"You can try again next time. Better luck next time."
The man in the betting shop said that loudly to one of my friends after he used his whole school fees to place a bet, and the people who were inside the shop that day laughed politely. I also smiled too, but I noticed the expression on his face, and he threw away the long betting slip he was holding inside the trash bin.
We just resumed a new semester, and it was also close to the December period like this. Every December period, the school always expects each student to have paid half or full fees, including hostel accommodation. The following moment is as always: a few weeks to the exam because of the general lockdown that happened in 2020. The semester was cut short to a few weeks, which was not so before. For the betting, the price was three times what he had put if he had won. It meant he could pay his school fees and take care of himself throughout the semester without begging or calling home.
He had placed five different bets.
Before then, he had talked about how he was going to play the bet and what he was going to do with the money if he had won, as if the money was already in his account. He has calculated and made a list with a budget. What he was going to buy and how much to save and give out. Whenever I teased him, he would say, "If you don't try, how will you win."
The competition for various bets he had selected began. Those who he usually plays the bet with as a team have been talking about it. Each time a team they picked was playing, they were always present to watch the outcome of how everything went.
Most of the time, my roommate, who also happens to be my friend, always sat beside me, and we watched the match together.
The first team played and won. The second team also played, but during the die minutes, they scored and won. Then it goes on like that.
One of the team they picked played a very tough opponent, which they drew against.
But their bet was still on. "Lucky them," I said.
My roommate was always happy with anything the team he bet on always won. He even continued to make a statement that he was a guru in the game selection. But while watching the game with them, sometimes I panic on their behalf because I know how losing always feels.
During one of the matches that we went to the football showroom on the next street to watch, he bought a roasted maize from a woman beside the road. He gave me the bigger piece and asked whether I enjoyed the match.
I said yes.
For the next few days, I did not follow up with the bet again because I was busy with other schoolwork and assignments, but my friend was still following up. Of course, his mind will always be there because he has used his school fees for the bet. One afternoon, I saw him calling someone to borrow money from him, maybe his elder sister. I was listening while also doing my thing.
He noticed me looking.
"I was thinking of placing another bet if at all," he said. "Maybe if one does not work, another one will."
I asked him to chill first before borrowing and wait for the outcome of the first round of bets he had placed for the week.
He shook his head. I must continue to do everything possible, and I do not know when my day will come. He was planning to borrow more money to bet.
For the moment, he was going through some of the bets he had already played and the remaining one yet to be played, and then he continued what he was doing.
โI think I have tried enough,โ he said aloud while he signed.
There was no anger in his voice because there were still some matches to be played over the weekend. But he continued to hope for the best even though there were just few matches left.
It was the weekend. We all watched the first two matches directly on our laptops, and the bets were still on. My roommate was very happy for the outcomes of the matches.
But the last match, he told us that we should go and watch it again in the viewing center on the next street. We all did.
The match began; the first half was zero zero. The second match began, but towards the last minutes, the opponent scored. I looked at my roommate's eyes; he was looking all sad, with no direct expression. I did not say anything until the referee blew the final whistle.
We went back to the hostel that night; my roommate was moody all through because he planned the money and it had disappeared. His expectations to double it were for nothing, and he had to try some other means to get the money to pay his school fee. Since then, he has not tried his luck at betting again.
Thank you for reading.
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