by Anjali Pinto
Sharing — toys or food or things — is a skill.
Twins, however, share childhood. Sharing is a lifestyle.
What Jane and Evie Bowen do not share is a personality.
Jane creates order by demanding her world be a certain way.
She is particular about her clothes, meals, chairs, barrettes.
Evie moves at her own pace, observing and absorbing her surroundings.
She is sweetly quiet and the second to speak.
They clash, fighting about both the imaginary and the real.
They bond, laughing about both the imaginary and the real.
The two are inseparable, but dissimilar.
Jane, left, and Evie Bowen, 3, pose for a portrait for their family’s Christmas card. The girls often receive the same gifts because they are twins. Their matching coats and hats were a gift from their grandmother.
Jane, frustrated that her favorite pajamas were dirty, tries to decide between the clean options. Choosing an outfit is often an ordeal for Jane, who is very particular about her clothing.
Evie runs her fingers through her hair on a Friday afternoon. The sisters spend nearly all of the day together, but play in different ways. Evie loves music and dancing, escaping with creativity.
Jane, left, and Evie hold their mother Kate Canterbury’s hand and walk toward ballet class. They are in separate classes at school, but the sisters participate in all of their after-school activities together.
Evie nibbles on a doughnut. She always eats carefully and slowly. While her sister finished hers in a few minutes, Evie carried her doughnut around with her for almost an hour.
Jane eats oatmeal with blueberries before school. Each time she thought she had eaten the last blueberry, she would ask for more. Her mother patiently encouraged her to keep looking — so she ate faster.
Jane, left, and Evie argue over “the cookie game”, a contest of pure chance. Evie’s winning upset Jane. Although Evie is generally soft-spoken, she doesn’t stand down to her sister.
Evie and her sister rush to slip their clothes down the laundry chute. Personality differences sometimes put the pair at odds, but their closeness is undeniable.
