Joyce started to panic and quickly grabbed my arm.
"Colten, is it really worth it to gamble our marriage on a whim? We're not kids anymore. How can we treat marriage like a joke?
"It's just a snake! I can just buy you another one from the pet market!"
I looked at the woman I had cherished and protected for three years, suddenly feeling so tired, so weary.
For three years, Joyce wasn't unaware of my father's death.
When I was young, my mom divorced my dad and moved far away, and I never saw him again.
My dad had to be both mother and father, raising me all alone.
When I graduated from college and wanted to start a business, my dad didn't pour cold water on my dreams like other parents. Instead, he patted my shoulder and looked at me with encouragement.
"If you want to do it, I'll support you with all my efforts."
But he wasn't a big shot. He was just an ordinary snake farmer.
He spent his life dealing with snakes, and the best way he could think to support me was to wake up early and work hard at the market, promoting the snakes he raised.
I saw it, felt the pain in my heart, and vowed to make something of myself.