Gum

Memories are often sparked by a taste, a smell, or a song. Strong visceral memories that take me back decades to a place of youth and innocence. This happened to me a few years ago when my still teenage daughter dragged me into a store called “Five Below. I actually thought this was an outerwear place to buy winter jackets, gloves, and the like. But discovered that it is actually an annoying bright store with very loud pop music and everything, yes you guessed it is under $5. The business describes itself this way.

“Five Below is a store with unlimited possibilities where tweens, teens and beyond are free to Let Go & Have Fun in a color- popping, music pumping, super-fun shopping experience where you’ll always find the coolest stuff for $5 or less making it easy to say YES and smile big with our tech, tees, sports balls, beauty, candy, remote control toys and SO much more for literally everyone!”

While my daughter was busy discovering ridiculously small tee shirts and $5 phone chargers, I found myself in the candy section. I love sweets. Here in this loud awful store was a whole section of vintage candy. Evidently things I owned and appreciated as a child are now considered vintage.

Butterscotch lifesavers.

Individually wrapped “Now and Laters”.

Chuckles.

Gum. Ah good old fashioned sugary gum.

Hubba Bubba.

Bubblicious

Bubble Yum.

I remember when Bubble Yum was invented. I was a mere 5 years old. It took a bit longer to make it to our local store in my neighborhood of Columbus Ohio. “The Drug Store” as we kids fondly called it. Officially named “The Clintonville Pharmacy”. It was your typical 1970’s neighborhood “drug store”. You could fill your prescriptions, send your film away to be developed into pictures, pick up shaving cream, toothbrushes, magazines, and candy. The candy was on top of a glass cigar case. I’m imagining the hours it took to clean little hand prints off that glass as we leaned into it and reached up for our choices. There were miniature bags of Brach’s caramels, life savers, candy sticks for a nickel, and gum.

Yellow packs of juicy fruit, green packs of double mint, Freedent in the blue and white striped package. “Freedent’s the one that took the stick out of gum…and put the fresh in your breath….”

The drug store was where I first had a taste of independence. It was the first place I was allowed to go by myself. Half a block away on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. I had my 25 cents and meant to spend it well. The new fun gum was my priority. Bright pink watermelon flavored Bubblicious . Pouches of Big-League chew so kids could pretend chewing gum was chewing tobacco (!?). And my favorite, Bubble Yum. Pink was bubble gum flavor. Green was spearmint and purple was the ubiquitous grape flavor. Five pieces of soft chewy goodness. It was great gum for blowing bubbles. I was a good bubble blower. I would stuff two pieces in my mouth and chew for bit then blow big lovely, sweet pink bubbles. When they broke getting the gum off my face and hair was real mess, but I loved that soft chewy goodness. I’d have gum in my mouth all the time. At dinner I’d p

lop a wad on the edge of my plate. Boy would my mom yell when yet again gum went down the sink into garbage disposer.

Fast forward 35 years.

Standing in “Five Below” distracted by annoying music that was way too loud I spotted my childhood favorite. I bought a pack of Bubble Yum, traditional bubble gum flavor in the bright pink wrapper. Sugarless options were also available as were exotic flavors like tropical punch and cotton candy, but I wanted a taste of my childhood. Outside once our purchases were made I ripped open my gum and I was even willing to share with my daughter. She wouldn’t even try it!!!

I took a moment to smell it. Sweet bubble gum smell.

I slowly opened the wrapper and popped that pink square in my mouth.

I begin to chew. Instantly my mouth was filled with sugar granules. Oh My God. I’ll have to brush my teeth immediately. I chewed a little more. It’s hard work. Not nearly as soft as I remember. My jaw started to ache. I pressed on determined. The sugar seemed to be dissolving. I put in another piece. Now my jaw really was hurting I tried to blow a bubble and the tiniest little bubble appeared. The gum wasn’t getting any softer, in fact it was getting harder, and the flavor was nearly gone. This was so disappointing. I spit it out and massaged my face.

I sighed a big sigh.

I guess I can’t recapture my childhood.

At least not with a pack of gum.