ppoli61

@ppoli611674629039 · 26 Nov 2020

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Evelyn and me

#shortstory

I never talk to people who look at me like that, this afternoon I started a conversation just because things are about to change. - Ok- I said - Evelyn and I are Siamese, united by the pelvis. Do you see? Here - I have indicated - where you others have a navel.

He squinted his eyes, crushed the umbrella handle, rasped the gravel with his heel like a cat that has just peed in its box. He sat on our bench by chance, he didn't see us right away and now he doesn't know where to look anymore. He tries to leave but I grab him by the sleeve of his raincoat. - Hey, sir! Yesterday was our birthday, fifteen! - I inform him.

Evelyn is sleeping on my Will Coyote shirt. She fell asleep as soon as we got to the park. She is tired, it must be the emotion. From the tarpaulin that shelters us, only a little hair and an earring with a coral pendant emerge from her.

- It was a really crazy party! - I keep on just for the sake of seeing him blush - Dad told me: Rosemary, tomorrow I'll buy you a moped all for you, what color do you want? I want blue, buy me blue. Evelyn asked for red.

- Ah, well, best wishes.

- You see, sir, they separate us tomorrow. Look, here, where my sister sleeps, they cut us in half. - I raise myself on my elbow and raise the tarpaulin to show him the exact spot. I learned to move without waking Evelyn. We always fell asleep like this, face to face, breathing in our mouths. Sometimes she kicks, throws down the sheet, discovers us. I don't know what it's like to get up and have a drink in the kitchen, leaving Evelyn in bed. If I need to pee, I hold it, so as not to wake her up. But from tomorrow I'll steal ice cream without her spying on and go to the window first when Richie Lawrence, who we both like, passes by. I will also drive the scooter, alone. You know what a drag.

Evelyn moves, blows with her lungs, undoes her legs from mine. I pull up the tarpaulin to cover her, since the wind has risen and sweeps the leaves. Meanwhile, I think of the scalpel that goes through our guts and decides for us: this is Evelyn's and this is Rosemary's.

- Well - he repeats - then, best wishes.

- It's not fair! They will choose at random. What do you say?

He is uncomfortable; looks at the cape with the two heads and then looks at the shoes. - No - he says - no, I don't think so, why should they?

- Yes but.

Something of mine, I think, will remain over there, captive and far away. Does he, does he know, my father, do the others know, that when Richie Lawrence goes by, Evelyn's belly goes glu glu? I do. I know, I feel it, every time. Or is it my belly? And is love like that?

I feel Evelyn's chin moisten my neck, the warm smell of her armpits, the tickle of the brown locks, identical to mine, shaken by the wind.

I show him a picture in the newspaper. - sir, look! Look at that stuff!

Here we are at our crazy party, with two blue fairy hats on our heads and two slices of pink cake.

NEW MIRACLE OF SCIENCE ON  FRIDAY DIVIDED THE TWINS OF THE 22nd

No miracle, the miracle is already there.

They don't know it's so good for me to be with Evelyn like this! We are one and all the others are two, three, four, one thousand, one hundred thousand! Divided, alone in the world, disgusting. Only the idea terrifies me. I thought it would last forever, the two of us attached like this! Instead, what a rip off! I'll even have to die alone, one day, and I'll be freightened.

Evelyn opens her eyes and yawns, I look at my watch. - It's late - I say - night, sir! Come on, Evelyn.

She wakes up. - Good night.

He takes the umbrella and runs away, alone.

The two of us step back embraced, sliding on all fours, towards home, towards our parents who are expecting two daughters, not one.