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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Childhood / Youth
- Published: 11/26/2015
TAWNYA AND TONY
Born 1943, M, from San Jose, United StatesTAWNYA AND TONY.
Tawnya and Tony are sister and brother. They are twins. They look alike, but they are not identical. Sometimes Tony would ask their mother what identical means.
She would always smile and say: “Here we go again!” Then she explained when two things are identical they would look exactly the same.
One day Tawnya decided that because she was born twenty-three minutes before her brother she would show him that because she older that she was smarter. Just as her mother was about to tell Tony again what identical means, Tawnya said, “Let me tell him.”
Although Tony didn’t like the idea of his sister telling him something, he knew he had to listen because his mother smiled and said, “OK, Tawnya, you can tell us both.”
Tawnya smiled. This is her big chance to show Tony how smart she is.
“Now, Tony,” Tawnya said. “If you look into a mirror and see yourself, you see someone identical to you… right? Well, that’s what it means. Whenever you see two of something that look the same, that’s identical.”
Tony was not sure if he liked the answer Tawnya gave him. He thought that if she is right, then she is smarter than he is.
Tony’s mother saw the look on his face and knew what he was thinking. She quickly asked him about his friends that he met at their new school this past year. She hoped it would help him feel better not think about Tawnya knowing something he didn’t know.
Tawnya also saw the look on Tony’s face and felt bad. She didn’t mean to hurt her brother’s feelings.
Tony didn’t want to talk about his school friends. He could not play with them as much as he wanted to because he and Tawnya had to come home right after school each day. He asked to go to his room instead of sitting there with his sister and mother.
Tawnya was quick to tell Tony before he left the table that it was his turn to wash the dishes. She would dry them.
Tony didn’t like taking orders from Tawnya. Of course, being a boy he felt that girls shouldn’t tell boys what to do, unless of course when the girl is a mother.
Tawnya laughed at the way Tony would shift around in his chair and try to not listen to her telling him what to do. He could hear in his head what Tawnya would say next. ‘You know, Tony, I’m older than you, so you have to listen to me.’ He waited. He knew it was coming.
“You know Tony, I’m older than you, and so you have to listen to me.” Tawnya said, just as Tony knew she would.
“Mom!” Tony cried out.
“Now, Tony, you know the rules. Your sister is older than you are and I can’t be here all day to watch over you. I have to work real hard so we can have a place to live and food to eat.”
Mom knew that both kids were very good at taking care of themselves while she was away at work.
She felt terrible to not be there for them when they came home from school. Like many moms, she had no choice but to go to work everyday.
Tony did not like doing girls work. Doing dishes and washing clothes were jobs for girls, not boys. Boys fix things and cut the grass. They don’t vacuum the rugs or wash windows.
Sometimes Tony would look at his mother and think to himself: ‘Someday… someday I’ll be the man around here and then everybody will have to listen to me.’ He never said it. All he would say is, “Yes, Mom.”
Tony knew that he had to grow up fast to be the man in the house. He didn’t have a father there to help them. His mom did the work of both parents.
Tony and Tawnya could not remember their father. He left home when the twins were only two years old. Their mother has been both mom and dad to them for ten years. Tony felt sorry for his mother. He wanted to help.
“I can get a job now, Mom.” Tony would say. “I can get a job working in the back room of the grocery store. Then you won’t have to work so hard. After all, I am twelve years old, and almost a man.”
“You go to school everyday and learn all you can and you will be a big help.” His mom would say the same thing every time he asked if he could help by getting a job.
‘Someday I’ll be the man of the house’. Tony would think over and over. He knew he would be a good man. And good father to his children. Right now he had to be a good son to his mom and a good brother to his sister. He knew his mother was right about school too.
Tawnya and Tony both liked school. It was the only time that they could see other kids. Their mother worked very late, sometimes even on weekends when the twins hoped to have her home. They understood their mother’s hard fight to keep them fed and clothed. They never complained.
Being new to the area did not help them either. They were trying to learn in a new school and trying to make new friends too.
One day in school Tawnya went looking for her brother with some good news. She found him with some of his friends. When she asked Tony to walk away with her so they could talk by themselves, one boy said to Tawnya: “Why don’t you go away and play with the other girls? Leave your brother alone.”
The boy’s remark hurt Tawnya’s feelings very much. She didn’t like the boy saying that to her. She looked at her brother and started to cry. She asked Tony if that was true. “Am I bothering you, brother?”
Being around other boys was one of the things Tony liked about the school. He couldn’t have them over his house while his mom worked. This was his only chance to see them.
He missed his friends when he was home, but he didn’t want to hurt Tawnya’s feelings or see the hurt in her eyes either. So he did what he thought was the best thing to do. He turned away from her and said. “It can wait until later. I’m with my friends right now. Go play with yours.”
Tawnya was sad now. She never thought that her brother would turn away from her, or talk like this. She cried. As she ran off, she heard Tony’s friends laughing at her. She cried some more.
Tony waited for Tawnya after school instead of walking home with the other boys. He and Tawnya would usually walk home with some of the other kids who lived close to their house. Not today though, Tony didn’t want to be around the boys after they teased his sister so badly. He waited outside at the bottom of the stairs for her. He wanted to tell her as soon as he saw her that he was sorry for what happened earlier in the day. He wanted to tell her that he should have stopped the boys from being mean to her. He waited.
After ten minutes of waiting for her he began to worry. ‘Maybe she went home already?’ He thought to himself. ‘I don’t blame her if she is mad at me. Where is she? I should never have told her to go away?’
Finally, Tony decided that maybe she went home a different way so she would not have to see him. He turned to go home. Once there, maybe he could tell how sorry he was.
As soon as he started walking away, a teacher came toward him. Tony watched as she came closer. She looked serious about something. He began to feel as if the teacher had something to say to him. Maybe it was about Tawnya? Maybe it wasn’t good?
“You’re Tawnya Jones’ brother, aren’t you? You look so much like her.” The teacher smiled as she talked to Tony.
“Yes, mam. I’m her twin brother, Tony.” He said very slowly. He was worried. He watched as she opened her purse and took something out.
“Please give this to your sister for me. She left it in my classroom this morning. I don’t know what it is, but it looks like a birthday present. It has such pretty wrapping on it. Is it some one’s birthday today?”
“Tawnya left this in your classroom? I don’t know…. Oh, boy!!” Tony cried out very excited. “I forgot all about today!”
“Forgot what, Tony? Is it your mother’s birthday today? Maybe it’s your father’s?” The teacher asked Tony.
“No, mam. It’s not a birthday present. It’s my present! Today is the first anniversary of us being in this school together. Tawnya and I promised to buy each other a present for our first year here. I was so busy trying to make new friends that I forgot about this day, I forgot to give my best friend a present.”
“Your best friend?” The teacher asked. “You mean your sister?” She smiled at Tony.
“Yes, mam!” Tony said and smiled back. “She’s not only my twin sister, she’s my best friend. I sure picked the wrong day to try and be a man. I wanted to show the other boys and Tawnya that I have grown up and can make up my own mind about things. Boy! I sure goofed. I hurt her feelings just to be around a bunch of other boys. I probably made her wish that we weren’t brother and sister.”
“Why do you say that?” The teacher asked.
Tony hung his head down and said, “I’ve been waiting for Tawnya to come out so we could walk home together. She’s late coming out. I guess she doesn’t want to see me right now.”
The teacher pulled Tony close to her and laughed a little. She then told Tony why Tawnya wasn’t out there with him.
“Oh, Tony, you poor boy. You feel so bad about hurting Tawnya that you have forgotten what day this is. What’s today, Tony?”
He thought for a minute and said, “Wednesday. Yes, it’s Wednesday. Why?”
Again the teacher smiled and then asked, “Doesn’t Tawnya have music practice today?”
Tony’s eyes lit up like the flares and rockets he sees on holiday picnics.
“Gosh! You’re right! Maybe Tawnya isn’t mad at me after all. I hope it’s not too late to show her how sorry I am. I love my sister. My best friend.”
“I’m sure it isn’t too late, Tony. I think that your sister… and best friend knows that you still care.”
“Thank you! Thank you very much! I know now that I need Tawnya as my friend more than I need those big jerks that made fun of her today. I should have stood by her instead of chasing her away like I did.”
“Wait a minute, Tony. Nobody is saying that you can’t have other friends. Just remember that Tawnya is both a sister and a friend. You should have boys your own age as friends too. Of course you have your mom and dad as friends also,” explained the caring teacher.
“Well…. you’re right about my mom, but I don’t have a dad. At least I don’t think so. He left us when we were only two years old. Mom has had to do all of the work raising us.” Tony paused. “It’s been mom, Tawnya and me all of these years. Mom works very hard for us. She says that someday I’ll be the man around the house and will be able to help out more. First, I have to finish school. Maybe even college.”
“That’s a good idea, Tony.” The teacher said, then added, “I’m sure your mother understands how you feel. Right now though, if I had a sister who wanted to celebrate our first year, I would run down to the store and see if I could buy her something she would like. What do you think?”
“I’m on my way. I’ll get back before she comes out from practice. I know just what to get her. Thank you and good-bye.”
Tony ran off to the variety store. He knew Tawnya wanted the book on wild animals and he had saved enough money from his grass cutting jobs on weekends to buy it.
He got back to the school just as the band was coming out. He waved to Tawnya. She waved back, and walked over to him.
He waited until they were standing alone and said, “I’m sorry about what happened today. I guess I just wanted to be around my friends instead of any girls. I was wrong for not sticking up for you when the others wanted you to leave.” He stopped talking and looked down. He couldn’t look into her eyes. Finally he spoke again.
“Please forgive me for being a rat to you today.”
“Wel-l-l… I was hurt.” Tawnya said, then smiled, and continued “Of course a brother and sister shouldn’t be mad at each other, especially on a day like today. OH!! I’ll be right back.” She turned to leave, but Tony stopped her.
“What’s wrong? Where are you going?” He asked as if he didn’t already know she had forgotten the present in the classroom. “Did you forget a book, maybe? I know! You forgot your instrument, right?”
“Tony? You silly goose! You know I can’t carry home a piano.”
They both giggled for a minute. They were happy again.
“If you’re looking for this,” Tony brought out the package from behind his back, “Your teacher gave it to me. She thought you forgot it.”
Well, you may as well keep it. It’s for you, dear brother.”
“And this is for you.” Tony said as he handed her the animal book he had hidden in his school bag. “Happy anniversary twin sister.”
They walked home as they always did, brother and sister… the best of friends… forever.
THE END
TAWNYA AND TONY(Louis M. Serra)
TAWNYA AND TONY.
Tawnya and Tony are sister and brother. They are twins. They look alike, but they are not identical. Sometimes Tony would ask their mother what identical means.
She would always smile and say: “Here we go again!” Then she explained when two things are identical they would look exactly the same.
One day Tawnya decided that because she was born twenty-three minutes before her brother she would show him that because she older that she was smarter. Just as her mother was about to tell Tony again what identical means, Tawnya said, “Let me tell him.”
Although Tony didn’t like the idea of his sister telling him something, he knew he had to listen because his mother smiled and said, “OK, Tawnya, you can tell us both.”
Tawnya smiled. This is her big chance to show Tony how smart she is.
“Now, Tony,” Tawnya said. “If you look into a mirror and see yourself, you see someone identical to you… right? Well, that’s what it means. Whenever you see two of something that look the same, that’s identical.”
Tony was not sure if he liked the answer Tawnya gave him. He thought that if she is right, then she is smarter than he is.
Tony’s mother saw the look on his face and knew what he was thinking. She quickly asked him about his friends that he met at their new school this past year. She hoped it would help him feel better not think about Tawnya knowing something he didn’t know.
Tawnya also saw the look on Tony’s face and felt bad. She didn’t mean to hurt her brother’s feelings.
Tony didn’t want to talk about his school friends. He could not play with them as much as he wanted to because he and Tawnya had to come home right after school each day. He asked to go to his room instead of sitting there with his sister and mother.
Tawnya was quick to tell Tony before he left the table that it was his turn to wash the dishes. She would dry them.
Tony didn’t like taking orders from Tawnya. Of course, being a boy he felt that girls shouldn’t tell boys what to do, unless of course when the girl is a mother.
Tawnya laughed at the way Tony would shift around in his chair and try to not listen to her telling him what to do. He could hear in his head what Tawnya would say next. ‘You know, Tony, I’m older than you, so you have to listen to me.’ He waited. He knew it was coming.
“You know Tony, I’m older than you, and so you have to listen to me.” Tawnya said, just as Tony knew she would.
“Mom!” Tony cried out.
“Now, Tony, you know the rules. Your sister is older than you are and I can’t be here all day to watch over you. I have to work real hard so we can have a place to live and food to eat.”
Mom knew that both kids were very good at taking care of themselves while she was away at work.
She felt terrible to not be there for them when they came home from school. Like many moms, she had no choice but to go to work everyday.
Tony did not like doing girls work. Doing dishes and washing clothes were jobs for girls, not boys. Boys fix things and cut the grass. They don’t vacuum the rugs or wash windows.
Sometimes Tony would look at his mother and think to himself: ‘Someday… someday I’ll be the man around here and then everybody will have to listen to me.’ He never said it. All he would say is, “Yes, Mom.”
Tony knew that he had to grow up fast to be the man in the house. He didn’t have a father there to help them. His mom did the work of both parents.
Tony and Tawnya could not remember their father. He left home when the twins were only two years old. Their mother has been both mom and dad to them for ten years. Tony felt sorry for his mother. He wanted to help.
“I can get a job now, Mom.” Tony would say. “I can get a job working in the back room of the grocery store. Then you won’t have to work so hard. After all, I am twelve years old, and almost a man.”
“You go to school everyday and learn all you can and you will be a big help.” His mom would say the same thing every time he asked if he could help by getting a job.
‘Someday I’ll be the man of the house’. Tony would think over and over. He knew he would be a good man. And good father to his children. Right now he had to be a good son to his mom and a good brother to his sister. He knew his mother was right about school too.
Tawnya and Tony both liked school. It was the only time that they could see other kids. Their mother worked very late, sometimes even on weekends when the twins hoped to have her home. They understood their mother’s hard fight to keep them fed and clothed. They never complained.
Being new to the area did not help them either. They were trying to learn in a new school and trying to make new friends too.
One day in school Tawnya went looking for her brother with some good news. She found him with some of his friends. When she asked Tony to walk away with her so they could talk by themselves, one boy said to Tawnya: “Why don’t you go away and play with the other girls? Leave your brother alone.”
The boy’s remark hurt Tawnya’s feelings very much. She didn’t like the boy saying that to her. She looked at her brother and started to cry. She asked Tony if that was true. “Am I bothering you, brother?”
Being around other boys was one of the things Tony liked about the school. He couldn’t have them over his house while his mom worked. This was his only chance to see them.
He missed his friends when he was home, but he didn’t want to hurt Tawnya’s feelings or see the hurt in her eyes either. So he did what he thought was the best thing to do. He turned away from her and said. “It can wait until later. I’m with my friends right now. Go play with yours.”
Tawnya was sad now. She never thought that her brother would turn away from her, or talk like this. She cried. As she ran off, she heard Tony’s friends laughing at her. She cried some more.
Tony waited for Tawnya after school instead of walking home with the other boys. He and Tawnya would usually walk home with some of the other kids who lived close to their house. Not today though, Tony didn’t want to be around the boys after they teased his sister so badly. He waited outside at the bottom of the stairs for her. He wanted to tell her as soon as he saw her that he was sorry for what happened earlier in the day. He wanted to tell her that he should have stopped the boys from being mean to her. He waited.
After ten minutes of waiting for her he began to worry. ‘Maybe she went home already?’ He thought to himself. ‘I don’t blame her if she is mad at me. Where is she? I should never have told her to go away?’
Finally, Tony decided that maybe she went home a different way so she would not have to see him. He turned to go home. Once there, maybe he could tell how sorry he was.
As soon as he started walking away, a teacher came toward him. Tony watched as she came closer. She looked serious about something. He began to feel as if the teacher had something to say to him. Maybe it was about Tawnya? Maybe it wasn’t good?
“You’re Tawnya Jones’ brother, aren’t you? You look so much like her.” The teacher smiled as she talked to Tony.
“Yes, mam. I’m her twin brother, Tony.” He said very slowly. He was worried. He watched as she opened her purse and took something out.
“Please give this to your sister for me. She left it in my classroom this morning. I don’t know what it is, but it looks like a birthday present. It has such pretty wrapping on it. Is it some one’s birthday today?”
“Tawnya left this in your classroom? I don’t know…. Oh, boy!!” Tony cried out very excited. “I forgot all about today!”
“Forgot what, Tony? Is it your mother’s birthday today? Maybe it’s your father’s?” The teacher asked Tony.
“No, mam. It’s not a birthday present. It’s my present! Today is the first anniversary of us being in this school together. Tawnya and I promised to buy each other a present for our first year here. I was so busy trying to make new friends that I forgot about this day, I forgot to give my best friend a present.”
“Your best friend?” The teacher asked. “You mean your sister?” She smiled at Tony.
“Yes, mam!” Tony said and smiled back. “She’s not only my twin sister, she’s my best friend. I sure picked the wrong day to try and be a man. I wanted to show the other boys and Tawnya that I have grown up and can make up my own mind about things. Boy! I sure goofed. I hurt her feelings just to be around a bunch of other boys. I probably made her wish that we weren’t brother and sister.”
“Why do you say that?” The teacher asked.
Tony hung his head down and said, “I’ve been waiting for Tawnya to come out so we could walk home together. She’s late coming out. I guess she doesn’t want to see me right now.”
The teacher pulled Tony close to her and laughed a little. She then told Tony why Tawnya wasn’t out there with him.
“Oh, Tony, you poor boy. You feel so bad about hurting Tawnya that you have forgotten what day this is. What’s today, Tony?”
He thought for a minute and said, “Wednesday. Yes, it’s Wednesday. Why?”
Again the teacher smiled and then asked, “Doesn’t Tawnya have music practice today?”
Tony’s eyes lit up like the flares and rockets he sees on holiday picnics.
“Gosh! You’re right! Maybe Tawnya isn’t mad at me after all. I hope it’s not too late to show her how sorry I am. I love my sister. My best friend.”
“I’m sure it isn’t too late, Tony. I think that your sister… and best friend knows that you still care.”
“Thank you! Thank you very much! I know now that I need Tawnya as my friend more than I need those big jerks that made fun of her today. I should have stood by her instead of chasing her away like I did.”
“Wait a minute, Tony. Nobody is saying that you can’t have other friends. Just remember that Tawnya is both a sister and a friend. You should have boys your own age as friends too. Of course you have your mom and dad as friends also,” explained the caring teacher.
“Well…. you’re right about my mom, but I don’t have a dad. At least I don’t think so. He left us when we were only two years old. Mom has had to do all of the work raising us.” Tony paused. “It’s been mom, Tawnya and me all of these years. Mom works very hard for us. She says that someday I’ll be the man around the house and will be able to help out more. First, I have to finish school. Maybe even college.”
“That’s a good idea, Tony.” The teacher said, then added, “I’m sure your mother understands how you feel. Right now though, if I had a sister who wanted to celebrate our first year, I would run down to the store and see if I could buy her something she would like. What do you think?”
“I’m on my way. I’ll get back before she comes out from practice. I know just what to get her. Thank you and good-bye.”
Tony ran off to the variety store. He knew Tawnya wanted the book on wild animals and he had saved enough money from his grass cutting jobs on weekends to buy it.
He got back to the school just as the band was coming out. He waved to Tawnya. She waved back, and walked over to him.
He waited until they were standing alone and said, “I’m sorry about what happened today. I guess I just wanted to be around my friends instead of any girls. I was wrong for not sticking up for you when the others wanted you to leave.” He stopped talking and looked down. He couldn’t look into her eyes. Finally he spoke again.
“Please forgive me for being a rat to you today.”
“Wel-l-l… I was hurt.” Tawnya said, then smiled, and continued “Of course a brother and sister shouldn’t be mad at each other, especially on a day like today. OH!! I’ll be right back.” She turned to leave, but Tony stopped her.
“What’s wrong? Where are you going?” He asked as if he didn’t already know she had forgotten the present in the classroom. “Did you forget a book, maybe? I know! You forgot your instrument, right?”
“Tony? You silly goose! You know I can’t carry home a piano.”
They both giggled for a minute. They were happy again.
“If you’re looking for this,” Tony brought out the package from behind his back, “Your teacher gave it to me. She thought you forgot it.”
Well, you may as well keep it. It’s for you, dear brother.”
“And this is for you.” Tony said as he handed her the animal book he had hidden in his school bag. “Happy anniversary twin sister.”
They walked home as they always did, brother and sister… the best of friends… forever.
THE END
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