I was ready for a quiet dinner out with my sweetheart. It was to be a simple little Tuesday night date night, precipitated by the request of a realtor to show our home over the typical dinner hour. No problem.

A quick tidy up involving a swiffer and a vacuum was all that was required, and we were ready to head out the door.

That’s when the phone rang. It was my son’s father. My first thought was that we had somehow mixed up schedules and my son was stranded somewhere without a ride. I quickly answered, only to be told that he probably has shingles. Again.

This boy is nearly 16 years old. Last year he was nearly 15 years old. That’s when he got it for the first time. I was stunned. I didn’t think young people, let alone teens, could get it. I thought it was an old person’s disease. I was wrong.

Shingles is ugly. Do not google it. Trust me. His case isn’t nearly as bad as the horror show you’ll see on the internet (thank goodness). That being said, it’s not attractive, and it’s uncomfortable. The good news is, it isn’t contagious. Still, it looks pretty nasty, and people will want to avoid you if they notice it. His outbreak is on his neck, so it’s hard to hide.

Off to urgent care we went, since his dad had to get to work at job number two. Don’t ask. I filled out all the paperwork as we (my ever patient sweetheart and I) waited for them to arrive. After a few wrong turns, they finally showed up, and we did the switch. He was taken right away (since I had already done all the paperwork) and sure enough, the doctor declared it shingles.

They checked his records. Last year he was seen on February 24. Today is February 25. Is this going to be a thing?

The doctor asked if he was taking his state tests in school this week. He finished today. Apparently stress triggers shingles. Although I’m not sure that these tests exactly stress him out. He’s pretty good at tests. At least the standardized type.

Anyway, one dinner and one $97 (with insurance) prescription later, he is back at his dad’s and working on his homework. At least I hope he is. I don’t want to nag him though, it might aggravate his stress.