When Love Gives Way to Lies By Janie Cao Edited by Shaun Webb
One evening on my way back from a hospital shift, I saw a woman staggering along the street. Half walking… half falling… It looked like she was trying to get back home after spending some time at the nearby bar. I didn’t know how I was supposed to respond as an almost-doctor. But it didn’t feel quite right to just leave her be, especially when she was drunk and in the dark, all alone. By the time I drove to her, she was already in the parking lot of her apartment complex. I got out anyways, just to say “Hi.” I remember when she turned and looked at me. She paused. And in those moments of silence, I saw heartache. There was also sadness, anger, and a pain that would leave marks. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know me enough to trust me. There was too much hurt to hide. As I watched her eyes, I remember wanting so much to stop her from feeling that night. Finally, she chuckled and smiled bitterly. “My husband…” she said. Then she gave me a kiss goodbye. She never finished her sentence, but I wonder if it had something to do with this: that when a husband hurts his wife, and love gives way to lies, it can simply be called life. I went home after, and cried. ---- based on a true story
Photo credit: Bernard Laguerre
One reply on “When Love Gives Way to Lies”
This is a touching story! I remembered someone said ” love is a feeling”, how long it last may depend how well two work together.