Flashback Friday

It's a twin thing.

The Wombie and I are fraternal twins, which means we have no more in common than ordinary siblings.  No psychic mind meld.  No sharing of pain or elation.  No sudden revelations about what the other is doing or feeling.  The egg split in the womb, voile!  "Too ugly to be one."  Whatever that means, is the catch phrase of the older, jealous bro.  

Nothing in common.  Except, of course, we were born on the same day.  Twenty minutes apart.  Preemies by three months, spending our first month together in hospital incubators.  Nothing in common, except for being at each other's side for the first 20 years. Crawling, scooting and learning to walk was a shared endeavor.  Starting kindergarten, and getting kicked off the bus after being set up by Tab Balmer was a shared humiliation.  Getting our driver's licenses on the same day, at the same time, was a shared jubilation.  When the Wombie got on the Honor Roll list in high school, the other said, "Hell, I can do that, too."  And he did.  When we played ball in the summer, we faced each other - one catching, the other in left field.  One was math challenged but still took two years of GOD-AWFUL algebra because he didn't want left behind.  

Fraternal twins have nothing in common.  Nothing except dressing alike, receiving the same presents on Christmas and birthdays.  Same friends, same bedroom, same dresser, and closet. If one screwed up both would share the lecture from the parent.  Together in Boy Scouts,  Acolytes in church, together in Youth Group.  Took swimming and organ classes together.  Same high school football team, same car.  Same college, same fraternity.  Climbed the water tower together, and made it through Hell Week.  Baled hay together. Played catch in the yard together and would have rooted for the same baseball team if I hadn't shown some twin initiative. 
  
And then the damnedest thing happened.  We stopped dressing alike.  We developed different friends, different interests.  Created different lives.  And thus, the fraternal twins separated, as all twins do.   


Nothing in common.  Except a lifetime of being at each other's side.