only be gone a few hours.
Part 4 — Their Twentieth Birthday
By the time Jennifer and Lizzie turned twenty, both were in college.
They came home for their birthday weekend, and all three of us agreed we didn’t need anything elaborate.
Jennifer requested chocolate cake.
Lizzie demanded lemon.
Neither would compromise.
So I made both.
Apparently raising twins doesn’t end when they become adults. The arguments simply become more sophisticated.
That morning, Lizzie photographed the cakes and posted them online.
Her caption was something sentimental about spending another birthday at home with Grandma.
I teased her for becoming soft.
She accused me of crying during detergent commercials.
Jennifer sided with her.
It was exactly the kind of ordinary morning I treasured.
We were halfway through lunch when someone knocked on the front door.
“I’ll get it.”
I wiped my hands and walked into the hallway.
When I opened the door,
