Ricky Ricardo

1957 was a tough year for me: I entered Grade 1 - although I
had not been to Kindergarden - and ended up suffering through
three major illnesses over the course of the year: Measles, Mumps and
WhoopingCough. Nothing much could be done about the first two, so
I powered through. The third is treated with antibiotics, and was how I found
out I was allergic to penicillin. I was 6, 7 years old and don't remember much;
I was sick, really feverish, miserable. It was before vaccines. It never occured to
me I might die, my parents made light of it, kids' diseases. My mother would
prop me up in the parental bed and turn on the (black and white) television
in the living room. Our antenna picked up American shows because we lived close
to the border. My favourites were I Love Lucy in the morning and Edge of Night
in the afternoon. Slept through the rest.

That's how I learned English.To this day I speak it with something of an accent,
part French with a bit of Ricky Ricardo. This is not a joke, years later someone
pointed that out to me...