Look-A-Likes

Norm and I walked into the park. Josie and Owen were sprinting ahead of us because every moment is an opportunity to see who can get somewhere first. As they ran away, a 5 year old girl ran towards us at lightening speed. "Mommy, mommy!" she screamed with more excitement than I am used to getting.

Norm and I looked around us to see if there was a mom other than me in the vicinity. Nope. But she continued yelling and running until she got inches away from me and finally backed off in embarrassment and disappointment.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out feeling somehow responsible for looking too much like her mom.

She ran back to the basketball courts where her dad and brother were playing. Norm and I opted for a man-on-man defense and split off to make sure our independent toddlers didn't jump off anything too high.

I have to admit, while I was pushing Owen on the swing, I was keeping one eye on the entrance of the park. Its not every day you get to meet your identical twin. And better yet, its always interesting to see how you look through the eyes of an honest 5 year old.

Soon the 5 year old wandered towards us. I wasn't sure who was more excited to see her mom - me or her. Suddenly a light blue Prius pulled up and she took off running with even more excitement and confidence than before. "Mooooommmmmmmyyyyy!" She squealed.

Owen was whining to get out but I just pushed him higher. I couldn't risk any distractions. At first I was worried she wouldn't get out, but a few seconds later she was running to the park to meet her daughter half way.

I eyed her closely. Brown hair pulled in a pony tail. Check. Stretchy athletic pants and a workout top. Check. No make-up. Check. Fit but not too fat. Check. I was both relieved and flattered, for the most part.

Norm came wandering over to me. I could tell he had been looking forward to her arrival almost as much as me.

"So what do you think?" He said.

"Pretty close, I would say. I am ok with looking like her."

"Really?" He said. "Ok."

We paused for a minute and watched the 5 year old daugther and my identical twin reunite on the basketball court with the rest of their family.

Norm was starting to walk away as Josie looked dangerously close to sliding down the narrow pole of the climbing structure.

"Norm," I said, almost embarrassed at what I was about to ask.

"Yeah?" He said looking back while he jogged away.

"She's fatter than me, right?" I asked quietly, like a chubby thirteen year-old with acne and braces.

"Totally," he said and grabbed Josie just before she went headfirst into a pile of tanbark.