1.

1. Twins (Leon)

Up in the bedroom I had a bottle of wine left over from the twins visit to Palomino in the mountains. There was a Spanish label on the bottle. When I was through working for the day I unscrewed the cork and poured a glass. I always stopped before settling in for the night and let the cats in. That way I knew what was going to happen next. I sat down and took a sip of wine. Before a moment had passed Megid, a calico colored cat jumped into my lap. She was always the first to greet me after a long day at work.
Lately there were big jobs coming in and the boss made me stay overtime to see that his customers were "receiving the quality of care and support a customer deserves." I didn't give a shit. A day at work was a day like anywhere else. I always worked until I had something finished, and then I would pack up and come home. Home to relax and unwind and momentarily forget about the boss and his customers in Canada. Home to the cats who patiently waited outside the front door. Home to the twins who each had permanent indents on either side of my bed.
After each day at work I was in need of a shower. I put on a towel and went into the bathroom. The twins put on a record. While showering, thoroughly soaping and cleaning every inch of my body, I could hear the twins dancing their feet falling making a steady thumping sound on the living room floor.
This was escape. Not the twins dancing in the living room but the now and the shower and the invincible world it made for me. In the bathroom exists moments of great relaxation that is absent in all other facets of my daily life. Outisde the bathroom the world could be as far off as distant universes, which of course meant nothing to me. Behind these walls was only me and when I stepped out from the shower curtian I always felt as if I had become in charge again.
The moment before looking into the bathroom mirror I prepared my self. I knew I looked depleted. I stood in front of the mirror and gave my self a quick shave.I erased the five o' clock shadow that had appeared and would appear again the following evening before I shaved again.
After the shave I toweled off and entered the company of the twins who were all too anxious to offer me leftovers and another glass of wine. If it were just me the place would be as silent as a graveyard. But it wasn't just me. The twins had taken over and were playing 'The Blitzkrieg Bop' by the Ramones dancing together under the apartments fluorescent lights. I watched and realized that it was the twins that have dominance over the place. Not that I am a total non-entity in my own home. It's just that I lack the capability to make domestic living, for say, livable.
Instead of things I'm good at, it might be faster to list the things I can't do. I can't cook or clean the house. My room's a mess, and I'm always losing things. I love music, but I can't sing a note. I'm clumsy and can barely sew a stitch. My sense of direction is the pits, and I can't tell left from right half the time. When I get angry, I tend to break things. Plates and pencils, alarm clocks. Later on I regret it, but at the time I can't help myself. I have no money in the bank. I'm bashful for no reason, and I have hardly any friends to speak of.