the long weekend

my birthday is january 16. when i was in elementary school we would be dismissed from school early the wednesday during the week of martin luther king jr.'s birthday, january 15. his birthday was declared a national holiday when i was in first grade. this was the year that changed the observation of his birthday from early dismissal on wednesday to day off from school on monday. i had really wanted my birthday to be on that early dismissal, but now, aware of the possibility that i could have a full day off, i patiently waited for my birthday to land on a monday.

eleven years passed before that day actually came. i was a senior in high school. and i wasn't living in the united states. the u.s. holiday was not observed in southern germany. i was 29 before i actually was able to enjoy my birthday off from my state job.

although i was in germany the year my birthday fell on mlk day i did not have to go to school. i had slept for approximately 48 hours straight before waking the morning of january 16, 1995. i woke up, throat swollen, unable to walk. i crawled into the bathroom where my host mother was getting ready for work. it was about 7:15am.

host mother: "why aren't you ready for school?"
lb: "i'm really sick."
hm: at 7:45 you can go to the doctor.
lb: i don't think i can make it there on my own.
hm: when someone gets home they will go with you.

nobody went to the doctor's office with me. i went back to sleep. when my host sister, kerstin, got home from school she opened my bedroom door. i only remember hearing her scream.
the doctor made a house call.

it's about 9pm. the doctor is there. she has looked me over. shoved a swab down my throat.

dr: "du hast scharlach"
lb: was ist scharlach?
dr: es ist ein kinderkrankheit. (it's a children's disease)
lb: but i'm 18 today.

the frau doctor left me alone and my family went to an all night pharmacy to get my medication. i reached for a german/english dictionary and looked up "scharlach" ... the definition read "scarlett fever".

now, the only thing i ever knew about scarlett fever was that helen keller had gone blind and deaf from it. i thought that it no longer existed. i suddenly was afraid of dying in deutchland. luckily my fever was raging and i passed out again.

thank goodness those days are far behind me. my birthday lands on a tuesday this year, and i will not be at work.
i'm in my own country. i'm in nyc with the man i'm in love with. he just served me breakfast. i have a long weekend. i have paid vacation. we have movie plans today. it's martin luther king day. we have dinner reservations tomorrow. i don't have scarlett fever. i have a cat sitter and plans to go to the turkish baths tomorrow.

happy birthday to me.