Twins

 They say everyone has a twin. And, while I know this is predictably true on The Young and the Restless, (the current twin is Hillary’s long-lost sister, Amanda), it’s weird when it happens in real life.

            Or is it only my imagination?

            This morning, Christmas Eve Day, I’m walking my usual route, avoiding the barking dogs that I know are lurking behind the high red fence with the lemon tree in front, when I see Evie and Nash. Or I think it’s them. I see them on the dog barking side of the street, and I’m ready to greet them with a hearty, Merry Christmas, when I stop myself. They’re closer now and I can see that it’s not Evie. But her twin. Or from a distance she looks like a twin. But really, it’s the dog that fooled me—that grey Pitbull with his hangdog aspect is a dead ringer for Nash.

            But he’s not Nash.

            And, she’s not Evie.

            We just exchange quiet “Good mornings” before going our separate ways. And I remember how I have had many instances of being a twin myself.

            On my pandemic pacings, a few times, this woman has stopped her Blue Rav-4 and hollered out her window at me, “KENDALL! HEY, Kendall!!!!!”

            This has happened a couple of times, so I must really look like Kendall. I’d like to be Kendall. She was such a great character on All My Children. Did she have a twin on that show? I can’t remember, but she was a force to be reckoned with as Erica Kane’s daughter.

            I have had to tell the Kendall Lady that I’m not Kendall a few times now. She is always so embarrassed and disappointed. “Oh…. I’m so sorry…. you look just like her.”

            I think, how can that be? I think I’m unique looking with my big turquoise hat, red ear muffs, and sticking up blond hair. But evidently, there’s someone else in my neighborhood with the same ensemble.

            Or when I was teaching in China many many many years ago and my students said I looked just like Jennifer Lopez. Okay, sure, I wish I looked like J. Lo, but I’m about as far from her twin as two women could be. With her sexy Latina swagger and dramatic persona, well, a blonde professor from a private university in California is hardly her twin. Yet my students continued to say this the entire time I was there.

            All non-Chinese look the same?

            That could be part of it I suppose.

            Who knows? But I do like the twins I’m mistaken for, Kendall and J. Lo. I mean, who wouldn’t?

            My real ‘twin’ is my younger sister, PJ. When we went on a vacation to Cabo Del San Jose and performed water ballet antics in the pool with the swim-up bar, everyone thought we were twins. And yes, this was a bit closer. We are sisters after all and we did have identical match turquoise blue suits.

            Yet, we’re not really twins. We are our own unique selves.

            Twins. Let’s stick to the ones on the soaps. Hillary and Amanda. Cassie and Mariah. Adam and Stewart.

            Now there’s a classic twin! I miss that AMC.

            As I march down 29^th street wondering what the twins I just passed are doing for their holiday, I have to grin to myself. No one is doing anything for the holiday this year. We’re all just walking the dog.

            Even if we don’t have one.

            Merry Christmas!