*This story is entirely fictitious and bears no resemblance to any person living or dead.

Have you ever come across a sillier name than Batholomew, well, that’s my name! My parents meant it to be Bartholomew but miss-spelled it at the registry, I suspect my father may have been drunk at the time!

Batholomew Vardy, that’s me. Known to my friend as Batt.

I am the other half of a twin, my brother got the more sensible name of Barry and we were so much alike that even our friends would mix us up, one for the other.

I was the clever one though; mother always said there was a bit more to me as I was the thinker. So I knew from the start that I was a bit special, if you get my meaning.

As we grew up and became the archetypal, inseparable twins, we both had the same tastes in many things including girls.

I had my share of success but always in Barry’s shadow, he had an uncanny knack of being able to curl down his bottom lip, like a well known singer, this absolutely dazzled the girls and had them hanging on his every word.

No matter how hard I tried to emulate him, I just could not achieve anything more than a lob-sided, sulky smirk. Of course he ribbed me about it and enjoyed being the centre of attention.

Needless to say we both set our sights on the same girl, Elizabeth, She was a real beauty with a sultry figure, bright eyes and a smile that could light up a dull day, we spotted her in the lane one day with her spaniel pup. Not long after first meeting her at the dance hall.

We were chatting away and Barry shouted to her, “Hya!” she stopped and looked back, turning her head and flashing a quick smile.

My brother curled his lip in more of a sneer than a friendly smile, as she slowed down for us to catch her up.

Barry was all over her but at one point she tilted her head coquettishly and gave me a secret smile.

To cut a long story short, Barry got the girl and I got to walk the dog in front of them, while they giggled about some silly joke or other, clearly at my expense, I think it was at this moment that my resentment boiled up, and a natural affinity for my brother turned to enmity. He now had something, or rather someone that I wanted.