August Flash tale #2 - "Twins"

Southlake, Texas

“You look amazing,” London tells her mother. Because Mom really does. Sitting on the patio, bathed in early-morning sunshine (before the heat gets all kinds of stupid) London can’t remember her mother ever looking this youthful. And an unasked question: How much did that cost? Although Mom can spend her money how she pleases. Both her daughters are grown up with promising careers. They don’t need Mommy to feed or clothe them.

The rejuvenated woman shows her white teeth. “It wasn’t cheap.” (Which goes towards answering the unasked question). “After the procedure, I had a friend pick me up. Couldn’t bear your father seeing me like that.” She touches her face with delicate fingers, as if checking that it was all still there. “I just wanted to look my best, you know?”

London sips her custardo, a hot-egg coffee Mom insisted that she try. “Sweet,” she says.

“Too sweet?”

London shakes her head. “Perfect.”

Mom shows her teeth again. “It’s basically an affogato with the ice-cream served hot. Central Market had everything I needed. It’s all they’re drinking in Hanoi.” Which Mom, fresh back from a trip to Vietnam, is qualified to say. She has always been a traveler, sometimes taking her husband and kids, sometimes not, Jerry joking on more than one occasion that DFW is naming a runway after my wife, which goes to explain how she named her twin daughters.

“No, it’s good,” says London. And she has another sip, to prove the case.

“Paris loved it.”

“Yeah, so, she visited?” London reaches for her phone, thinking about checking the last text exchange with her sister –

Her Majesty has demanded our presence

To admire the Royal features!

Maybe she’ll be unrecognizable.

Covered in bandages #InvisibleWoman

But then she leaves the phone on the table. Because her fingers are tired. Because her hand is quite happy where it is.

“Paris? She’s still here.”

London giggles. “So…” And now her hands work hard, waving around the patio and across to the pool. She remembers the InvisibleWoman hashtag and then she giggles again.

“Silly girl,” Mom says indulgently. She points up towards a second-floor bedroom window. “Actually, your sister decided to a nap.” She picks up her own phone, taps the screen, smiles. “Sleeping like a baby.”

Which is all kinds of strange, new questions bubbling on the surface of London’s mind, until the bubbles fade and she drinks more of her coffee. Custardo, who knew? “It’s a…” London hesitates, her tongue feels thick, too big for her mouth. She glances down at her outfit; her sleeveless mini dress isn’t the fit she thought it was. Her sandals are loose on her feet, and it’s a relief to let them fall off. Because who needs shoes, anyway?

London giggles, and then she covers her mouth with her hand. Because Take it easy, bimbo. Her thoughts are everywhere, they’ve vanished without a trace, which is unwelcome news, which is nothing to worry about.

“It’s…” She holds her glass in both hands. She stares at the drink, which could have used a spoon or at least a straw. She stares at the liquid, feeling cross-eyed, and then tilts her head back and drains the rest, suppressing the urge to lick at the dregs with her tongue before she decides to do that anyway.

“Thirsty girl,” say Mom.

“It’s…ith,” London begins, and then she frowns. Nothing’s behaving itself. Body and brain, they’re on vacation, they’ve got a side-hustle somewhere, and they’re not answering her voicemails. With a tremendous effort, London reaches for the table, which is taller, which is unfair, and plants the glass carefully on top.

“Ith gud,” she says finally, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Because she’s a little messy; she’s fairly sure she has egg on her face.

She looks at her mother with eyes that zoom in and out like a malfunctioning webcam.

“You’re just like your sister.” Mom’s smile broadens. There are those white teeth again. Is there any work she hasn’t had done? She looks twenty years younger. They could be sisters. But London doesn’t need a sister, she already has one. A twin, at that. Who’s sleeping like a baby.

And Paris must be the smarter one, because she’s taking a nap. London yawns, open-mouthed and unabashed. She’s a sleepy girl.

“Just like your sister,” says Mom again. There’s a notification from her phone, whimsical quacking, and Mom taps the screen. “Look who’s awake,” she says.

She doesn’t show the screen to London, but the sound tells its own story; a babbling noise, a beginning of language that is still just experimental noises, a chance to throw sounds at the wall and see what sticks.

A baby.

London feels a sudden desire to check her phone. What was it Paris said? Something surprising, and London had been jealous for a moment, because even though they’re identical twins, one of them is smarter.

Think she misses us. All the family stuff.

Movies at the Marq? Home for the holidays? #Sentimental

#SentiMomtal

💀

“Let’s get you upstairs,” Mom says. She takes London’s hand, and then seems to think better of it, and lifts her off the chair and onto the stone floor.

London looks down at the mini dress which is now all maxed out. She puts a finger to her mouth, attempting to put the simplest of pieces together. Mom had some work done, and she didn’t forget about her daughters…

“Your dress is too big!” Mom declares brightly, knocking London’s train of thought of the rails and making everything so much simpler. She shakes her head with mock-concern. “Too big!”

London nods, looking up at her Amazon of a mother. “Too big,” she echoes in her little voice. Doo bih. She raises her hands, for Mom to fix the problem.

Mom undresses her daughter, lifting off the dress and removing the underwear, and London is naked in the sunshine. Which would have been unthinkable minutes before, but is now…

“Adorable,” Mom decides. “Come on, baby girl.”

She takes London’s hand, and London toddles across the stones and then into the house, wrinkling her nose at the blast of AC.

They take a distracting, everyday trip through the kitchen and then there are stairs.

Mom carry?

London twists her lips, and remembers that they are travelers, they have adventures. She puts her hands in front of her and starts to climb the stairs. It will take forever, but London isn’t helpless, she’s a big girl.

Mom steps behind. “This way we can keep traveling as a family, and we can stay here in Southlake as a family.”

Like a family. London climbs the stairs and considers the idea, as if she has a choice, as if she might swipe left or right.

She puts the chubbiest of hands on the final stair tread. Stay in Southlake?

Once a dragon, always a dragon, London thinks, before Mom lifts her baby daughter up and swings her around, the idea bubbles away and London is left with just Mommy’s smiling face.

And then they’re in the nursery, and Mom diapers London in a white, cotton bodysuit and then puts her in the crib.

London and Paris sit facing each other.

Paris, who has had a few hours more practice, reaches to take her sister’s hand.

I got you. We got this.

London giggles. She imagines the appropriate emoji, before the very idea of emojis bubbles away.

💀

Paris joins in the giggling.

“My good girls,” Mom says, looking down at them with approval. She bends down, kisses them both on their heads. “Mmm…you ladies let me know when you’re ready for lunch.” She flutters her fingers at the Nanit camera on her way out of the nursery.

London smiles at her sister, the physical mirror she’s had her whole life. Saliva is running down Paris’ chin, which is forgivable, which is adorable. Babies gonna drool.

THE END

A woman finds her twin sister regressed to infancy. She must rescue her sister and get away before she ends up joining her in the crib. - Rick