“You and your sister couldn't tell us apart. And we couldn't tell you two apart.”

Elliot Reiken remembers how he and his identical twin brother, Danny, met and married another set of identical twins, Hunny (L) and Bunny Feller.

Recorded in Brooklyn, NY.

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Credits

Produced by Nadia Reiman.

Facilitated by Lily Percy.

Transcript

Click here to read the transcript for this story.

Interview transcript

Elliot Reiken (ER): When we met, you and your sister couldn't tell us apart and we couldn't tell you two apart.

Huuny Reiken (HR): But by the end of the summer, there was no chance of separating us. And we had a double wedding. You and I were married the same day as Bunny and Danny were married. And it was two brides, two grooms, one set of parents for each. The gowns were identical gowns, the flowers were identical...

ER: We both went on our honeymoon to Miami Beach by different trains --

HR: Yeah, so people--

ER: Because we didn't want it to be so obvious that people would be staring at us, you know--

HR: Yeah--

ER: It was embarrassing--

HR: The twins that married the twins.

ER: What'd you think about marrying me many years ago?

HR: You bowled me over with your way of kissing and the way you hold me when we dance. You're not a fantastic dancer but you hold me fantastically and I feel it, it's genuine. You're just not phony--I don't think you have a phony bone in your body. And, I never thought anybody lasts this many years.

ER: Like just yesterday it was our 50th anniversary.

HR: Yeah, now it's eleven years after that.

ER: Yeah.

HR: I never feel, 'What will he do if I die first?' You know how to open tuna fish; you know how to schmear it with mayonnaise...you will not fall apart. You'll feel sad when I'm gone but you'll manage and that makes me feel very good.

Thank you for being you, Elliot, you made my life complete.

ER: And I say the same, you made my life complete...and I hope we go on for another fifty years.

HR: I'll take five good ones. Five good ones and I'll say, 'Thank you God.'