Jack of Harts

Rosalie and Rosalind wanted to be married back home in International Falls, and we sent out the invitations to every student, teacher, and practicing medical person we knew. People came from all over Minnesota and beyond. A few even came in from Alpha Centauri, and one from New New York if I remember correctly. It was probably the largest collection of practicing and potential gengineers ever assembled in one place. The town built an entire new hotel just to house the visitors and the reception. The ceremony itself was going to take place in the church their family had been born into and buried next to for generations of course. And officiated over by the pastor who dedicated and baptized them. Those two girls were not going to forget their roots.

I remember the day those two boys from England proposed to Rosalie and Rosalind like it was yesterday. It was a triple date affair. I was going steady with this scrumptious medical student who went on to head the Mayo Clinic in later years. Real top shelf kind of girl. We were at Mario’s in Fergus Falls, a real nice Italian eatery. The boys played it cool the whole time. Never did let on what they planned, but the food was… scrumptious. Then the waiters brought the girls’ favorite dessert cake to the table and they dug in. Found the rings inside and the boys were on their knees in an instant. The girls said yes real quick. Shouted it. Maybe squealed it. They were real overjoyed, let me tell you.

Rosalie and Rosalind didn’t have any long-term boyfriends, which made them something like free agents. They were getting a reputation in the medical fields, which of course meant that a lot of smart young men really wanted to get to know them better. So they dated various medical students as the years went by. I of course followed their example, and between the three of us I figure we probably dated just about every available nurse and doctor in training in all of Minnesota. And probably a good percentage of those in the surrounding States. Free agents in every way. They were fun diversions for all of us. Until those two girls met their soul mates. Twins. Gengineers in training. The lucky boys were from England and the girls loved their accent.