Just What I Needed

During the first few months into the pandemic I lost my step-father. He went in for surgery for an aneurism in his heart, that ended up taking two surgeries and left him with a trach and ventilator in February 2020. We always joked that he had the worst luck. If he bought a dishwasher it would be delivered in the wrong finish, and installed by an amateur, which ultimately would cause his kitchen to flood.

He was in recovery and at a ventilator rehab to get off the machine when the pandemic started. We lost him not long after.

After his funeral with only five people allowed at gravesite including the priest we went back to my mother’s house. There I found myself just wanting to get away. The best place I could find was the basement.

Being down there just thinking about things suddenly noticed there was something in the corner of the basement I’d never noticed before, almost sparkling under a bunch of boxes and old photo albums.

Once unearthed there it was, a 1980 Firepower. The first Solid State pinball to have a multiball feature and first playfield animation. Designed by Steve Ritchie with it being the second pinball machine to ever to feature actual speech. Ranked as the fifth most successful Flippergames of all time with over 17,000 machines made.

After figuring out how to turn it on, which honestly took longer then I’d like to admit I was hooked.

Playing the pin I could get out of my head and just focus on the game. This I not only found relaxing, but what I needed at the time.

So there you have it my pinball story.