Multiples of Six Read Free Page B

bump.
    “He might have a concussion, but I don’t think his skull is fractured,” James said.
    “I can’t believe you have a brother,” Nicole replied.
    “Me neither. It doesn’t really make sense.”
    “An identical twin,” she said.
    “Yeah,” said James.
    “I wonder if he has the same screwy birth certificate.”
    James thought about this. His birth certificate, according to the powers that be, was fraudulent. His mother only told him the story after his father’s death. The piece of paper had named a proper hospital and apparently nonexistent doctors. It had no indication of his birth parents. It was a flimsy piece of paper that represented nothing to anyone. No one at Morristown Memorial Hospital could deny the fact that the document appeared to have been produced there. But, no one there had ever heard of a doctor named Robert Paynter.
    “He is my twin, isn’t he,” James wondered aloud.
    “Are you kidding? He’s you with a goatee, maybe a few pounds less. You look cute with facial hair,” she said, cocking her head wistfully at Kevin.
    “Facial hair makes me itch,” James said folding his arms across his chest.
    “He’s even got your slouch,” she said.
    “I don’t slouch…,” James said, suddenly puffing his chest out and straightening his back, “much.”
    “Maybe we should try and wake him,” Nicole said.
    “You’re right.”
    He pulled out the bag he had kept for his mother. The smelling salts were something he had never used until the day she died. He moved quickly to get the thought from his mind. He waved them under Kevin’s nose, gingerly at first, then directly under each nostril. The reaction was delayed but intense.
    “Get…get that shit…oohhh...get it away…oooahh” Kevin groaned.
    “Take it easy. You’re ok.”
    “Who…what the hell…ohh…why does my head…” He felt the ice pack with his fingers. “What the hell is this?”
    “Ice.”
    “Ah…God…damn…why does my head feel like it’s about to peel open?”
    “That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” Nicole said, half hiding behind James. She waved at him weakly.
    “Who said that?” Nicole stepped out from behind James to look down at Kevin.
    “Aluminum bat?” Kevin asked.
    “Frying pan,”
    “Classic. Was the Acme wooden mallet not available? Spare anvil in the shop?”
    “I am so sorry,” she said.
    “Oh, hey, no problem. I’m sure I’ve done more damage to my brain than you have.”
    Kevin sat up slowly on the sofa, clutching the ice pack to his head. His face contorted in pain.
    “Why do you have smelling salts? You’re not a doctor are you?”
    James smiled humorlessly, then cleared his throat.
    “My mother was very sick at the end. We had a lot of supplies around the house. Smelling salts were something I kept handy.”
    “ Was sick?”
    “She passed away a couple weeks ago.”
    “That really sucks. I’m…I’m sorry for saying. Sorry to hear that.”
    “She had cervical cancer for two years. None of the treatments worked and she was in a lot of pain. It’s ok. She’s not in pain anymore.”
    “She wasn’t your…real mom, though, right? Was she? I mean, that would make…”
    “No. I…was adopted.”
    “Good. I mean…well, yeah…good.”
    “Good?” Nicole asked.
    Kevin readjusted his position on the sofa to get a better look at her.
    “Well, yeah. See, my mom…my adopted mom left when I was a kid. Just me and my old man for the last twenty years or so. He never treated me wrong or anything, but we have our differences and it’d be a little shitty to find out that my real mom was just around the corner. Do you read that? Make sense?”
    “I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said.
    “No, I know you didn’t, killer. But, this opens up a whole new can of worms. Yesterday, I was just a kid who got adopted by some people who didn’t love one another. Today, I find out that maybe I just got the short end of the stick. I spent a lot of time blaming myself for the