I quickly pushed my worries away. I was, after all, a kallah. There was enough drama going on in my life
It was a week before Rosh Hashanah — and four months to my wedding. I’d finally decided on an apartment, and my calendar was crammed with appointments. Life was full. Very full.
I was on my way to my first gown fitting when I glanced in the mirror before leaving. I did a double take and looked again. My left cheek was significantly larger than my right, and it sagged slightly. It must be the lack of sleep, I told myself. Wasn’t that what we blamed everything on? I decided to make it an early night.
But the next morning, my cheek was still swollen, maybe even a bit larger than it had been the day before. With my mother’s pleas echoing in my ears, I went to my family doctor to check it out. I’m not one for doctors, and I hate taking medicine, but my wedding was approaching, and I figured that if a dose of antibiotics would wave it away faster — whatever “it” was — and allow me a calmer engagement, then I might as well.
The doctor immediately diagnosed me with mumps, which had been experiencing a resurgence, with multiple outbreaks reported across Israel. Armed with a prescription, and relieved that I’d opted to get checked out, I headed to the linen store to tackle more of my shopping. Frilly lace and delicate sateen instantly relegated my worries to the back of my mind.
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