Gum...Gum...Gum

"I do not want to see any more gum in any of your mouths! Do you all hear me or am I talking to the wind?!" yelled Sister Peo. She was about 50, but looked like she was 1000 years old in my little 10 year old eyes. She always smelled of moth balls and at times I wondered if she was actually a moth and she came to church just to suck all of our blood and energy out of us. In fewer words, she was the type of person that everything had a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Her way was right and everyone else's way was wrong. Her poor husband.

I looked to my cousin who was on my right, David. David was the funniest kid I ever met. He was kinda chunky, always wore his shirts too tight, the shirt tail always stuck out in the back, and he never ever stopped laughing. "Hey Dave, I brought some extra gum with me today. Do you want a piece?" I said with a sly, little smile and a bit of chuckle in my voice.

"Aw thanks Cuz, I'll actually take two!" He put the pieces of gum in his mouth and started chewing intensely. I put three pieces in my mouth and could hardly chomp down on the gum.

"Are you ready?" I questioned. We had been planning this for weeks and the time was finally here. The day that Sister Peo got what she deserved that little, life ruining moth!

"Oh yeah, I am as ready as I'll ever be!" We both took the gum out of ours mouths. The gum was bright pink and was oozing with our spit. It was trying to escape my hand but I put a firm grip on that piece of gum!

"On the count of three. One, two, THREE!" I exclaimed. The gum soared through the air like a kite on a windy day at the beach. It was going to make it to her hair! "Perfect!" I thought. Splat! Right in the middle of her hair. I gave David a crooked grin.

The next week in primary was not a good week. We knew we were going to get in trouble but we weren't sure how much trouble we would get into.
Sister Peo had her hair cut in a weird long bob and was glaring at David and me as we walked into the room. "Oh no. We're going to get it." Sister Peo swiftly came to our area, put her fingers in her mouth, and pulled out two chunks of gum. I looked up just in time to see the horror. The gum was definitely in my hair and David's hair. That was the day I learned to respect my elders.