"George", the senior pastor called from a distance where the church committees were holding a meeting.
George answered as he wiped his sweat with the back of his right hand, he quickly dropped the wires he was packing and approached the church committees.
Sundays are always like that for him. Being an instrumentalist and engineer in a community church is not an easy task for the teenager but he dedicates that day to God's work.
He bowed his head as he greeted everyone, and the pastor responded to his greeting with a smile.
One of the elders dragged a chair from behind him and told George to come to sit next to him. He was reluctant and eventually pleaded that they allow him stand.
Everyone knew that he doesn't feel comfortable hanging around the church elders and he is known to be respectful.
The pastor cleared his throat before proceeding with the discussion that was on before inviting George to join them.
Well done George, we appreciate your effort in the sanctuary and the church committees have made up their mind to bless you with an opportunity that is open to us at the moment because we believe that you are the right person for this.
The pastor paused for a moment as he whispered into the ears of the Church secretary who continued the conversation.
We have good news for you but we don't know if you will love to take it. We have been at this issue for months and I think we have enough reasons not to hesitate any further.
To cut the long story short, the church intends to send you abroad to study engineering. We believe that you are the right person for this opportunity and you will definitely have a great impact on the church and the community in the future.
George didn't believe his ears, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh. The joy in him at that moment was boundless, he looked at every member of the Committee with a confused look.
Words failed him and he wasn't sure of the right words to use to express how he felt. He just fell on his feet and said, "thank you sir", "thank you ma" to every individual in the meeting based on their gender. He was in tears even before they could persuade him to get up from the floor.
The meeting ended and the pastor told him to inform his parent who left the church immediately after the service.
George rushed the remaining job he had to do and left the church to break the good news to his parents. They didn't hesitate to take the offer immediately after George broke the news to them.
It was a traveling package that came with a scholarship and everything he needed throughout his studies, the church sponsored everything with the hope of George having a great impact on the church's growth later in the future.
Their excitement was huge and they began preparing for him to leave the country
George arrived in the states a few months after but it was during a holiday so he had to wait for the Universities to resume. He took the opportunity to explore the state, he was amazed at the beauty of his new residence compared to the environment at home.
He passed his first night in a hotel since he couldn't get his accommodation sorted that day.
He was listening to music in his room and the temptation to see what the city looks like at night came upon him. He stepped out of his room that night and went to the other wing of the hotel building.
The light from the bar enticed him and he was drawn there by his curiosity about what was happening in that part of the hotel. He went in and blended in quickly, took a shot of tequila for the first time, and wasn't himself after few minutes.
On his way out of the bar, he saw some guys celebrating their win at the casino so he decided to check what was happening there as well. He asked questions about the game and everything looks simple to him, George brought some cash with him and played the game.
Surprisingly, he won $1000. He took another shot of tequila before the second round started and he passed out. He woke the next morning on a sofa in the VIP section of the bar, one of the workers approached him and gave back everything they kept for him when he passed out.
He went back to his room and started imagining how easy life would be easy for him in the States. $1000 within 5 minutes means life is good here and if I keep winning, I can get a better apartment for myself, send some money to my parents and the church.
George went that night and won a few bucks again, he thought of going in all the next night. He took everything he had to the casino that night and his mind was fixed on winning lots of money.
Immediately he staked the bet, his heart started racing. He could feel the blood pumping out of his heart, he prayed that things don't go wrong. The five minutes interval from the playing time to seeing the result looked like a whole year and he couldn't take his eyes off the blinking light on the machine.
Five minutes elapsed and his fears came to reality, the result was completely different from his stake.
His world paused at that moment, he could hear his heartbeat even louder than the music from the speaker. Everything the congregation and his parent told him started playing back in his head.
Voices were echoing in his head, he grabbed his head and everyone was wondering what was happening to him.
He felt like his head would rip apart if he took his hands off and after a few struggles with what running in his mind, he passed out.
He woke up and started crying. "How did I get myself into this sinkhole, what would I tell my parent and the church? It is over me here" George said to himself as he cleaned his tears.
He heard a knock on the door and that made him realize he was still in the hotel room. George stopped for a second to observe the room, "I thought I was in the Casino just now, how did I end up in my room?"
The knock sounded repeatedly again and he went for the door. It was one of the hotel staff who came to notify him that he should have checked out in the morning and he wanted to know if he would love to extend his stay.
He shut the door on the staff and went to check his box, he found his money and every other thing intact.
"Have I been dreaming?", this looks too real to be a dream. He said to himself.
George opened his wallet and saw the $1000 he won. It became clear that he has been dreaming since he returned from the Casino the morning after he won the $1000.
George immediately packed his things and went to the reception to check out. He apologized for leaving at the wrong time and they let it slide.
He ensured his accommodation was processed that day and he got a small job to keep him busy until resumption.