The Perry Brothers - Ch. 25

Terri and Terry, 27 years old. I recommend listening to Danny Elfman's Ice Dance while reading!

Catherine puts on her skates and heads to the ice. "You coming?" "Uh, yeah. We'll come right after you." She goes and does some tricks while waiting. "I don't know if I should do this..." "Terri, everything's going to be fine." "But, what if she doesn't want to? Maybe we're not ready." "You are ready. We are ready. It's impossible for her to say no." Terri tries to come up with an excuse to back up. "But, I mean, what about you?" "You don't have to care about me." "But-" "Terri! Do you love this woman or not?" "Well, y-yeah, but..." "Then, no buts! Remember, how much money we spent on that. No going back." Terri stays silent for a moment. "C-could, you do it for me?" "Terri..." "Okay, okay, I'm going!"

   Catherine is gorgeus. She skates gracefully and twirls everytime she changes her direction. Her perfect silky hair is covered with snowflakes. As she goes past the brothers, they see her eyelashes have turned all white from the frost. She's sparkling. Terri's time stops. He subcontiously moves a little closer to Catherine. His breaths are quiet, warm and filled with love. Love for her. Terri's hands start trembling. Catherine suddenly grabs both of the brothers' hands and starts spinning. As she giggles, white frosty air flows up to the sky. She looks into Terri's eye. Her sharp eyes gleam and send warmness into Terri, even though they're icy grey with a shade of blue. A small strand of her enchanting hair falls onto her face and Terri gently pushes it away and leaves his hand onto her cheek. They're the only living things in this timeless universe. It's just them forever. Everything is perfect. The place is perfect. The mood is perfect. The feeling is perfect. She is perfect. She's beyond perfect.

   Terri slowly puts his lower hand in his pocket. "You know, Catherine. I-I... I just really love you. That's all I can really say. B-but there is more I can do." Terry smiles a little as Catherine starts to listen. "I just have to say, you're the most amazing person, I've ever met. There's no one who could replace you." Catherine smiles and blushes. Her cheeks are more red than usual, from the cold. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Because I love you. And I trust you." Terri takes out of his pocket, a silver ring with small, light purple jewels in it all around. "So, Catherine... Will you marry me?"

   "Terri..." Catherine's hands start trembling too and she shares the warm deep breaths with Terri. "Terri, I love you too. I trust you. No one could take your place in my life." Terry already knows what's going to happen, but Terri is getting more nervous every second. "I will. I will. I will, Terri, I will!" Catherine kisses Terri deeply and they share the warm breaths completely syncronized.

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 24

Terri and Terry, 26 years old
Wow. Has it really been that long? Yeah, four years. After college, they haven't seen the OK guys for four years. Okay, they've bumbed into some of them at work, since all of them have become fairly succesful scarers, getting their own scarecards and everything... Terry and Terri once again have to share it. Anyways an occasional 'Hi' is all the words they've shared with the guys. Now they're getting back together at the former fraternity house. Nowadays only Don and Squishy's mom are living there. Yeah! Squishy has moved out of his mom's house. It's about time...

   The twins and Catherine arrive. It's just like they remembered. The flowers are growing wildly, but at the same time neatly on the sides of the stairs, and the white pillars are showing how old they're getting. A warm light comes from the downstairs windows. Terri gazes over to the left upstairs window. There used to be their room. Suddenly a small monster pops up to wave at them from the window. They wave back and head inside.

   Party central. They had one single big party here. It was after Mike and Sully got expelled. The party went totally crazy. Luckily the brothers didn't go as crazy as in one other party. That party is one of the things the brothers would rather forget. Although, without that party they would've never met the Oozma Kappa. They wouldn't have competed in the scare games, they wouldn't have gotten back into the scaring program, they wouldn't have become scarers. They probably wouldn't have met Catherine either...

   The only one missing now is Mike. He told Sully to tell the others, that he's picking up his girlfriend. He might be showing off, maybe not. It's still really good to see everyone. Squishy says he's in a relationship, but apparantelly it's not that serious, so his partner isn't here. Everyone seems to get along Catherine. She has absolutely fallen in love with the whimsical group. Apart from working at Monsters Inc. Art's started a business. Apparantelly a small vegan shop. Don and Sheri are in a very happy marriage. They're isn't much to say about it. Squishy still isn't that comfortable with it, but he's gotten used to it.

   The atmosphere is warm and welcome, just like the old days. Don and Sheri are sharing a big armchair, Sully and Squishy are chilling on the sofa and Art is lying around on the floor. Terri and Terry are sitting on a stool with Catherine on their lap. It took long before Terry allowed that. Suddenly the frontdoor flies open and Mike steps in, with a young female monster with a green scaly dress and purple snakes as hair.

   Celia. This is not good, this is not good, this is not good, not at all. Celia seems calm at first, but then sees Terri. Catherine sitting on his lap is not making her feel any more forgiving. She took the break up pretty hard, since she was so young at the time. Terry realizes the fact, that she's now the age she said she was on her dating profile. Oh yeah, maybe it would be smarter to work out what to do.

   Terri asks Catherine to move over and Terry understands to stand up. "Mike? C-can I talk to you? Alone?" "Sure." The three monsters go to the kitchen. "What's wrong?" "Uh, you see you girlfriend... Well I used to... It's kinda funny, you see-" "Terri used to date Celia." "What?" "Well, a while after you and Sully got expelled, I went online dating and I met Celia." Mike stops for a moment to think. Then his makes a weird face out of confusion. "But she must've been like 16 or something. And you were atleast 20!" Terry talks in a calm tone. "Yeah, she was 15." Mike makes a sort of screaming face, but doesn't make a noise.

   Terri stutters and looks over to the party central every now and then. "But we didn't know! She claimed that she was 21! But there's one more thing, that she might be a l-little mad about. You know, Terry wasn't that happy in the relationship and I realized that it wasn't exactly a healthy realtionship either, so I sorta, dumped her. And I should've picked a better moment to do that." Terry is still very calm. "Let's be honest, you dumped her in a really coldhearted way. Though I really strongly believe, she deserved it." "But, but, but, why?! I mean, she's like the most amazing person in this universe!" The brothers answer at the same time. "Yeah, I know, but..." "Haha, no. She's not."

   "Terry?!" "What can I do? She's awful. Lying, needy, and basically just a b-" "Okay, okay, fine. What are we gonna do?" "This shouldn't be too big of a problem, right?" Terri looks over to the living room, where Celia stares daggers at Catherine. "Yeah, I don't think so..." Terri suggests a simple idea. "Okay, let's try and play it cool. Just, ignore the past, you know. We're not here to fight or fix anything, we're here to meet old friends." "And she's not one of them." "Well, I guess so..."

   The three monsters go back, carefully. Terri tries to act natural. "So, it's nice to see old friends... Right?" Time goes by. The guys talk about the good old days, and what's going on right now, but Terry and Terri are constantly worried that Celia would jump at their throats. "Yeah, Catherine's really talented and creative. I can send you the link to her website. It's awesome." "Terri! Stop it, you're embarassing me." Celia's face starts turning strawberry red. "It was real fun, but I think we should go..." As the twins and Catherine leave, Terry and Celia share one more cold stare.

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 23

Terri and Terry, 24 years old

"Okay, mom... please, don't say anything embarassing. Dad, do what you're best at and shut up. Terry... Well... Just do what you usually do." Terri gives orders as he packs all the snacks he and Terry have made. "Sweetie! It's going to be fine. I know how to act around people." "Maybe around retarted people..." Terry steps in after a long while of internally laughing at his brother. "Terri, come on. That's not cool." Terri ignores the comment as he's nervously trying to fold the picnic sheet, decorated with different sized blue and gray squares. "I just know that you're gonna scare her off in some way..."

   The sun is shining and there's a warm breeze. The park looks greener than usual. Catherine's waiting underneath a big tree. The sunlight shines in her beautiful silky hair. Her grey summer dress flows in the wind and her yeallow accessories make her stand out with her beauty. "Hi, honey!" Catherine gives Terri a little peck on the lips. "Hi, I'm Terri's mom." Catherine offers her hand, expecting a handshake, but the twins' mom pulls her into a big hug. "Uh, nice to meet you too..." "Mom..." The family puts the sheet on the ground, gets the food out and starts the picnic.

   "These are really good." "Yeah, thanks! I think I'm starting to get the hang of cooking." "Well, as children neither of you really did." Mom chukles and both of the brothers cringe as she starts explaining. "Once, they were trying to make lasagna and it was a disaster! Every now and then we could hear them shouting at each other. 'Terri, you forgot the salt!' 'Oh my god, it's burning!' 'Is this 3 desilitres?' 'What's lemon pepper?' Oh, it was hilarious! And it didn't end up being that good either." Catherine laughs and looks at the embarrased twins. "How old were they?" "14 years old!" "Really?" "Mom, please..."

   "So, Catherine... What do you do?" "I'm a little bit all over the place, I guess. I'm a journalist and I also make short films and documentaries. That's how I met Terri. And I also ice skate. Just for fun in my free time." "Well, that sounds like fun!" The brothers see it coming. "Sadly Terry and Terri have a hard time doing all sports. Once they-" "Mom!" the twins shout at the same time. "Boys, there's nothing to be ashamed about. Sure, you literally got you tentacles tied up together, and not just once or twice, but it's completely understandable." "Mooooom..."

   "I just gotta say, you have to be great parents. Your sons are talented, polite, funny..." Dad smiles, looking at the twins, and remembers what they were like as kids. "Yeah, our boys are really great, huh..." Mom starts remembering the same things and dreams of the future. She gets a little carried away. "So, when are you getting married?" Terry freezes on the spot, Catherine looks away awkwardly and Terri almost chokes up on his sandwich. "Mom!" "Wh-what did I say?" "Mom, we're not getting married! I mean... We're not getting married now. Or any time soon."

   "It was so nice meeting you. Now, I gotta hurry. Work, you know... Bye, sweetie!" Catherine kisses Terri good bye and leaves. The family starts packing up. "So, whaddya think of her?" "She was great. Cute, smart, funny. I think you're quite lucky." "Yes, you are. I think Terry knows that too." "I guess, sure..." Terri is confused by mom's tone. "What do you mean, he knows?" "Honey... I know this is a little awkward, but you have to admit it." She directs her speech torwards Terry. Both of the brothers question mom. "Terry. I know it's hard, but you'll have to admit that you love Catherine." "Wait, what? Mom... What?" "It's okay." "Ew, mom, no! Ugh. Gawd. I don't love her!" "Terry, you don't need to pretend." "I'm not! Jesus, mom. I don't... I-it's not my... er..." "What is it? What is it not?" "It's not my thing!" "What?" "You know... Girls, guys... Catherine... She's a girl... I-it's not my... thing." Mom understands, but is in a sort of denial. "Terry?" "Mom, leave him alone!" Terri defends his Brother and leaves taking Terry with him.

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 22

Terri and Terry, 23 years old

The twins have got to work at Monster Inc. They're really proud of themselves. But now it's time to go home. They walk through the market place in the centre of Monstropolis. It's sunny, but cool. Terry thinks the weather's going to get worse soon. "Excuse me!" A monster of about Terry's and Terri's age runs after the brothers. She's just a little taller than Terry and has eight sharp eyes and silky long hair. "Hi, sorry to distrub you, I'm Catherine Palmer." "Uh, okay... Terri Perry." "Terry Perry." Catherine laughs awkwardly. "I love your names." She suddenly starts talking more officially. She has clearly planned what to say. "Anyways, I'm making a documentary on two-headed monsters to make people more aware and understanding. I saw you two walk by and thought, that it'd be great help for me, if I could interview you and do some filming with you." Terri looks over to his brother. "I guess that's okay. Terry?" "Well, I guess so. But are you doing this on your own? Or do you have some company with you?" "I'm doing it on my own, but I'm hoping to get it officially published. And it also could help me get a permanent job. But um... Could I get your number... Numbers?"

   "Okay, so I was thinking that first you could just tell your names, age, where you live, the basic stuff and then end it with 'And we are two-headed monsters' so it'll kinda be your intro." Terri and Terry have come to Catherine's place to film the interview. It's cozy, but that makes it seem strange that there's cords all over the floor and a big camera in the middle of the room. "You ready?" "Yeah..." "Aaand, action!"

  Catherine films all of the questions separately. Terry and Terri get to explain about what it's like having your brother right next to you all the time, how it affects their life and how it's difficult to blend in and live a normal life. "Have you come across bullying or discrimination?" Terry laugh a little. "Oh, yeah. A lot." "We've been really lucky and surrounded by good people, mostly. There hasn't been any beating up or anything..." "Except beating up each other." "But when we were younger, there was a lot of name-calling, other kids leaving us out of the group. Stuff like that." Terry starts getting a more serious tone. "Not just when we were kids. It really never ends. To be honest there comes a lot more discrimination from adults. You know, kids are innocent and see the good in everything. No one has taught them to hate yet. That's pretty much the only thing I like about kids..." "What comes to my mind right now is what happened in college. There was this guy, Mike, who wanted to take part in the scare games and needed a fraternity to do that. He chose the one we were in." "But apparantly we weren't enough." "Yeah. There had to be six members. And there was!" "We count bodies, not heads..." "It was understandable, because there was one challenge, where we had to go one at a time, so..." "But it still did hurt. Just the way they said it was so..." "They called us 'that dude'! I mean, this was a small, harmless things. But still something made it really stick in the memory."

   After a lot of emotional and funny talking, the interview is done. "Wow, thanks guys. I don't think I could've talked about those things if I were you. Now, if you still have time and energy, it'd be great to film some clips for narration parts." They go film Terri and Terry doing their normal everyday things. Cooking, shopping, walking, dancing, writing and a couple of clips of staring into the distance. "Thank you so much! It's been great help. I'll contact you once the document is finished. Uh... Well, bye!" Catherine starts walking away. Terry tries to go back inside, but Terri stays staring as Catherine slowly blends into the scenery. "She's really pretty... And kind... And funny... She's the kind of awkward and cute type. Like me." Terry smiles at his brother's stunned face. "Ask her out." "Wh-what? Why? What do you mean?" "Come on, Terri. I know you want to." Terri stares at Terry for a very long while. Then he suddenly starts running after Catherine, causing the twins to stumble around before finding balance and a synchronized speed and rhythm to run in. "Catherine, wait!"

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 21

Terri and Terry, 20 years old

It's been a week. The twins haven't talked to each other at all. A week. 7 days. 168 hours. Not a word. It's been painful. Torture. Terri couldn't even dance. He was so distracted by all the feelings and thoughts. Just like emotional experiences usually do, this gave Terry a lot of inspiration. But he just couldn't write anything. He has come up with a lot of great metaphors, but sitting down at a desk and writing doesn't work out. But the silence. Oh, the silence. Sitting in their small apartment. Eating and watching a comedies on TV. And no laugh could be heard. No smile could be seen. Even going to buy groceries. They didn't talk about what to buy. Ofcourse they had to communicate in some way, but once again, no words were spoken. For Terry, it always takes long to recover from a fight, but not this long. And Terri. It barely takes a day, before he begs for Terry's forgiveness. And now, he's the most silent. Maybe that's why they haven't talked at all for this long.

   Celia has finally invited Terri over. Though only to her friend's house. She's borrowing it so her parents won't know about Terri and Terry. They're lying on a bed with Terri's arm around Celia. Terri's doubting. Should he really do this. What if Terry is right? He's hurting himself and Terry. And at some point he would realize it and would have to hurt Celia and himself again. Well, maybe Terry's wrong. But at some point, they'd have to meet Celia's parents. They obviously wouldn't want to see their daughter in the arms a grown man. Who is also a two-headed 'freak'... It's impossible to decide. No matter what, something goes wrong. This may be Terri's only chance for a propper relationship. But he might have to give it up. He should give it up. Or maybe he shouldn't. A decision between losing something special and living in pain.

   The moment is coming closer. It's fast. It'll be here soon and if you don't stop it, there's no going back. Also if you do stop it, that choice cannot be undone. It's getting closer. Why won't it slow down? Terri can't choose this fast! It's closer. It's almost there. This is too hard. It's here! "Celia! I-I'm sorry." "What?" "I c-can't be with you." There it was. Terri stopped it. He regrets it. But it can't be undone. "Let's face it, Celia. You're only 15. I don't want to be the one taking your childhood and your innocence." "But, Terri..." "And I don't care if you're 15, 21 or 52. I can't be with you. Because... Terry is unhappy. Seeing him unhappy breaks my heart." Terry suddenly looks like a child, not understanding. He's already expecting a 'Hah, isn't that funny!' But no. It goes on. "And if there's one person, who shouldn't break my heart, it's you. I'm sure we both would be happier in our own bodies, but I don't think I could live without you. Okay, maybe if we were born seperate, I could... But we're not. And we'll have to deal with it. So always when we say 'let me live my life' or 'this is your life and your problem' or something, we're wrong. It's not your life and my life... It's our life. The things you said earlier... Wow. It really made me think and... Well, you're right. You're right about everything." Terri starts weeping silent tears, but this time he's not fighting back. "And you have the right to hate me. You should hate me. And you do." One single tear rolls down Terry's cheek. Terri is amused and touched By his brother and his reaction. Terry hugs his Brother tightly before Terri even finishes his point. Terri tries to force his crying face into a smile and whispers: "I hate you too, bro."

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 20

Terri and Terry, 20 years old
The brothers walk to the small kitchen of their new apartment. The whole place is small, but they don't need much room. It's dark and cold. "Do you want anything?" Terri sort of shouts to the bedroom. Celia's answer comes back a little unsure. "A glass of water would be nice." Terri gets Celia her water and Terry takes an aspirin. While trying to swallow it, he stares at an old bowl of noodles in the living room. It's been there for ages and it's driving Terry mad.

   The twins go back to their bedroom and sit on the bed. Celia looks around, pondering. "Terri, I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, I was a little unsure about a lot of things and stuff before, but anyways, I'm not actually 21. I'm 15." Wait, what? the same thought echos through both of the brothers' heads. "But, I hope that doesn't prevent you from loving me..." Celia leans closer with a smile. "I-I... Ofcourse it doesn't. I love you, no matter what." Terry listens to his brother's words in shock. That's it. "Terri! Can I speak to you? Alone." Terri agrees to go to the living room, but is confused.

   "Terri, do you have any idea, what you're doing?" "Uh, yeah. Being a good boyfriend." "Enough joking around! This is serious! Did you even listen to what she said?" "Yes! What's your problem?" Terry tries to cool down and avoids looking at his brother. "What's my... Terri, she is 15! You are 20!" "It's just 5 years difference. Not a big deal." "The press doesn't care. The POLICE doesn't care!" "Terry, you're overreacting, you're always overreacting..." Terry grabs the old bowl of noodles, in an attempt of taking it to the kitchen, but stays arguing. "I am NOT overreacting! And the worst part is, they're going to blame ME for what YOU are doing with our body." "They can't blame us for anything. We're doing nothing wrong!" "Terri, in these situations, the grown man is ALWAYS the bad guy. If you even have a teenage girl and a grown man in the same sentence, POOF, the man is a pedofile." "Well, you know what? I don't care! I love her!" "Oh, come on, Terri. We both know, you don't." "Yes, I do!" Terry is starting to lose his temper. "Terri, listen to me! You don't." "And how would you know?" "Because, I know!" "You've never even been in love. You're just the grumpy old guy, who shows no affection torwards anyone!" Terry can't take it anymore and throws the bowl of noodles at the wall. "TERRI, I KNOW!"

   Terri doesn't understand. His brother is getting ready for his next emotional explosion. Usually his breathing sounds soft, but now it's like an edge of a cliff. Like flames. Like a cold dungeon where all the cries of hate and sorrow bounce from wall to wall. "I know... When you were with Emily-" "Please, don't talk about-" "When you were with Emily, everything was different. You were in love with Emily. Your head was filled with thoughts of her. You were floating around the place. There was a storm inside of you, keeping you warm. You had the constant need to be with her, to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. Just like I did when Roland-" There's a pause. A cold, scared, heartbroken pause. Terri can't believe what he's hearing. And Terry can't believe what he's saying. He never thought, he would tell anyone. "W-What I'm saying is that... I don't see that. I don't hear that. You don't act the way you did with Emily. And yes... I-I've been in love. And with that experience, I don't want to be again."

   "Terry. Why? I need to know, there's gotta be a good reason for this. Why have you never tried to find someone? That someone. Someone to love you." "Because I love you. The other conjoined twins... I was so scared. I was sure that it'd happen to us. It almost did, when we were kids." "Terry, we were just kids..." "I was scared, Terri. I am scared. I'm scared of so many things. I'm scared of feelings, love, myself, the future, death... Don't judge me, I was a dumb teen, but at one point, I was looking online for a surgeon. I knew that we couldn't be separated, sharing so many organs... And I was trying to find a surgeon that'd be willing to... get rid of me." "Terry? You..." "I've always avoided relationships, hobbies and dreams. So that my life wouldn't disturb yours... Though I was not succesful with that." Terri can't believe, how much Terry has sacrificed for him. Everything has suddenly changed. But no one knows if it's in a good or a bad way. Terry is shaking as Celia finally starts being worried for real. "I-Is everything okay? What's going on?" Before going back, Terry says his final words to Terri. "You know what, Terri? I hate you. I hate you, because I love you too much."

The Perry Brothers - Ch. 19

Terri and Terry, 20 years old

"Soo... How do I look?" "Terrible." Terri has had enough of his brother's attitude. "Terry. It's not that bad. Just look in the mirror and say your honest opinion." Terry sighs and turns around. Two young monsters in a suit. Nothing too special. "Okay. Honest opinion? Awful." "Terry, you're not helping!" "See, I'm not gonna enjoy this and that's that." "I don't need you to enjoy it, I need you to suck it up and deal with it." The brothers go to the cab and spend the whole trip in silence.

   The twins stand around, outside the restaurant. It's dark and windy. Terri's flower's petals are one by one going with the wind. The coldness sneaks into Terri's shirt. The stars slowly appear in the sky. A warm glow comes from the windows around them. Finally a red car appears from the darkness and stops by the brothers. A young monster comes out and the car leaves. It's Celia. She's wearing a yellow, short, shoulderless dress. "She's wearing revealing clothes... This can only mean-" "Terry, you're being ridiculous. It's a completely normal dress." Terry's voice is low and steady. He's talking faster than usual. "Terri. I'm telling you. We need to run." "Okay, now you're just really childlish! We're gonna have dinner, talk and hopefully we'll get somewhere." Terry laughs. "Oh, she has a place in mind!" "Terry, stop it." "Like someone's bedroo-" "TERRY!" "Hi." Celia innocently interrupts the argument. "Uh, hi... Sorry about that." Terri hands over the flower and they head inside.

   "Um, you seem younger than I thought." "Oh, I... Thank you!" Silence. The monsters are looking at their menus. Nothing happens. Nothing changes. They might aswell be at home doing what ever they want. Terry could be writing his poem collection... "So, you dance?" "Yeah, I'm majoring in dancing. Originally scaring was my major, but then I sort of got kicked out of the program, then blablablah, there were the scare games, lots of stuff happened, and now scaring is my minor." Celia seems confused, but also intrigued. Terri feels like he's been blabbering too much about himself already.

   "What about you?" Celia starts stuttering and looking around the place as she tries to answer. "Well, I... I-I don't know. There's not much to me." "There's gotta be something. Do you study? Or something else?" "I, um, YES... I study." "What?" "I study... studyable stuff. Things that people study. You could almost say, I study studying." Celia laughs nervously and begs for no more questions. This is going to be a long night for Terry.

   Terri and Celia go on talking and getting to know each other. Suddenly Terri does it. "You know, I can also do magic tricks. A good example is that, when I look at you, everyone else dissapears..." Oh god, no no no no no! Ah, Terri, please! Terri, no... Not with the pickup lines. Please... Anything but the pickup lines! "Waiter! Anything with alcohol, please!" Terri stops chatting as if someone pressed pause on the conversation. "Uh, Terry? You... You don't usually drink." "Oh, now I need it!" Terri lowers his voice and hides behind the menu. "Terry, think about what happened last time." "But you see, there's a difference between you drinking and me drinking." Terri tries to argue back, but gives up quickly. He tries to continue talking with Celia naturally as Terry gets his drink. He takes a sip of it and immidiately cringes. Disgusting. Oh well. Terry drinks it anyway and prays for the night to be over as soon as possible.