Something that I cannot live without is the slot machine in my basement. The slot machine is big, heavy, with lots of metal, and has discolored wheels, but it is something that is very special and a part of my childhood. My family got it from my great grandma when she passed away, and now it stays in our basement for all of our family and friends to play. 

As a young child I remember going to visit her and emptying her coin purse of all of her quarters that she saved for me. I would run down the stairs into her basement and use up all the quarters within the first five minutes. One day I ran down the stairs as I always would, I inserted the coin into the coin slot on top, and I pulled down hard on the handle. Then I watched as the pictures went round and round and stopped. Gold bar, gold bar, gold bar. I jumped up in disbelief. I had won the jackpot. The first of all the great grandkids. 

Now, my family gets to keep the slot machine at our house for my family and friends to play. While my cousins were too young to know my great grandma, now every time my cousins come to visit they run down the stairs to our basement and play the slot machine using quarter after quarter until there are none left. It brings out all the best memories of my childhood because I used to do the same thing. 

Each time I hear the handle get pulled down on the slot machine I find myself reliving the moments at my great grandma's house. Digging through her coin purse and kneeling at the tall bar stools in her basement to reach the coin slot. Using all my strength to pull down the handle and waiting patiently for it to stop spinning hoping it would reward me with more quarters so I could keep playing. The slot machine reminds me of my great grandma because of how she was so caring, generous, and selfless. She would let me play for as long as I could and encourage me even when I played until I lost all of the quarters she saved for me. To me, having the slot machine reminds me of the times with my great grandma, which were some of the best ever.