Everett was parked in front of Evan’s house in Westlake, but he couldn’t make himself get out of the car. Now just moments away from meeting his twin brother, the gravity of it all was too much.
He’d kept his promise and not looked at Evan’s or his family’s social media profiles even once during his two-day trip. But now, it felt like he had no other choice.
He wasn’t even killing time, at least not exactly. He was looking through Evan’s LiveLyfe profile with purpose. He had been picturing his introduction — or visualizing it, as Clara would say. But no matter how hard he imagined the exchange, Everett couldn’t conjure the perfect opening line. Everything sounded stupid as soon as he said it out loud. He deserved a cinematic moment, an unforgettable reunion between long-lost brothers. But every line felt like it came from the wrong genre of film.
He set his phone on the passenger seat and looked back at his brother’s home with a sigh that tried hard not to be envious. The place was much more impressive in person, owning its corner with a regal profile and stunning landscaping. Almost palatial. Three cars occupied the long driveway: a pair of Teslas (one black and the other white), parked with a cherry red Prius right in between them.
Evan pulled away from the curb. No reason he couldn’t take a little tour of the neighborhood for inspiration. The more he saw himself fitting into a place like this, the more confident he’d feel about knocking on his brother’s door.
The plots were spacious, and seemed neatly divided between older homes — maybe from the 60s or 70s — and larger, more impressive custom builds.
His favorite was a three-story beauty nested high on a rise that made the property look like a resort. He made the mistake of looking it up RealEstated, and couldn’t believe that the sprawling hill country estate had a price tag of just $1.7 million. A property that size and stature in California would cost three or four times as much, unless there had been a massacre inside it.
As he parked in front of Evan’s house again, he felt more intimidated than ever.
You belong here.
Evan will be so excited to meet you.
This is the beginning of the best part of your life.
Everett pictured the surprise and gratitude on Evan’s face, and that was enough to get him opening the Mustang door.
But then he closed it again. And reached for his phone.
He wanted to check Evan’s LiveLyfe profile once more, see if there were pics of the party he was about to walk into. But apparently Evan hadn’t felt like sharing that part of his life with the world, and neither had Klair.
But he did see three new texts from Clara, and one missed call.
Where are you?
Why haven’t you texted me back?
Then, to his surprise: Is everything okay? I’m starting to worry.
Apparently she’d contacted the Ds as well, because their voicemails sounded even more distressed.
This was making things worse. Focus, Everett.
He imagined holding a bag of Beaver Nuggets in one hand, and his Gameway bags in the other as he tried out entrance lines.
Happy birthday!
Did you think I would just show up to meet my long-lost twin brother without bringing some gifts?
And the best one so far: I couldn’t decide between a sweet Texas delicacy, a bleeding-edge video game system, or a long-lost twin — so I decided to bring all three!
LiveLyfe dinged. Finally, a post. From Klair rather than Evan.
Happy birthday to the most amazing man in the world!
Klair’s words were centered underneath the kind of photo that Everett had always longed to be in. Evan in the center, his beaming wife and children close around him, plus an older couple who didn’t look related. His adoptive parents? Or Klair’s?
It didn’t matter. Now Everett knew that the party was family only.
Soon to be his family.
He donned his hat, checked the way his cuffs were kissing his boots, then grabbed the Beaver Nuggets and the Gameway bags and headed for the front door. He really should have had the systems wrapped, and dammit, he hadn’t even thought to get a card.
But he was the real gift, wasn’t he?
Everett rang the doorbell, waited twenty seconds, then rang it again.
Still nothing. Not even after another two minutes and three long knocks.
He didn’t want to think the worst, but Everett started wondering if maybe he was being ignored. If maybe they were all on the other side of the door, laughing at him.
The Beaver Nuggets felt awkward in his hand, and the Gameway bags were getting heavy.
Maybe he should just go ahead and make the call. He had Evan’s number from the background check. He should have had it programmed into his phone and ready to go, but it felt like a jinx to play for failure. It would be a shame to lose out on the cinematic moment of that door opening to twin brothers seeing each other for the very first time. Especially after a cross-country drive. But Everett didn’t know what else to do.
Why weren’t they answering their door?
Could that Livelyfe photo have been taken in the elderly couple’s home instead if this one?
Everett set down the Gameway bags, dropped the Beaver Nuggets into one of them, then took out his phone and searched for Evan’s number.
The door opened and Everett looked up.
His brother. No longer a picture, now in the flesh.
Evan looked back at him, but it was a broken mirror moment.
And the shards were already falling. This was nothing at all like he had imagined.
His mind went blank.
Evan stared at him in shock.
Everett remained paralyzed on the doorstep for the longest five, six, seven seconds of his life.
“Happy birthday!” he finally blurted.
“Thanks?” Evan still looked baffled.
“Did I get the day wrong?” Everett laughed nervously.
“No … it’s my birthday.”
“I’m Everett Alvarez. Your twin brother from California.”
“I can see that. At least the twin part.” Evan stood back from the door, finally loosening up. “Look, I’m sorry. Happy birthday to you, too. This is just such a surprise.”
“Isn’t it great?” A cumbersome smile. “I drove all the way from California.”
“Without even calling?” Evan looked baffled, when he should have looked honored. He nodded toward the Mustang. “Is that yours?”
Everett could hear the Ds in his head, warning him that he was being foolish. This was all going so very wrong.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to intrude. I just found out I had a brother a few days ago, and since it was my — I mean our birthday week, I thought it would be fun to surprise you. But now I realize that I should have called first.”
After another moment’s hesitation, Evan opened the door all the way and said, “Happy birthday. Would you like to come in and meet my family?”
Not our family, but still a great start.
“Yes, please.”
Evan closed the door behind them and pointed at Everett’s boots. “We don’t wear our shoes in the house, so if you wouldn’t mind …”
“Oh, of course.” Everett suddenly felt ridiculous. He looked like he was wearing a cowboy costume, while Evan looked trendy in high-end jogging pants, T-shirt and hoodie — the look that everyone constantly told Everett he was too old for.
Evan waited for Everett to get his idiotic boots off, then walked away, expecting his brother to follow.
When Everett entered the laughter-filled living room, everyone froze.
Gaped at him.
Traded glances.
Then Harmony said, “You look like my dad, except sad and fat.”