We have the same eyes. We have the same hair. We have the same build. In general, we just simply look alike. I am a twin and for all of my seventeen years of life I have worked to steer away from “we” and focus more on “I”.
There happens to be this really weird myth out there about twins. For some reason, people seem to think that two humans who look alike, must also think alike, and therefore, might as well be one individual. I cannot begin to count how many times I have been asked, “Do you feel like you’re missing a part of yourself when you’re not with your brother?” The answer to that question has always been a yes, no, and maybe mixed together. Yes, I’m missing someone who I consider to be my best friend, but no, all of my body parts are still fully intact. The maybe part of my answer has always confused me. I usually include it because I’m not certain whether I should or shouldn’t feel like I’m missing a part of myself. You see, my brother and I have pretty much always tried to out do one another just to get attention. Because of that, it feels unusual when I’m not around him. The rivalry has evaporated, and I no longer have to fight to be seen or heard.
The more and more I think about it, being a twin is almost like playing a sport. You are constantly in a competition and you have to keep practicing your game if you ever want to “one up” your opponent. Since I can remember, my brother and I have always played by these rules. Who can get the A+ on the history test? Who can get their bedroom the cleanest? Who can go the longest driving without getting a traffic violation? With pretty much everything we do, I always come out just a hair behind my brother. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that’s just part of being a twin, and if you do want to “win” or be seen as something other than a “clone,” you have to put forth the effort. Let me tell you, when that hard work does pay off, and I’m the victorious one, nothing can hold me back.
I’m sitting here at my computer writing this essay and now it hits me. Will my brother and I end up going to the same college? I really don’t know the answer to this question. My parents seem to think and hope that we will, but I have a different take on the situation. I’m ready to break away and start life on my own; independent and separate from my twin brother. Let the myth about twins being inseparable stay a myth. Testing the waters is my kind of thing.
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