James and Madeleine have been inseparable since birth, which only makes sense because they are twins. Despite their opposite personalities and differing cliques and hobbies, the charming and charismatic James and the reserved and timid Madeleine hav...
James and Madeleine Townsend. That's the order it has always been. James first and me second. Sometimes, some people would even be surprised to hear that Madeleine Townsend even existed, as they only knew James Townsend. My peers always used to ask me if I ever got angry and jealous at James for being in the spotlight all the time, and I always told them that I had no reason to be angry at James, he was the best brother I could ever ask for. When our parents got a divorce and our dad got sent to rehab, James was the one that supported mom and I. Whenever kids teased me when we were younger, James always stood up for me. I didn't even realise that more often than not, James had more faith in me than I had faith in myself. Whenever I didn't believe in myself, James believed in me. He always believed in me.
James was always the likeable one. For as long as I could remember, he had teachers wrapped around his little finger, other boys begging to be his friend and girls kissing his feet (sometimes even literally). He could win people over with a single smile and a "Hey, how are you?" Whereas for me, I had to try a little harder. Dress a little nicer and attempt to be a little funnier. But for most of it, I would be lucky for others to even acknowledge my presence whenever James was around. Don't get me wrong, my brother was the nicest and most genuine person I knew, but damn, I wondered what it would be like to be James for a day, or even just an hour. I wondered what it would be like to have people adore you without even trying.
When our mom first enrolled me into piano lessons when James and I were 7, James told her he had no interest in music, and wanted to play in sports teams instead. I remember the small thoughts of relief I had that day, because I could finally have my own talent. A talent that James wasn't better than me at. Mom put me in Hilary Whittaker's School of Music, where we were charged an exceedingly large amount of money for a one hour lesson. At around my sixth or seventh lesson, James sat in the corner of the room while I had my piano lesson. When Mrs Whittaker left me at the piano to find a new piece for me to learn, James sat next to me at the piano and randomly played a series of notes that sounded surprisingly pleasing to the ear. When Mrs Whittaker realised it was James who played the short symphony and not me, she convinced my mom to enrol James into music lessons too, as she hated to see "talent go to waste."
I remember studying my butt off at 14 years old for our freshman interview at Richmond Preparatory School, practising possible interview questions over five times a day, everyday for 5 weeks straight. James on the other hand, spent his 5 weeks of 'preparation' going to the soccer fields for hours and going out for ice cream or the movies with his middle school girlfriend at the time, Abigail. And when our interview day came, James got accepted into Richmond straight away, and I was put on the waiting list. I have nothing to complain about, because the school ended up accepting me a couple of weeks later, but I often wonder what James said or did to make the Headmaster and the board of teachers love him so much. At the ceremonial dinner that Richmond Prep threw for new students, I spent most of the night getting acquainted with different teachers, while James was making friends in the buffet line.
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Once upon a time James and I used to look alike and love all of the same things, but as time flew by, we grew up and eventually took interest in different things. I pursued my love for music till I was sitting at the piano for hours, and James eventually realised that he had a true talent for sport... or sports, to be more exact. James went from being a kid who loved kicking soccer goals with our dad to a varsity player for soccer, basketball, baseball and the captain of the swimming team at Richmond Prep. James told me on numerous occasions that there was nothing better than hearing the sound of your heartbeat during a close basketball game or at the diving blocks before a swimming race. "That's how living should be like Mads. Hearing the sound of your heartbeat loud and clear." I never really understood James' outlook on life. Or maybe I was just too afraid to try it. While James found comfort and meaning in sporting games, weekend parties and spontaneous weekend road trips with his friends, I found it in writing songs and music. Yes, James was still somehow significantly good at the piano and even learnt to pick up the drums a couple of years ago, while I on the other hand could not throw and catch a ball even if my life depended on it. It's amazing how different we truly were, but we never failed to stand by each other.
