Tweedledum and Tweedledee Read Free Page B

brought you wine."
    Finally, Deedee was content. They ate in deep silence. The man was sweating and had hardly any appetite.
    "I think you're coming down with a fever," Deedee said. "You're burning up."
    "I know," the man said and wiped sweat off his forehead. "It's just the infection in the wound. It's nothing. I have antibiotics. It'll be fine. Don't worry."
    "I don't," Deedee said. "I can't worry about you. I have enough of worries of my own."
    "You shouldn't have to worry," the man said. "I'm taking good care of you. I promised I would, remember? I'm going to make everything good again. I won't let you down. I promise."
    The man groaned in pain, found a bottle of pills in his pocket and took one, washing it down with wine. He closed his eyes and leaned back. The wine helped take the edge off the pain. Soon, the pills would kick in as well. It was all going to be alright. A good night’s sleep would do the trick. He had an important day ahead of him. He needed all of his strength.
    "Don't fail me," Deedee hissed.
    "I'm not. I’m just resting. Gathering strength." The man sipped his wine again and ate the rest of his pasta. He was feeling better already. The pasta and wine made him drowsy. It was a good sign. Maybe he would get some sleep tonight?
    "I'm sad," Deedee growled.
    "I know. I know," the man replied, trying to sound as compassionate as possible. "It won't be much longer now. Soon, it will all be much better. Just wait and see. Now we need to go to sleep."
    The man undressed; all the while, his shoulder was throbbing. He turned off the light and, as his head hit the pillow and the darkness surrounded him, he felt the sorrows of his past once again flush in over him. He felt like crying, but didn't. He refused to feel sorry for himself. Instead he let the anger rise in him and fed off of it.
    "You're thinking about it again," Deedee said. "I just know you are. It's going to keep you awake all night, and me as well. Stop thinking about it."
    "I'm not," the man lied.
    "Just go to sleep," Deedee said.
    "I will."
    The man tried to empty his mind and lie completely still, but still couldn't find rest. The discomfort in his body kept him awake, along with the sounds. There were many sounds on the ship at night. He hated this restlessness that he always felt. The feeling that everything was wrong. He loathed this endless grief that had taken such a stronghold in his mind and saddened his every thought.
    "I'm gonna make it right. I promise you that, Deedee," he whispered into the darkness. "I promise it to you."
     
     

5
    April 1976
    N O ONE EVER STOPPED reminding the twins that they had been found in a dumpster. At the orphanage where they were taken to after an old lady found them while throwing out her garbage, they reminded them every day.
    "Garbage-boys, garbage-boys," the other children yelled after them.
    Even the staff working there called them names. Mostly names like circus freaks and monstrosities. They had given them real names. When the lady had brought them to the home, they hadn't known whether it was one child or two. Should they give them one name or two? Finally, they had decided to name them after the twins from Alice in Wonderland.
    Their names were Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Soon reduced to just Deedee and Dumdum.
    At six years of age, Tweedledee and Tweedledum started to realize just how different they were from everyone else. Not just because the other children told them, but they noticed how people would gasp or shriek when they saw them in the street. They tried to leave the orphanage as little as possible to avoid the staring eyes, but life inside the orphanage was rough on the boys and often they needed to get out in order to avoid being beaten up constantly. Everyone picked on the freak-brothers and told them they belonged in a circus. And they were easy to beat up, since they still didn't know quite how to control their mutual body enough to be able to hit back. Between them, the boys only