Well, it's been a long time since I last played a Final Fantasy game, but the only one I can say I enjoyed as a kid was when my dad bought me a SNES along with Final Fantasy III. God, it was a Christmas present. I remember that. Hello and welcome to this Community Writing Challenge.
When my familia was poor and a Christmas filled with presents was a dream on our minds, my dad usually shopped at Thrift Stores and Garage Sales. He bought things like an Original Xbox with some games for about 5 bucks and drawing kits for my sister for about a dollar. This was before my dad found out we could download games for free, so he usually shopped as my mom would try to provide money for the familia.
It was near Christmas day, there were only about 2 presents under the tree. One for me and one for my sis. My dad and mom rushed to shop. We asked them where they were going, but wanted to keep it a secret as they left. From what my dad told me, my mom kept trying to get him to go to Target or Walmart, but he kept saying to her that it was too expensive. He went to a thrift store called God's Helping Hand. Mom didn't like the place since the place was known for that one hobo that liked to hang out by the entrance named Joe. They went inside, avoiding Joe, and split up to find something. It might look like late Christmas shopping, but my dad, to this day, says it was payday. My mom found dolls my sis might like, my dad say a few GI Joe knock-offs and a broken Nerf Gun. He couldn't find much, but some broken toys. He looked at the tech section of the store and found games for a dead console, until one of the employees placed a SNES on the display case.
He went up to the guy and asked him how much it was. $150 was the price, but my dad didn't have the money to pay for it. His first thought was to give up, but then he saw him place a few games down: Super Mario World, Earthbound, Street Fighter II, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III. He saw those games and knew I might like these. He knew the guy and knew he liked to barter. "120," my dad said. He looked at my dad and smiled. "130," he said to oppose his offer. "125," he wanted it badly. A person came by and asked the price of the SNES. Another battle came to ensue. He offered 135, more than what he offered. My dad scrambled to find a better offer. He looked around the store and saw a couch that's been there since my dad moved to the city back in 1987. "100 and that couch there." The guy waiting for a better offer was wide-eyed when he said that. He looked at the other guy wanting the SNES and said,"You better offer, buddy?" He looked worried and scared to lose this SNES and almost couldn't give up. He did and my dad took the SNES and the games with it. He got the couch, gave it to a family member that owned a recycling center and got $100 dollars out of the couch. Basically got the SNES for free! He came home with things to wrap as well as my mom.
My dad came in the house with a large box to hide the thing and went to their room laughing. I was a bit excited to see what they got us, but at the same time worried they didn't spend everything they had. Not knowing what they got we waited sadly for Christmas to open those two presents and whatever they got us. When Christmas day arrived, we expected our parents to be mildly happy for this morning, but they woke us up with the excitement of a toddler.
We opened our presents and found some great things! My sis got a Jewelry Box and a some sets of earrings and necklaces. I got Call of Duty 2 and, of course, the SNES along with the games. I was surprised they would be able to get us such great things. My sister didn't like what got since she thought it was more than what she got. It was funny since I got guilty it was mine, I called it ours instead of mine.
Having this SNES was cool. It felt like collection. I had the Original Xbox, the Genesis, the 360 and the SNES. I think that's how I got into collecting. Anyways, to the point of the blog. The games I got were great. I didn't know which to play first: Mario, Earthbound or Final Fantasy. I played all of them, but, as a kid, they never stuck with me. Earthbound was too complicated for me, Mario bored me half way in the game, but Final Fantasy was the only that made me feel happy to continue the game.
It surprises me that I don't remember the game much, but I just loved the game. I remember it being fun, having so many likable characters, and great story. Only if I could remember what the story was. I remember playing the game on Sick Days as I would switch from playing on the Genesis to the SNES. I remember playing the game when it was Summer Break when my sis was asleep. God, it was something part of my childhood.
Sadly, owner of the house or the community of houses in our neighborhood refused to pay for house damages. Some house had bad roofs, others had holes in walls hidden from the renter, but ours was the worst out of all of them. We had a house full of Black Mold. As a poor family, we couldn't move. We tried to find plans, but because of what we had, most hotels wouldn't accept us. We had to keep ours dogs outside so they don't get sick. As soon as our dog go Parvo, a disease that is like Ebola to them and can be caused by Black Mold, we had to press charges. As soon as the owner heard that his community was thinking that, he evicted most of us.
Got the notice and we had to leave within 3 days. We couldn't find a house, but one that was cheap. We didn't have the money to afford it at the moment, so we had to sell things. Sadly, my dad had to sell my SNES along with a few of my things. We got well over the amount to rent the house, so we moved our things to the new house. My family was angry, so in return for the owner, we wrecked the house. Broke windows, put holes in walls, we even broke down doors. We didn't need much since the walls would fold in on itself just by leaning on it. It was fun and at least we could see the owner get sued for what he had done to us and the community. The houses are now torn down and gone, so the memory of the place is well gone.
I wish I could have kept the SNES and the games. I mean, I had a choice: sell the Genesis or the SNES. I knew which was obvious since I had more games on there than the SNES. And it was a childhood memory for my dad. I love Final Fantasy III, but the rest never really interested me like this one did. I hope to feel differently with 15. Well, I hope you enjoyed this! This was great to write and I'm working on a Christmas Movie Review on Krampus, so get ready for that piece of crap. Again, I hope you liked this and 'til next time...
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