The Boy Who Burst My Bubble

My foray into the world of relationships all began with a younger man.  He was 5.  I was 5 1/2.  Yes, I know.  There's a word for that.  Don't judge me.  This all happened in the spring of 1983, if I calculated correctly.  I don't remember his name, but I guess that's not important now.  I'll call him Bob the Bubble Buster (Bob for short). 

Bob and I were in the same kindergarten class.  He came up to me one day and said, "You're my girlfriend."  That's it.  Point-blank.  No discussion or options on my part.  He gave me absolutely no choice in the matter.  I don't remember well, but I think he liked to share his gum with me.  ABC (already been chewed) gum.  I don't know if you've ever had it.  I don't care for it now.  I prefer NBC gum.  One day, after my "boyfriend" had not been kind enough to share with me, I had to find my own piece.  Luckily, someone happened to have a piece of NBC gum that they let me have.  I popped the gum in my mouth, and chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed.  

Then, one of the most magical moments in my short life occurred.  I opened my mouth, and out came a gum bubble.  I was amazed.  What had seemed impossible before had finally occurred.  I had finally joined the ranks of all the amazing gum bubble blowers that had come before, and would certainly come after, me.  After lunch, as I was reveling in my new found talent and enjoying the sight of that magical pink bubble coming out of my mouth, Bob came up to me and did the unthinkable.  He stuck his nasty finger in my pretty pink magical bubble and made it burst. 

The devastation.  The loss.  The magical moment was over, as if it had been masticated in the mouth of a heartless monster.  If Bob could be so unfeeling towards bubble gum, how would he treat our future children (as plastic as they were - from the play area in our classroom)?  I could see no way for our relationship to continue.  Bob's failure to recognize the sanctity of a bubble left me no choice.  I could no longer be his imaginary girlfriend.  I hope that Bob realized the error of his ways as he got older, or found a girl who did not care if he burst her bubbles.  Either way, I have moved on.