When the Songbird Does Not Sing

“Ohayou, okaasan (morning mom)” I said to mom giving her a quick kiss on the check as I went to sit at the kitchen table. Mom is half Japanese and half Chinese, and can speak both fluently as well as English so she taught both Mike and me her native languages. I excelled in Japanese while Mike spoke Chinese better.

I loved all of the stories mom told us from her homeland. She had been born and raised in Japan with her father when her mother died in childbirth. She later meet dad when he went to Japan for a year abroad and met mom. Then it was just another basic love story for them. Lucky…. I thought

“Good morning Heather. How are you this fine morning?” Dad asked, he was such an early bird, the only one in the family I might add, and insists we all eat breakfast together.

“Doing good. What about you dad?” I question him as I came around to the table to give him a good morning kiss on the check and then sitting down on at the table.

“I’m doing fine and dandy as always.” He says with a smile. At that moment Mike came in fixing the tie to our school uniform, yawning loudly. “早上好妈妈” (Good morning mom) he says in Chinese giving her a quick glance before walking over to the table and taking his seat across from me. “Morning dad.” he says
out of habit, dad acknowledges him with a nod before he goes back to the morning paper.

“Time to eat everyone!” mom say coming out of the kitchen with a big pan filled with what looks like pancakes, and after giving everyone two she disappears into the kitchen only to return with another pan, this one with eggs in it.

“Thanks mom.” I say when she sits down at the other end of the table.

“No problem honey. Don’t forget to take your pills now.” she says her soft voice fretting over the last part.

I reached my hand out to grab the pill bottle quickly swallowing the nasty tasting pills “See, nothing to worry about mom. I took them all.” She just nodded looking slightly calmer now that she has actually seen me take them. Mom’s great and all but she worries a lot about my health, but I guess that comes with having doctors as your parents.

“Umm, Heather, Mike. I would like to talk with both of you right now if you don’t mind.” Both Mike and I froze that was dad’s voice, the ‘I-know-this-is-gonna-be-awkward’ voice.

Dad took a deep breath before continuing suddenly looking a lot older. “I know you both are twins and are use to always being together, especially since your birth parents’ death, but will you please stop clinging to each other! For god’s sake you both are in high school soon to be seniors! Yet you both sleep in the same bed! Not to mention the kissing! Heather! I thought you were dating Andy and yet you kiss your own brother!”

Dad’s voice grows louder and louder until he is nearly shouting. Did he really have such a problem with this? He never really said anything about it before. I feel numb all over. Was he trying to say he would separate us?

“Ryan.” Mom says for once her voice isn’t quiet and fretting. She sounds so different, confident, strong, controlling, I almost have to do a double take to make sure it is her. “Mike and Heather have been like this long before Will and Elizabeth’s death. There is no reason now to complain about it when you have allowed it to go on for so long. Besides,” she says her eyes dance in between Mike and me, lingering on me just a few moments longer before continuing, “the kisses they share, even the ones on the lips, have nothing to do with any romantic feelings, they are merely greetings form one twin to another. One half to the other.” her voice stays the same through out all of it. “Speaking of William and Elizabeth, today is the day of their death. I am sure that would, by itself, drive the two to want to be closer together.”

“Yeah, that’s it dad. Nothing to worry about.” I tried to sound convincing but it didn’t even sound close to myself.

“Mike, Heather, it’s time for you to go if you don’t want to be late for class. Don’t worry I’ll take care of the dishes for today, and you should probably go visit their grave. They would want that wouldn’t they?” Mom said suddenly; she sounds like she’s back to her normal self again so I made a small noise of agreement and went to go get my bag as Mike went to go get the car started.

Deep with-in my gut I know today was going to be a bad day and it just wasn’t due to my parents’ death or dad‘s outburst this morning.