7-Eleven at 7-AM: Growing up in the 1980s
Updated: Jul 15
Freedom had a destination.
And for one summer, that destination was 7-Eleven.
On mornings like today, when the temperature is headed past ninety degrees before breakfast, I find myself thinking about one of my earliest addictions.
Video games.
More specifically:
Asteroids.
Defender.
And the quarter-fueled pursuit of both at my local 7-Eleven.
Every summer morning began with a mission.
First came the access door to the garage.
Opening it required a very specific technique.
You had to twist the worn brass knob, lift slightly upward, and pull with just enough force to overcome years of friction against the thick brown Sears wall-to-wall carpeting below.
The door itself was pure working-class engineering:
A hollow wood interior door on one side.
A sheet of hand-cut galvanized steel randomly nailed to the garage side.
Below sat one of those spring-loaded doorstops with the little white cap that prevented the whole thing from punching through the brown wood paneling covering every available wall.
High technology.
The second that door opened, summer hit you in the face.
Warm humid air carrying the scent of:
motor oil
gasoline
lawn equipment
snow tires
The official fragrance of my childhood.
Part one complete.
Part two was obtaining funding.
Hidden inside my father's 1960s Snap-on toolbox was a plastic tube filled with quarters.
Looking back, I suspect those quarters probably meant something to him.
Maybe certain dates.
Maybe silver content.
Maybe he was simply saving them.
Whatever the reason, they became my gateway currency.
Because those quarters meant Asteroids.
They meant Defender.
They meant 7-Eleven.
I always tried to arrive early.
Very early.
Before the older teenagers showed up.
Those guys possessed what seemed like unlimited supplies of quarters and cigarettes.
They would stand there for hours.
The cigarettes burned continuously while they played, melting portions of the control panels. The machines bore the scars.
The little arcade corner felt like another world.
Coffee scent.
Cigarettes.
Flashing screens.
Electronic sound effects.
And most importantly...
Air conditioning.
For a few quarters, I wasn't a kid from the neighborhood anymore.
I was saving galaxies.
Defending Earth.
Chasing high scores.
Although I never actually got one.
That honor permanently belonged to somebody named:
STEVE516.
Whoever you were, congratulations.
You absolutely dominated my childhood.
Eventually the quarters ran out.
They always did.
And sooner or later I had to return home because my mother inevitably had plans for me.
I just hoped those plans didn't involve another trip to Fabric Bonanza.
What were some of your summer "missions?"
Thanks for being here.
— Latchkey Boys
What was your favorite 7-Eleven video game?
Asteroids
Defender
Missle Command
Pac-Man
Keep Exploring
Comments