossed his mind. It was only after the little orange light on his dashboard came on that the concept had even occurred to him. He pulled off the interstate at the first sign of a gas station at the exit.
The road from the interstate was long and twisting. As soon as he left the ramp he was assailed on both sides by rows upon rows of trees. Eventually he reached a fork in the road. Tom saw a sign for Earl’s Gas station, so he turned to the left. He drove for about another mile. There was very little on the way there. The first sign that he might actually be in town at all was a small community of houses. A sign with the name of the neighborhood was obscured by a large promotional banner that read, “If you lived here you’d be home by now.” Compared to their surroundings they looked relatively new. The next thing he saw was some old dilapidated farmhouse with a building out back that looked like it could have been a barn at one point, but you would be hard pressed to believe it had ever been finished.
The gas station came up on his right. It was a single pump operation with more rust than paint on a sign that said, “Earl’s” in large red letters. Tom pulled up to the pump and got out. The pump was old and weathered, and there wasn’t a single credit card slot in sight. He looked around for a few seconds before meeting eyes with a tired looking man who appeared to be in his forties. The man’s head was down but his gaze was fixed on where Tom stood. He stared unwavering through his eyebrows. Looking to break the tension, Tom waved to the man. The man in turn rolled his eyes and lifted his hand which Tom took as a reluctant quasi greeting.
Tom walked up the window where the man had propped himself up just a moment ago. Now the man was standing at his full height. He must have been nearly 6 foot 9 because. Tom had to tilt his head back to look the man in the face. The man wore a dark blue jumpsuit with the name Earl embroidered onto it. Tom thought for a moment about whether that was just the name of the shop or if that was this mountain of a man’s name. In the end Tom said nothing except that he’d like to put twenty on the pump. The man took Tom’s crisp twenty dollar bill and put it into an old cash register before flipping some switch behind the counter.
Tom nodded awkwardly and went back to his car. Twenty dollars probably wouldn’t fill up his car, but at would at least allow him to get to a bigger town with more reputable gas stations. After he filled up he climbed back into the car he breathed deep before checking his phone. He had been making good time so far and wanted to see how much further he had left to go. Instead of his maps app greeting him however he had only the black refflective glass staring back at him. He wasn’t too worried though, he could remember his way back to the interstate, and he had gone much greater distances following only signs. He buckled his seatbelt and turned the key. And nothing happened.
He tried again. And again. And again. Each time was the same. The key would turn but nothing would start.
“Need some help there.”
The gas station attendant was leaning down to the car’s window. Tom couldn’t help but jump a little as it seemed like the man seemed to come from nowhere.
“Uh, yeah actually”. Tom knew next to nothing about cars, so this was probably his best chance at getting the car started again. `
“Alright go ahead and pop the hood”
Tom obliged and the attendant disappeared behind the hood. After a while of prodding and a couple tests they came to the conclusion that at some point Tom’s battery had just died.
“Now unfortunately, I don’t have any spares on me, but Dale down at the Hardware store might have what you’re looking for. If you’d like, I could give you a tow and save you a trip.” The man pointed to a white tow truck in the corner of the lot.
Tom didn’t know how comfortable he felt putting his faith in this stranger, but he was also backed into a bit of a corner here. He nodded and the man got to work hooking the car up before the two of them got into the tow truck.
The ride was awkward at first. There was no radio save for the short wave cb in the truck’s main console, so they rode in silence for the first few minutes.
“So, what brings you to wilkinsville?” The man asked, breaking the silence.
“Oh, I’m traveling for work and I needed to make a stop before I could get home.”
“Ahh so you’re from the big city then?”
“Yeah.” For some reason Tom didn’t feel the need to specify which city he was actually from. All cities must be enormous compared to Wilkinsville, he thought.
“Ah, then our little burg must seem pretty quaint. We don’t have a lot of the comforts of the big city, but we make do.” He reached over Tom and gestured out the right window. “That right there is Patty’s Diner. Best milkshakes you’ll ever have. But you didn’t hear that from me. He gave Tom a wink before returning his eyes to the road.
In another minute or two they pulled into the parking lot of Dale’s Hardware. The building looked to be a couple decades old since the once white facade of the building was now yellow verging on mustard. The only variance in the color was a bright red “Help Wanted” sign in the window.
Tom pushed the door open and the metal bell that was suspended above the door rang out. At that moment every eye in the building turned in his direction. The building wasn’t the largest so there was barely enough to support one customer and the cashier let alone the three customers that were all buying something. All eyes were transfixed on the spot where Tom stood. The bell rang again as the gas station attendant entered.
“Earl!” A chorus of voices rang out from the store as each and every person in the store recognized the man.
“Hey Dale, Donna, Travis, Mrs. Simmons.” A smile crossed every person’s face and they all went back to their shopping as if nothing ever happened.
“What can I do for ya?” The man behind the counter asked. Tom was about to speak, but then he was interrupted by the Man from the gas station.
“Ya see, Dale. Thing was, my new friend here was passing thru town when his dadgum battery up and died on him. I was hopin’ ya got a couple extras in the back.”
The man behind the counter craned his neck to see the car outside.
“Yeah that shouldn’t be a problem. Let's see what I got.”
He returned with a couple different batteries and assured Tom that one of them was bound to work. After a bit of tinkering from Earl they got one in.
“Try ‘er now.”
Tom turned the key and the engine came on like magic. Tom went back into the store to pay for the battery. Dale fumbled with the keys on the register for far longer than he probably should have.
“Sorry about the wait. Ya may have noticed but I don’t usually do this kind of thing.” He gestured to the help wanted sign in the window.
“Our last cashier up and left, and now I’m stuck doing all the day to day in my own store.”
Tom gave a small laugh, “yeah, these things can be tricky to nail down, but It’s just like riding a bicycle. In fact the first job I got when I left home used one just like this.”
“Shoot, in that case when can you start?” Dale Joked. The two of them laughed, Tom a little more polite than Dale.
Dale eventually got it sorted and when Tom Tried to pay with a card he broke out the plastic credit card imprinter.
Tom walked out and found Earl sitting in his truck.
“Hey, thanks a lot.”
“Don’t mention it.”.
“Can I give you anything for your troubles?” Tom asked, hoping for a particular answer since he had spent the last bit of his cash filling up his car.
“Nah, we’re good. Just promise me one thing.”
“Sure.”
“You gotta come back sometime and try Patty's rhubarb pie.”
Tom chuckled, ”You got it.” He was starting to warm up to these people. Even Earl who seemed so gruff at first was more of a gentle giant.
Earl put his tow truck into gear and drove down the street back to his station.
Tom got in and turned the keys. The engine came to life and purred like a new kitten that was excited to see its owner after a long day. He tried to remember the way back to the interstate. He knew that if he drove in the direction of the station he would eventually make it to the fork again.
He started driving down the road, this time taking in more of the town than before. He got a good look at Patty’s diner. By this point, several others were getting off work and were settling in for a burger and a slice of pie. Then he passed by the station. Earl was standing outside his truck and waving. Tom waved back as he drove on. He passed by the barn and the houses. While Tom definitely enjoyed his time there he was excited to go home and lay his head down on his pillow. He knew that after the houses came the -
Hardware store. No, that couldn’t be right. The fork in the road was next. He had been driving straight too. There was no way that he could have circled back this way. Maybe it's just another hardware store he thought to himself. Then came Patty's, just as busy as before. And then the gas station. Earl was still outside, but he wasn’t waving. His arm hung loose at his side. He stood there, watching as Tom drove by. Smiling all the while.
Then came the barn, then the houses, and then the hardware store.
He drove on and on. The same patch of road. The same couple buildings. The hardware store. The Diner. The Station. The same dilapidated barn. And the same cluster of newly built houses. Every couple of minutes they would repeat again. Maybe, just maybe, Tom thought, If he were to turn around he would be able to drive for long enough to get back onto the side road he came from, but he knew better. He knew that if he were to turn around the only things he would see would be the same barn, diner, and hardware store. Dale was now standing outside of the hardware store.
The clock in his car had been blinking 12:00 since he had his battery changed. , so instead he kept time by the repetition of the buildings. One cycle turned into ten turned into one hundred, at about 576 Tom could feel his eyelids drooping. He could feel himself fading fast. The banner reading “If you lived here you’d be home by now” mocked him because he wanted nothing more than to lay his head on his pillow at home and finally sleep. To pull over would be to admit defeat. If he had any chance at getting out he would have to keep driving. 621. 622. 6- Wait. did he miss one. How long had he been driving? The steering wheel jets away from him and he jerked up correcting himself. But again his eyelids became heavier and heavier. He looked at the diner. He now noticed that all the people inside were all staring out of the large window of the establishment. Even at this hour. They all held their coffee and watched from the window. Slowly, his vision faded to black.
Tom woke up in his bed.The same bed he had for years now. He threw on a pair of blue jeans and a flannel before heading to the kitchen to make himself some eggs. He slid a hardboiled egg into his front shirt pocket before hopping into his pickup truck and driving himself to work. The bell on the door of the hardware store rang as he walked inside. Tom threw on his apron and took his spot behind the counter. Maybe Mr. Simmons would come by with another odd request today. Maybe Donna will need more wire for her chicken coop. Either way it was the middle of the week and Tom was going to treat himself to a fresh slice of pie at Patty’s. Wilkins style.
Jane:
Kinda makes me glad we don’t have a car.
John:
And I’m glad that there was nothing outside those doors. I’d have to get a job at a hardware store (shudders)
Jane:
Ugh
Episode ends with the sound of the postcard falling out of John’s pile
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