I remember my early years as one half of a set of Fraternal twins, as a time of great confusion for both of us. I was born the boy of the pair named Christopher Ray McClain. Christine Rayanne McClain was the girl of our pair. From the age of four, we were both aware that there was a great cosmic mistake made. I felt I should have been Christine and she felt she should have been me. We would play with each other and exchange our toys. I would play with the dolls she had and she would play with the trucks and toy soldier's. Our parents really didn't worry about our choices of toys and left us alone until we were old enough to attend school. Our first day of Kindergarten, was a strange experience. Every time I would try to play with the girl's, I was told that I was a boy and we weren't supposed to play girl games. My sister had the opposite problem, she was made fun of when she tried to join a game with the boys. Our teacher was constantly frustrated as she continually steered us away from the group that was opposite of our perceived gender. This was to be a constant pattern through our Elementary school years. Summer vacations were the only time we were free of these constraints. Since T ball on up through Little League were coed, we played together on the same team. Christine was always one of our best players and that helped overcome the teasing she took from the boys. When we were in a close game, Christine was like money in the bank in coming up with a clutch hit or a great game saving catch. My skills were the opposite. I was a mediocre fielder and a lower than average hitter. The coaches would primarily use me in pinch hit or pinch running situations when the outcome of the game wasn't really in question. We played together every Summer until we were twelve.

We came home on the last day of school and our parents called us into the living room for a family discussion. We both sat down and our parents began to speak. They announced that I would be playing Little League alone this Summer and Christine would be enrolled in deportment classes, culminating in her entry in to the County Junior Miss Pageant. Christine jumped up and said she was NOT going to any charm school or competing in a stupid pageant. Mother told her that it was time she learned how to be a lady. She said she was tired of hearing people like Mrs. Mason constantly on her about letting you act like a boy. Mother said she was inclined to agree that the time had come for her daughter to act like one. She told them that they should let her play and I could go to Charm School instead. I was just as dismayed, because I would thrown into a situation that was barely tolerable as it was. I avoided being made fun of because of Christine's presence on the team. She also told the boys that anyone who messed with me, would mess with her. Now, I faced a Summer of ridicule. I lobbied to go to Charm School, but my parents adamantly said "No" to each of us. We were both dejected, but Christine squeezed my hand and promised she would work with me on my game and help me get better. Christine told Mother and Daddy that she would go to the school if they could guarantee that she would be allowed to do what she wanted at the end of the Pageant. Mother sighed and finally agreed that she would quit while she was ahead. Dad promised her that I would not be mistreated by the other boys. We were still not happy, but we knew that Mother and Daddy's word was final on the subject.

In the days that followed, Christine would work with me for hours every afternoon at the indoor batting cage not far from the house. Dad would play Pepper with us and she helped me learn how to square up for a throw to the plate and taught me how to position myself in the field according to who the hitter was at the plate. I improved considerably, but I was still no where near her skill level. At least I stood a reasonable chance of not humiliating myself too badly. We worked together for two weeks before the season started and her classes began. We reluctantly split up and started our respective Summer's.

I had my first game the following Saturday at the same time Christine started her first day of Charm School. I remember that day clearly because that was when everything changed. I had been brought in to Pinch hit for our pitcher in the 5th inning and hit a double to Center field. The Center fielder was playing me shallow, because my reputation had preceded me. He had a shocked expression on his face as the ball sailed over his head and started rolling to the fence. He finally got the ball back in, but I was already on Second base. The next batter, Mike James, settled into the box and took the first two pitches for balls. He choked up on the bat and hit the next pitch , a screaming line drive up the middle. The ball came at me so fast that I had no time to get out of the way. The ball caught me under the bill of my batting helmet and then everything went black.

Meanwhile across town, Christine was practicing walking in 4 inch heels and was told to walk to the end of a runway with her eyes straight ahead and her posture straight. She was pretty uncomfortable and was wishing she was anywhere, but there. She even tried to call Mother on her Cell and begged to come home. Mother told her that they had sent a non refundable fee of one thousand dollars for the course. Christine knew that that was a lot of money to lose, so she decided to make the most of a bad situation. She started down the narrow runway focused forward. She got to the end of the elevated stage and lost her balance, pitching forward into a steep drop into what was used as an orchestra pit during concerts. Her head struck a hard object and then everything went black.

Our parents related the events that followed just after each of the incidents. Dad was at my game, so he came on to the field as the paramedics attended to me. I was completely unconscious and they feared I might have severe bleeding in my brain. They stabilized me for transport and my father followed behind in the car. Mom was home, cleaning house and getting ready to go pick up Christine from Charm practice. She got a phone call from the director of the school and then rushed out the door to the hospital. The ambulances arrived at the hospital at around the same time and we were taken to the ER and placed in Trauma bays, next to each other. At some point, our heart's stopped and we both left our bodies and floated above, watching what was going on as they worked on us. Christine and I instantly saw each other and then came up with a plan. We decided that we would try to enter each other's bodies. We switched positions and floated over the opposite body. When they called for a Crash Cart, we watched as they placed the paddles on each of our bodies. The first jolt didn't really do much, so they increased the charge and we both felt ourselves being drawn down into the opposite bodies. The plan worked!

I woke up in a room and looked over and saw my male body over in the next bed. Things were a bit fuzzy for a second and then I remembered. I was Christine and she was me! We were able to talk freely to each other when the doctors and nurses had finally left us alone. We vowed that we would never tell anyone what happened and carry on as if everything was normal. The doctor's were completely baffled as to how we both escaped serious injury, nor could they explain why our heart's stopped. We agreed that maybe it was just the Universe righting a wrong. After a few days in the hospital, we were cleared to resume normal activities. I went to Charm School and she(now me) went to baseball practice as if nothing happened. I excelled in Charm School and my new brother was back to knocking the cover off the ball just as Christine had done the previous Summer. The coaches were a bit surprised at Christopher's sudden abilities, but they got over it as the team made it all the way to the Little League World Series. They beat Taiwan 8-7 in the Championship game with Chris hitting a Walk off two run Homerun. As Christine, I went on to win the County Junior Miss Pageant and went on to win the State Pageant. Mother and Daddy were both so proud of us.

Epilogue,

And the winner of Miss America 2012 is...Miss Kentucky, Christine McClain! As I walked out on the runway, I looked into the crowd to see my brother Christopher, standing with my parents. He shot me a smile and a wink. He had just made it to Las Vegas a couple hours earlier after playing a day game against the Angels. He was a lock for American League M.V.P as a Center Fielder for the Red Sox. He told me he hit his last Homerun of the day for me. I just smiled through my tears. All was right with the World!