Sheldon is let go when David, his stepbrother, comes back after years of training in his stepfather’s construction company. Sheldon politely exits the situation without taking offense, only to be approached by a competitor for a position. However, after a few months, his stepfather calls in a frantic manner.

You realize that sometimes things come full circle? That, then, is the narrative of my existence.

Since I was fifteen years old, I have worked for my dad’s construction company. Simple chores like filing and tidying his office were initially assigned to me, but as I progressed through school, I was given more and more responsibilities. And I had to do this rather than because I wanted to.

Nobody was allowed to skate by my dad—technically, my stepdad—for free. He vowed to follow just one rule. I had to prove myself worthy of living in his home.

“Sheldon, it is what it is. He said, “Take it or leave it.”

It was obvious that I had to accept it. I had nowhere else to go.

Since he wed my mother when I was ten years old, he has consistently claimed that I am his “responsibility.”

It never seemed that way because after I turned sixteen, I had to start paying rent, which meant working at his business after school and on the weekends at the neighborhood ice cream shop.

However, I didn’t have any complaints at all. I concluded that everything was a part of his tough love approach.