– You chewed tar!?- he exclaimed in utter amazement, – you chewed petroleum? – with astonishment he cried out again.
To say that he was shocked is to say nothing.
And it all started so innocently – Daniel planted a tree.
During the tree’s short life it died and recovered several times.
Daniel carefully watched out after the tree. He watered, cut unnecessarily branches, tied two main branches together, so that the trunk doesn’t fall apart completely. The tree grew very fast but it was always on the edge of failure.
One day I came home from work. We went to the garden for our usual inspection. I saw that Daniel cut off one branch and applied tar to protect the trunk from…whatever might spoil the tree. .
Tar looked so shiny I couldn’t resist touching it.
-Oh, don’t touch it, it’s still wet. You will get your hands dirty, – cautioned Daniel.
-No worries, it’s no big deal at all. I chewed that stuff when I was a kid,- i replied.
And here we go….
-You chewed tar!?- he exclaimed in utter amazement, – you chewed petroleum? – with astonishment he cried out again.
-Well, I was 9 or 10 years old,- I replied with an innocent look, – Look at me, I survived and even pretty well preserved for my 40+.
To say that Daniel was shocked is to say nothing.
Later the same day I told him a childhood story.
Goods were appearing and disappearing from Soviet stores in unknown patterns. In fact, we always could buy fresh bread and big spectra of dairy products, chicken and salt herring but never salmon. Gum was in a huge shortage. It managed to charm children, and disappeared. But chewing gum has become fashionable, and the desire to chew something did not give rest.
So, some “genius” child had discovered that tar can be chewed. Personally, I couldn’t do it often. Because the only way to separate a small piece from a piece of rock-hard tar was with an axe, which I was afraid to use. But if I was treated, I did not refuse. Actually very few people of my generation have never chewed tar. I was lucky I didn’t get caught doing it. Otherwise, my mom would have beaten me, LOL.
I remembered this story because the poor tree had died again. I looked at its dry branches and felt sorry for Daniel. He hopes that the tree will start growing again from the root.
