Just came out of a Project M tournament. At first my mom refused because she had things to do and she still doesn't accept playing video games for cash as the consequences are very risky if you don't advance throughout the tournament. I told her that I can come in first place as the reward was very promising. I was expecting at least 120+ people for the tournament, turns out it was more the triple than I imagined. Luckily there were many stations so that the tournament could run as fast as possible.
After a long and tiring six hours of brackets, I made it to Grand Finals from the Loser's Bracket against my rival Pablo and I knew I was in for a tough Grand Finals. I was barely able to reset the bracket with a 3-2 win for the first set. The second set was just as challenging if not harder than the first. I lost the first two games which means I had to win the next three in a row if I want to win. Someway somehow, I was able to overcome Pablo and won the set 3-2. Not only was I able to come back all the way from Loser's Brackets, but I was able to maintain my overall rank at #1, though of course Pablo is right behind at #2.
Finally, I ended my glorious victory by surprising my mother when I returned home. I brought over $260 in my winnings, easily enough to cover the rent for the month plus some extra money for me. I wasn't expecting my mom to cry, but I could tell she was being joyful about it. She later told me that she wasn't expecting a lot of cash in the tournament, neither was I but I'm not complaining. Now we don't have to worry about our financial problems for several weeks and it feels great to be debt-free. With the rent finally covered for the month, I can now be at peace for now. It's those moments of seeing my mom being happy that are worth it for all of the pain and suffering I have endured in my life.