George was a big, burly man. He always picked up his check in person at my Grandpa’s home office. He was quiet and gentle, very polite—always said "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" to my grandmother, and he never called Grandpa anything but "Boss." I never heard him call Grandpa any other name. The first time I saw The Green Mile, I thought of George. Same kind of build, same kind of spirit.

As Pete started reading the building (his superpower, truly), she leaned in with: “Why would you do that?” “Are you 100% sure?” “How would that work?” Perfectly reasonable questions… unless you’re a contractor who’s been burned by know-it-all homeowners armed with Google and YouTube. I saw it instantly. She asked a question → Pete interpreted it as a challenge → he drifted as far away from us as possible to go inspect the other side of the building.