a day before all others (according to some): a memoir

it was the 278th day of the year. a day that will be held in infamy. the day before the bombing of flight CU-455 and the thammasat university massacre. right in the middle of the cold war. it was a day like all others. a birth happened. yes, people are born and die every day. yes, the miracle of life has come about many times over throughout history. yes, some are famous, others, not so much. nothing really happened in history on this day, save one: us.

my parents had been through labor before: twice. the first time was with my brother, 2 1/2 years prior. the second, or shall i say "seconds" was with me. to be honest, it was 120 seconds before my wombmate popped out to say hello. yes, i am a twin. no, we are not identical. and it isn't because she has longer hair than me. no, it isn't because her hair color or eye color is different than mine. that's just foolish talk. we are fraternal. look it up in a book. there might even be some diagrams for those that like picture books instead. no, we can't feel each other's pain. if she were to stick her finger in a socket, i wouldn't feel the electrical surges coursing through her body.

even though i am the elder, she has been older than me less than a handfull of times. (how? it's an easy riddle...i'll let you try to figure it out. if you can't solve it, ask me and i'll tell you, for a small fee of course.) people have asked what is it like to be a twin. i ask: "what's it like, not to be a twin?" it's the only thing we've known. always had a playmate and an opponent rolled into the same person; and not always in that order...