They were born long before scans were invented & it was a complete shock to their mother, when a second baby popped out!
Their father must have been still suffering from shock when he entered the name Harry on the birth certificate instead of Harold, the name he had been instructed by his wife to use. He entered his second son as Laurence & they have been known as Harry & Larry ever since, like Tweedledum & Tweedledee, opposite sides of bookends, very alike even now.
When they sit together, they cross their legs in the same way & at the same time & have the same mannerisms. They visit each other twice a week & phone each other several times a day.
It must have been a nightmare for their teachers, as when they were young, they wore identical clothes & often changed roles to the point of accepting each other's punishments. They were known as "The Terrible Twins".
Even today they are often mistaken for each other & people get very confused when one of them completely ignores a friend of the other twin.
By far the funniest incident occurred when our daughter, Debbie, was marrying Rupert at the church where we were very well known. The bridegroom, best man & the rest of the congregation were expecting Harry to appear with the bride at any moment, before walking up the aisle together. The bridesmaids were already outside the church & there was an air of expectancy hanging over everyone.
The vicar suddenly noticed Larry sitting in the pew near the front, with the other relatives.
He seemed agitated & rushed over . "Harry, you are meant to be with Debbie, what are you doing here?" He managed to gasp. Of course he didn't realize that there were two of them, never having met Larry before.
During the wedding reception, several people asked Harry why he kept changing his suit, not knowing that Larry was also mingling with the crowd in a suit of a different shade & style.
A few years ago, Larry injured his back & was supposed to be lying flat while recovering. Harry was up a ladder painting the outside of his brother's house, when he was noticed by some one who knew Larry was on sick benefit. Now that took a bit of explaining!
In case anyone is wondering ............ no! I have never muddled Harry with Larry & neither has Rhoda, my sister in law ............ at least, not that I know of!
5 comments:
Are twins proof that there is a parallel universe? My two great grandaughters are only 1 year apart and like two peas in a pod. They are now starting to act like twins and finish each others sentences. It's gives me such a buzz to hear them in the back of the car when I occasionally pick them up from school. They are like a couple of little old ladies!
Maybe Harry and Larry know different!
R & Crazy ..... Your two great grand daughters sound lovely! Sisters can be very close like that! Grandchildren are the best! Can give them back when they get too much!
The Mother of This Lot! ..... Could be! :-)
I just cannot imagine carrying twins and not knowing about it. Talk about a shock though. Great story - and it's lovely that they visit each other twice a week.
A bit hit & miss in those days, expatmum. Just as well it was a normal birth.
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