The Unbreakable Bond

Leonardo Lance Leavitt, DDS was six years shy of becoming a forty-year-old virgin, of which he was painfully aware. No women were eagerly lining up to get laid by a man whose nickname was L³, but perhaps equally appalling to women was sleeping with a dentist. Maybe if he were a plastic surgeon, his prospects would be greater, and if all else failed, he’d at least have the satisfaction of fondling women’s breasts. He blushed. Nope, he chastised himself, he was a professional; he wouldn’t have those thoughts.   

When Leo was six years old, his favorite movie was Rudolph. It didn’t matter whether it was Christmas season or not, Leo would insist on watching Rudolph multiple times when it was his television time. Leo didn’t watch Rudolph for the red-nosed reindeer though. Instead, Leo was drawn to Hermey, the elf that wanted to be a dentist. Leo’s favorite toys were his Hermey doll and his most prized possession, a pretend dentist kit. His family members were suckered into being his pretend patients.  Leo laughed at that thought and quickly looked around. Nobody else seemed to notice him. For once, he was hoping someone would notice him. Would it be too much for someone to ask him the source of his laughter? Unfortunately, Leo was all too familiar with invisibility as Hermey was only a hero for a few years, but then he became the source of the taunting. With the exception of two young girls, Chrissy and her twin, Joey, the children were cruel. Leo had become the social outcast. He was the weird kid who perseverated on dentistry. As Leo took a sip of his beer, he wondered about Chrissy and blushed for the second time. Leo was fond of Joey too, but Chrissy had this je ne se quois quality about her. Even after all these years, his heart still fluttered. She was the kindest human being and she treated Leo and Hermey with respect. Chrissy listened intently the first time as she did the tenth when Leo instructed her on how to properly brush her teeth. 

Leo could only imagine how beautiful Chrissy was now. Did she still have bouncy blond curls? Were her eyes the same golden brown? Did she still go by Chrissy? Leo felt tingly and he did not want to lose that sensation. He must find her now. It was his new mission. A switch had been flipped and thoughts of her became all consuming.  His appointments could be cancelled, but his search could not. Of course, the easiest way to find someone was to look on social media. It took some sleuthing, but by the end of the week, Leo had finally found her. Picture after picture reflected the woman that Chrissy had become, svelte, tall, and stunning. Her loose curls softly cascaded past her shoulders. Her eyes were even more inviting, tempting Leo. Running on lust, his thoughts were impure, but he needed to message her. He wiped his hands and took a deep breath as his fingers took their place on the keyboard. 

Chrissy, I’ve waited a long time to tell you this. Even after all these years, I still have feelings for you. Do you have feelings for me? Want to go out for dinner? Leo typed.

“No, no, that won’t do.” He said to himself and promptly deleted his message.    

After numerous attempts, Leo was finally satisfied. 

Hi Chrissy, I hope you’re doing well. It has been too long. Would you like to meet and catch up? -Leo

Leo hit send before he could change his mind again. His message was short and to the point. He feared being rejected immediately, so he decided to start slow and not confess his love right away. That part could wait. Surely, once she laid eyes on him, she would be smitten with him too.

Leo was in limbo now. Almost instantly after sending the message, Leo refreshed the page looking for a notification dot. Never patient, Leo could only sit and wait. He attempted to watch television, but his thoughts remained on the computer. By midnight, there was still no response. Haunted by the idea of being ghosted, Leo couldn’t sleep. Instead of trying to fight it, Leo got out of bed and grabbed a notebook to concoct a plan.

After an agonizingly long week, Chrissy had not responded to Leo’s message. Leo decided to enact phase two of his plan. If she wasn’t going to respond the easy way, then he would have to do it the hard way. Knowing the office would be vacant now, Leo went in and found a syringe, filled it, and departed quickly.   

******

“You can’t be twins, you don’t look alike.”

The Twins looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Even in kindergarten Chrissy and Joey knew that they had to educate the public. 

“She has glasses,” the children on the bus would say as they pointed at Chrissy. “And she doesn’t,” they would argue as they stared at Joey. 

“She has blonde hair, and she doesn’t.” “You have freckles, and you don’t.” The twins had heard it all. 

It was as if the twins were trying to pull off a stunt, a charade, a lie, when in reality they were the only ones who knew the truth. 

“There are TWO types of twins and, we’re FRATERNAL. It means we don’t have to look alike.” Chrissy’s words fell on deaf ears.

“We are not identical,” Joey chimed in, but the children on the bus did not care. The world may never understand their ”twiness,” but it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. It’s true that the twins were not the Doublemint Twins, but it did not mean that they didn’t have a special bond. Sure, they couldn’t pull off the ole twin switcheroo, but they could tell what the other was thinking. Of course, they didn’t have actual telepathy, but they were always on the same track. They hardly needed to speak in full sentences because the other would respond with “yeah, I know.”

***

Chrissy had just finished grocery shopping. It was late and she was beat; however, it was easier to shop when the store was empty. Playing bumper carts with other shoppers was not on her to do list. She heaved the bags into her SUV. Why did she buy so much shit?  She thought. She already dreaded carrying it into her house and putting it away. Before she could close her trunk, Chrissy was startled by a voice behind her.

"Come with us,” a man in a gray suit approached Chrissy. He grabbed her by the arm. Chrissy fought with the man until another man appeared and held a gun to her back.

 “If you don’t be quiet and still, I will shoot you.” 

Man number one took her other arm and handcuffed her. Chrissy complied.

 “What’s going on?” 

“You know what you did.” But she had no idea. 

The men frisked Chrissy and took her phone. Then, they threw her into a dark van with tinted windows and sped off into the night.  

“What is going on?” She said. “I want a lawyer!” But the men ignored her.

She started screaming. 

“Shut up,” they said, “or we’ll shut you up.”

Chrissy quieted for a few minutes before she said. “I have to use the bathroom.”

“Hold it!” The men said.

“I can’t. I’m going to pee all over the seat.”

“Ugh,” man number one grunted. “If I had known she was going to be this difficult…” He mumbled under his breath.

“Well, we do need gas,” man number two said just loud enough for only man number one to hear.

“Okay, but no games,” man number one said to Chrissy.

They arrived at the gas station and man number one grabbed Chrissy by the arms. He dragged her out of the van and undid her handcuffs without letting go of his tight grip. He dragged her into the store. He led her over to the bathroom, checked to make sure there weren’t any windows, and pushed her inside. Chrissy was relieved that he didn’t follow her into the bathroom, but she could hear him right outside the door.  She quickly canvassed the bathroom for anything to signal for help. There wasn’t much. Her purse had been left in her vehicle. and the men had her phone. 

“Hurry up in there!” Man number one pounded on the door.

Chrissy jumped. She washed her hands and exited.

“My blood sugar is low.” She said.

“Too bad,” he responded.

“I’m going to pass out if I don’t get any sugar. That will cause a scene. I’m sure you don’t want that. Just let me grab a soda. I’ll be quick.”

Man number one rolled his eyes, but he walked her to the sodas. Just as she reached the Mountain Dew, her phone rang from his pocket. 

“I should answer that.” She said.

“I don’t think so.”

“Who is it?” She questioned.

“Someone named Joey.”

“That’s my sister. She’s my twin. She will know if something isn’t right.”

“Nice try.”

“It’s true, she will.”

At that point, the phone stopped ringing. It didn’t take long before it rang again.

“Look, she is going to keep calling if I don’t answer,” Chrissy said.

“Okay.  Okay. No funny business or you won’t see your dear sister ever again.”

Joey couldn’t shake this weird feeling that she had. She had been feeling fine all day, but now she was queasy. Something was off and she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She picked up her phone and FaceTimed her sister. It rang and rang, but Chris did not pick up. She waited a few minutes before she tried again. 

“Hello.” Chrissy said.

“Hey. Oh good. I was worried about you.”

“Why were you worried?”

“I don’t know.  I just had this weird feeling.” 

Joey studied her sister. She thought maybe she was imagining it, but Chris’s normally chipper voice was dull, and her eyes were staring deep into Joey’s as if she was pleading with her to read her mind.”

“I’m just getting a few things at the Mobile on Route 3. You know that one, right?” Chrissy responded. “You know, I never quite realized how funky this town was. It’s a funky town. Oh it’s my turn at the register. I’ve got to go. Love you.” 

“No wait! Chrissy!” Joey said, but it was too late. 

Man number one ripped the phone from Chrissy. 

“Let’s go!” He said.

“What about my soda?”

They grabbed the soda and went to the register. Chrissy stared at the young girl behind the counter, pleading with her to notice something wasn’t right. Unfortunately, the cashier did not seem to notice. 

“That’ll be three dollars.” She said flatly.

“Oh honey, would you mind? I left my purse in the car.” Chrissy looked at man number one with a smile.

He threw down the money and they exited the store.

“Don’t you dare do that again.” Man number one said.

“What? I didn’t have any money.”

Man number one just responded with a look of annoyance.

The men forced Chrissy back into the cuffs and shoved her into the van once more.

“I have rights!” She yelled. She fidgeted and twisted her arms attempting to escape the cuffs. “You’re better than this. What would your mommies think? Look, just let me go, and I won’t tell anyone. Okay?”

“It’s going to be a long trip if she doesn’t shut up,” said man number one.

“Pull over and I’ll fix your problem,” man number two responded.

The van pulled over to the side of the road. Man number two hopped out and went to the back of the van. Then he opened the side door to where Chrissy was sitting. He had a syringe in his hands.

“Oh hell, no! Don’t you dare touch me,” Chrissy said. She kicked her legs and wiggled around to no avail. 

Man number two pulled the shoulder of her shirt down and jabbed the needle into her arm.      

Chrissy’s body slumped against the seat. 

***

Chrissy moaned awake. Hoping it was a dream, she assessed her surroundings. She was alone, sitting on concrete in what appeared to be a basement. There was a tiny window high on the wall, but the moon hung in the sky and did not offer any light. It was dim in the basement with the only light source being a bare light bulb. Her hands were still cuffed, but she was cuffed to a slightly longer chain. Chrissy sneezed. If these men didn’t kill her, surely the dust will.  Focus, she told herself. She pulled on the cuffs, but they were strong. I must stay sharp. Then, she remembered the bobby pin her hair! Hastily, she bent her head low, and felt around for the pin. Where is it?  Where is it? When she realized it wasn’t there, she cried. 

           Thump, thump, thump, creak, creak. Chrissy froze. Her heart thundered in her chest. Someone was coming down the stairs. She could see a pair of feet clad in blue fuzzy slippers descending.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Leo said.

It had been many years, but Chrissy still recognized him. “Leo!”

“So you do remember me after all?”

His voice reminded her of a movie villain. It was sinister, although, it didn’t seem to fit his body. He actually, didn’t look too shabby. 

“Of course, I do.” Chrissy responded. “But, why are you doing this to me? I was nice to you.”

“It’s not about what you did, dear Chrissy, but what you didn’t do.”

“What didn’t I do?” 

“You didn’t respond to my message.”

“What message?”

“I messaged you on social media and you didn’t respond.” He said.

“Really? You hired two goons to abduct me for not answering a message. You’re better than this, Leo!”

“Evidently, I’m not.” He chuckled.

“I don’t even use that website anymore, that’s why I didn’t see your message. Look, if you just let me go, nobody has to know about this.”

“Shut up.” He hollered. “It’s too late for that now.”

Chrissy fell quiet. 

“You see, after all these, years, the one thing that I pined for, well I guess dentistry was one, so the second thing that I pined for was love. Did I get that love?” He asked.

Chrissy didn’t say anything.

Did I get that love?” He repeated.

“Uh, no?” Chrissy said quietly.

“You’re damn right I didn’t. Want to know why?”

Chrissy nodded.

“Because the only girl who ever took an interest in me, ghosted me! Now, does that seem fair to you?”

“No?” Chrissy hedged.

“Exactly!” He walked over to Chrissy and brushed her cheek with his hand. 

“That’s why I brought you here. To love me.” He whispered in her ear.

Chrissy struggled to avoid his advances, but she was at a disadvantage with the cuffs. He kissed her lips and Chrissy shuddered. 

“Come on, baby. Let’s do this right.” He un-cuffed her from the chain and immediately cuffed his left hand to her right. 

“You don’t have to do this Leo!”

“Yes, I do.” 

He led Chrissy around the stairs where there was a shabby mattress on the floor. A worn Hermey doll lay on top. He pushed her down and started to undress her. Suddenly, footsteps pounded down the stairs and pried Leo up. Chrissy was dragged up too because she was still connected to him.

“Thank God!” Chrissy cried.

The police freed her from her captor and took him away. Joey ran up to Chrissy and wrapped her arms around her.

“Are you okay?” Joey asked.

“No, but you got her just in the nick of time.”

“You understood my code, didn’t you?” Chrissy smiled.

“Of course, duh!” 

“Funky town from Supernatural!” They both chimed.

Though they didn’t look alike, their twin bond had proven itself once again, and nothing could ever break it.