Dear Doublemint Gum,

Whenever the scent of burnt leather and musk wafted in the air, you knew my uncle was nearby. Drakkar Noir was the name and being the definitive cologne for men was its game. To be fair, gents of all kinds were bathing in this nose follicle killing mist and it was apparent that the more you had on, the more manly you were. The scent was a classic staple from my younger years and one that marked an era.

My father was more a Stetson and Old Spice man. He eschewed the norm and wore something that wouldn’t kill an ox just by standing next to it. He always had you on hand to freshen breath and stick under tables, like minty landmines for adventurous, wandering fingers.

You were his faithful sidekick; his gum du jour, every ‘du jour’. I secretly hoped you would die and that Hubba Bubba (strawberry) would rise from your spearminty ashes. Sorry, but you were absolutely terrible for blowing bubbles with. How was I going to show off my bubble blowing skills to the ladies when you stretched with the elasticity of one of those pink erasers? I always lost out to those guys with the Big League chews pouches in their back pockets.

The song for your commercial still is a classic. Unfortunately, Kit Kat’s jingle had a stranglehold on my mind and I ended up merging the two together. To this day, ‘Give me a break, give me a break. Break me off a piece of that double mint gum.” plays whenever I envision said commercial full of happy people, doing happy things, on happy days, with knee high socks on -How I miss those comfortable feet garments.

You’ll always be a part of my memories of my father. I thought he’d chew you forever. That is, until the day I slipped him a stick of Juicy Fruit, your Jucier, Fruitier counterpart. Slowly but surely, he started reaching for the yellow pack of gum and, while Juicy wasn’t great either, at least it was closer to the sweetness that is Hubba Bubba, the gum whose scent I wish I could bathe in.

Wishing you were strawberry flavored,

Adriel