Twins Redux

part 1

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

William Penn Elementary School Auditorium 1981

Mr. Brown, the school principal, faces two students on the school stage. Both are well known to him, but for very different reasons. Twelve year old Elizabeth Kowalski is arguably the school's best student and has won this All-School Spelling Bee for the last 3 years. Last year she actually made it to the top 10 in the All-City Competition and then there is Brian Kinney.

Ten years old and full of attitude, Mr. Brown has seen Brian in his office at least once a week for the last three years. Until this last year he thought of Brian as a lost cause. Then he met Joan and Jack Kinney and realized that the kid had to be tough to survive his parents whom he privately referred to as the "Ice Queen and Otis (as in the Andy Griffith Show)." From that moment on he began to pay more attention to his troublemaker. In doing so he discovered that while Brian was often mouthing off to his teachers or punching out some student, usually 2 to 3 times his size, he was also a solid B+ or better student who often sported unexplained black eyes, split lips and other bruises. Furthermore he discovered that Brian was no bully, but rather a protector. The other smaller and less popular kids had a champion in Brian and a lot of his fights were on their behalf.

Mr. Brown and Brian's weekly visits had gone from punitive sessions to meeting of the minds. During their last session they had an hour-long discussion about Tom Sawyer and how it relates to modern day children.

Brian had read the book at Mr. Brown's request. He assumed that it would take the child 2 to 3 weeks to read the novel. As always the young hellion surprised him by reading it over the weekend. The only thing more surprising than his completing the book in two and a half days was his comprehension of the novel. His comments about the book would be considered insightful and enlightening for a high school student.

Elizabeth may be the best student, but Brian is by far the brightest and most intelligent.

"Miss Kowalski, please spell psychiatric."

"P-S-I-C-H-I-A-T-R-I-C, psychiatric."

"I'm sorry that's incorrect., Mr. Kinney, please spell psychiatric."

"P-S-Y-C-H-I-A-T-R-I-C, psychiatric."

"Congratulations Mr. Kinney. You are the winner and will be representing our school in the Citywide Spelling Bee."

The auditorium breaks out in a subdued applause. They are stunned that the school bad boy has just beaten the school brain. Mr. Brown and Mrs. Davis, Brian's 4th grade teacher, are the only ones who are not surprised by the out come.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Two months later at the Citywide Spelling Bee, the Hilton Hotel and Towers Ballroom

Two boys stand front and center stage. They are the final competitors in the Citywide Spelling Bee. At first glance you would think them to be brothers or maybe cousins, but definitely products of the same gene pool. Both stand tall and proud. One is wearing the distinctive blue blazer of his very exclusive private school. The other just as striking in his navy blue Easter suit.

Brian's opponent is Aidan Brady-same skin, same hair, same height, same keen intellect, and different eyes. Aidan's eyes are brown instead of hazel.

There are two other and some might say more significant differences between the two, where Brian is the product of a physically abusive home and public school educated. Aidan is a spoiled self-centered product of seemingly over indulgent parents and the product of the city's best private schools. Therefore Aidan was considered to be the odds on favorite.

"Mr. Brady please spell iconoclasts."

"I-C-O-N-O-C-L-A-S-T-S, iconoclasts"

"Correct, Mr. Kinney please spell, misspelled."

"M-I-S-S-P-E-L-L-E-D, misspelled."

Thirty minutes later the two young men are still going head to head, word for word. The audience is awe struck, as this is the first time that the final round had ever gone this long. For certain whether Brian wins or loses he has won for no one expected him to get this far let alone hold his own against the social and education elite.

"Mr. Brady, please spell paradigm."

"P-A-R-A-D-I-A-M, paradigm."

The groans of the audience alerted Aidan to his mistake even before the moderator speaks. "I'm sorry Mr. Brady that is incorrect. Mr. Kinney, please spell paradigm."

"P-A-R-A-D-I-G-M, paradigm."

"Correct and congratulations…"

The moderator's voice was all but drowned out by the cheering and applauding audience. Standing on their feet and cheering loudest are Mr. Brown, Mrs. Davis, several other teachers, and parents from Penn Elementary. Joanie Kinney is there and applauding politely with the barest of smiles on her seemingly frozen face. It is not that she isn't proud of her son, but in her opinion it would be undignified to cheer and shout. Decorum at all cost, no matter what.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur for Brian. His only clear memory of the day is the satisfaction of proving Jack Kinney wrong. He distinctly remembers his father's comments upon hearing that his son would represent his school in the citywide competition.

"Yeah, yeah…That's just swell Sonnyboy, but don't expect me to waste a day of leave to watch you lose. Upon seeing the stricken look in his son's eyes Jack for once feels his son's pain and hurries to add, "look kid I know you're smart. You're probably smarter than your mother, sister and me put together, but you're still just a poor Irish kid up against a bunch of rich kids and their private school educations. The odds are against you. So don't get your hopes up."

Brian couldn't wait to show his father his gold medal and trophy, but the best was the look on his face when he showed him the computer system, complete with printer, and the $1000.00 savings bond. Jack was speechless for a full two minutes. When he could finally speak he simply said, " I'm proud of ya, Sonnyboy. You showed those rich SOB's that us working stiffs have brains, too…Good job."

For two weeks after the Spelling Bee Brian was everyone's fair-haired boy, even Joanie bragged about him to her friends and family. She was especially proud of the news article about Brian and the spelling bee in The Pittsburgh Gazette. There was even a picture of Brian and a quote from Joanie.

However, not everyone was happy with Brian's win.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The following morning The Brady home in the fashionable suburb of Penn Township, PA

"…But I'd never heard of the word and it wasn't one of those on 'The Most Often Misspelled Words List' that I studied. I came in second and got $750.00 savings bond and a computer system. That's still good."

Logan Brady simply stares at his son with a look of total disgust. "Your monthly tuition is more that $750.00. My shoes cost more than $750.00 and as for the computer I can afford to buy you a damned computer…Do you know why I can afford to do those things…buy those things?…It's because I've never settled for second best. Nothing in my life is second best…Not my clothes, not my car, not my house, not my wife, and not my son. Do you understand me? And take that silver medal off."

Logan walks back to his desk and picks up the daily paper and drops it onto his son's lap. "That is the picture of a winner. Look at his eyes, Aidan. He will never be second best…Whenever you think that second best is good enough you remember his face and that look. That's the look of a winner. That's the look you should have. No son of mine will be second best."

Logan leaves his son quietly staring at the article and photo. Suddenly Aidan rises from the oversized leather chair and goes to his father's desk. He uses the scissors that he finds there to cut out the picture and article from the paper and with a softly spoken oath he takes off his silver medal and drops it in the trash. "Never again…I deserve to be the best…I am the best…no more second place."

With the article in his right hand he uses his left to scoop one of his father's precious tropical fish from the tank and holds it in his hands as it flaps and gasps its lasts breath and smiles. After the fish stops squirming his smile broadens. He drops this fish back into the tank where it floats lifelessly on top and he laughs. Quickly stifling his joy Aidan leaves the room still clutching the article about the boy with the look of a winner.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

August 1985

Joanie Kinney is speaking on the telephone to her sister Mary from her kitchen in her new home.

"That's right Mary. He finally stayed sober long enough to get a promotion and raise…Yes, I know changing parishes means having to get to know new priests, but I can't very well travel 45 minutes one way everyday for mass, especially when there is a church less that 15 minutes away…Mary…Mary I know that it is predominantly Italian, but they are still Catholics and I know for a fact that there are two Irish priests at the church...Mary...Mary, I have to go to the movers are here with the last load."

The movers that Joanie spoke of consist of Jack, Brian and several of Jack's lodge buddies. Brian rushes up to his room with a box that he packed himself and has not let out of his sight.

Its contents would seem mundane to the uninformed, but to Brian it is full of his most prized possessions:

But the most valuable of the items in the box is another box. This one is metal, an old metal strong box to be exact with a battered lock. It's contents--$1000 savings bond, two $50 savings bonds (a confirmation gift and a graduation gift from Mr. Brown), his maternal grandfather's gold pocket watch, and $557.50 in cash. The cash is money saved from years of allowances, lawn mowing in the summer and walk shoveling in the winter. Collectively this is Brian's life savings, but he thinks of it as his escape fund.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

August 1984, the waiting room of Pediatrician Jason Fitzpatrick, MD. Dr. Fitzpatrick is world-renowned and the Nephew of Bishop Fitzpatrick and therefore very successful with the country club set and the good Catholics of the city.

"But mom I'm not a baby. Why can't I go to the doctor that dad goes to or to the clinic? Why do I have to go to a baby doctor?"

Many of the mothers in the waiting room quietly chuckle, some having had the same conversations with their teenage sons. However, Joanie is not amused she is both embarrassed and infuriated by her son's outburst. Leaning to her left, she angrily whispers. "If you want to play sports in school you need a physical. We get it here or no where. It's your choice and keep your voice down."

Brain's only answer is the sullen and dismissive look that no 13-year-old should have mastered, but for him it is a trademark. In an effort to escape his mother's equally lethal stare Brian goes to play with some of the games on the other side of the room.

Many of the toys and games are for much younger children, but there also comic books, word finds, crossword puzzles, and teen magazines. Brian decides to read one of the latter. As Brian is reading an article about Patrick Swayze and the other actors from the movie Bad Boys, a small pale hand holding a wooden alphabet block appears over the top of the magazine accompanied by a spate of unintelligible words. All belong to the most beautiful 18 month old little boy with blond hair and blue eyes. Not having the heart to be mean to the little boy Brian smiles, gets down on his knees and says, "Thank you little man." He is rewarded with a huge blinding smile. Much to his surprise he spends the next 20 minutes playing with the adorable little boy until a nurse comes out and announces, "Justin Taylor."

The little boy having heard his name turns toward the nurse. "Is that you little man?" Are you Justin?" Again he is rewarded with a big smile and an unexpected hug. Then a beautiful blond woman with the same blue eyes comes over and takes the toddler's hand, "Say 'bye bye' to your friend." The baby follows his mother, looks over his shoulder and sadly waves goodbye to his new friend just as another nurse comes to the door and calls "Brian Kinney."

Brian gets up and meets his mother at the entrance to the examination rooms. Another 13-year-old scrutinizes his progress from the play area to the door. Several minutes after Brian enters the exam area a nurse's voice rings out again "Aidan Brady." The boy rises and consciously changes his walk to resemble that of the hazel-eyed teen that at that moment is being weighed by the nurse.

"Brian you've grown almost 3 inches, but you've only gained 6 pounds. Don't you want to grow up to be big and strong like your father?"

Startled by her comment, Brian turns cold eyes toward the young nurse. "You know my father?"

The young red head, Angie smiles at Joanie who is staring daggers at her, "Well…uh yes…my brother belongs to his lodge and I met him there."

"Yeah right…Anyway I take my build after my mom's side of the family. She can still fit into her wedding dress after almost 16 years." He looks at the pleasingly plumb nurse up and down and dismissively says, "Nope no fat on her…not an ounce." It's not that he really cares about Jack's cheating, but no one is going to disrespect his mother, especially not to her face. The young nurse knows that she has been insulted and by a mere slip of a boy and begins to respond to his insult, but is stopped cold by the twin challenging stares of the sullen teen and his mother. Her retort dies in her throat. Instead she simply turns and shows the two to Exam Room 3.

As he turns to leave the weighing room, Brian notices the chubby teen waiting with his mother to be weighed by the other and in his estimation much prettier nurse Bridgett, staring at him. "Do you know me or something?"

"BRIAN! Don't be rude. I'm sorry..."

"No. He's right I do know him. You beat me in the All City Spelling Bee."

"That was 3 years ago."

With a smirk Aidan replies, "yeah I won the next two years, but you never made it to the finals after that. What happened?"

Dismissively, Brian shrugs, "Oh I never entered again. My principal got me into some special classes and I got more interested in science and stuff like that. Besides once you win why keep doing it? Well later."

As Brian walks away Aidan realizes that once again Brian has beaten him and is still a winner. He still looks like a winner. He watches how he walks, tries to remember his face when he spoke and how he looked as he dismissed Aidan and shut down the red head nurse. His study of Brian is interrupted.

"Aidan, step onto the scale please. Aidan well you've grown 3 inches, but you've also put on 35 pounds." Turning to Mrs. Brady, "Is he sticking to his diet and exercising? I'm afraid the doctor isn't going to be happy about this." Turning back to Aidan the nurse tries to soften her criticism with a little praise. "Aidan you have such a handsome face and my God your eyes are fantastic. Now if you could just put a little effort into watching what you eat and maybe join a sports team or something."

The last of her lecture is finished just as they reach Exam Room 4 and Aidan can hear the doctor laughing and joking with Brian.

"Okay, Brian so what sports are you doing this year?"

"Well…I'm going to add cross country and track in the spring and just do indoor swimming during the fall and winter. That way I can have some variety instead of just swimming all year long."

Sounds like a plan, but Brian you could stand to gain a pound or two…well actually 10. I know that you're all muscle and you're strong and healthy, but a little more weight wouldn't hurt…Brian here's your permission slip. Why don't you go wait outside while I talk to your mother?"

"I want to stay if you are going to talk about me…Is there something wrong?"

"No Brian. It's just administrative stuff. You know insurance and forms and things."

Brian knows that the doctor is lying, but he doesn't argue because if something were really wrong he wouldn't have signed his permission slip.

Once Brian exits the room the doctor's whole demeanor changes. "Mrs. Kinney, I've held my tongue for as long as I can…"

Alarmed Joanie interrupts, "Is there something wrong with Brian?"

"Yes and no. Brian is healthy, but he won't stay that way if you continue to allow his father to beat him!"

Joan begins to shake her head and deny the truth, but the look on the doctor's face stops her cold.

"You don't know Brian. He's a difficult child. He is disrespectful and rude. He…"

"He is a typical teenage boy who as far as I can tell from my records has for the past 5 years had numerous bruises, black eyes and other suspicious injuries. I am also aware that I am his 6th pediatrician in 4 years. I'm not going to report this, but I will be monitoring him. And if you have any ideas about changing doctors again I will report my suspicions to the authorities."

"It's not my fault. It's not even his father's fault. Brian brings it on himself…"

"Mrs. Kinney I'm not going to argue with you. This is your only warning. Oh and try to get him to eat more carbohydrates-potatoes, rice, and bread things like that. He needs to gain some weight."

Dr. Fitzpatrick exits Room 3, takes a deep breath and opens the door to exam room 4. "Mrs. Brady, Aidan, let's see how we're doing…Hmm…Aidan I see that you've gained 35 pounds. That's not good, but I'll get back to that. Are you still having headaches?"

"Yeah, but not as often as before and not as bad."

"That's good. Are you still having stomachaches?"

"No. They're all gone. The meditation techniques that the doctor taught me helped."

"So you're still seeing Dr. Simpson?"

Aidan fidgets and looks at his mother. She clears her throat and softly says, "My husband felt that Dr. Simpson was causing more harm than good. He was destroying Aidan's confidence. As a result, he stopped seeing him after about 3 months."

"I see…um Aidan now to your weight."

"No doctor. My husband says that we are not here to discuss Aidan's weight. You will deal with his headaches and stomachaches and nothing else. His weight is not up for discussion. Do you understand?"

Many people would be shocked be the stern rebuke of the seemingly quiet woman, but Dr. Fitzpatrick knows that in the case of Mrs. Brady looks can be deceiving.

"Yes, Mrs. Brady I understand. Aidan we're through. Could you wait outside while I speak with your mother?"

Aidan gladly leaves because he knows that a contest of wills is about to take place. After leaving the exam room he mutters under his breath, "I hope your insurance is paid up."

"Doctor I don't believe we have anything to talk about."

"Well, Mrs. Brady you are wrong. Aidan is becoming dangerously overweight and he has some definite psychological problems that Dr. Simpson and I feel are the cause of his headaches and stomach pains. But there are minor compared to what I see as his real problem-namely you and your husband…No don't interrupt. You are raising a self-centered, self indulgent and egotistical person. You have wrongly taught your son that the world owes him something and by virtue of birth he is entitled to be treated better than everyone else and you and I know that that is utter, for lack of a better word Bullsh…"

"Dr. Fitzpatrick, my son is no longer your patient. I'll be requesting that his records be forwarded to his new doctor. You'll be contacted with the name and address of his new physician later."

"Mrs. Brady, that is your right, but one day you will regret not listening to me."

Mrs. Brady was half way down the hall before Dr. Fitzpatrick had completed his statement. Wearily the Dr. heads for the next exam room and smiles as his legs are tackled by the happy 18 month old with shining blue eyes and radiant smile.

Bending down and picking up the smiling toddler he says, "Hello Justin how's my little Mr. Sunshine? Are your allergies any better?"

On the ride home Mrs. Brady explains to Aidan that he will no longer be seeing Dr. Fitzpatrick again. Aidan simply nods. He is preoccupied with thoughts of Brian Kinney and knows what he must do.

Three weeks later Aidan has lost 15 pounds and is running 1 mile a day and three cats are found dead their throats cut and doused in acid.

One month later and 40 pounds lighter Aidan is expelled from school less than 2 weeks into the semester for slashing the tires of his Earth Sciences teacher after he had him transferred to general science. Two cats and a dog are found mutilated-throats slashed and doused in acid.

One year, two private schools, and 100 pounds later he is enrolled at Benjamin Franklin High School with Brian and Michael. Also during this time six of Logan Brady's most expensive fish have mysteriously died and the bodies of 2 dogs were found burning in a vacant lot.

Return to Twins Redux