It was December, about 10 days before Christmas, a cold stormy night in Vegas. I had just blown into town, was down on my luck, and very, very lonely. Looking to drown my sorrows, I sat at the first machine I came to. It was different. It paid souvenir coins. I wasn't expecting anything. But wait... three coins in plastic cases just dropped from the machine. Maybe Christmas won't be so bad at all.
Just then I catch a movement from the corner of my eye. Was that really her?? I had not seen her in, oh, maybe two or three years. "Hey Richard, what brings you here?" she said.
Trying to be cool - my heart was racing - darn, time had been good to her, I replied "Flight 642, how about you Peggy Sue?"
We struck up a conversation, she pulled up a stool, and we talked the night away about old times and what might have beens. All the while I kept feeding quarters into this funny machine.
Close to dawn she said she had better "get back". My hopes dropped - and so did four of those funny coins. I handed her the extra one and told her to keep it always and remember the night she spent reminiscing with an old flame. She gently kissed my cheek (I was hoping for something more) and turned and left without a backward glance.
I decided to call it a night, took my six sovenir coins and headed for the door. The conversation with Peggy Sue played heavy on my mind.
As I passed the Casino Cashier, there was Peggy Sue with a blue case in her hand. I stopped to talk...maybe the night wasn't over yet.
"My husband collects these Strikes," she said, "and now thanks to you I had 20 to trade for the new $200 one"
And she was gone again........