Bride of Mumps

When I was a little girl, Halloween was a very special holiday, just as it is for kids today.  Who doesn't love dressing up and getting boatloads of candy??  I remember my first costume was a skeleton.  I was 5 years old.  The next year I was a bride.  I was so excited to be a 6 year old bride (many of ya'll know that's when I got married) that I was just about jumping out of my skin!  I couldn't wait for Halloween.  Back in the 50's, most schools had Halloween parties and parades.  My school also partied and paraded.  I was going to be the coolest girl in the  lunchtime Halloween parade, because I was an outstanding bride in my beautiful white dress and veil. I had tried on my costume about 10 times before the big day.  And then BAM.  I woke up on party and parade morning with the mumps.  Oh fate, you sometimes deal cruel and unmerciful blows.  My mother called the school and told them I wouldn't be there because I was now a carrier of a dreaded childhood disease AND I would not be participating in the grandest party and parade ever!!  Oh sure, Taft school, go ahead and have fun without me!!  I'm only home suffering the agony of realizing there will be NO party and NO parade for me.  And my face is fat by now.  My mother must have really laid on a sad, sad story about me, because the teacher came up with the idea of parading down our street so I could "be with" my classmates.  My mother even suggested I put on my costume and "be a part" of the parade - only I would be imprisoned on our porch with my fat face.  But I really, really needed to wear that costume.  And so lunchtime came and sure enough, a loud, semi-dancing, twirling, costumed, happy group of kids came parading down the block and when they reached our house, they all yelled "Happy Halloween, Barbie," and I waved and waved and when they moved on down the street, I threw myself down on the porch and bawled my eyes out.  Because that's what brides do when they're miserable.  I didn't even get to trick or treat that year.  But I did get married.  Same difference.