Chewing the Tasteless Gum

When I was a child I liked to ask my mother to buy Chicklet (or was it spelled Chiclet?) which was chewing gum packed in a small red box. Inside were some pieces of gum which at first bite always tasted heavenly but after a few minutes or even seconds, gradually lost their cherry flavor and their sweetness.

I would always chew until the gum became tasteless in my mouth. If I had nothing better to do, and if a trash bin was within reach, I would throw away the gum properly. But if I could not find a piece of paper to wrap it in, I would continue to chew the tasteless gum.

Tasteless gum was still chewing gum, without the color and the flavor. It was a far cry from the attractive candy I saw in the store, yet for lack of anything better to do I sometimes had to keep on chewing.

I would chew until I could find a small piece of paper to wrap it in, and enough time to properly place it inside the rubbish bin.

As a grownup I still find myself forced to chew what had already become tasteless gum. But I'm just biding my time...