The House always wins

The house always wins. 

Many of you have had heard this statement either from movies and series or from a fool who has parted with their money. A good bunch of you I presume, you may have started venturing into gambling recently, my advice to you is get out while you still can. 

My paths with gambling crossed early on when I was young, back in the days when life was not complicated, fast paced or realized that some of your biggest enemies are close friends and relatives. 

Enough about that, now where we? 

Oooh yes, 

how my paths crossed with gambling. 

The very first time was in my hood, somewhere in this city, where everyone is  suspicious of the other. It was a beautiful mid morning, sunny but windy day, the sun was overhead, we were playing, street football to be precise, beads of sweat rolling down our heads, back, and arms. 

Clouds of dust could be seen rising either by the wind or by us, as we ran, kicked the ball from one corner of the field to the other, and tackled. 

The game was going on beautifully as intended, us enjoying playing the game and being carefree until a group of much older kids decided to be a bother by causing a disruption, and stopping the match by taking our ball. 

The biggest of the lot told us, to scram, to leave the field to them to do us they wished. The owner of the ball rushed forward told them no such thing was going to happen. I do not know if the owner of the ball was hungry, but he got a taste of the older kids leader’s fist connecting with his jaw. 

The next thing I know is, he is spitting blood while he is roughly being shoved to the ground while the leader of the older kids drew a line on the ground and said in a threatening tone,

“Kama wewe ni mwanaume, 

vuka hii laini!” 

(If you think you are a man, cross this line)

I honestly do not know what came over me but, I stepped forward from where I was, then took another step forward then another, step by step until I reached the line which the leader of the older kids had drawn, as the others shook and trembled, tails between their legs like a bunch of thoroughly thrashed dogs. 

This verse from Lose yourself by Eminem describes how I felt as I contemplated crossing that line, 

“He’s nervous, 

but on the surface he looks calm and ready.”

I crossed the line, and the whole place went dead silent. Nobody, not the leader of the older kids, his lot, not even the kids we were playing together moments before we were interrupted, could believe I had done it. 

As soon the astonishment died down, the next moments came to me so quick it seemed like time had slowed down, everything moving in a slow motion. I saw as his fist leaving his right side, and from the look of things it was destined for my smooth baby face. 

I ducked right on time and he changed tact, aiming for my stomach as his left fist was coming in hot, like a rocket that has entered Earth’s atmosphere. It connected and left me breathless for a while.