One day, I spot my contented sister at a shop, strolling hand in hand with a distinguished gentleman, both wearing wedding bands.
Laura has a twin sister named Emily. Since birth, they have been each others closest friends. They play together, swap secrets, and even get into trouble side by side. Whenever one is in a tight spot, the other leaps to her defence. Their clothes have always matcheda tradition they cherish even now as adults, despite having the freedom to choose their own outfits. They take quiet pride in being the twins.
The girls live modestly with their parents, in a comfortable but unremarkable home in Sheffield. Like many English households, money is never abundant. So when Laura heads off to university in Newcastle, Emily dreams of joining her, but the family simply can’t afford it. Both girls and their parents are disappointed. Their parents scrape together whatever they can, still managing Lauras tuition fees in hopes that both girls will be well educated one day. Emily feels immensely embarrassedevery penny seems weighted, and the small family budget just wont stretch any further for her, try as they might.
One evening at supper, the girls grandmother has just a bit too much sherry. As her words tumble out, she lets slip a family secret. Back when their parents had two daughters, they actually considered putting the youngest up for adoptionafraid they couldnt cope with raising twins. The youngest, of course, was Emily.
Emily is deeply hurt and outraged at the unfairness of it all. No matter what her parents say to soothe her, she cannot let it go. She is convinced that she is loved less than Laura, so she decides to rebel. The next day, she goes and withdraws her paperwork from the university.
She starts blaming everything on her sister. If Laura hadnt been around, surely no one would have dreamed of sending Emily away. She would have been the only, most cherished child, basking in all the familys attention. From then on, everything changesdistance grows between them, and the bond they once shared as twins is broken. They begin to live their own lives, apart.
Laura gets married, has a son, and settles into family life in Manchester. Years pass without any contact between the sistersexcept for that single strained visit to their parents house. Emily behaves coldly, making snide remarks and criticising Lauras appearance.
The next time they cross paths, its by chance in the bustling Trafford Centre. Emily is elegantly dressed, strolling confidently beside a dignified, obviously affluent man. Laura instantly assumes this must be her husband.
Laura hastily moves to greet Emily, but Emily only steps back, as if to suggest she doesnt recognise her at all. Taken aback, Laura freezes, while her sister turns away, slips into a luxurious car, and drives off.
Inevitably, they meet again at their parents place. Emily immediately attacks Laura, pointing out that she looks untidy, not presentable and rather shabbyan embarrassment, she says.
Theres a grain of truth in her words. Lauras curly hair is always a little wild; she prefers to go without make-up and dresses in simple clothes. Emily, by contrast, expertly applies her make-up, wears her hair in a neat style, sports contact lenses instead of glasses, and can afford regular beauty salon visits.
Laura is wounded by her sisters cutting words. After all, shes not inferior in any wayshe too has a husband, a loving family, and a child. She complains bitterly to her mother, sharing years of pent-up frustrations. How could her own twin, once so close, have turned into this cold, spiteful stranger? Where did such bitterness come from?
Her mother begs her not to hold a grudge against Emily. Let her be happy, she urges. She pleads with Laura to keep her distance and allow Emily her peace.
Since then, Laura is only welcome to visit her parents if she calls ahead or is specifically invitedcarefully avoiding any chance meeting with Emily. Just one careless revelation has set off a chain of events, changing the course of the whole familys lives forever.
