[Ryobi]

I was 5 and just learned the joys of chewing gum. I asked everybody if they had any gum. I spent every moment I could with my grandpa, who did not chew gum. I would ask and ask like some sort of gum junkie. I think the day he got truly frustrated with it was the day we were eating lunch and he told my grandma that after lunch, he and I were going to town to get a pack of gum. I was SO excited until he told me I only got to have 4 pieces out of the pack. (trident original was all I was allowed to chew.) I knew enough not to question it, a special trip and all. I just wanted to know what was going to happen with the 5th piece. When we got back from town, he took one piece out and handed me the rest, "one a day, Pan. I'm gonna check." (he called me Pan because I was his shadow.) and he put the piece in his shirt pocket.
He woke me up for breakfast the next morning and when I got to the table, there sat the gum and an acorn next to my plate. As I looked at them, he said, "if you're going to chew that much gum, you're gonna need a gum tree. Eat up so we can go plant one." I never saw a gum tree before but, I knew that he knew his trees and I wasn't going to say a word.
We walked out to the edge of the woods with a shovel, the acorn, and the single piece of gum. He gave me the shovel and told me to dig a hole for my "seeds" as he unwrapped the gum. We put them in the hole, covered them up and walked off to wait. I asked how long it would take for a gum tree to get gum. He said they grew fast and there should be gum by the weekend.
I went home that afternoon and all I thought about for the rest of the week was if I had a gun tree or not yet. On Friday afternoon, my grandparents picked me up after I got home from school and away we went. I asked if the gum tree grew yet. I had to know! He said he thought it might have started sprouting the day before, I should check it when I got there. As soon as the car stopped by the barn, I was off like a shot to the woods to check my tree. I found it, oh boy, did I find it. There stood an oak tree, about 4 foot tall, with 6 packs of trident original gum hanging on it. Jack pot! I was the happiest boy alive at that moment. When grandpa caught up with me, he helped me get the packs off the tree and told me 6 was perfect. I could have 2 and I could give all my sisters one. (they're way older so they didn't really care about the gum anyway.) Each time, for two summers after that, when I went to their house, the tree had 6 packs on it. He did it the second year just for fun because my big mouthed sister told me he was doing it. I loved that tree, and that man.
It wasn't until a few years later, he told me how it all took place. When I left that day, he went into the woods and dug and transplanted the small oak tree exactly where we put the "seeds". The packs were held on with green twist ties, I was so happy, I never noticed those.
Some friends of mine live near my grandparents old farm. I can see my tree from the road now when I drive by.