The Twins Are Back!

My favorite uncles, the twins Ray and Len Hunt, were born in 1909. I remember them every August on their birthday.

Ray and Len were born mischievous and stayed that way for the rest of their lives. They were identical in every way but they were “mirror twins.” Ray was right-handed and Len was left-handed. 

Ray and Len played tricks on everyone, even my sweet Grandma when she wasn’t looking. One time, when they were very young, they noticed that Grandma had gone down into the farm house cellar to get something. She left the trap door open so when she pulled the string to turn out the light, she could climb back up the ladder to the kitchen. 

The boys waited until Grandma had turned out the light, then they closed the cellar door with a bang. They stood on the door and Grandma couldn’t get out. She was trapped in the cold, dark cellar.

Grandma yelled at the twins to let her out, but they stood on the door, laughing and congratulating themselves. Finally their older brother, my Uncle Bill, grabbed both of them and pushed them off the door. Bill opened the door for Grandma, who told the twins to go outside and bring in a switch, so she could hit them for being so naughty.

My grandmother told the story at every family party. No one laughed harder than she did, when she remembered what the twins had done.

When Ray and Len were in their early 20s, they played tricks on each other as well as on everyone they met. One day Ray noticed there was a new Asian restaurant on Rice Street. He wanted to try it, so he went inside one day for lunch. When he finished eating, he slipped outside without paying the bill.

That night Ray called Len and bragged about what a great lunch he had. He told Len it was the best Asian food he had ever eaten. He convinced Len to go to the restaurant the following night and to take his wife, Mary, with him.

As soon as Len and Mary entered the restaurant, the cook came running toward them. He had a cleaver in his hand and waved it over his head as he screamed at Len.

“You crook. You no pay for lunch. You pay right now or I call police. Don’t sit down.”

Len started to argue with the cook. Mary couldn’t believe this was happening. And then Len realized that Ray deliberately didn’t pay the bill and then sent him to face the consequences. Len paid Ray’s bill and then he and Mary sat down and had a fine meal.