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the Big Bad
#WritcoStoryPrompt103
Tell us about an unforgettable experience that left you sadder but wiser.
So this particular experience is one I find really funny now that I think about it. Then, I would kick anyone's ass straight up if they dared laugh about it. Then while it was happening, now, it's one of those things I learned from.
This story starts when I decided to get a job working for one of the most 'prestigious' betting companies in Nigeria- Bet9ja. The reason I decided to look for this particular job is another story on its own. A crazier story entirely.
Working for a betting company was nice at the time. I got the job easily because they could testify I hadn't gambled. I'd rather burn my money to crisp and use the pieces to craft some weird artistic abomination than walk into a betting shop and try to win half a million using just N200. Personally, it was robbery. It was a sick play on the greed of humans and it was making these companies millions by the clock.
I would make extra cash daily from lucky winners who were feeling generous. The job was dreamy at that point. On good days, customers would win and have no idea about it, at the end of the day I would be rewarded with these abandoned winnings. Sure, it was the dream job.
Almost a year into my job, I had an urgent need for cash. It was my birthday and I needed to fix my phone and get provisions to survive the coming week. My salary would be paid in a few days but waiting wasn't an option. I had to do something.
Then I heard the voice. Maybe it was greed. Maybe it was the devil. Maybe it was just me and my latent stupidity. The voice told me to try it. Play a few games. Go on! It works... You've witnessed countless people win. Just try...
And did I listen... Yes. Yes, I listened. I won the first game. I won the next. I won every single game I played on my terminal and it was a lot. Like a lot. It all felt like a dream. By the time I closed for the day, I had enough cash to take my little brother and a friend out for a treat. We had a wonderful evening.
The next day was my mom's birthday (Yeah, my mom's birthday comes immediately after mine) and the voice was back again. This time it was more confident and louder. It reminded me about the previous day and how my luck couldn't let me down. Common sense warned me not to try it. Common sense told me it was just beginner's luck and I'd definitely sink if I tried it again. Did I listen? No... No, I didn't. On my first try, I lost. I tried again and lost. There was still cash left with me from the previous day and I had enough to take a few risks.
An hour later, I sat in front of my terminal with red eyes and a heartbeat the pace of a man being haunted by a ghost. I hadn't just sunk but at that point, I was kneeling on the ocean floor.
To cut the story short, I confided in a senior worker at the company and she blew the horn. She blew it so loud and screamed thief. It was so bad they threatened to involve the police and fix a tear gas straight up my ass. Like how is that even possible? Who does that shii to another human being? I could have made a run for the door if I wanted to but I didn't because that's not the type of person I am so why call me a thief?
They removed me from my post and fixed me up at the bottom where I would struggle daily to stay afloat. Every day I would owe extra after balancing my account by the end of the day. There would always be shortages and this shortage would just make the debt I owe get thicker.
It got so bad they suspended my account and gave me a deadline to settle all the debt or else... or else...
There's nothing scarier than having an 'or else' hang over your head but I had little comfort in knowing that the worse they could do was arrest me. I deserved it for being a greedy fool.
God intervened right at the last minute and I settled the debt. They expected me to continue working seeing as I was a model worker before my fall from grace but I did the smart thing by quitting. There was no friggin' way I'd continue working given the circumstance and since then to date, I haven't walked into a betting shop. There is peace in the world once more and hope for a beautiful day filled with infinite possibilities.
© Grey Wrld
Tell us about an unforgettable experience that left you sadder but wiser.
So this particular experience is one I find really funny now that I think about it. Then, I would kick anyone's ass straight up if they dared laugh about it. Then while it was happening, now, it's one of those things I learned from.
This story starts when I decided to get a job working for one of the most 'prestigious' betting companies in Nigeria- Bet9ja. The reason I decided to look for this particular job is another story on its own. A crazier story entirely.
Working for a betting company was nice at the time. I got the job easily because they could testify I hadn't gambled. I'd rather burn my money to crisp and use the pieces to craft some weird artistic abomination than walk into a betting shop and try to win half a million using just N200. Personally, it was robbery. It was a sick play on the greed of humans and it was making these companies millions by the clock.
I would make extra cash daily from lucky winners who were feeling generous. The job was dreamy at that point. On good days, customers would win and have no idea about it, at the end of the day I would be rewarded with these abandoned winnings. Sure, it was the dream job.
Almost a year into my job, I had an urgent need for cash. It was my birthday and I needed to fix my phone and get provisions to survive the coming week. My salary would be paid in a few days but waiting wasn't an option. I had to do something.
Then I heard the voice. Maybe it was greed. Maybe it was the devil. Maybe it was just me and my latent stupidity. The voice told me to try it. Play a few games. Go on! It works... You've witnessed countless people win. Just try...
And did I listen... Yes. Yes, I listened. I won the first game. I won the next. I won every single game I played on my terminal and it was a lot. Like a lot. It all felt like a dream. By the time I closed for the day, I had enough cash to take my little brother and a friend out for a treat. We had a wonderful evening.
The next day was my mom's birthday (Yeah, my mom's birthday comes immediately after mine) and the voice was back again. This time it was more confident and louder. It reminded me about the previous day and how my luck couldn't let me down. Common sense warned me not to try it. Common sense told me it was just beginner's luck and I'd definitely sink if I tried it again. Did I listen? No... No, I didn't. On my first try, I lost. I tried again and lost. There was still cash left with me from the previous day and I had enough to take a few risks.
An hour later, I sat in front of my terminal with red eyes and a heartbeat the pace of a man being haunted by a ghost. I hadn't just sunk but at that point, I was kneeling on the ocean floor.
To cut the story short, I confided in a senior worker at the company and she blew the horn. She blew it so loud and screamed thief. It was so bad they threatened to involve the police and fix a tear gas straight up my ass. Like how is that even possible? Who does that shii to another human being? I could have made a run for the door if I wanted to but I didn't because that's not the type of person I am so why call me a thief?
They removed me from my post and fixed me up at the bottom where I would struggle daily to stay afloat. Every day I would owe extra after balancing my account by the end of the day. There would always be shortages and this shortage would just make the debt I owe get thicker.
It got so bad they suspended my account and gave me a deadline to settle all the debt or else... or else...
There's nothing scarier than having an 'or else' hang over your head but I had little comfort in knowing that the worse they could do was arrest me. I deserved it for being a greedy fool.
God intervened right at the last minute and I settled the debt. They expected me to continue working seeing as I was a model worker before my fall from grace but I did the smart thing by quitting. There was no friggin' way I'd continue working given the circumstance and since then to date, I haven't walked into a betting shop. There is peace in the world once more and hope for a beautiful day filled with infinite possibilities.
© Grey Wrld
