The Price of Gambling

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John was the only son of his parents, and they loved him very much. He was a good child and always made them proud. When he got admission into the university, he was very happy. He ran home to tell his mother and father the good news. They were excited because they had always wanted their only child to go to university and become the doctor he dreamed of being.
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‎John's parents were not rich. His father was a farmer, and his mother helped him with the farm work. Life was not easy for them, but they worked hard because they wanted John to go to school and have a better future.
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‎When it was time for John to go back to school, his parents bought food and other things he needed. They also paid his school fees and house rent. Before he left, they called him and gave him some advice.
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‎"Now that you are going away to school, we want you to keep the good behaviour we have taught you. Stay away from bad habits, focus on your studies, and choose your friends carefully. We want you to make us proud," they said.
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‎John was happy and replied, "I will do my best not to disappoint you. I promise to work hard and come back home with a first-class degree."
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‎His parents were pleased with his answer. They felt proud of the son they had raised.
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‎When John arrived at the university, he met two students named Raymond and Samuel. At first, they seemed like good friends. The three of them became close. They spent time together, studied together, and often ate together.
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‎But John did not know that Raymond liked gambling. Raymond had introduced Samuel to betting, and the two of them had been doing it for a long time. One day, they started asking John to join them. He refused and told them that his parents would not be happy if he started gambling. He had also promised them that he would stay focused on his studies.
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‎Raymond and Samuel did not give up. They kept trying to convince him. One day, Raymond placed a bet and won a large amount of money. He was so happy that he quickly went to tell John.
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‎"See? I told you gambling is good. You can make money from it. Your food is almost finished, so you should try it," Raymond said.
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‎After seeing the money Raymond had won, John became interested. He started thinking that gambling could help him get extra money while at school.
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‎Before long, John started betting with his friends. Soon, he became addicted. He began calling his parents almost every day, telling them that the school needed money for one thing or another. Whenever they sent him money, he used it to gamble. Most times, he lost, but he could not stop. He stopped reading his books and spent most of his time betting with Raymond and Samuel.
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‎One day, John had only a little money left. He decided to use it for one last bet, and this time he won. The money was not much, but he was very happy. Raymond and Samuel told him that he would have won much more if he had used a bigger amount. Their words stayed in his mind.
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‎Soon, it was time to pay his school fees. John called his parents and asked them to send the money. They told him they needed three days to get it. They worked hard and managed to send him ₦300,000.
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‎This was the money John was supposed to use to pay his school fees. But Raymond and Samuel advised him to use it for gambling instead.
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‎"Use the money to place a bet. You can win double or even more. You could become very rich," they told him.
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‎John thought about what they said and agreed. He used the ₦300,000 his parents had worked so hard to get and placed a bet.
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‎While waiting for the result, John decided to attend a lecture. He had not been going to classes regularly. During the lecture, he took out his phone to check the result of his bet. To his shock, he saw that he had lost. All the money was gone.
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‎John burst into tears. He regretted allowing his friends to lead him into gambling. He had used the money his parents struggled to send for his education, and now he had nothing to pay his school fees.
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‎Other students gathered around him and wondered why he was crying. When the school authorities found out that John had not paid his fees, they refused to allow him to write his examinations.
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‎The school management contacted his parents and told them what had happened. They were very disappointed and hurt when they heard that John had gambled away the money they had worked so hard to send him.
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‎John was also ashamed of himself. He remembered the promise he had made before leaving home and felt bad for disappointing his parents.
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‎When he returned home, his parents were sad to see him. John could not hold back his tears. He knelt before them and cried.
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‎"Please, Mum and Dad, forgive me. I allowed bad friends to influence me, and I used the money you sent for my school fees to gamble. I know I have disappointed you, but I promise I will never do this again. Please forgive me," he begged.
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‎His parents were still hurt by what he had done, but they loved him and forgave him. They advised him to learn from his mistake, stay away from bad friends, and take his education seriously.
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‎John knew that he had made a big mistake. He had put his education and his parents' trust at risk because he wanted quick money. He promised himself that he would stop gambling and make better choices from then on.
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