Like Peas in a Pod As we walk along the street, people are always staring in our direction. By Zelma Roush The rarity of identical twins makes them more than something to write home about. Most people inquire on the spot. And even to Velma and me, who should be accustomed to it by now, it is quite some fun being as alike as peas in a pod. For, as most persons know, we are in the minority, since only about one-fourth of all twins are identical one-egg brothers or sisters. So Velma and I are two of the few persons making up that snug little group who, two by two, look just like themselves, even to their mothers. This may be a queer idea in a twin, but still I do not think we look entirely alike and I cannot understand why others fail to tell us apart. Yet neither do I care to have it said that we are not identical in appearance. In fact, we prefer to believe that it is our personalities that are unlike, not our looks. When you come to know Velma and me well, you realize that as a matter of fact our personalities are not the same. You will find this true with most twins. Yet even though our personalities are quite different, our likes and dislikes have developed much the same. We approve of the same people, sports, shows and studies. When it comes to clothes, Velma is more fussy about what we wear, and so she picks it out and I usually like it. If for some reason I don't, then we don't purchase it. Many people have asked us how we decide what to wear each day, and whether or not we argue about it. Ever since I can remember, we have taken turns in selecting clothes. One day Velma picks them, and the next day I make the choice. If for some reason the one who doesn't buy the clothes does not care to wear what has been purchased, we tell each other and then get something else. We never have arguments about it though. All our lives we have dressed alike, and I suppose the main reason we still do is that we haven't yet thought of a good reason to quit doing so. Some people ask us, "Are you going to keep dressing the same when you are married?" That to me is a silly question, but then maybe it wouldn't seem so if I were not a twin. I can't see any reason why we should keep on dressing alike after marriage, because then we'll have two individual lives instead of two so closely combined. Page Ten Fixing our hair is also a problem. If you have ever tried to do your hair like someone else's, you'll know what I mean. What is discouraging is to have one's hair go in nice and for sister's to be unruly that day. So one must re-do her hair so as to have it appear like that of the other. There is another thing about us that people can never understand. We keep our money together, and even if one of us earns more than the other we don't care. Nor do we feel "gypped" if one spends more money than her sister. Being twins really makes two persons part of one another. When we were younger and one of us was scolded, we would both sit and cry. Sometimes I think it was worse having Velma punished than if I had been the one to receive the talking-to. New acquantances think we mind being called by the wrong name, but we don't. We've been called the wrong names for so many years we hardly notice. By being a twin, one certainly is asked some odd questions. The strange thing about that is that when the persons ask, they think they are being really funny, but we have usually heard the questions all our lives. One of the pet phrases is, "Why, how do you tell yourselves apart? How do you know you're not her?" No one can tell us from each other when we are asleep. Many mornings when Mother or Dad has to call only one of us, our parent stands there and tries to tell which is which, but can't figure it out. Then whoever it is tries to remember which one sleeps on which side of the bed. We once had a great deal of fun with some pictures taken at the carnival. We mixed them all up and had Dad say which was which. He felt very stupid when he missed about half of them. Mother laughed and declared that she could tell them apart. Well, we had a time laughing at Mother, too, because she missed even more than Dad. When we told our best girl friends, they wouldn't believe us, and so we made them try it. Embarrassed smiles lit their faces as they mistook me for Velma quite consistently. People say, "If I were a twin I would sure have fun fooling people." If they were twins, they wouldn't think much about it. However, I remember one day when Velma wanted to go down town right after school, and the teacher had told her she was to remain in for talking. So we switched seats and I stayed afterward for her. While I was being punished for Velma, I finished my studies for the next day. Teacher never did find out about the hoax. An experience we had this summer is very common in the life of twins. Velma was at work in one office and I in another. A new girl entered Velma's office on some errand and spoke with Velma. As she turned to leave, she met me. Whirling about, she took another look behind her at Velma and then a second one at me. "My gosh," she exclaimed, "there's two of you. I wondered how you got around so fast." As we walk along the street, people are always staring in our direction. And when others are along, our companions can't become used to the glances and always say, "How do you kids stand it?" We tell them that after nineteen years, we should be used to it. Lowell Brenton states in the June, 1940, issue of Good Housekeeping, that "Keeping twin children like identical peas in a pod prevents their attaining fully developed adult personalities, and leaves them unequipped to deal with life as separate individuals." This assertion may be generally true, but I feel that the companionship one has from such a life is invaluable. I feel that when I marry, I shall be able to leave Velma, because another love will then have taken first place in my life. I wouldn't want to be anything but a twin. It's wonderful. Page Eleven