Starbursts, bridge and Dad

I bought a bag of Starbursts last month. I was in Target and they simply called to me. There was a big mountain of bags of Starbursts. I hadn't had one in years, but I thought what the hell.

Growing up, Starbursts were big treats. We didn't get a whole lot of candy growing up. Candy in those days was a reward or a special treat and not something to be expected on a daily basis. The thing I remember most about Starbursts is my Mom's bridge club.

When I was still pretty young, Mom belonged to a bridge club. Actually she belonged to several of them, some along with Dad. But there was one she was in that was all women. I cannot remember if they met once a week or once every two weeks, but that's beside the point. There were at least two tables of players, maybe three. Again, can't exactly remember lol. Always one table in the living room and one or two in the den. Dad would have to bring chairs home from the office for her to use. They were these great bright orange plastic chairs, which were actually pretty comfortable. I always got to help carry them in, but at my age then I'd get one maybe two into the house and Dad and Bill would've gotten the rest!

Anyway, on those bridge nights, the hostess would always provide snacks for the ladies to eat during the game and dessert once the games were finished. This was the part I love. Mom had the great wooden salad bowls so popular in the 70's. Each table would get two bowls of snacks and candies. Nuts, mints, those mini Hershey bar varieties and, of course, Starbursts.

Those would be the nights that Dad would keep me and Bill. We'd get to camp out in their bedroom. Dad would play games with us and read to us. We had one of those small black and white tv's back there with the antennas that Dad would adjust and adjust to get one of the four local stations to come in. And Mom would fix all of us our own bowl of snacks. Starbursts were my favorites and there always seemed to be some of each color in my bowl. Yum!

It's just a cherished memory for me. I look back now and getting to spend that time with my Dad was an amazing thing. Lots of kids, then and now, don't get that kind of attention from either parent, much less both like Bill and I did. Now that I'm older and have to be an adult and work and all that other crap adults have to do, I'm very glad when my schedule frees up and I get to spend time with my Dad. I love him very much. Him and Starbursts. Especially the yellow ones!