A Second Home for the Herreras (part 1)

(previous) part of our Tales of the WLBOTT series (next)

In West Texas, distances are long and speed limits are more of a state of mind. Over the years, Lyra and Lochlan had grown accustomed to the 90-minute commute each way to their Monday-through-Thursday jobs in Odessa.

But it did get old. Thanks to their wonderful Wink Public Library, they’d listened to all of Anne Tyler’s books (God bless the interlibrary loan!). Jane Austen. Several Papal encyclicals. A Canticle for Leibowitz. White Teeth. Waldo and Magic, Inc. The Diamond Age. Welcome to the Monkey House. Last Night in Twisted River. Holes. Killed at the Whim of a Hat. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Guns, Germs, and Steel. Ninety minutes each way gave them plenty of time to listen to books. It also gave them plenty of time to discuss which books the other twin desperately wanted to read.

One time they played a little game: they would alternate self-help books that one twin would select for the other twin.

Lyra’s choices for Lochlan:

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
A Sloth’s Guide to Mindfulness by Ton Mak

Lochlan’s picks for Lyra:

How to Lose Friends and Resent People by Jef Benson
How to Raise Your I.Q. by Eating Gifted Children by Lewis Frumkes
Curses and Blessings for All Occasions by Bradley Trevor Greive

But today their conversation returned to the tiers. Lochlan said, “Remember we were talking about getting a place in Odessa? I think I found a place. We can go look at it after work.” Lyra was intrigued, but cautious: “Does it have indoor plumbing? Electricity? A roof? Squatters? Indoor livestock?”

Lochlan replied, “No, it was extra for indoor livestock. Just the basics. But a 10-minute drive to work.” They talked about the place for the rest of the drive, but Lochlan wasn’t giving out any details. They talked about the place for the rest of the drive, but Lochlan wasn’t giving away any details. Neither had seen the place in person, and Lochlan’s information had come from Zillow, which could oversell the virtues of even the humblest abode. But they were excited to take a tour after their shifts.

A Gift-Giving Aside

Eventually, their little game of literary insults spilled over into their holiday gift-giving.

Lyra and Lochlan learned early on that gift-giving was a trap. For starters, they didn’t have much money growing up, and they’d often see their presents languish in the “Gift Graveyard.”

They’d challenge themselves; to get a laugh from their sib was the best gift, so a tradition sprang up. They’d do screenshots of books from the Wink Public Library, and create portfolios, design covers, and exchange them on holidays. You might think it would be a delicate balance between humor and cruelty, but not with the twins. They knew each other too well.