Yup.  I had mononucleosis when I was a kid – 6^th grade, I believe.

No I did not get the kissing disease from smooching.

That much I am sure of.

How I caught this particular creeping crud remains a mystery.

I wasn’t feeling well on a Friday – I had a sore throat.

But since I didn’t have a raging fever, my mom sent me to school.

(Pretty typical – in our household, no high fever, no actual puking – you are not sick.)

Also, my mom and stepfather were headed to Detroit for the weekend.

Luckily, my Grandma was coming to stay with us – I don’t know what would have happened if my sister and I were on our own.

By Friday night, I was seriously ill; and Grandma took me to emergency.

They swabbed me and declared I had mono, which the doctor thought was terribly amusing – after all – the “kissing disease”.

Oh, the hilarity.

Needless to say, I was not amused.

So I had to get a mega shot of penicillin in the butt – and had to go back to the ER on Saturday and Sunday for repeat shots.

And drink hot lemonade.  Lots of hot lemonade.

(Wish I had known about hot pineapple juice then, because I can assure you that hot pineapple juice is much tastier than hot lemonade.)

My folks had no idea (no cell phones back then, and they didn’t tell Grandma where they were staying) until they got back late on Sunday.

Surprise!

You let a very sick and contagious child go to school and then foisted her upon Grandma while you went to Detroit for fun and games.

I think my mom felt appropriately guilty.

Unlike some folks who get mono, I was not down for the count for months – my recovery was pretty quick (maybe a couple of weeks – maybe longer).

My big regret was I did not get to perform in the school’s Christmas Concert, where I was to be featured as Mommy in a performance of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (with Dave Crook as Santa).

Oh the irony.