Ade’s eyes were swollen as he stepped out of his house that morning. He had cried during the night and even as he took gingerly steps towards his car to drop his children at school, his mood remained dampened.
“Daddy, are you okay?” Jumoke, his youngest daughter quizzed. “Daddy is fine hun, get into the car, we’re late” Ade responds as he gently shoves her into the back seat, shuts the door, and proceeds to the driver’s seat.
What could be making a grown man like Ade cry like a baby? Let’s find out.
————
The Nigerian Super Eagles had enjoyed a winning streak in the AFCON 2022 and Ade had been in high spirits. The gambler within, which he had tried so hard to suppress jumped out one evening while he drank with his boys. They bet on the match against Tunisia and Ade made a huge mistake. With no extra money to bet with, and seeing how his friends all bet huge sums, Ade volunteered his children’s school fees which he had only managed to gather.
He was sure that he would get it back with extra, however, like everything else in life, anything can happen even with football.
When defeat was imminent for the Super Eagles, Ade cursed and swore. He had thought that his January salary will go into servicing a loan he had taken some time in 2021. But alas!
He dropped off his children at school and headed to work, his mind busy with thoughts and plans on how to recover from the dual obligations of debt and unpaid school fees His phone rang to jolt him back to reality and he checked who the caller was. It was Phoebe, his younger sister. He sighed and sent the call to voicemail.
Phoebe was the voice of reason in his life apart from his wife Janet. How would he be able to face them both, especially since they had been on his case to explore investment opportunities instead of playing the risky game of football betting amongst others?
