THE BUBBLEGUM

Some fifty years ago, along with my sister Erica and my parents, I lived in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. At that time, the city was in a process of evolution, trying to win the battle against the jungle, the climate and the millions of bugs.

My parent’s life was not an easy one, as it was difficult for the others that were trying to progress in the city. My childhood memories are happy ones. If we had any need, I never noticed. Even though my toys were not the most sophisticated ones, they were always the ones I wanted. The love of my parents and the brethren, made my sister and I strong in our childhood.

Remembering those days, it came to my memory the time my dad had to go to Brazil. We knew he was going to bring a special gift, as he always did when he traveled. This time, among other things, he brought bubblegum back from Brazil. Maybe you are thinking: what is so great with bubblegum? What kind of a gift is that? How can that be an important gift? You must understand: it was not any bubblegum. It was BAZOOKA bubblegum. There is and there will never be a bubblegum like it.

How can you explain what a 7-year-old boy feels when he has a stick of Bazooka bubblegum in his mouth? The fragrance, the flavor, the feel. Also, in those days it was almost impossible to find it in the stores in Santa Cruz and this one came from Brazil and it was still soft.

Erica and I planned how we were going to enjoy the gum to the max. We chewed all day long and then at night, you cannot go to sleep with it in your mouth: you will swallow it, so I placed mine in my closet. Early in the morning, I put it in my mouth and let it get soft before I started chewing it again.

Three days later, one starts to get creative. I remember that that night I suggested to my sister that the best place to keep the gum would be in … her eye! Just like a pirate’s patch. Said and done. She took her gum and made a nice eye patch. I took my gum and spread it all over her hair. We were both laughing and being silly until she tried to take the eye patch off. The gum had hardened and when she tried to take it off, she tore off her eyelids and eyebrows. Not only that but when she tried to take off the gum from her hair, it was impossible to get it out. I still remember the look on my mom’s face when she saw her daughter with no eyebrows or eyelids and with a big gunk of the best bubblegum in the entire world in her hair.

I don’t remember what happened afterwards. For several weeks my sister went thru life without eyebrows or eyelids and with her head totally shaved. I don’t remember what punishment I received. What I do know is that my dad never again gave me bubblegum when he came back from a trip.