REMEMBER THE DAYS when you had to get up off your arse to watch a film? No Netflix, no streaming, and a finite supply of films.
It mightn’t seem too great to the kids of today, but it was, it was.
1. Being let loose in the store with aisles of videos laid out before you
Your parents were heading out for the night, the babysitter was coming, you might be having chipper for tea, and now this?
To be honest, picking out the film was often more exciting than watching it.
2. The joy when they actually had the film you wanted
Because there were no guarantees! Some other jammy fecker could have rented it and that was the end of you.
3. Peering over at the returned videos to see if anything good had just been handed in
There was still time! (This rarely worked out for you, though.)
4. Selecting way too many and trying to cadge a second film out of your parents
But we can’t possibly choose! How could you make us?
5. And hoping they wouldn’t notice that one of them was a 15 cert
6. Pining for one of the massive cardboard cutouts
WILL YOU SAVE IT BEHIND THE COUNTER FOR US PLEASE?
(Confession: I had one of Aladdin and Jasmine that I treasured for many years.)
7. Dropping hints that you might like some of the sweets and popcorn by the counter
The price of them! Not a chance.
8. Getting home and realising that the shite who had it before you never rewound it
9. Or worse, that the tape was completely borked
10. Watching it as much as you could in the precious time you had
Our poor parents having to listen to us roar along to The Lion King for the fifth time that weekend… We don’t envy them.
11. You were sad about having to give them back… but terrified of getting a late fine
You’d never get a video again if that happened.
12. And you dreamed of the day when you could finally have your own membership card
THAT was what adulthood was all about. God be with the days.
