6/12/09

Vending Machines


The vending machine in Rigby Hall is a filthy liar.

I swear it hates me. It always taunts me.

I've been having a hard time eating regularly lately. Some weeks I'm consistent about getting breakfast. Other weeks I'm good at getting lunch. Dinner is always haphazard--6,7, 10, 11? I do the bare minimum to stay alive, so when I get hungry at work in Rigby Hall, I wander to the vending machines to get something to snack on.

But they lie.

They always say "swipe card" from far. But by the time I get near, they flash "cash only." What a dirty lie. I know from personal experience that you CAN buy things with your I-card at those machines--I've done it before.

I stand in front of the machines, leaning against the white brick, and wait for it to flash "swipe card" again. Nothing. I wait for 2 minutes, and nothing. I hide around the corner and it changes back to "swipe card."

In that moment, I rush out from around the corner and swipe my card, hoping that it will let me use it. I can almost hear the vending machine laugh at me, as it flashes "cash only" again, a cold, heartless rejection.

At least the drink machine loves me. I drown my failure in A&W cream soda.

5 comments:

Leanna said...

I love the image of you hiding around the corner waiting for it to flash "swipe card." I can picture you doing a ninja fast move to swipe the card before it changes. Great writing.

Ever considered giving it cash??

Julie M said...

Nice piece. I also liked your images. Why are you working in the Rigby? Isn't the WC still in the library?

iBo said...

I serve two masters. Haha.

And cash? That's besides the point.

Brad & Emily said...

I like how evil the machine is. I can picture it laughing a wicked laugh at you--all of the bags of goodies are its hundreds of teeth.

Kaitlin said...

Why don't you just throw a smoke bomb at it? Then you would have plenty of munchies for dinner/breakfast/lunch for a week or two.