I was just sittin there at the arcade, kinda just watchin people. Not playin any games or nothin, just observin. I got this thing where I can notice real small stuff bout people, like a tiny twitch in a corner of a person’s eye or how a shoulder can slump just a little bit, and it tells me alot bout what they’re really thinkin. Most people don’t even notice those kinda things. It’s kinda a weird habit, I guess.
This place was always loud, full of beeps and boops and little kids screamin. I don’t mind it much. It’s just background noise. I was finishin up my soda when I saw her. A lady, maybe mid-thirties, with a little boy, looked like he was maybe five or six. She had that kinda look where she was already annoyed before anything even happened. And then there was the fella behind the prize counter. He looked super young, like he was just out of high school or maybe a year or two past that. He had a real cocky kinda smirk, like he knew he was the coolest person in the room. He was probly twenty-three, twenty-four. I could tell he thought his job was beneath him.
The kid was clutchin a small handful of tickets, not many at all, lookin up at his mom with big eyes. He clearly wanted somethin good from the prize wall, but his tickets wouldn’t even get him a pack of stickers. The mom, she looked mad already. She started talkin to the young guy behind the counter. She told him that one of the games, the one with the big hammer that you hit to make the bell ring, had ripped her off. She said it took her money and didn’t give no tickets. The kid just kept lookin hopeful at the prizes, not really understandin what was goin on.
The young fella, he just kinda sighed real loud, like it was a huge effort to even breath. He leaned on the counter, not even lookin her in the eye, just kinda starin past her at the wall. He said that game don’t give tickets. It was just for fun, he explained, and there was a big sign right on it that said so. He didn’t say it nice, you know? He said it like she was stupid for even askin. The mom, she got even redder in the face. She insisted it did give tickets, and that she put a dollar in and it ate it, and her son was lookin forward to the tickets so he could get a prize. Her voice was gettin louder, startin to echo a little bit in the big room.
The young guy just shook his head. He kinda gave a little snort. He said he couldn’t do nothin about it. That’s when the mom started flappin her arms a bit. She said it wasn’t fair and her son deserved tickets because they were promised. The kid looked down, his face fallin a bit, probably just wantin a cheap plastic toy. It was kinda sad to watch him. She said she spent good money here and she was a good customer, and that if they didn’t give her son some tickets, she was gonna tell everyone she knew what a bad place this was. She was really goin at it now, her voice kinda screechy.
The young fella, he just shrugged. He said somethin about how he didn’t make the rules and she should read the signs next time. That really set her off. She started yellin about how rude he was and how she wanted to talk to his manager right now. The manager, she said, would definitely understand. The kid, he was lookin embarrassed now, tuggin on her shirt a little. The young guy, he just picked up his phone and started scrollin, pretendin she wasn’t even there. He didn’t seem to care at all if she got mad or called for a manager. His shoulder had that little slump, you know, like he was resigned to this kinda stuff, but his mouth was still twisted in that little smirk. It was a weird mix.
She demanded to know his name. He just mumbled it, not even lookin up. She said she was gonna remember that name. At that exact moment, a toddler in the ball pit behind them let out a bloodcurdling scream, and then started cryin real loud. It wasn’t a sad cry, it was a mad cry. It kinda broke the tension for a second, everyone in the area kinda looked over, then back to the mom. The mom used the break to yell even louder, tellin the young guy he had no customer service skills and she was never comin back to this establishment ever again.
I finished my soda and decided to casually walk over, like I was just goin to the trash can nearby. As I passed, I kinda spoke loud enough for her to hear, but not directly to her. I said, “Man, it’s a shame when kids miss out. I remember one time, my friend’s kid was real bummed about not gettin enough tickets, and the manager, bless his heart, told him about this secret little thing. Said if you just mentioned you were a loyal customer and maybe if your kid had a birthday comin up soon, sometimes they’d give you a small bonus. Not for free, you know, but as a special little thank you. Made the kid’s day.”
I didn’t even look at her, just kept walkin to the trash. I heard her kinda go quiet for a second. Then I heard her voice again, a little less screechy this time, but still firm. She said, “Actually, my son’s birthday is next month! And we come here all the time. Surely, as a loyal customer, you can do something as a courtesy for a birthday boy?” The young guy, he kinda looked up from his phone, a little confused, like he hadn’t heard what I said. He probably thought she thought of it. He scratched his head. He probably didn’t want to get yelled at more, and the manager wasn’t showin up, so he just kinda sighed and said, “Fine, just this once. What game was it supposed to be for?”
She pointed to the hammer game again, but this time she was smilin a little. He just typed somethin into his computer, and a few seconds later, a bunch of tickets started spittin out of the machine. Not a ton, but enough for her kid to get a decent little prize, like a bouncy ball and some candy. The kid’s face lit up, and he grabbed the tickets and ran right to the prize counter. The mom just kinda smirked at the young guy, like she’d won. She got what she wanted, and he didn’t say nothin else. I just shook my head a little. I felt bad for the little boy. He was just a kid, caught in the middle of all that fuss, just wantin a toy.
