January 8, 2004 - Mom Times Two

And there she was, walking across the room with the same delicate build, the same short-cropped hair, the same horn-rimmed glasses and, as she sat down across from me, the same blue eyes.

The Gryphon introduced her as his friend Lisa K. "You must be Alyce," she said. "Nice to meet you."

The strangest thing about it was that she moved like my mom, too. She had the same way of smiling with her mouth while her eyes crinkled up in thought. It was absolutely unnerving.

I'm sure she must have wondered why I was staring at her the way I did. I just couldn't help myself. It was as if my mom had traveled through time and stepped out in the middle of Sabrina's to have brunch with me.

I found out a little about her and discovered her heritage was very similar to my mom's, a blend of heritages from the U.K. and Eastern Europe, including Poland.

"I'm just wondering," I said. "Because when you came inside you looked like you could be one of my relatives." I wasn't exactly lying.

After brunch, she took her leave of the rest of us, who were going to go see Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at a nearby theater.

"She looks just like my Mom," I exclaimed. "Well, my mom 30 years ago."

The Gryphon's friends smiled and told me Lisa K. looks exactly like her own mom, too.

The following evening, when The Gryphon and I saw my actual mom, I mentioned the sighting. She suggested that maybe Lisa K. is related to her. Mom does have relatives in Philadelphia. But this was too uncanny; I mean, this was her doppleganger, 30 years removed.

Of course, I'm not certain either one would agree with me about the resemblance. When I dug out old pictures of Mom, I noticed her face is a bit wider, her complexion different.

Besides, I remember the time my sister told me about a doppleganger I supposedly had in State College. She told me this woman looked exactly like me, and I was intrigued. That is, until I saw her in a bar.

We were there to listen to a live band, and my doppleganger and I started dancing. My sister collapsed in giggles. "You even dance alike."

At the time, I thought, "She looks older than me. I'm not that heavy." But thinking back, I was probably deluding myself.

That's probably why dopplegangers are supposed to be so dangerous. No one wants to step outside themselves and see how the rest of the world might see them.

Unless, of course, your doppleganger is Uma Thurman.

Musings an Online Journal of Sorts By Alyce Wilson
January 8 , 2004 - Mom Times Two
Mom and me	Last Friday, The Gryphon and I met with friends of his at Sabrina's, which is a great little restaurant in the Italian Market area of Philadelphia. It was one of those little restaurants in an older building, with cramped little tables. Makes you feel special for finding the place. They had a creative menu with lots of twists on the usual breakfast items. We were sitting there waiting for one more friend to arrive when this woman meets my eyes from across the room, waves and starts walking towards us. I couldn't believe my eyes. Mom? But she didn't look like Mom now. She looked like Mom from 30 years ago, the Mom in all my baby pictures.
And there she was, walking across the room with the same delicate build, the same short-cropped hair, the same horn-rimmed glasses and, as she sat down across from me, the same blue eyes. The Gryphon introduced her as his friend Lisa K. "You must be Alyce," she said. "Nice to meet you." The strangest thing about it was that she moved like my mom, too. She had the same way of smiling with her mouth while her eyes crinkled up in thought. It was absolutely unnerving. I'm sure she must have wondered why I was staring at her the way I did. I just couldn't help myself. It was as if my mom had traveled through time and stepped out in the middle of Sabrina's to have brunch with me. I found out a little about her and discovered her heritage was very similar to my mom's, a blend of heritages from the U.K. and Eastern Europe, including Poland. "I'm just wondering," I said. "Because when you came inside you looked like you could be one of my relatives." I wasn't exactly lying. After brunch, she took her leave of the rest of us, who were going to go see Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at a nearby theater. "She looks just like my Mom," I exclaimed. "Well, my mom 30 years ago." The Gryphon's friends smiled and told me Lisa K. looks exactly like her own mom, too. The following evening, when The Gryphon and I saw my actual mom, I mentioned the sighting. She suggested that maybe Lisa K. is related to her. Mom does have relatives in Philadelphia. But this was too uncanny; I mean, this was her doppleganger, 30 years removed. Of course, I'm not certain either one would agree with me about the resemblance. When I dug out old pictures of Mom, I noticed her face is a bit wider, her complexion different. Besides, I remember the time my sister told me about a doppleganger I supposedly had in State College. She told me this woman looked exactly like me, and I was intrigued. That is, until I saw her in a bar. We were there to listen to a live band, and my doppleganger and I started dancing. My sister collapsed in giggles. "You even dance alike." At the time, I thought, "She looks older than me. I'm not that heavy." But thinking back, I was probably deluding myself. That's probably why dopplegangers are supposed to be so dangerous. No one wants to step outside themselves and see how the rest of the world might see them. Unless, of course, your doppleganger is Uma Thurman.
Moral: The Italian Market has everything, even dopplegangers. Copyright 2004 by Alyce Wilson Musings Index
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