LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE

Petra Hadžidaova
Dec 29, 2025
4 min read

These visits continued daily. The exam was only one month away, and they were required to revise quite a lot of material. It was good that they were good at math. It made things easier. Math wasn’t their favorite subject, but both were well above average. Quite frankly, Victor didn’t even need to study a lot when it came to math. He was natural at it.

For the next four days, they settled into a routine. They would study for two hours, spend about half an hour just goofing around, and then Victor would begin his 15-minute trek back home.

When Thursday came round, though, John’s brother and his buddies made a reappearance. Lounging in the living room, they were once more ordering takeout. Victor was already plotting his “escape” when, to his surprise and trepidation, he was invited to stay and have some pizza with them. That same fear gripped him, but he felt too uncomfortable to decline. Taking his seat on the floor opposite the couch, Victor tried to blend into obscurity.

It didn’t last long, though. Victor was the only unknown variable in the room. Tim nonchalantly asked him, “What kind of pizza do you like? Peperoni?” Before Victor could even answer, John intervened by informing his brother that Victor doesn’t eat pork.

“I see. How about extra cheese?” he inquired further. “I can only eat kosher food, I am afraid,” he finally managed to inform. “Kosher? Okay… I will ask if they have anything kosher.”

Kosher pizza, this specific vendor didn’t have, but they managed to get him some salad.He felt rather grateful for that, eating slowly and a little self-consciously. Victor had never felt so apprehensive around other people like this before. No matter how long he remained, the feeling did not abate.

That evening, he prayed to God about this whole situation. The answers still seemed to evade him, though. A bit frustrated he went to bed annoyed with God. In the morning, he brushed it all aside and continued thinking he might be paranoid.

A throbbing ache began to settle in Victor’s calves as he was waiting for John. It had been a gruelling 2 hours of baseball practice. The never-ending sprints were still fresh on his mind when John snapped him out of his little trance.

They began the journey to John’s house. Victor was not really feeling like studying today. He was exhausted after the grilling they just received. Expecting to arrive at an empty house, they were surprised that their newfound buddies were already there. They were playing some cards and eating chips. They choose to join them, skipping their studies.

Not even five minutes in, and that uncanny feeling began to grow in Victor once more. Not paying it much attention, he decided to enjoy himself anyway. Poker was the game this evening, and Victor was finding out he was not so bad at it.

After winning a particular hand, Tim piped in saying, “You are pretty good at this. I hear you are also good at baseball. Which position?”

A bit startled, Victor hesitated a bit before answering, “Pitcher.” John added, “He is pretty damn good as a batter, too.”

“Really? Maybe you guys can actually win some games this year.” Tim concluded. “My brother used to play for his high school team,” John explained his interest.

“I dropped it this year. I lost interest.” Tim revealed and abruptly ended the discussion with, “You know what? Let’s head to the baseball field. It’s been a while since I swung the bat. “

The exchange left Victor even more puzzled. There was more behind Tim’s story, he was thinking. That uncomfortable feeling came back and grew.

When they passed a certain street, Victor’s eyes were drawn to the ad panel. On it was an ad for a cosmetic product or something. It was the words that caught his attention, “Listen to your inner voice.”

In the field, Tim and his buddies let off some steam. Victor decided to stay on the side. He was still feeling a tinge of ache in his muscles from practice. All was fine. Everybody was enjoying themselves, playing the home run derby. Victor and John were avidly discussing their favorite players and which team they thought would win the baseball series this year.

And then a young kid, about 15-years old, walked by the field. Mark and Will instantly recognized him. “Is that little Joe?” Will asked Mark. “I think it is,” Mark answered and quickly called out to Joe to join them. Victor expected an enthusiastic reply. Instead, Joe’s response was to speed up his walk. Or at the very least, he tried to. Will and Mark had other plans. Will asked him, “Why are you in such a hurry? Come join us in playing some ball. I am dying to throw some pitches, and you would be the perfect batter to try my pitching on.” Mark laughed a little as though it was all fun and games, but it did not sound fun and games to Victor. It did not seem like Joe took it as funny either. “I have to go,” was all he said in response.

“Why? Is your mommy missing you already?” Mark added teasingly. Will was going to add insult, but Tim decided to intervene. “Let him be. Maybe we should go too. I grew bored with baseball.” That split moment was all Joe needed to escape the scene.

Quite a bit frightened by the scene that just unfolded, Victor mustered up enough courage to say, “I need to go home too.” Victor did not wait for their replies and left. That encounter plagued him all the way home. ‘That was very unfriendly. Did they mean to be so unkind?’, he wondered. ‘No, they must have been just jesting. That’s got to be it.’ Victor decided and brushed it all aside. While scrolling through YouTube, he happened upon a video talking about God speaking to us in different ways. All was pointing to Victor that he was in some bad company, and he still managed not to connect the dots. He fell asleep still wondering why that warning feeling was not leaving him.

For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. - Job 33: 14 (NKJV)

To be continued ...