Gumball Machine

This is the story of a Gumball machine.

For christmas one year, Jamie got a gumball machine. I think Winston gave it to him, but I could be wrong. I remember being a little impressed with the gumball machine. It looked cool. But I didn't really think about it that much.

I must have been in the 10th grade the year of the Gumball Machine Fiasco. This fiasco involves other people, and I apologize to them because this is their story, too. Please think of me more as a historian, making a notation of facts for future generations.

Anyway, our school used to give students a couple of days before exams to study. And the year I was in the 10th grade, both my brother and sister were also home "studying" with  me.

Of course, we didn't just study. We spent a fair amount of time goofing off.

I forget what exactly happened. I think Winston and Anne-E were fooling around in her room. She was on the floor and Winston was bouncing something on the ground which hit her in the face. Nothing serious, but she was hurt and angry. Being the busybody older sibling that I was, I had to get in there and start telling people off.  I might have been the one to yell at Winston, or it might have been Anne-E. Whichever one, Winston was upset, and he dashed off into the bathroom that connected Anne-E's room to Jamie's. 

Anne-E was just telling me what happened when we heard a crash. My sister and I locked eyes shook our heads. "NOW what did you do?" we called out.  There was no answer, so we peeked our heads in.

The bathroom was covered in blood. The mirror was not broken. Winston had dashed across into Jamie's room, and in his frustration had punched the gumball machine.

Now, I don't know what guys punch things. Personally, I get frustrated and then scream and yell and screech until I cry, and then I eat a lot of chocolate. It works for me. But some guys just need to punch innocent objects, and this time it was the gumball machine, which had fought back.

The story goes on. We were alone in the house, and didn't know how to deal with a serious cut. In a panic, I called my best friend Larissa, and asked to speak with her mother, who came to our rescue and whisked Winston away to the hospital where they refused to give him stitches anyway because he needed a parent to consent.

Flash Forward.

For christmas this year, the boys got a gumball machine. I think Jamie gave it to them, but I could be wrong. So far, the boys have done nothing violent to the machine. They pour quarters into it and get sticky gumballs in return. But I can't help but remember when Jamie was the one with the coins and the gum.