Love

Love. According to the old saying, it's a many splendid thing. It's what makes the world go around. Love can move mountains. Yeah, I suppose all that's true enough. But, there's a much darker side to love as well. The side of love that don't quite make it into the lyrics of Journey songs. In my career as a cop, I've seen my fair share of blackened eyes, cut lips, broken bones and destroyed lives, all delivered by love.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in love with all my heart. I'm deeply in love with a wonderful woman with whom I plan to spend the rest of my life with. I just don't think you should turn a blind eye to love's dark side, no matter how long you've been in it, or how well you think you know the person you're in love with.
Trust me. I know what I'm talking about here.
Love blinded me once, and that blindness damn near cost me my life. Even though through my job I've seen love bring out the worst in people time and again, I never thought it could happen to me. I was a fool. Looking back on it now all the warning signs were there. My job, and the endless hours it required, had created a rift in my marriage. The rift was understandable, I thought, so I didn't pay it too much attention at first. She was just going to have to understand that my job was important. Yeah, I pulled that stupid macho crap. It didn't work too well.
Had I paid closer attention to that rift I could've prevented a whole lot of trouble, heartache and pain - on both our parts. Seems while I was out trying to make the world a better, safer place, my wife was falling in love with another man. Or so she thought, but that's another story. I don't want to dive into too much detail here, it isn't exactly fair to her, and it would give too much of the plot away. You can read all about it in S.C. Lang's novel, Original Sin, coming out soon on i Universe Books.
But don't be too quick to pass judgement on my wife. She wasn't the only one who tested the boundaries of our marriage. Again, I don't want to get into too much detail. I guess a good way of looking at things is love put me into a dark place, a place I had never been to before, but love also pulled me out of that dark place. I guess love really is a many splendid thing. Love almost cost me my job and it damn near took my life, but love also saved me. It saved me from myself more than anything. I know, that sounds kinda odd, but once you read Original Sin, you'll understand.
The dark side of love tested me, as I imagine it tests all of us at one time or another. All I can really say about that test is that I'm still standing. The pain I felt was real enough, as are the nightmares I still have as a result of love's dark test, but I came through it.
Until next time, I'm Detective Dallas Holden - (S.C. Lang - Original Sin)