Twins Jennifer Adams-Blackwood and Joan Adams-Gibbs - Claudine Housen

by Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

western bureau:

Identical twins Joan and Jennifer (nee Adams) have taken sisterhood to the next level. So tight is their bond that even after marriage they remain inseparable.

A mother of two and three children respectively, the sisters, who live in Rock, Trelawny with their husbands, David Gibbs and Winston Blackwood, have lived together all their lives.

"She is my other half," said Jennifer, the younger by a few minutes. "I cannot do without her even though I have a husband. I would go somewhere else and hoping to come home, not even to my husband but to my sister."

"We are tied at the hip. I don't think we will ever separate," she added.

Born in Kingston to Pauline Grant on Monday November 9, 1964, the sisters have always been close. So close in fact that even their grandmother had difficulty telling them a part.

"We did not really play any tricks but people used to be fooled by us, even now," Jennifer explained. "We have the same space teeth, the only difference is that Joan's is a bit wider than mine. Only now that we are older I am a little bit fatter and shorter than Joan."

An interesting scenario unfolded during their school days when both girls confounded their teacher when they turned in identical homework assignments.

"We had an incident at Cedric Titus. The teacher gave us a letter to write to our friend for homework. We do not do (assignments) together, but we wrote the same thing," said Jennifer.

"She did not believe us and gave us the assignment to do in class. She put us in separate places, one at each end of the class, and we both wrote the same thing again word for word. Even today we still have that bond, sometimes when people ask us for advice we come up with the same words."

Admitting that having a twin, especially one that lives at the same place, is not always a bed of roses, the sisters say they never allow any misunderstanding to come between them.

"At first it was rough because she sometimes sees things differently. We argue and quarrel but we really don't keep malice," said Joan, adding that she likes having her sister around for the 'company' and she loves her sister's cooking.

"She is the talkative one. I am not so talkative, and I don't like going out. She used to love to go to parties and things. I do not really go to those places, I like to stay in," she continued. "I like everything about my sister. I like myself, I like her. She is my other half."

Winston Blackwood, (Jennifer's husband) while admitting that it is not a common arrangement among families today, living with his sister-in-law and her family is a tremendous experience.

"I have been married for nine years now and living with the two of them is very good," he said. "They are two great people. Joan is a really good dressmaker and my wife is a good cook and she likes to do business. The relationship works very well. Sometimes there are hiccups here and there but it is really good."

Joan's husband David, endorses the living arrangement.

"It is just fun. Sometimes people ask, how do you know your wife different?" and I would say I know. There is a little difference to me I cannot make that mistake," he said.

"Overall it is just fun to know that they are twins and you are lucky enough to have one."