The Other Side of the Coin

There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: twins. ~Josh Billings

June 15, 1987.

My birthday is truly a remarkable day. My mother was going into labor, while my father encouraged my mother to wait. He was engrossed with the final round between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers final playoff game. My father is a die hard Lakers fan and not even the birth of his twins could deter him.

My mother was twenty-three years old and my father was twenty-four years old. She was going to burst any moment, her stomach resembling a swollen watermelon. My father was elated from the basketball game, the intensity of the moment too much for him to handle. The Lakers won 106-93, sealing their victory and fourth championship in the 1980s. My father was on top of the world, while my mother still suffered from labor contractions.

After the game, my father took my mother to the hospital. Although my mother resembled a butterball turkey, she did not know she was going to give birth to twins. When my parents heard the news, my father was on top of the world. He called his mother, telling her she was going to be a grandmother and he was going to be a father of twins.

His mother responded, “I am a twin too. But my sister died when we were born.”

Not only was this news to my father, but also a great shocker. He had never known his mother was a twin, and I am sure, he felt a little uncomfortable with the situation.
Nonetheless, my father was ecstatic about everything. The Lakers just won the championship, his twin daughters were on the way, and in a few days it was going to be Father’s Day. Things could not get any better.

My mother soon went into labor. My twin sister, Jessica, was delivered with a natural birth. Moments later, the sound of the machine beeping erratically filled the room. The doctor had a nurse remove my sister. My heart beat had started to drop quickly. My parents did not have a chance to see Jessica. Everything just happened in a few minutes. There was no time to think over things or second guess. The doctor performed a c-section to get me out of the womb. I was freed from my mother and immediately taken away. My parents did not have a special, personal moment with us.

My sister and I were an unexpected surprise for my parents. Both were delighted to be having a set of twins, but the end results were not what they expected. My parents never had the chance to hold us or carry us. My mother did not see us for two days. The doctors brought us to her to have her start breast feeding us. My parents were finally able to have their moment with us.
I know that we were twice the handful, twice the trouble, and twice the exasperation.

Yet, my parents still loved us, that beautiful and rare unconditional love that is given to another human. I know my parents felt blessed to have twin daughters, unfortunately giving them clichéd similar names, Jennifer and Jessica.

Jennifer Ellspermann