Necco Wafers

When I was a kid
I thought these were
called nickel wafers.
I would buy them at the
WYO movie theater
in Sheridan, Wyoming,
for a nickel and they would
last most of a double feature:
usually a western and a
World War II movie.
I would ride my bike the
several blocks to the
downtown and settle in
for a Saturday afternoon matinee.
The wafers could last for several hours
if you were careful and sucked
them gently until they were
thin and fragile in your mouth.
For a burst of flavor, you could
wedge them between your teeth
and tongue and break them in half
stacking the two halves and then
breaking that in half so you have
4 quarters of a wafer ready to
crunch for that flavor burst.
I usually ate (and still do) the
white and purple ones first,
my least favorite,
next were orange, green, and yellow,
and then pink, black, and brown,
my favorites.
You can buy rolls of the chocolate
wafers at some locations.
Sometimes, though, I’ll alternate
orange, green, yellow,
or black and pink,
and yellow and brown
go together well.
A few years ago, Necco
changed the flavor mix
and public outcry and lower sales
led Necco to return to the original flavors.
I’ve been munching on them
while I write this
and now have two yellows, one pink,
and two chocolates left.
It’s nice having something
to look forward to.