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hot dog in the parking lot. There is no telling how old that thing was.”
Relief flooded my body as I imagined Bill eating a red, shriveled weiner plucked from one of those ancient roller grill machines. I found Gene immediately and shared the good news that Bill had consumed an apparently tainted “gas station hot dog.” It was probably simple food poisoning. Phew!
Well, Gene’s sister and sister-in-law arrived, and the four of us sat down to a lovely Christmas Eve meal around our decorated dining table. Halfway through our dinner, Gene suddenly pushed back his chair and left the room. A minute later, we heard those all-toofamiliar sounds followed by flushing.
“Uh oh,” I said.
The two women instantly put their utensils down. “We were gonna spend the night,” his sister finally said between the bathroom noises filling our house, “but I think it’s best if we just head back to Atlanta this evening.”
“I understand,” I said with great disappointment.
Thirty minutes later, Gene was wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito. His sister and sister-inlaw wished him a merry Christmas through the bedroom door before running out of our house as quickly as we had hurried out of my mother’s home that morning.
Gene looked at me and said, “Apparently, it wasn’t the gas station hot dog.”
“Apparently not,” I replied.
“The gas station hot dog” story has become a legend in our family. Anytime someone gets sick during the holidays, somebody inevitably says, “Maybe they ate a gas station hot dog…” And we all laugh.
But this story also serves as a public service announcement as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water several times a day during the holidays (especially right before meals), and try not to touch your face or consume food with your hands. Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home with a bleach cleaner. And for God’s sake, if you’re sick with norovirus, isolate yourself as soon as symptoms occur to help prevent the spread.
Happy Thanksgiving! Stay safe, and may no one in your family get sick this holiday season.
