TWIN TALK

My husband is an identical twin.  He and his brother communicate frequently by phone.  He lives close enough to get together fairly regularly, but there are often daily conversations—sometimes more than daily.  They talk to each other in what I consider to be uniquely “twin talk.”  Probably not unique to them, I think lots of twins do the same thing.  Here’s how the conversation goes.  Phil, my husband, answers the phone and there is silence on his end for as much as several minutes.  Then there's conversation--generally about the behavior of a golfer at a recent tournament.  Or it could even be about a tournament that took place last week, last month or last year.  Or sometimes it turns to politics.  It's insignificant in the total scheme of things.  I think they’re just the topics they enjoy talking about.  There's always a disagreement.  Always. 

Here's the part that has always amused me.  When they’re done--"done" meaning they don't want to talk anymore because there is a new topic or the disagreement is becoming too contentious or they’re weary of the subject matter, the phone is simply closed or put back in its cradle.  There are no "goodbyes," no "talk to you later."  It's just over.  Furthermore, the next conversation begins as if the previous one had never ended. 

These are men with elephant-like memories.  They forget nothing.  But it seems their interpretation of the same event may have been different.  Or maybe they're just too stubborn to agree so one will automatically take another point of view—regardless of his actual point of view.  After 30 plus years of marriage, I stopped listening to these conversations years ago.  But every once in a while I can't avoid hearing a snippet or two.  It's comforting to know that some things never change.