When the Finch Rises

In When the Finch Rises the main characters are two young boys growing up in the late sixties. The pair become enamored by Evel Knievel and his televised motorcycle stunts. Being a curious and courageous duo, they even attempt their own stunts atop bicycles, using dangerous homemade ramps made of plywood and cinder blocks.

The entertainment industry can have a powerful effect on children. When I was around 8 one of my favorite movies was Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory mainly because I dreamt of having a room totally made out of candy like the scene with the chocolate river. In the movie, one of the rude kids, Violet Beauregarde, loves to chew gum. A gum addict. And at some point in the movie she states that she sometimes saves a good piece of gum by sticking the chewed wad behind her ear.

For some reason this tidbit resonated in my young mind and one day I distinctly remember enjoying a delicious piece of Dr. Pepper flavored gum with a liquid center. I was enjoying it so much that I decided it was too good to throw away. So taking a cue from Miss Beauregarde, I stuck the gum behind my ear.

Now at that age I was sporting the classic shaggy bowl cut so it wasn't hard for the gum to become intertwined in my hair. The hard thing was trying to retrieve the gum out of the hair behind my ear. In fact I unsuccessfully tried for the next 10 days, making sure to hide it from everyone.

Finally, on a night my family was getting dressed up to attend some event, my dad found the clump of hair while combing my hair. Now this Dr. Pepper gum, in its crewed, ten days old state, takes on a dark maroon color, the same hue as a bloody head wound. But as my dad was about to rush me to the ER, he noticed that my massive gash had a sweet delightful smell. Once the truth of the matter came out but it was clear that the wad of gum could not come out, dad reached for the scissors and I ended with a large hole in my bowl cut. Lesson learned.