TypicalHaikuResponse 6 day.ago

Two babies are born in the same hospital, at the exact same time. Room 203, side by side in their little incubators. Nurses say it was adorable—both boys, blinking up at the fluorescent lights like they were already disappointed in the world. One turns his head, sees the other, and gives the tiniest nod. The other blinks, unimpressed. From that moment on, it's like they silently agreed to keep tabs on each other. They grow up in completely different cities, never meeting again. One becomes a history teacher with three ex-wives and a cat that hates him. The other ends up a jazz musician who always smelled faintly of whiskey and regret. Eighty years pass. Life happens. Wars, marriages, mortgages, prostate exams—all the highlights. Then, by some ridiculous twist of fate, they end up in the same hospital, in the same room, dying within hours of each other. The nurse says, “Wow, what a coincidence!” but neither of them is impressed. They’ve been through too much. They look at each other across their beds—old, wrinkled, tubes in every orifice imaginable. One squints and says, “You look familiar.” The other croaks out, “Room 203. 1945. Incubators.” Without missing a beat they both laugh, which quickly turns into coughing. Finally, one says, “So… what’d you think?” The other guy stares at the ceiling for a long moment and goes, “I just wish the boob-sucking part came at the end.” edit: This was unknowingly inspired by Steven Wright