Twin Beds

The Bridesmaid

New York

The neighbors could hear the fighting and it was getting on their nerves. For years they'd been hearing the shouting through the thin walls of the apartment, and they'd even gone so far as to suggest a good divorce lawyer. Sad to say, the quarreling couple did not take the advice, and continued to hiss at each other like angry cats.

The kids were tired of the fighting too. Neither of them could remember a time when their parents got along, unless it was a birthday, anniversary, or holiday, when the parents would lock the door of their bedroom and tell the children not to knock unless something was on fire. After that, they always seemed considerably happier for the rest of the day, and although the kids didn't know what was happening behind those walls, they knew it worked. For a day.

And of course, no one was more tired of the fighting, then the family lawyer. He had been sitting for years with the couple, trying to get them to realize the marriage wasn't working. But whenever he made a breakthrough, the couple fought about which of them would sign the dotted line first. 

On that particular morning, it was five-year-old Tyson's birthday and he and his brother, Abel, were patiently waiting at the breakfast table for their parents to unlock the bedroom door. They finally did, coming out into the kitchen and sitting beside their children.

"So Tyson," the mother said, sweeping her long messy hair into a ponytail. "What do you want to do today?"

"I want to get some breakfast," he quipped. The parents looked at each other, than stood to start preparing the food. Tyson and Abel watched them steadily, occasionally commenting on the food, or what they wanted on their frozen waffles.

"By the way," the mother said, "Natalie's wedding got moved October 15th, so make sure you're here for that." Her phone rang and she looked down at it. "Oh, that's Nat. One sec, I'd better take this." She moved out of the kitchen and into the bedroom, answering the cellphone. "Hey, Nat."

"Catherine! How are you?"

Natalie's voice sounded too cheery, like she was trying to butter up Catherine. "What do you want?" Catherine asked, seeing right through Natalie's deceit.

"Um, Cathy, we've run into a little snag-"

"Just spit it out."

"You can't be my bridesmaid."

Catherine was silent, not sure if she was joking. "You've got to be kidding."

"Look, it's not fun for me to tell you this. It's just, the pictures-"

"The pictures?"

"Yeah, um-"

"Look, Nat, I gotta go. It's Tyson's birthday." Catherine hung up, not caring how rude she sounded. Anger stirring within her, Catherine walked back to the kitchen table, clutching her phone in her right hand. "Jamie, can you believe this?!"

Her husband looked up from helping three-year-old Abel with his cereal. "Believe what?"

"I mean, I worked tooth and nail on this wedding, and this is how she repays me? I can't believe this! The bratty, selfish, whor-"

"Woah, Cathy," Jamie covered Abel's ears. "What happened?"

Catherine sat down heavily, running her fingers through her long ponytail. "Natalie cut me out of being a bridesmaid."

Jamie drew his eyebrows together. "What? Why? Did Ashley get cut too?"

Catherine leaned back in her chair. "Oh, I- I don't know. I'll have to call her. Can you handle the kids?"

"Of course. You're gone so much, I practically raised them anyway."

Catherine rolled her eyes but ignored the dig at her job. Catherine worked at a the office for a competitive soccer league, and during soccer seasons, she was gone almost all the time. Jamie, on the other hand, had a job at a marketing company, which took him on extended business trips every year. Fortunately, with both of them gone most of the year, the fighting had decreased slightly then it had been in years past.

Catherine fingered her phone, finally pressing the "call" button for her twin sister, Ashley. "Hey, Ash, could I ask you something?"

"Oh...um, hey Catherine. Hey, you know I can't really talk right now-"

"Oh my gosh, she didn't kick you out did she? Just say it."

"Cathy-"

"Don't. Just don't. I can't believe-" Catherine left the kitchen, her voice growing louder as she walked. She could feel the eyes of her husband and sons on her back as she fought with her twin sister.

Finally Catherine hung up, sitting heavily on her bed. Her chest felt tight and hot, and her thoughts were jumbled. Ashley was Catherine's identical twin, and yet she was a bridesmaid when Catherine wasn't. Bitterly, Catherine reflected on the other things Ashley had gotten away with. Ashley was such a goody-two-shoes. While Catherine was heavily competitive and outgoing, Ashley was much quieter and kind. People often saw Ashley as "perfect", which infuriated Catherine.

Then Catherine had an idea. An awful idea. She smiled, humorlessly, almost laughing at the brilliance of her plan. Ashley would be out of town next week, for bridesmaid business which left Catherine with the perfect opportunity to get back at her for years of undermining and humiliation.

"Jamie?" Catherine said, quietly, walking back into the kitchen. Tyson and Abel must have finished their breakfast. She could hear them playing superheroes and villains in their shared bedroom. "I'm still going on that bridesmaid trip tomorrow, just to help out. I'll see if I can convince Natalie to put me back on the list."

Jamie shrugged. "Okay. I'll just hold down the fort here." His phone dinged with an oncoming message and he looked down at that. "That's Jake." He read the text and creased his forehead. "Can you handle the boys for a few hours? Jake wants to talk discuss plans for Mom's funeral. Knowing him it'll turn into some long debate nobody has time for."

Catherine nodded, watching him leave the room. Then a smile spread over her face. She had a lot of work to do.