The Price of the Dream – Extended Version (Romantic & Funny Edition)

Tobi was nineteen — half dreamer, half hustler. While his friends were out taking selfies at the beach, Tobi spent nights squinting at green and red candles dancing across his phone screen.

He called it “the market.”
His mother called it “witchcraft.”

“Tobi, what are you watching like that?” she’d ask.
“It’s called forex, Mama. I’m learning how money moves.”
“Ah! Then make it move into my account too!” she’d reply, laughing.

At first, things looked good. Tobi’s $200 grew to $600 in two weeks. He felt unstoppable. He even bought a new shirt — white with tiny gold patterns — and posted on Instagram:

“You sleep, I trade.”

That post got one like — from Ada.
Ada, the prettiest girl in his accounting class. She had dimples deep enough to hide his confidence.

They started chatting. She teased him:

“Trader boy, hope you’re not trading people’s hearts too?”
“Only yours,” he said, fingers trembling on the keyboard.

From that day, his trading and love life were moving together — both full of charts, signals, and sudden reversals.

The Rise and the Fall

Tobi’s luck held up for a while. He turned $600 into $1,200. Ada started calling him “my rich man.”
He took her out to a small restaurant — just two plates of rice and one malt each, but he paid proudly.

“You see, soon I’ll buy you that iPhone 15,” he boasted.
“Hmm, just don’t lose it all on your laptop,” she said with a wink.

The next morning, he did.

A trade went wrong — badly wrong. His $1,200 became $300 in one click. His heart raced faster than the charts. He tried again — lost more. Then again — and again.

By midnight, he was broke.

He stared at the screen, eyes wide.

“Nooo! My baby’s iPhone!” he shouted.
His mother ran in thinking something happened.
“Who died?” she asked.
“The market, Mama. The market died.”

Ada messaged him that night:

“Hey love, how’s trading?”
He replied with just one emoji — 💔.

The Break and the Comeback

Days passed. He stopped trading, stopped chatting, stopped smiling. His friends joked that he’d been margin-called by destiny.

Then one day, Ada showed up at his house.
She had puff-puff and two bottles of Coke.

“You can’t just vanish because of a few losses,” she said.
“It’s not few. The market finished me,” he groaned.
“Then start again. But smarter.”

Something about her words stuck. He decided to start over — this time with patience. He read real books, took proper courses, and learned that successful traders lose small and win big.

Months later, he was back. He didn’t chase signals anymore; he waited for perfect setups. His balance grew again — slowly, steadily.

Ada would sit beside him sometimes, pretending to understand the charts.

“Why are the candles red?” she’d ask.
“Because they’re angry,” he’d joke.
“Then tell them to calm down before I get jealous!”

They laughed — often.

By December, Tobi had doubled his savings, cleared some debts, and even bought Ada that iPhone. But the real gift was his peace — and her love.

The Lesson

On New Year’s Eve, they stood outside watching fireworks. Ada leaned on his shoulder.

“So, Mr. Trader,” she whispered, “what did you learn from all this?”
He smiled.
“That the best trade I ever made wasn’t in the market…”
“…it was you.”

She laughed.

“Awww. Better write that on Instagram before someone steals it.”

And so he did.

“I once lost everything chasing gold. But I found diamonds in patience — and in her.” 💛