esrosedotblog

BETH AND I

In Little Women, Beth, the shy one, gets scarlet fever and never recovers.

She is sickly for a long period after the fever and then has an early death as a result of 'heart problems'.

In addition to being shy, Beth and I also share scarlet fever.

I got it when I was in the 3d grade. I was 8 years old. 1945.

I remember having it and having fever dreams. I remember the solemnity of the doctor's diagnosis. There are other in and out kind of vague memories.

We had to have the house quarantined. It was highly communicable. When I recovered (no suspense here) there was a wholesale burning of all my personal effects.

I think that my mother skated on this one. They burned my stuff at school. I do not think that they burned my clothes and I still have my teddy bear which I got when I was three or something. He sits next to my bed.

I don't think that he has given anybody the dread disease.

As far as I remember, only one other kid had it; Donald Hayes. He survived also.

I don't think that, like Beth, we had the post-fever complications. I bet that she had rheumatic fever.

My heart is fine.

So, I only have a bit of a connection with Beth.

It is hard to believe that I grew up at a time when there were no antibiotics. Kids got a lot of stuff. Some died. No one close to me.

We did have the sulfa drugs.

I don't know if they gave me that or not.

This whole episode is one that my Mother filed under 'forget it'. It was hard to get any data. Usually, whatever she came up with was more about her than anything else; how hard it was for her. That's my Mom.

My Dad was away in the Navy. World War II was about to close down. But, she was still alone and it was hard times. I have to give her that.

I have had it in the 'forget it' file too.

If it was not for the movies I would have probably just let it be.

Something else for scrapbook; an item for the blog.

Another small piece of baggage opened up.