The Pinball machine
We went to a little dive for some drinks after a movie. She picked it out, because a friend of hers said they had a cool jukebox thing with lots of 70s and 80s music. I was so glad to go someplace WITHOUT karaoke that I would have gone about anywhere.
We get there, get a couple of beers and I notice in a corner, unoccupied is a pinball machine. The big old kind about five feet long and about 5 feet tall on the scoreboard. I explain to my asian sweet that this is cool as news, but she was unimpressed. She is used to bells and whistles and all things digital.
We get a couple dollars worth of quarters from the bar and I attempt to explain the finer points of the machine, here are some of her comments:
No, don't go there...where's the pause?
Hey, it took your ball, where did it go?
I did NOT tilt it, I just shoved it!
What does that mean-GAME OVER, the lights are still on, right?
She got progressively better, despite herself, and towards the end of the coins, began to approach good scores. Although she did not really understand how to lightly nudge the bumpers, she began gyrating her hips and shoulders in an effort to will the ball in certain directions. From a distance I am sure it looked like someone had put a cricket down her back.
Suddenly the last ball escaped her flippers and disappeared inside the machine-DAMN she said, then a sudden CLUNK as a match popped up on the board.
What's that? she says.
"It's a match, it means we're lucky-the numbers matched and we get a free game."
Means, I get a free game-look out!
She hipchecks me out of the way and flicks the first ball away.
I think we need to stop watching so much hockey on TV.