Trick or Trick Twins

What could be scarier than having a baby on Halloween? Having TWO! My Polish Prince's brothers were born FIFTY years ago on Halloween. R1 and R2 are not identical twins. No way, no how! They share a mother, brothers and a birthday and that's about it.

They live in a farming community where everybody knows everybody. A lot of the younger generation have moved out but many of their age group and older are still there. A few are still farming but it isn't like it used to be. Many in that area are of Polish descent. Say what you will about the Polish, but they are a hard-working, fun-loving, caring people. Neighbors aren't just neighbors, they are extended family (in some cases, literally).

Farming used to be a way of life for many but now it has to be supplemented by outside jobs. Planting and harvesting season consists of 20 hour workdays. Unfortunately, this season is extremely wet so the harvesting will be postponed until it dries out some or it freezes. Neither happened last week so a party was planned in less than a week and the call to par-tay was answered by one and all in the community (or so it seemed).

First, I have to mention a very special lady... Rose. She is an absolutely wonderful person! I have never met anyone so selfless and giving as Rose. When her mother passed away, she gave her life to helping her father raise her brothers and sisters. She was engaged to be married... the longest engagement I've ever known of...over 10 years! She waited until the last of her siblings was through school and on their own. When she finally married, she did it in old-fashioned Polish tradition. I can't remember what it is called (shame on me), but the wedding celebration lasts 3 days... 3 days of partying! Can you imagine? What fun it was! A few years after they married, she learned she had MS (Multiple Sclerosis). She doesn't let it get her down, oh no, she is always on the go, doing for everybody... it just takes her a little longer. She planned a party for the Twins. She pulled it together in less than week and did a fantastic job of it. The day after the party, she was there to clean up. Her movements gave away the fact of just how much the MS was affected by her work, but her attitude was awesome! So upbeat, happy-go-lucky, cheerful...you get the picture. She is one of a kind!

The party was fantastic! So many friends, neighbors and relatives together- talking and laughing and drinking. Since it was for their 50th birthday, that was probably the average age of most of the people but there were a few younger and a few more older than that. I have been a part of the family for over 25 years so I have attended many, many functions where all these people have also been in attendance. All have aged, some more gracefully than others. I had to laugh my ass off when one of the women related an incident involving age. It made me think of the saying, "You know you're old when..." She said she went into Yonkers on Senior Citizen Discount Day and got carded! She was absolutely ecstatic. The salesperson said she couldn't be a day over 40 and she proudly showed her driver's license to prove she was 56 years old! Gawd, I remember when getting carded meant something else entirely different! I must admit, she did look good. Better than she has looked in years, but it wasn't just her looks. Her exuberance and joy of life lit up the room.

Many of the couples were bragging on how many years they had been married (bragging, not complaining). Twenty-five, twenty-one and twenty-two (ours) years and still going strong. R2 has never been married and R1 is going through his second divorce. I noted that 3 of R1's former girlfriends were in the crowd. They are all married with kids, but still in their circle of friends. Each twin has his own circle of friends but another one that overlaps both of them. These friends have been around most of their lives and will probably be in the circle for the rest of their lives. Not that it matters, but some I love, some I like, some I have no opinion one way or the other and some I can't stand...

One person comes to mind...Red. I first met him 25 years ago and thought he was a MCP (male chauvinist pig) and an asshole. He thought he was God's gift to women. He attempted to get into every woman's pants. He actually thought he was doing them a favor and they should feel honored to get laid by him! There wasn't anything likable about him... he was a liar, cheat, and an all around creep! Twenty-five years later... he still is! I couldn't believe the audacity of that man... He came to the party with his long-time, live-in girlfriend (he lives with and off her), but said or did something to piss her off and she left. One of R1's ex-girlfriends (over 20 years ago) was there with her husband. She looked good, but then she always has. She's one of those perky, pretty, sweet woman... the kind I would like to hate, but I can't because she is so damned nice! We got totally wasted at her bachelorette party -together we killed a bottle of Blueberry Schnapps and Peach Schnapps and by the time we got to the Butterscotch Schnapps, neither one of us could see straight. She passed out and they threw her in the back of her fiance's truck. I got taken home (how? I don't remember) and had to be undressed and dragged to bed. Ah, yes, those were the days when I could handle my liquor! Sorry, got sidetracked.

What was I saying? Oh, yes. She was there with her husband. She must have looked across the room at Red and smiled. You know, one of those smiles that says, "Hi" but nothing more. Well, he took that as a sign that she w-a-n-t-e-d him and wanted him bad! He hound dogged her for hours. Told everyone that she was giving him the eye and he was gonna get him some of that! I knew times had changed when the guys thought he was an asshole rather than a macho stud. Years ago they might have hoo-yahed him on, but now they thought he was pathetic and an idiot.

The party was exceptional... lots of good food... beef, pork and turkey cooked on the roaster, scalloped potates, beans, salads, and a wonderful array of yummy desserts! Beer, wine and booze flowed generously. Even some homemade brew called Apple Pie which did taste like apple pie but kicked ass! The twins enjoyed their party to the nth degree... they were both wasted beyond belief by 1:00am. R1 couldn't see straight so he spent the night on the couch. My Polish Prince stumbled in about 1:30am and R2 and a nephew closed up shop about 2:00am after the last of the crowd left.

The guys were feeling more like 70 in the morning. They were quieter and moving a lot slower than the night before. I don't know how my guy has managed it, but years ago he was able to transfer his hangovers to me! Doesn't matter how much he drinks or how little I drink... he has no hangover but I feel like shit! Somehow, I got not only his hangover but his brothers' hangovers along with a little of my own! It was worth it! It was a good party with good friends to celebrate a couple of good guys' birthday!