A World Away

by Kenneth Anstiss
(West London England)

I am an identical twin, but over thirty years ago my twin and I were split up. He left for a new life in Sydney, Australia and I stayed in London.
It was a terrible wrench for us both, probably the worst day of my life.

As children my twin and I were constant companions, we never hardly argued and only ever fought once angrily. When dad gave us a pair of boxing gloves to try out, it was a mistake and one of us totally lost it and dad had to pull us apart ...the gloves were thown on the fire.

When we were small we got sore throats ,mine was the worst but the doctor sent my brother to hospital to have his tonsils out. I complained to my mum about my sore lips ,but she could see nothing. When we arrived at the hospital my brother complained about his mouth and how the doctors had split his lips gagging his mouth open. One of many strange occurrances that have happened throughout our lives.

My brother is left handed, I am right. He had two boys and a girl, I had two girls and a boy. Mirror imaging and reversal of lives seem to happen a lot with us.

While, Chris, my brother was in Australia he had problems with his heart. I knew nothing of this until one day he had to have his heart set into a better beat. They zapped him with a machine whilst I was waling in my garden, I nearly passed out and was rushed to hospital.

My brother's heart had stopped and they had to shock him again to get his heart going.
I was now in hospital but although my heart was in an eratic rythem they found nothing wrong with my heart!

Two years later I couldnt move, my back was stiff, and I was in a great deal of pain, I phoned my brother to see if he was okay,but his wife answered and said he was lying flat on his back with a slipped disc.

We seem to be able to feel each others pain across thousands of miles. We have only met twice in all that time. I wonder every day what he is doing and if he has changed much. Then, I look in the mirror and just know his hair will be falling out in the same places as mine!