



Monette: When we were very young, our mother would dress us in different outfits to make it easier to tell us apart. Later, when we started dressing alike, she didn’t like it.
Mady: She always made a point of giving us different gifts and treating us as separate individuals.
Monette: But it’s fun to wear identical clothes! It amuses us to see people’s reactions on the street, they turn around and give us strange looks –
Mady: – because we still dress alike at our age. Uniqueness might be important to singular people, but it’s not to us. What do you mean by “singular people”?
Mady: Singular people are those who are not twins. What I mean is, for example, if a singular person sees two people dressed the same, it’s a shock to them.
Monette: We’re not singular people, to us being and dressing alike is part of our personality. It would create an imbalance if one of us would be dressed casually while the other would be dressed up and wearing high heels.
Mady: It would feel like wearing both outfits at the same time. We are very balanced so we can’t have that! Does it annoy you when people stare?
Mady: We make fun of them, too!
Monette: Once, three boys in their 20s passed us on the street, all dressed the same in jeans and similar jackets. They made some ridiculous comment about us dressing alike.
Mady: We caught up with them and said, “At least we are aware of it.”
Monette: Most people don’t realise it but everyone looks more or less the same these days. Have either of you ever had boyfriends?
Mady: It’s quite difficult to explain all this; a twin will always be a twin even if she gets married. She will always be attached to her other half. You carry your twin with you all the time.
Monette: We knew – I say this with modesty – everything about being in a couple long before singular people our age did. To find a soul mate is extremely difficult for a singular person, it might happen just once in a lifetime. Are you implying that the two of you share romantic relationships?
Monette: What do you mean? Let me reformulate that question: Has someone ever fallen in love with both of you?
Mady: [giggles] You will have to ask them that! Have you ever fallen in love with the same person?
Monette: Oh, now you are asking questions we won’t answer! You once told me that some people are superstitious around you, that they give you offerings.
Mady: Yes! To a certain African community, twins are a disturbing element so they protect themselves by giving us a coin. They also make a wish so it’s a votive offering.
Monette: They are obliged to do so. If we refuse they’ll say, “No, no, I must give you a piece!”
Mady: About a year ago, when we were waiting for the bus, a young African woman passed us. She smiled and said hello, then retraced her steps and said, “Is it OK if I give you a coin?” We asked her why and finally found out.
Monette: So now we accept their offerings because we don’t want to disrespect their culture. Do you ever spend time apart?
Monette: We do most things together, but it happens. For example, one might go to the shop while the other takes care of the laundry.
Mady: We don’t really have a need to be apart, which singular people have a hard time understanding. Whenever we’re out on different missions we keep in touch over the phone.
Monette: People tell us we’re lucky because we can be more efficient; you could argue that we can be in two places at the same time.