PROLOGUE

Events that lead up to my eventual story

 PROLOGUE

It had been said that never were two people so in love with each other as were Janice and Jerry Newby. Known affectionately as the two jays, they were clearly a pair of lovebirds more in tune with each other than any other twosome in their wide circle. And when Janice after several years of disappointments became pregnant, everyone that had ever known them was delighted for them, especially her special friend Angela.

And so it was that the time came for the world to welcome two newcomers to the world because scans had shown the presence of twins, and after a moment’s worry about coping with two rather than just the one they treated the news as evidence of a bonus. They even knew that the expected jewels were two boys. They were prematurely named Johnny and Jack, thus keeping the initial first names the same ss their parents, excitedly boasting that the two Jays would soon become four.

The first sign of problems arrived when the attending doctor decided that in order to make the birth safe for both babies and the mother, they would be delivered by caesarian section, and the reason for that action became obvious when the twins were delivered, two quite large baby boys who were said to have been in distress and needed to breathe the sir of life as soon as possible or there might be sad consequences.

“You clever old thing,” said Jerry. Stroking Janice’s hair with a tenderness that spoke volumes of his feelings for her. “They’re proper monsters,” he added with a warm smile.

“At least they’re in the world,” she whispered painfully in reply.

And neither of them knew it, could have even started to guess, but those were the last words that precious women would ever speak. For she fell asleep that first night and became a statistic in the field of unexplained sudden adult deaths.

Jerry wanted to find someone to blame, but couldn’t because in all honesty there was nobody at all culpable. Janice had passed away in her sleep, and that was that.

So Jerry had to face the huge reality. His precious wife had brought two new people into the world and iun so doing had departed it herself. And he had the huge job of rearing them, on his own, a single father in a world where single parents tended to be mothers.

It was then that he was offered help from the bereaved parents of his Janice. It was her mother, Sylvia McBride, who made the first tentative offer.

“It’s going to be tough, and hard on the twins,” she said quietly. In all honesty she had never taken to Jerry, but was wise enough to know that her feelings towards him were more to do with the fact that he had stolen her baby from her in the first place that any flaw in the man’s character. In fact, she was aware that he was widely respected and that her jealousy was her own sin.

“You poor boy,” she murmured when they were alone and the twins, a mere few days old, were both asleep in their cots in their own home, “you’ve got a life-time chore in front of you.”

He nodded. “Tell me that again, Sylvia,” he said glumly. “and its made worse by the loss of the only woman I ever laid with…”

“No, lad. It’s twins that will make it worse. Two of everything: two filthy nappies, two crying babies waking up in the night demanding the breast, and in the future two first steps, two first words… And just one of you. Might you find another wife?”

He shook his head angrily. “No other woman could replace Janice!” he exclaimed.

“Then may I offer a suggestion?” she asked, and her husband sitting behind her, Tommy McBride, nodded his head furiously, indicating that he and Sylvia had already made decisions.

“If you like,” he almost grunted, aware that hitherto unknown decisions had been made behind his back.

“Twins are two people and each person demands the same amount of love, and that is something that a single bloke on his own, no matter how well intentioned, can’t hope to provide,” she began

“But….” he interrupted, “they need a true parent!”

“Now listen me out,” she continued with a smile. “Toy have two healthy boys, identical in just about every respect, don’t forget. Our Janice called them by the names you chose for them with her, before she passed away, Jonny and Jack. And because they were born the way that they were you can’t say one’s older than the other like you can with normal twins born in the normal way one after the other. So if you find yourself in difficulties, and you’ll have work, you know, the need to earn a living…”

“Well?” he asked.

“Let’s pretend that Jack’s the older of the two, alphabetic order, you know… and if you find you simply need help, you can palm the other one, Jonny, off on us because we’re his natural grandparents, and we’ll help while you bring Jack up on his own away from too many distractions, with fewer pressures on you…”

Jerry was appalled by the suggestion. Twins separated? Never, he thought.

It took less that a month for him to come round to Sylvia’s idea, a month of almost total exhaustion, despite the help and encouragement of the lovely Angela who lived across the road from him.

Angela had been Janice’s friend back before the twins came along nd she was clearly as upset by her friend’s death as anyone could be. She wept a lot, but Jack was almost two when she finally moved in to be a surrogate mother to him. And all that time Jonny stayed with Sylvia and Tommy.

There was a separation there. Twin brothers, identical twins at that. Brought up almost ignorant that the other existed.

Which had consequences of its own, though the two little boys did spend some times together when Jerry called round to see his number two son whenever work didn’t get in the way, which it often did..

And then his work played an even bigger part when he was relocated out of the county and to a quiet leafy corner of creation, and Angela, by then a lover planning a wedding, went with father and one son, creating a family of three.

© Peter Rogerson, 25.06.24