Mistaken Identity

The day began like any other. Brian Powers woke up to the chatter of his alarm clock radio, with the usual DJ blabbering the usual nonsensical celebrity gossip the public so desperately craved. In an obnoxious voice made for radio, the DJ announced the latest blockbuster starring none other than superstar Brian Po… “That’s enough gossip for one day,” Brian muttered as he rubbed his eyes and shuffled to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

Brian left his ordinary apartment and entered his unremarkable car to go to his tedious office job in the city. Leaving his apartment, everyone he passed by seemingly stopped in their tracks the moment they saw him, jaws dropped, and eyes glued to his every move. “Geez, stare much,” he thought as he exited the lobby. Walking towards his car, he was met with the familiar face of his neighbor Larry. Only something seemed different. Instead of a quick “Hello” and smile, Larry instantly gasped and ran towards Brian, pen and paper in hand.

“Oh, please Mr. Powers, can I have your autograph?”

“Autograph? Larry, have you lost your mind!” Brian exclaimed. “What is this, some sort of prank? Am I on hidden camera?”

“You know my name Mr. Powers! Wow, to think a superstar knows me!”

Superstar? Brian was confused. Larry barely uttered a sentence to him, and here he was claiming that he was some sort of fan? Thinking Larry to be under some sort of fugue, Brian quickly entered his car, making sure to lock the door as he did.

The drive to work produced even more oddities. Brian was the on the receiving end of countless stares from passing motorists. People pulled out their phone cameras, pointing the lenses towards Brian’s direction. Some even tailed his car, mirroring every turn he made.

As Brian entered his office parking lot, a swarm of photographers crowded around his car, flashing lights clouded his vision. Stepping out, he was bombarded with questions from countless reporters. Brian thought he was in a dream, or maybe a nightmare.

“Okay, what gives? What’s this all about, huh?”

With a laugh, an older man with a fedora said, “You’re not used to this by now?”

“You’d think with as many blockbusters under his belt he’d be used to a few paparazzi…” the fellow next to him muttered.

“Blockbusters? What am I, some sort of movie star?”

In a panic, Brian ran to his office door. The paparazzi parted to make way for the seemingly mad man, flashing their cameras as he pushed through the doors.

Brian let out a deep breath. What was that all about? He took little notice to his fellow coworkers staring at him as if he were an escapee from a prison looking for a place to hide.

What he did notice however, was the TV broadcasting the latest celebrity news, with his face being the main focal point. It started to sink in at this moment that he was being somehow mistaken for a movie star, and in some way, he had filmed a blockbuster movie. Did he have amnesia? Or was this a case of mistaken identity?

Brian asked his boss if he could take off work. For some reason, his boss saw him for who he was. Office worker Brian. The average everyday Joe who had worked at this company for a decade. Brian left the office, determined to find out just what was the meaning behind this whole situation.

Entering the employee bathroom, Brian did his best to disguise himself, gelling his hair, putting on a hat, sunglasses, and shaving his beard to avoid being recognized by the press. He ventured out in search of answers.

Brian thought about his past. What could he have done unknowingly to be confused for a movie star? Brian was in theatre in high school but that lasted a semester after many attempts to recite Shakespeare had failed miserably. He had a normal childhood, one brother…

It dawned on Brian that his mother had mentioned an earlier pregnancy which ended in adoption. Could it be that his long lost brother was none other than the famous actor he was being mistaken for? Did his brother share the same name?

Rushing to grab his cell phone, Brian dialed his mother, asking her all about the forgotten brother he now remembered he had. She did not know his name, however, she knew the family who adopted him. This was the key to solving the mystery of mistaken identity. Brian called the family.

A woman answered the phone. Brian asked if she had an adopted son. Weary of giving away too much information, the woman hesitated and said yes. Brian exclaimed, “He’s my long lost brother! Is he a star? I think I’ve been mistaken for him recently!”

She shared her son’s accomplishments and life to Brian, detailing especially the recent role in a movie which would be his biggest role yet. Brian was shocked to learn all this. He had to meet him. “Where is he? I need to see him!”

….

Hours later Brian was face to face with his doppelganger. People around him were shocked to see two people who looked so much alike. They had met at his twin brother’s mansion. It was extravagant, filled with ridiculously expensive artifacts, furniture, and oddities. Brian thought to himself how he had gotten the short end of the stick in the womb if this was how his long lost brother had been living.

Brian’s twin brother laughed when he explained how he been continuously mistaken for his famous brother, even detailing his experience with the paparazzi. His face soon turned grim, however, and Brian became concerned.

The star told Brian how he had become tired of the glamour of Hollywood and wanted to retire. Brian, who grew tired of theatre in high school after one day, could not imagine acting for as long as his brother had. His twin had an idea. An idea that shocked Brian, but somehow excited him as well.

“Brian, how’d you like to become a star?”