Want to Snuggle?

By Melissa Face

Craig and I have been married for seventeen years, so I should probably be able to recognize his voice at this point in our relationship, right?

My husband has three siblings, and he and his younger brother, Bryan, have always been told that they look a lot alike. And they do. 

Years ago, when we were all living in Myrtle Beach, Craig interviewed for a position as a cook at Ultimate California Pizza. It went really well, and he was offered a job on the spot. 

A few hours later, Bryan went in for his scheduled interview. “Didn’t I just hire you?” the manager asked Bryan. “I swear you were just here. Are you messing with me?” Bryan explained that he and his brother, who are actually four years apart, are often mistaken for one another. They really do look that much alike. 

On the day of our rehearsal dinner, my cousin, Leslie, who had not seen us in a while, was so excited to see Craig that she ran over and hugged him when he got out of the car. She actually hugged Bryan, though. They really do look that much alike.

Craig and Bryan have similar sounding voices, too. When we first started dating, I hated calling the apartment they shared. If I asked to speak to Craig, he was the one who had picked up the phone. The times I felt more confident and said, “Hey, Babe! How’s it going?” The response was, “Uh, this is Bryan. Hold on, and I’ll get Craig.”

They really do sound that much alike. Plus, Craig and I hadn’t known each other for more than a couple of months.

What’s my excuse now, though? Now that Craig and I have been married for seventeen years? Now that I’ve known him and Bryan for more than two decades? I mean I obviously know my husband’s voice. I could pick it out of a crowd – or at least discern it from his brother’s.

Last weekend, Craig, the kids, and I went to Wilmington to stay in Bryan’s house while he made a few improvements and prepped for a new renter. The first night we were there, we stayed up past midnight, laughing and watching movies until we fell asleep on the couch. At some point in the early morning hours, I got up and moved to one of the bedrooms. I fell back asleep quickly but woke up again when someone stood in the doorway and said, “Oh. You’re in here.”

“Yeah. Want to snuggle?” I asked. “I patted the spot on the bed next to me.”

“Uh. That’s okay. I’m good,” Bryan laughed.

The next morning (and pretty much every day since then), we’ve had a good laugh about my mistake.

I swear – they really do look and sound that much alike.

Melissa Face is the author of I Love You More Than Coffee: Essays on Parenthood and a 25-time contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She writes regularly for Tidewater Family Magazine and Richmond Family Magazine and teaches English at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology. Follow Melissa on Facebook and Instagram @melissafacewrites.