Joyful moments always seemed hard to come by and fleeting when they did.

I had thought everything was improving.

I was going to college, then working to earn money. In every aspect, I was getting back on track.

But at that moment, my parents fell into an endless cycle of arguments.

My father yanked my mother's hair, shouting, "What's wrong with having some fun outside? What man doesn't do that?"

"You made it public! Where am I supposed to put my face now?"

My mother was equally defiant, grabbing a decorative piece from the table and hurling it at my father.

"After doing something shameful, you're worried about what people...