Ben and Jerry

The lawyers' names were Ben and Jerry, an unwittingly incestuous gay couple who had no idea they  were fraternal twins separated at birth because their adoption records had been eaten by a dog,

The house was a stunner, stylish enough for New York, with long hallways and bright views.

The incest, unknown as it was, also didn't really matter in the sense of ill-generation of offspring.

One day the lawyers, however, began to fight about the house. ONe of them wanted the house redecorated and the other wanted the house exactly the way it was. The men just didn't have the same vision for the house One was all New York and the other was French Provincial, which is not to say that you couldn't blend these two styles in a quite fascinating way, but the guys were lawyers, not decorators and it wasn't their training or aptitude at all, so they had zero clue about that. Jerry just flat out wanted some hot shot fabulous designer and her construction team to come in and gut the place and redo it all like a French farmhouse with a view of the north shore mountains. it would be fascinating enough all on its own, just live in chaos for two months and or even just one and pay the bill and voila! What's the point of working so hard if you can't have your dream come true at the end of the day? So, i have to say that the guys were a little discontented, one more than the other. Ben was starting to feel slightly insecure.

What about dividing the house in half? Hmmmm, well it looked very expensive in terms of kitchen renovation or installation. It also just looked like a show house of design options. Each man tended to immerse himself entirely in the decor. it would spoil the dream to divide it in half; they both agreed.So forget that option.

Ben and Jerry thought it might mean living in separate houses. they had another house in the seam area, only a block and a half away, in fact. The other house was only worth two million dollars, while this one was worth five million dollars, but the other house was empty now. They, for no reason they understood before, had really not wanted to tenant it after the previous occupants had moved out six months ago.  So,  it looked obvious that they were about to start living in two houses. It seemed practically illegal to use up so much space in such a congested city as Vancouver, two guys living singly in two luxury houses, but one had been handed down from the family of Ben, the larger one, and they were simply lucky in the appreciation of it. The other had been a wise investment of the two men's a decade and a half earlier as they'd started practicing

A new fence, new landscaping, new colours and woodwork,d echoer, furniture imported from France, linens etc would perfect the scene. The food would follow, the music, the paintings, the outdoor eating. The boys would be gin to live happily apart. Who knew where things would go from there? Perhaps it was the beginning of the end of their relationship, though their relationship wasn't miserable. it was in transition and this felt good to both of them. Their relationship, whatever it was becoming or if it was staying the same in essence, seemed to be alright with the changes whatever they ultimately signalled. 

they tried to continue their relationship but every time Jerry would walk, or start to walk over to Ben's house he would encounter a ghost that would engage him in distracting conversation and by the end he was flat.His heart misgave him somehow, like a battery that had nearly died, and he couldn't continue on his stroll to the larger house he had to return home again, feeling weaker but peaceful. the ghost was a white figure, a man, younger than he was, quite stocky. On the other hand, Ben didn't come to visit Jerry at all. He expected Jerry to come, but Jerry didn't come, and Ben slowly let go It was as if he actually didn't care enough to make the the trip. He was used to caring because Jerry cared, but not to putting out his own neck to see. Lazy? Stolid? Uninvested? Ben had plenty of reasons to be happy enough alone. He was so secure and his life was a round of expensive pleasures to be sure. What could he want?And if he go t it could he face that it was entirely free of his commercial power? the realm of love and spirit, a whole powerful realm in itself, potentially unimpressed by pecuniary advantages.  He had no language for that and no control, or navigation tools He was out of his depth, so he didn't make the hundred and twenty yard walk over to Jerry's house.The renovations were accomplished. 

 Splitting up the practice was not as easy, especially when the partners weren't quite sure what was going on. And they worked well together. Their practices merged and supported one another. They had to keep working together for a while anyway, Still, it had to end. the offices were divided and this time, Ben moved. Jerry renovated his heart in the whole process and life began to spring up in him like young shoots inApril. He drew up a contract for the transfer of title entirely to himself to the First Avenue house, now a Provencal dream home. Ben , of course, signed it. It was hard for him, but he didn't hesitate  So there they were: separated, anti all started with a divergence in taste, or rather in the fatigue of Jerry's capacity to accommodate Ben's preference and Ben's unwillingness to accommodate Jerry's. Jerry wouldn't let Ben give him half the house. He didn't want to be paid for his gift of accommodation. He wanted it returned.