The Happy Twins

This story contains multiple sensitive themes which may trigger people including bullying, mild violence and loss.

On the 4th of June 1974 two girls were born at the exact same time of 4.44am. 

One to Tom and Lydia Brown who they called Margaret (their little Angel Maggie) whom they had prayed for, for so many years.

Believing she would never be, she was the most precious gem in their jewellery store. 

She had golden blond hair, just like Lydia. Which naturally fell into cute ringlets around her head as she grew into a toddler, and bright green eyes, thanks to Tom. They worshipped her like a goddess and due to this she became a little spoiled and bossy. However she knew she was loved and became very confident in her own wishes and desires. She was a stubborn child and had a very strong personality. 

The other girl born that day was the youngest of five children. Her parents were Bob and Mary Prescott. They owned the local farm and already had four boys so she was their only girl. 

Her four brothers were called Stanley, Stephen, Sidney and Seth. Following the tradition they’d set themselves they called her Shirley. 

She had fairly dark brown hair, brown eyes and freckles across her nose and cheeks. Each of her family members had some shade of brown hair, from lighter to darker tones. Bob’s hair being the darkest and was who she took after for her looks. 

She was loved but not worshipped as Maggie was. This made her more down to earth, willing to share and she learned to listen to others. Shirley was happy to do her part on the farm and worked very hard, alongside her older brothers who were very protective of their little sister. 

Maggie and Shirley first met each other in 1979, when they started mayflower infants 1 first year of school. 

Shirley was very shy and at the time was sat on the play mat, playing with some of the toy cars on her own. 

Maggie being popular, was already friends with Audrey and Peggy. The three girls walked over to the play mat and proceeded to tease Shirley about the fact she was playing with boys toys and wearing boys clothes. 

Giggling together and expecting her to cry they were surprised when she didn’t. Audrey wasn’t too impressed and snatched the truck she was playing with. Shirley continued to ignore them and carried on playing with the fire engine instead. 

Maggie was the first to speak “Didn’t you hear us? These are boys toys? For boys; you look like a girl dressed up as a boy, you should have one of the Dollie’s like us” she stated matter of factly while shoving a Sindy doll towards her.

Shirley looked at Maggie and replied “ I don’t like dolls they’re creepy”, then looked back to her fire engine.

Peggy said in a giggly tone “so you are a girl?”, 

“Yes I’m a girl” Shirley replied. 

“What’s your name then”Maggie demanded.

“Shirley” she responded. 

Just as Maggie was about to speak again. Audrey interrupted with a tiny tears doll saying “well you’re a girl it’s time you act like one get used to Dollie’s, this one cries just like you will when you have no friends”. Then added in a singsong style “girlie Shirley looks ugly, sitting in her stupid boys trousers. Girlie Shirley cries like a baby” Peggy joined in with “girlie Shirley cries like a baby”.

Maggie had gone quiet at this point, weighing the situation up in her mind, she didn’t feel this was so nice of Audrey.

As she was starting to say “Audrey.” She was cut off instantly as Audrey smashed the tiny tears into Shirley’s face laughing menacingly with a further taunt of “girlie Shirley cry like a baby”. 

 Both Maggie and Peggy went deathly silent as the dolls head crashed into Shirley’s nose and blood splatted from her nose onto her favourite blue t shirt. 

Her eyes welled up with tears, Audrey continued laughing “now she’s gonna cry girls hahaha”. 

Everything else seamed to happen at lightning speed. Peggy and Maggie, mouth agape looked at each other as Audrey laughed on evilly, but rather than let the tears fall down her cheeks, Shirley stood up wiped the blood away from her own nose and punched Audrey straight between the eyes. 

As Audrey’s nose bled down her dress the teacher, Miss Linley run over yelling “ girls girls “ to Audrey screaming and crying and Shirley’s hand still in a blood covered fist. On seeing this, Miss Linley decided unfairly on the spot that Shirley was to blame. 

While administering first aid to Audrey’s nose and trying to comfort her now quietened sobs. She failed to notice Shirley’s nose start to bleed again and instead asked Maggie to go back to her table and Shirley to the corner. Where she had to stand facing the wall for the rest of the afternoon. “But but” Maggie stuttered “Miss it was Audr” she was cut off with a harsh “to the corner now Shirley, I want you to think about what you have done , maybe tomorrow you will dress and act like the girl you are, boys punch not girls.” Shaking her head she added “Peggy pass me more of those cotton rolls will you, and then back to your seat too”. She turned back to Audrey “squeeze your nose and put your head forward between your knees Audrey, there there it’s not broken Sweetheart it’ll be alright” she trailed off looking towards Maggie and Shirley again. 

“Come on Shirley” Maggie said grabbing a handful of tissues from the box next to Miss Linley, and stomped away, grabbing Shirley’s hand and passing her the tissues to dab under her nose as they walked away.

That was the start of the two girls friendship, after that day they were completely inseparable, and were nicknamed “the happy twins” by the rest of the class. 

Over the years Maggie stood up for Shirley and Shirley for Maggie. Maggie told Shirley of her dreams to be a business woman put her career before men and was all about success. 

Shirley revealed under her tough exterior, how she secretly dreamed of finding the one, romance, children and being a good wife, but she had to be tough and tomboy like to cope and be accepted by her brothers. 

By the time they went up to senior school together. They were established as “The happy twins” and the only students who called them Maggie and Shirley were Peggy and Audrey who remained best friends themselves. 

At times they would all four hang out together. Shirley was already set on looking for the one, daydreaming and concentrating less on her studies and more on her looks. 

Audrey was thrilled about this! As it meant she could share her beauty tips with her and Peggy had the best fashion sense around. They were both already in relationships themselves. Maggie on the other hand was happy to chill with girlie nights but absolutely not interested in boys or dating. She was career obsessed and determined to be a vet, much to Seth’s annoyance! No matter how he tried as she grew older, she stuck with her “no”. Even when Shirley started dating Brad In year 4 of seniors.

After taking their GCSEs In 1990. Shirley was already dating Paul, after having had many unsuccessful dates. Paul was the first to be with her to a six month string. 

At this point Maggie and Shirley went their separate ways but stayed in touch on a daily basis by phone-calls. 

Maggie went to the royal veterinarian college in London, after securing her place and Shirley decided to get a job at the local cafe.

Again things didn’t last with Paul, but she met Marty in 1993. The girls were gradually less and less in touch as their lives carried on going in different directions.  

After a couple of years together in 1995 Marty and Shirley got engaged. They invited Maggie who was still concentrating on her career and barely had time for anything else, to come to an engagement party and meet Marty. 

Maggie said she would try and go, but never actually made it.

She was a qualified veterinarian working at her local vets, still determined to run her own practice, which took up all her time. 

Life continued moving forward until they completely lost touch with each other.

29 years later now in 2024 Maggie and Shirley are both 50 years old, even though they’ve occasionally thought about each other over the years they have learned to accept the loss of “The happy Twin” days and remember them fondly. 

On this particular day it’s time for Shirley’s lunch break. She has closed the shop for an hour and is just putting the cats into their sleeping area’s, when she hears a knock at the door. 

“Oh I must have forgotten to turn the sign to closed again” she thinks to herself as she wanders back through to the shop door. 

As she approaches the door she sees a woman standing next to a little girl who looks to be about 5/6 years old. The little girl’s holding a cat carrier in her hands, looking rather sad and Shirley hears her say “mummy they’re closed, we are too late who will look after starlight and shadow now?”

“I don’t know sweetie but we will find her somewhere safe I promise”. 

The woman’s voice sounds familiar but Shirley isn’t sure why? As they turn to leave she unlocks the shop door and opens it, as she does the little girl turns around. 

Shirley gasps and shakes her head in disbelief. She must be seeing things, the little girl has blond ringlet curls she smiles, her green eyes lighting up, Shirley is sure she’s looking at a ghost. Without thinking still staring at the little girl she says “Maggie? It can’t be”. The little girl looks up at her mum and says “ Mummy how does the lady know your name?”. 

With that Shirley looks up at the woman and sees those same green eyes, only the hair is greying and there’s wrinkles forming around the woman’s eyes and her cheeks have dropped. Much like herself with her wrinkles and grey streaks through her brown hair.

“Shirley?” the woman smiles and adds “it has been so long”. and the two women embrace each other for a minute. Both their eyes glistening with happy tears as Shirley adds with a laugh “29 years, 2 months and 16 days to be precise, not that I’ve been counting”.

They both step back from their embrace still smiling at each other, Shirley invites them in.

“Please both come inside, it’s not so warm out today”. 

Maggie and her daughter step-in as Shirley locks the shop door and beckons them through to the back area of the shop. 

To the right side they see a sign saying ‘Prescott’s cat and kitten hotel”.

To the left there is a comfy looking lounge area “come, sit down I’ll get you both a drink, Maggie is it still white tea with two sugars?”Shirley asks. 

Maggie replies with a small giggle “Oh it really has been too long, I haven’t drank white tea for years, do you have coffee? I drink it black no sugar now, if not I’m good with a glass of water.” 

“Um no I have coffee and for ..” Shirley questions looking towards the little girl “oh Daisy will have either milk or water”. Maggie replies. 

Shirley goes to make the coffee, milk and her own tea. She adds some chocolate chip cookies onto a plate, smiling to herself at the memories of the cookies her and Maggie used to share. 

As she places the tray down onto the table. Maggie also smiles at the sight of the cookies remembering the same good times herself, but she doesn’t take one, Just the coffee. Daisy picks up her milk and looks at Maggie. “Ok sweetie you can have one of the cookies” as Daisy reaches to grab one Maggie adds “what do you say?” Daisy shyly murmurs “Thank-you”.

Shirley sits down and questions Maggie “so how have you been? I never pictured you as a mum, you were always so sure you would never have children?”

Maggie answers With “oh hunny a lot can change in 29 years”. Then precedes to tell Shirley all about how she’d graduated uni. Still with career ideals about owning her own business and was working at the local vets. 

It was there, 29 years ago just as they lost touch that Maggie had met Bryan Templeton. He was a veterinarian at the same practice. They dated for a while, fell in love, got married, and bought a house together. 18 years ago they had their first child Preston, 13 years ago they had their second son Dalton. At that point there had been some heartache, after Dalton was born prematurely and they had nearly lost him, but he had pulled through. 

That was the point things had really changed for Maggie. She realised being a mum and caring for her boys was her priority. She gave up work completely to be there 100% for her family, while Bryan continued his career and became the head veterinarian at the local practice. They had a dog that Maggie and the boys used to walk together. But he had got old and ill and had to be put down 6 years ago. 

Which was a bittersweet time as that was the same time Maggie had been shocked to find out she was pregnant again with Daisy, who had become Maggie’s next priority. A year ago they decided to get the kittens, whom Daisy had named starlight and shadow due to one being completely white and the other completely black. They are currently going on a family holiday and need somewhere for the cats to stay, while they do. 

After hearing all this, Shirley sits back and says to Daisy “of course I will look after starlight and shadow for you while you go away. Would you like to come and look around the cat and kitten hotel and settle them into their room?” “yes please” Daisy replies happily. 

“We won’t be long make yourself comfortable” she says to Maggie.

As Shirley walks away with Daisy to the cat and kitten hotel, Maggie shouts “ should I reboil the kettle for another cuppa? Then you can tell me how you have been the last 29 years”. “sure, we won’t be long” Shirley responds and disappears with Daisy leaving Maggie alone. 

While she is gone Maggie can’t help wondering where Shirley’s husband and family are? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of them around. As she potters around the lounge area looking for photos she can see a few business certificates, lots of images of cats and kittens staying in the hotel, five star reviews, comments about Shirley’s wonderful hotel but no photos.

She thinks it’s a little strange that Shirley uses her maiden name for the cat and kitten hotel?

Even though she knows she probably shouldn’t she wonders through to the other side of the kitchen thinking to herself ‘maybe this isn’t Shirley’s home? just a comfy homelike business place”. However when she does go through to the other side she sees there’s a bathroom, single bedded bedroom, another private living room and what looks like a little office room with files, a pc and a well organised business room. 

She feels a great swell of pride for her old friend seeing this, knowing if she had lived her dream, she wouldn’t have been able to run a business any more successfully than Shirley appeared to be doing so. “Good for her” she says to herself. 

As she walks further into the office she sees a photo hung on the wall, it’s of two soldiers, she recognises one of the men, “Seth” she whispers to herself with a smile. The other man she doesn’t recognise at all, he’s good looking, tanned looks around the age of 20/25 maybe, a bit younger than Seth who must have been nearly thirty at that point. Underneath the photo is a plaque which reads “gone but not forgotten, Seth Prescott age 31 and Marty Jones age 24, brave soldiers who fought for the lives of the Bosnian people, until February 14th 1994 when they both received their Angel wings”

“Oh my” Maggie’s sighs, as a single tear rolls down her cheek. Her hand in a fisted clench held against her chest a lump grows in the back of her throat “poor Shirley” she murmurs.

“He was the one Maggie” Shirley speaks softly from behind her.

Maggie turns around as Shirley continues “once you loose your soulmate everything changes. Not only do you grieve the loss, but your heart breaks into billions of tiny unfixable pieces and your soul dies too. Nothing is ever the same again. Once you loose your soulmate you loose yourself. 

All you have there after are the wonderful memories, but you yourself, are an empty oyster shell, washed up onto the shore. Left forever looking for the pearl you lost in the sea of deep, indescribable emotions. Only the pearl is gone, it’s never coming back. You spend the rest of your life trying to fix your lost soul, rebuilding the tiny grains of sand one at a time into something that feels even slightly worthwhile. Gradually, you get to a point where you find you have managed to rebuild a shadow of a dark pearl, out of sand grains. 

It remains fragile, but at least you get to smile again”

As Maggie embraces Shirley in a tight hug, like a mother holding onto her heartbroken child. Shirley adds. “I am the oyster shell Maggie, Marty was my pearl, and Prescott’s cat and kitten hotel is my dark shadow of a pearl”.

The End