> I went to look at an arcade machine as part of a deceased estate. It belonged to
> an elderly man survived by his wife and daughters.
>
> I called up and said I was saddend to hear about their loss, but awkwardly happy
> to hear about the machine. I showed up at the place and several people were
> there looking at the cars for sale, and a few people were looking at the
> machine. One guy said $500, if it included some games.
>
> Well, this was right place right time, I don't perscribe this to anyone, as I
> was REALLY lucky. The old lady asked if I was interested, and I said that I was
> the boy that rang earlier. I had brought her some flowers I'd picked along the
> way, and told her how horrible I felt about the situation, but that I really had
> fallen inlove with the game.
>
> She said that was a common story that day, and that many people said they
> remembered playing, 'Galaga'. She asked me why it was special to me.
>
> I told her that about 15 years ago, when I was 4 years old my father and I would
> go to the beach of a Sunday, his only day away from the family business. During
> Summer, we'd play on the beach and go in the surf, but during the winter, we
> would go to a little fish and chip shop along the beach that isn't there anymore
> and my dad would give me a hand full of coins to play.
>
> I added that I was too short to see the screen, so the shop owner would bring
> out a plastic milk carton when he saw me come thru the door of a Sunday, and
> then slide it back under the counter when I'd finished until next week.
>
> The old lady lost it. Really lost it. I mean you have no idea how bad I felt,
> she went inside and I felt really bad. She came out with her hands on a big wet
> tissue a few minutes later and said to me,
>
> 'I never knew why he kept that milk carton under the counter. Thanks. It's
> yours. Take it.'
>
> I gave her a hug and asked if she was sure, and she nodded and went back inside.
>
>
> I wasn't sure what to do, then one of the daughters came out and I said that I
> felt terrible. She said no, her mum was so happy to finally meet me. She helped
> me load it up.
>
> Though this might seem really odd to you guys, especially those that know the
> size of my collection, this is a very special one for me. It is the first game I
> played, and I have the actual game.
>
> I've cleaned it up, removed the cobwebs and the grease, replaced the scratched
> glass and retouched the instruction sheets in paintshop and printed them out and
> put them on the wood under the glass. How does it play?
>
> I don't know. I'm not 4 years old, and the storekeeper hasn't put my blue milk
> carton infront of it.
>
> I've never turned the machine on.
>

"Jesus built my Hotrod."