Chloe and Zoe were joined at the torso, twin sisters who shared the same beating heart; identical opposites, only much more so, they distanced themselves, unable to part.
They appeared in my office one rare rainy day, when the rain rinsed the smog all the way to the sea; when I saw them there waiting, one calm, one dismayed, I shuffled my schedule and made time for us three.
I surreptitiously spied on them, quietly sitting on the waiting room sofa's luxuriant leather; stunned by their beauty and nearly forgetting the strange living membrane that joined them together.
Demure Chloe the taller, with pale freckled skin, her red wavy hair wild and thick as a mane, Zoe the smaller brunet, dark and thin, with black eyes that broadcast desires quite plain.
I reminded myself I had numerous patients whose conditions had altered a sound self-esteem; no matter their sickness or grotesque mutation, I helped them discover their beauty beneath.
Among my past clients albino guitarists and homebound unfortunates grossly obese; the newlywed vampires perhaps the bizarrest, but the Hollywood undead are on the increase.
And of course I see models and actors galore Who hide their neuroses behind plastic beauty; These two famous sisters, though hard to ignore, Could never endanger my firm sense of duty.
I ushered them into my office and noted how Zoe's outfit was revealingly cut; she sensed the appraisal and practically gloated and colored her gait with the hint of a strut.
Pale Chloe dressed plainly in t-shirt and sweats striving to look wholly unlike her twin; she averted her eyes, just as plainly upset, at this unsettling setting she found herself in.
They sat facing me on the naugahyde loveseat, small smoldering Zoe the dominant sister. Chloe considered this chat indiscrete but as Zoe was driven, she didn't resist her.
We started with small talk-the traffic, the rain, The lack of street parking, which markets were cheaper; Zoe was talkative, Chloe restrained, And I sensed it was time to start digging deeper.
I explained that I typically taped all my sessions but that they could request that I take notes instead; at this Zoe smiled and remarked her impression that progress required inhibitions be shed.
And so Zoe smiled and started their story that began twenty-six and a half years before. Chloe sat mutely, conciliatory, accepting me as their first real counselor.
* * * * *
The sisters were born on rich Southern soil to snake-waving parents who gibbered in tongues; on the fall equinox, when the summertime broil cooled down, helping farmers get harvesting done.
The labor was long; and as it grew longer the weather turned wicked and rain lashed the house; the bedside attendants just prayed all the stronger; their pa shouting psalms to calm his screaming spouse.
Near midnight the storm reached its thundering peak, the wind howling madly, the lightning intense, then an ear-splitting shrill hysterical shriek became weak babies' cries in the candlelit silence.
Its energies spent, the fierce storm abated; The birthing room quiet, except for the twins; Ma and pa cuddled the lives they'd created Knowing pain newly ended meant pain to begin.
Hardship is labeled a curse or a gift, Depending upon one's will to overcome; It can strengthen connections or encourage rifts And divides those who triumph from those that succumb.
The lucky can bury sharp torments of youth; The strong can do battle against hated rivals; But the pain we repress has the keen edge of truth, And the spirit can scar even in its survival.
