September 2002                                                  The Megaphone                                                                Page 3

  If this title confuses you or leaves you thinking for a moment, let me explain myself with just a few words. I am a twin and my best friend is my brother, Denny.

  We grew up in Elwood beginning our grammar school at Central Grade School, and if you think it's tough just starting school, it's even harder when you have a twin brother to look after and to mother at the same time.

  Twins are unique in the sense there is such a loyalty and a bond between each other that appears to be much stronger than with other siblings. They even share a select language they exhibit called "twin language." It's a series of short cuts that is used with one another and partly result from all the times they spend with one another. It is known that one twin will always be the leader and one the follower. Many twins have a balance in their relationship where this role is reversed and the other becomes the leader at a later time. One may also be the dominant twin in an aspect of their relationship while the other takes the lead in another.

  There are identical and fraternal twins, and my brother and I are fraternal or dizygotic (two zygotes) sets. This occurs when two eggs fertilized and implant in the uterus. The genetic connection is no more or less the same as siblings born at separate times. They may look alike, or they may not. Identical monozygotic (one zygote) twins form when a single fertilized egg splits into two genetically identical parts. The twins share the same DNA set, and may share many similar attributes, but since physical appearance is influenced by environmental factors, and not just genetics, identical twins can actually look very different. Identical twins are always same-sex sets.

  Denny and I began grammar school in September 1952, and I remember the morning mother walked us down North A. Street to begin our first full day of school. There was so much anxiety within me the only comfort I knew was my best friend was at my side making the journey with me.  I wore the pretty little dress mother had made special for my first day of class, and Denny wore a shirt made from the same material.

  It didn't take long before we showed signs and voiced our opinion to mom that we no longer wanted to dress or look a like. We wanted our own identity. Perhaps all the ridiculing from the classmates played an important role in our decision, but we no longer wanted to stand out; and since our friends didn't concur with mom's fashion sense for the time, we wanted to make the change.

  In some ways we wanted our independence, but still the closeness and bond was hard to separate. For example, in our first grade class, Denny would hold his hand up to be excused to go down stairs to the rest room, and in a short time I would do the same. My intention was not to go to the rest room, but to wait outside in the hallway to make sure he had put himself back together, and to see he was safe before returning to our room. Here I was playing the dominant role as a mother.

  This behavior lasted for about a year when the teacher during parent teacher night explained to my parents, it would be best for both of us if we were separated, and placed in different classrooms.

  Throughout the rest of our school years, we never shared a classroom again, but there was always a spirit that kept us connected. I feel it truly a blessing to have been part of an experience that few siblings ever know. Even though there is a love for your other siblings, it is not the same closeness you share with your twin.

  There may never be an explanation as to why to souls connect as twins do, although I would like to think it comes from sharing one heart for so many months. No matter what the emotional or scientific reason is, I am grateful to have had someone at my side all these years because after all, "You Ain't Heavy, You're My Brother!"

Deborah (Bozell) Donahue '64
Ormond Beach, Florida