Hey let me tell you an anecdote

So today I was just perusing my memory of stories about my past and I remembered this one time in fourth grade. I think it starts on a Monday. Great place to start anything isn't it? It was in winter as the weekend passed I had attended a basketball game. Knowing my school, we had probably lost that weekend. Though this was far enough back that maybe we were still good. All I know was this was the time period where I didn't understand the sport (not like I do now anyway) and I spent most of the games playing in the hallway or cafeteria with kids I probably didn't actually know. I'd watch maybe the last 2 minutes of the game and do the nuts and bolts chant with the other children like we were cool. Yeah real cool.

Anyway, during the middle of class I guess I was wearing my jacket for some reason and I remember finding an unopened pack of Starburst from the game. The only way I can think of to explain my excitement is if you take a hyena and give it a few kilos of crack mixed with pure sugar. Then make it drink about 3 cans of Mountain Dew after he's swallowed it. That's about half the reaction I had when I found this candy in my pocket. I really loved Starbursts as a tyke. 

So I started eating them right in the middle of class and a guy, Greg Yahle, noticed this and wanted some. He started offering me the usual kid things if I'd give him some, pencils, toys, trading cards and the like. I refused to accept any of them. He wanted the yellows which I hated but even back then I was a greedy little kid and wanted something from giving away my precious candy. So being crafty I told him I wanted a Gameboy. This exciting little item was something I had watched others own and love while my folks didn't see fit to purchase for us. Greg managed to think before accepting and said for two yellow Starbusts he wouldn't do it, but would if I also gave him fifty dollars. I thought this over and did a mental check on my funds at home. I found this reasonable considering I was sure a new Gameboy was over hundreds of dollars. We agreed on it and I gave him the Starbursts and a three dollar down payment out of my lunch money. 

Now, as a fourth grader on limited allowance, I had to figure out how to get the money. He had given me a week to deliver or the offer would be null. I had some money already from keeping left over lunch money. This was my main source of income during my entire stay at Newton. I kept this up until I graduated. Ate little and kept the change, then traded the ones in to Grandma for bigger bills before depositing it in the bank. The ones for lunch came from Grandma in the first place. She then took the ones I traded her and put them back into the lunch money fund. I was getting the better deal out of this. 

So I gathered what I already had which was close to about half the money and needed the rest. The lunch money was kept in a tin in the kitchen. grandma would fill it with fifty ones at a time. I knew I couldn't take too much at once or I'd be found out easily. I spent each day of the week working on this. In the mornings I'd take at least three extra dollars for lunch. In the afternoon, I'd pretend to be putting the extra back while actually swiping more. I'd wait until the kitchen was clear and go for glasses of milk while swiping more. By the end of the week I had enough money to pay for the Gameboy. 

I took the money in the next day, and made the trade. He was so excited by the look of fifty ones. I was so excited about my new Gameboy that didn't even have games. I had yet to think about how I was going to get games. He started showing other kids the money since he was so proud of it. Until, one told the teacher. She swooped down  and snatched that money up. I was then given the most dreaded call in elementary school. "Come to the hallway I need to speak with you." My stomach dropped quicker than particles in a singularity of a black hole. 

She kept the money and called my parent. I had to give back the Gameboy. No detention though. Just the usual punishment. 

Grounded. 

In case you're wondering. my teacher gave the money to my parents who kept it for about a month. It was given back because otherwise they'd have spent it. 

I eventually got a Gameboy from a boy as a birthday present. That he had stolen from another kid and everyone involved kept quiet about. It even came with a game. Dragon Ball Z. Some quick thinking got me Sonic games from my own money and my brothers. And Mario came to me from a band contest. No lie, the contest was over, I stood up from the bleachers, looked behind me and the cartridge was sitting there on the bench. No one around at all. I then owned Super Mario.