Share a Diet Coke (or Pepsi) with Dad

The Coca-Cola Company has an advertising campaign underway using the slogan “Share a Coke with . . . .” Their bottles and cans are labeled with such suggestions as “Share a Coke with a VIP,” or “Share a Diet Coke with your Soulmate.”

A few days ago, I picked up a can labeled “Share a Diet Coke with Dad.” Memories of friendly arguments with my father immediately “popped” into my mind. He was a Diet Pepsi man, while I prefer Diet Coke.

I didn’t always prefer Coke over Pepsi, and I didn’t used to drink diet soda. I grew up in a Pepsi household and didn’t switch my allegiance to Coke until I was working and my place of employment stocked the vending machines with Coke products.

I didn’t switch from regular soda to diet until my second pregnancy, when I decided to save my calories for chocolate instead of sugared drinks.

In fact, I didn’t use to call it “soda.” In the West where I grew up, it was “pop.”

“What is ‘pop’?” a friend asked my freshman year of college. “You mean ‘soda’ or ‘cola’? Why don’t you say so?”

But while my tastes changed over time, my father’s did not. He always bought Diet Pepsi. Except when I came to visit. Then he stocked up on Diet Coke. And when he visited me, I bought Diet Pepsi for him. That’s what you do for guests, even when they’re family.

My father even bought Pepsi stock, while I bought Coca-Cola. My broker recommended Pepsi initially, but I told him I preferred to drink Coke. “Coca Cola’s doing all right, too,” he said. “You can buy it if you want.” So I did.

My dad’s Pepsi stock did better than my Coca-Cola over a several year period. He delighted in ribbing me about the stock returns. But when I became his executor, I noticed that he owned both Pepsi and Coca Cola stocks in various investment accounts, so I guess he wasn’t as partisan as he made it seem.

He died in early January of this year. After his death, I made several trips to stay in his house, sorting out his papers, setting aside family items for my siblings and me, preparing for an estate sale, and cleaning out junk. I found several twelve-packs of Diet Pepsi stashed in his garage. I drank his Diet Pepsi throughout my visits, thinking of him as I popped open each can. There were still a few cans left in his refrigerator when I locked the house after my last visit.

When I recently picked up that Diet Coke can urging me to share it with Dad, I did so. Through all these memories, I shared that can with Dad.

And I’ll share a few more memories (and a few Diet Cokes) with him on my first Father’s Day without him this coming Sunday. I might even buy Diet Pepsi in his honor.

What advertisements bring back memories for you?