– Bruce, her name is Mia. I called her Mia all the time,” Joe instructed his brother, who was going on a date. He took out his phone and showed me a photo. “Here she is. I told her that she had entered our institute. We talked about the weather, that this year’s summer is hot. We met near the drama theater, walked in the park and went to the cinema. Today we were going to go to the cinema. He lives on the main street. There is only one colored five-story building there. Wait by it!
– Come on, Joe, I’ll take care of it! – my brother laughed. – It’s not the first time we take turns going on dates.
– With girls I find.
– But I don’t doubt your attractiveness. Give me your phone!
– Here. I also thought she was smart or cunning or something.
– Let’s see.
Bruce and Joe are twin brothers. Eighteen years old now, they’re in college. They passed exams, as always, two exams – one, two exams – the other. Even mom and dad do not always distinguish them, and there is nothing to say about the others. They also went on dates with girls in turn.
***
Bruce was standing near a five-story building, but he doubted whether it was the right one, there was another one nearby. He saw a girl walking in his direction:
“That seems to be her,” he looked at the display, “That’s her! ”
I rushed to meet her:
– Hi, Mia!
– And a kiss? You, why didn’t you come to the house?
– I thought, suddenly someone of yours is looking out the window.
– That’s why you stood away from the house?
– Mia, you’re so nosy.
– You were not so shy yesterday, you walked me to the entrance.
– I’m making up for it, – he gallantly gave the girl his hand. – Shall we go to the cinema?
– Joe, I don’t feel like it. They don’t show anything normal, – she wrinkled her nose.
– I agree! Let’s go for a walk in the park.
– Let’s go, – the girl smiled. – We’ll eat ice cream.
– By the way, they sell ice cream too. What kind do you want?
– Same as yesterday.
“Why didn’t Joe say what kind of ice cream they had yesterday?”
He went to the tray and poked at some ice cream.
“I’ll tell you what, I decided to try something else.”
– Help yourself!
– Thank you!
“Did you really guess?”
The girl interrupted his smile:
– “That’s not what we ate yesterday.
– We’ll try different ones.
– That’s okay too.
Bruce walked next to this girl, eating ice cream. Something was different today. My brother usually found girls who were pretty loose. Two or three times, they would take turns on dates and safely forget the next girl. And now:
“As if we met for the first time. No, we really met for the first time. But yesterday she was with Joe. So, she should behave like everyone else after the first date with him. And she… I don’t understand. She couldn’t understand that I wasn’t Joe. Mom and Dad won’t be able to tell us apart if we need to.”
– Somehow you are not like that today, – the girl seemed to read his thoughts.
– The summer is hot this year…
– Joe, as I understand it, you want to go to the beach?
“What does the beach have to do with it? Joe must have hinted yesterday.”
– Mia, in this heat it is better to walk in the park. And at the end of August, few people go to the beach.
– I agree, – she looked at him strangely, – for some reason I was sure that you would invite me to the beach.
“Something is going wrong with me today. Usually, Joe would give me a hint. Today, no clues. I’m even afraid to hug her. But yesterday with Joe she was acting… How? Like she always does. What’s going on? Like I just met her. And the funny thing is, she’s acting like that too.”
– Joe, why are you so thoughtful?
And it seemed to Bruce that she was also trying to guess what had happened to him. I mean with Joe.
– I don’t know, – the guy honestly admitted.
– I don’t understand what’s going on either, – the girl suddenly said.
And suddenly Bruce had an incredible idea.
– Mia, let’s forget yesterday. We will assume that we met you for the first time.
The girl looked at him in surprise. Her eyes showed both the desire to forget yesterday and the regret that it was impossible to do it.
– Let’s forget! – she agreed.
They were just walking in the park. Enjoying a warm summer day. Talking about life, about poetry. Bruce felt more and more that this was HER. The one he had been looking for all his life. Mentally scolding his brother.
The evening had long since come into its own. And they still could not part. They looked into each other’s eyes, as if they wanted to say something important, but did not know how to do it.
– Joe, I have to go home!
– Mia…, I don’t understand what’s going on…, I’ll figure it out… Will we meet again?
The girl shook her head in the negative and disappeared into her entrance.
***
– Bruce, why are you so gloomy?” – his brother looked at his face with surprise.
– Nothing.
– Didn’t like the girl?
– Joe, leave me alone! I’ll tell you later.
– As you wish.
***
The next day, Joe went on a date. Before he got to her house, the girl ran out to meet him. He grabbed her, spun her around and kissed her:
– “Why were you so gloomy yesterday?
– And you? – the girl laughed and added sarcastically – He likes poetry, you see.
– Mia, I don’t know what came over me, – Joe also laughed.
– Okay, let’s go to the movies!
– You didn’t want to go yesterday, did you?
– I remembered that there is an interesting movie showing …
– Well, let’s go, – he hugged the girl and, cheerfully talking, they went towards the cinema.
***
All day Bruce lay on the couch. He was waiting for his brother. Thoughts were spinning in his head:
“Yesterday, when I asked if we could see each other again, Mia shook her head in the negative. However, today she agreed to a date again. But she is a smart serious girl. Something I don’t understand. Very simple…, but I don’t understand.”
In the evening, the brother came and began to talk. Bruce listened and could not imagine what his brother was talking about. After all, Mia could not change in one day. And even more so, to change every day. But his brother was telling the truth, Bruce did not doubt it. They always told each other only the truth.
– Tomorrow, I arranged another meeting, – Joe finished the story, – Your turn.
– I’m not going.
– Bruce. What’s the matter with you?
– Joe, tomorrow is September 1st. We’re starting a new life together.
– I know that. What does this have to do with anything? You’ve been seeing each other since college.
– Joe. I’m not going,” my brother repeated.
– Suit yourself.
***
Here is the first day at the institute. Meeting, acquaintance with the curator. Joe and Bruce, as always, in the center of attention.
After telling everything that was necessary, the curator let everyone go home. The brothers left the classroom and went down the long corridor to the exit.
Suddenly Joe stopped as if he had run into a pillar. His face became terribly stupid, his jaw dropped.
– Joe, what are you doing?” his brother asked frightened.
But he, numb, stood staring at one point. Bruce turned his head in that direction and immediately looked like his brother. At the window stood… two Mia, absolutely identical, with the same open mouths. And staring at them with frozen gazes.
This lasted for several minutes. Then the two couples, not yet realizing what was happening, began to get closer.
The expressions of the girls’ faces became more meaningful, probably, as well as the boys. Then Bruce realized that the girls were different, he didn’t know why, but he was sure that he was meeting with the girl on the left. And she came up to him.
– Mia? – he asked uncertainly.
– No! – she shook her head negatively. – Grace. As I understand it, you are also far from Joe.
– Bruce.
– I don’t get it,” Joe grumbled.
– And I only understood one thing, – the real Mia smiled, – that we are standing here like clowns in the circus arena. Let’s get some fresh air. I would like to ask a couple of questions to the organizer of this circus.
– Don’t you think, – Joe said sarcastically, – that the organizer of this circus is the girl standing in front of me.
– We’ll take it from there!” Grace retorted, “Let’s go!
After a short but emotional conversation. The couple made peace… for life. They finally realized that these are their soul mates.
Cheerfully talking, they walked along the avenue, and people smilingly looked at these two so identical and so happy couples.
***
In the evening, when the sisters returned home, Grace took out her phone and took pictures of her brothers and called her sister
– Mia, look carefully! – she enlarged the picture. – Bruce has a barely noticeable scar on his forehead on the right side, here. That’s so you don’t get confused at first.
– Come on! – she smiled happily. – I love Joe!