“Don’t worry about what people say. I don’t mind working as a fish cleaner, as long as you can finish college. So why should you?
“We’ve both had tough lives. It’s always been you and I, so let’s rely on one another. If you ever say you want to quit school again, I swear I’ll slap you twice as hard as this. You hear me, Tom?”
From that day forward, Tom never talked about giving up. He studied hard, achieving top grades. Whenever he had free time, he would come to the fish stall to help me gut fish.
When the elderly woman who owned the stall next to mine heard our story, she gave me a piece of advice.
“What if your boyfriend dumps you after graduating college?” she asked. “They say men change once they get the wealth they desire. They’ll leave the woman who supported them for a younger, prettier girl. Be careful, okay?”
“These days, temptation is everywhere. Are you sure he’ll never leave you? Save some money for yourself. Never pin all of your life on a man.”
But I brushed them off.
I trusted Tom and he trusted me. Ours was a bond forged by hardship, unshakable and strong.
When Tom graduated, he proposed to me.
At our wedding, his classmates and friends came to celebrate.