(Chie Fueki, Owl, 2003, Courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery)

They were born on the same day at the same hospital because back then, the town was only large enough for one hospital. Both were named Kim; one from the Conger family, the other from the Conner family. Kim Conger should have been named Kimberly, but her mother was frugal and wanted to save on the monogramming. Kim Conner’s father didn’t like the name Kim; he thought it sounded too foreign. But he didn’t say anything since his father-in-law was also named Kim.
            The two babies looked so alike, those who saw them together thought they were twins. The night nurse swore they rolled toward each other and tried to reach across and touch, but the nurse was from the third district, well known for its taverns. So most people were skeptical.
            After leaving the hospital, the Kims didn’t meet for 14 years. It was in ninth grade at the town’s only high school where they came together for the second time in the advanced placement math class. The Conger Kim sat in the third seat in the second row, and the Conner Kim sat in the fourth seat. Alphabetical seating was still the rule. They might not have fallen in love if Billy Conkling had not been held back in third grade and Martha Conley’s parents hadn’t divorced and moved out of town. At least it might have taken longer with a pair of heads between the Kims.
            That day, they sat at the same table and shared lunches, which were the same: chicken-salad sandwiches with green grapes. They didn’t notice the stares of the rest of the school.
            Kim looked into his eyes, and the light was just so that she could see herself and she knew that he could see himself in hers.
            You are beautiful, he said.
            Yes, we are, she said.
            From that moment in the ninth grade, the Kims took the same classes except gym. They made identical grades, but none of their teachers ever caught them cheating. Their classmates eventually got used to the sight of them together, and only Kim’s breasts allowed people to tell the difference. They graduated third and fourth in their class. The Conner Kim wasn’t as proficient at tetherball.
            Their parents—especially the Congers, who didn’t trust people from outside their own district—were against their children going away to the same school. The Kims borrowed the money and attended the same college, where they took all the same classes, even gym. It was a progressive school. They tried to dress differently but when they met in the morning, they had usually made the same choices. The Conger Kim grew her hair long, and the Conner Kim cut his short and sometimes would only shave every other day. It helped.
            The Kims were so in love that they had a hard time keeping their hands and lips off each other. People who met them found their displays of affection disturbing and a bit exciting.