The Guy at Round Table

My older sisters worked at Round Table pizza when I was a kid.  I thought it was so cool that my big sisters worked at a pizza place, and many a shift I would hang out and wait for them to get off work.

But my favorite thing about them working at Round Table was the Pacman game.

This week google had the Pacman game as the search engine box and a friend on Facebook said "you can play it!" and... ever the researcher I am, I played it.

Later that evening Lloyd and I chatted about Pacman and he said "you know you can play it online for free, right?"

That was his first mistake.

His second mistake was not immediately comfiscating the computer, since, ever the researcher I am, I played it.

For a long time. 

I won't tell you how long- it's embarrassing.

And as I played Pacman I immediately thought back to Round Table pizza- the black machine that you had to sit at, and the joystick, worn thin with years of play.

But more often than not the game was occupied, and it was so infuriating!  Remember wanting to play a game as a kid and the machine was already being used?  And you'd have to stand there and wait because, unlike the gym, there is not courtesy sign saying you should only occupy a machine for "30 minutes when others' are waiting".

And there was always that guy.

I don't remember his face, but I remember his hands.  They were chubby and he jerked the joystick just so.  He was amazing.  And he always came stocked with quarters.  I mean, like a million quarters.  So in my heart even if I knew he might lose, he would just put another quarter in.

Ididn't like him.

Not really.

But he really pissed me off from ages 7-9.

My heart would sink when I saw him playing, and on the rare moments he wasn't there, I would play all day long.

Not really.

I usually had enough quarters for a game or two.

But still, it was nice when he wasn't there with his sweaty palms all over my joystick.

That sounds different than I mean it....

I was never any good, in hindsight.  I'm still not good, judging by my sad attempts this weekend.  I have managed to get past the cherry, strawberry and halfway through the orange level.  What comes after the orange?  The banana?

I can't remember.

I bet the guy from Round Table knows.