What You Don't Know Could Fill the Universe

Christian

I hate my name. It sounds like a boy's name and the religion. So I like being called Chrissy, or Christy/Christie. My twin brother insists on calling me Chris even though that is his name. It drives me nuts. Even more what drives me nuts is how people at school think he is so nice and humble. Well then you haven't seen him at home. He is actually a "mama's boy," kind of. 

When we fight, it is like Hurricane Katrina swept through the house twenty times before dying out. 

When we were three, I had a tantrum because he had eaten the last cookie, and in  revenge, I had broken his toy half on accident, half on purpose. He had started screaming and throwing all my stuffed animal at me, so I had had no choice to jump on him. He started pulling my hair, and by the time my dad had come up from the basement, the house was trashed. We had broken 13 dishes, 3 vases, 18 toys, pulled all the beds covers off, hit the other on the head about 10 times, and had gotten billions of scratches and bruises to prove that we had to have a babysitter even when our parents were upstairs or in the basement. After that we got separate rooms, my parents had learned their lesson, but no matter what they did, their was at least on fight per week. During the summer we always went to overnight camps. THe first time we went together, we were sent home, so they sent us to an all boys camp, and an all girls camp. The summer was the only break that they got from us. 

I know things about my twin, if you have a twin, I think you get it. It's like this kind of connection, not like a whole I can read your mind thing, but something where I just know something is wrong. I can't explain it, I just...know. So before Chris had even opened the door, I knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. I met him at the door. 

"Chris, what's wrong." I got straight to the point. I never asked if something was wrong because I already knew. 

"None of your beeswax Christie." he grumbled. Wow! He must really be upset because he forgot to tease me the moment he walked in the door, that's new.

"Chris," I said, putting my hands on his shoulders, even though I was almost ten minutes older than him, he was still a foot taller than me. 

"Nothing."

"Chris come on, tell me." I prompted.

"Fine, I just need to change, okay? I just need to change, I need to grow up, so leave me alone."

Whoa, I knew my brother, and this was not like him. So I followed him up to his room and stood in the doorway. He ripped off his jacket and sat on his bed, his head in his hands. Sure he was a cry baby when we were little, but I had never seen him like this. 

"Am I immature?" he asked suddenly. 

"What? Oh, no, of course not Chris! You don't make stupid jokes like other guys and-" I started to say.

"No, not like that kind," he said interrupting me,  "like mature mature, you know what I mean Christie..."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well...I ummmm..." 

"Be honest with me."

"You well..."

"Come on, hurry up and spit it out already!"

"One could say that you do not have the social maturity, but I would disagree, one might also say that you do not have the amount of knowledge of certain things and amount of maturity that other boys your age have."

"So in other words, not at all."

"Oh Chris, come one..." I said, sitting down on the bed next to him, "Don't be that way, I know who you are. You're not like those other kids, and that's fine, sweet really. You are honest and kind and caring, and that is what makes you you. That's my brother, not some jerk like say Jack." He looked up in surprise and I laughed. 

"What? You don't think I couldn't tell by now?" I said smiling, punching him in the arm lightly. He looked up at me in a pleasant way. 

"Thanks Chris, I love you."

"I told you not to call me that...." I growled. He stuck his tongue out at me, and another brawl began, but this time, it was because we wanted to have fun, not because we wanted to rip the others throat out. I knew he was going to be okay. He had other friends, maybe not one's as close as Jack was, but that didn't matter. 

I would do anything to make him happy, I just don't know why it took me so long to see it.