Then we both looked at Mother to see if she would be as adamant as she had been in the past about not giving one of us more credit than the other. She just smiled.
Maybe it was over, I thought. Maybe I should relax and think only of my own future. We went back to the living room, where Irene, now more comfortable with the three of us, talked more about her own youth. Haylee was suddenly her best audience. I watched with amusement as she wrapped herself around Irene’s memories, appearing sincerely interested and amazed by some of it.
Mother then insisted we watch some of the videos of us when we were younger. Haylee volunteered to set things up so we could watch on our big television screen. To me, it was painful to see the four of us when we were still a happy family, a family with no inkling of what would become of us.
“They’re absolutely interchangeable at that age,” Irene said. She had seen these videos before, but now that she was sitting with both of us, glancing at us and then at the screen, she was even more impressed. “Their gestures, expressions, amazing.”
She told us about other twins she had known, something she had told Mother, I was sure, but made the point that there was indeed something unique about us. That set Mother off telling anecdotes about some of the things we had done naturally, things that had impressed her friends.
“They were so good at anticipating what the other wanted and what she would do. I think they still are,” she added, looking at us.
Never before had that comment saddened me as much. If that were true, I would have anticipated and avoided the abduction Haylee had so cleverly arranged by weaving a thick web around me and that horrible man. How did Mother process that when she thought of all this tonight?
“Well,” Irene said, after looking at me and perhaps seeing the sadness in my face, “I think everyone’s a bit tired. I know I am.”
“It’s going to take me forever to go to sleep anyway,” Haylee said. “It’s been exciting and wonderful, one of the happiest times of my life. Thank you, Mother. And thank you, Irene. Thank you for taking such good care of our mother.” She looked at me with that smug, self-satisfied expression she kept well hidden from anyone else.
“Ditto,” I said, and Haylee laughed.
“Everything could have been so much easier to do if we had thought of ‘ditto,’?” she said.
Even Irene, who really had no idea what she meant, laughed.
“I hope you enjoy your new bedroom tonight,” Mother told Haylee.
“It’s fantastic. I feel like I’m on a cloud, a pink cloud. Thank you, Mother.”
Haylee rose and looked at me, expecting me to mimic her every move. As usual, she led. I stood, and then we both approached Mother the way we had all our lives, me kissing her on the right cheek and Haylee kissing her on the left. Mother held our hands, the tears streaming down her face. I couldn’t keep my own eyes from tearing up, too. Haylee just smiled. She turned to give Irene a hug.
“Have a good night,” Irene said.
“Thank you. You, too,” Haylee told her.
I hugged her as well.
“It’s going to be fine,” Irene whispered. I wanted to believe her, but the darkness in my heart grew thicker. I said nothing and followed Haylee up the stairway.
“I’ll be sleeping with the sheet over my head,” she said. “Pink cloud.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Thanks. At least come into the cloud and spend a few more minutes with me,” she said when I looked like I was just going to head for my own room.
She slipped off her booties and lay back on her pillows.
“Well, sister mine, how did I do?”
“I think you know.”
She smiled. “Are you jealous or happy?”
“For Mother’s sake, I’m happy,” I said. “It wasn’t as bad as I feared.”
“I thought it went rather well. Make sure you tell Daddy. He absolutely hates the air I breathe. It’s all right. I know. Don’t try to deny it.”
“Daddy will make his own decisions about you, no matter what I tell him. If it’s important to you, you’ll work on winning back his love,” I said.
“Oh, you’re so wise, Kaylee, but then again, you always were.”