Prologue

This story is 95 truth, the balance is poetic license, now at the age of 57yrs I can see what it was all about although, at the time it was just us being us.

No names or places have been changed as it would, I feel be unfair to the one who I owe the most too and he deserves better than that.

The story is set in the early fifties so there was no television, videos or computers as will become evident as the story progresses.

I have made observations during this story for the sake of clarity and continuity although it is only know many years later that they became obvious.

Part one

Beginning

I was born near the end of the second world war in a small rural country town in New Zealand, My parents were not wealthy but just ordinary hard working people.

I have a younger brother and two sisters, one older and one younger than I.

When I began my primary schooling at the age of five we had just moved into a new state housing area and we were given the first house to be completed, it may have had something to do with my father working on them, (He was a Carpenter).

The next family to move in was across the street from us and had two daughters and a son, he being the same age as myself and the only other boy around the area at that time, it was inevitable that we became friends.

We are both of mixed blood although I was very fair with blonde curly hair and blue eyes while Murray was a little darker and with dark brown hair and eyes.

While I was rather plump at that age he was slender so it was a little like chalk and cheese but to the two of us it was not important, we knew that somehow we were meant to fit together.

There was at that time only one primary school in the district so on the first day both of us set off escorted by my big and worldly wise seven year old sister.

Sis and I walked across the road and met Murray at his front gate, without hesitation we took each others hand and set off for our first day of school following behind big sister.

This was to become our normal way of being with each other for the rest of our time together with only a slight variation as we grew older.

Now in 1949 there was a population of about 6000 people in Levin so there were a lot of kids about and the first day of school was pretty scary for two five year olds, so we both did what seemed natural and stayed together, where one went the other went.

This started to cause a little problem for the teachers as they wanted to put us in different classes and as they took Murray out from the class I just got up and went with him and even after a lot of talking and consternation from the teachers we would just not go without the other.

He went, I went, I went , he went, the frustration of the teachers became to much so they just left us together in the end and that suited us fine.

It was not long before every one began to call us the twins and that is how we were referred to from then on.

In 1950 the new school at the eastern end of Levin was completed and as we were on the boundry line we were transferred to that school as the first pupils.

Until the age of seven or eight Murray and I continued to hold hands going to and from school and were most times in some form of physical contact when ever we could be together, there was nothing overt in our minds it was just the way we felt it should be.

One day without a word spoken or any discussion I walked across the road to meet Murray as usual for school and we just placed our arms over each others shoulder and started out for school side by side.

This means of walking together stayed with us till the end and again was just something we did naturally and was our bond.

We both got into the usual fights and scraps at school, me being the mouthy one and Murray the strong silent one but that was us, when I got into a fight it was only seconds before I could feel his back against mine and then we would take it from there, if one went down the other stood over him for protection.

It did not take long for the others at school to realise it was a pretty formidable combination so we were left alone after the first three or four go rounds.

These were the days of the Saturday Matinees and so to earn the money for the movies we would cut the lawns for our parents and would be paid one shilling each (10c) for our efforts.

There were no motor mowers then only hand push mowers and as you can imagine a little large and heavy for us, so we would tie a rope onto the front of the mower and with one pushing and steering the other would place the rope over his shoulder and pull, hey a shilling is a shilling.

Murray and I spent every spare moment together, always in some form of physical contact, we would sit on the lawn cross legged, hands in our laps, knees touching and just look at each other for hours on end.

I was one day asked by my mother why we sat for hours not talking and all I could say was, "But mum we are"

"No you are not I can't hear a word"

"Well we are" was my reply.

That was how we were, no need for words we just knew what each others hopes and dreams were, I think about it now and I can still not explain it.

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