Can You Help Who You Fall In Love With?

Juan Lindo wasn’t sent from heaven; he was sent from hell.

Image by Annelise Lords

“Sorry, but I can’t support her,” Tessa said to her family at another one of their weekly family meetings.

“Why not?” Delia, one of her cousins on her mother’s side demands. “You and your mother are alike. You just can’t seem to understand love when you see it. Especially if it isn’t yours.”

Tessa accommodates a long deep sigh, her eyes swaying to the others. Not in support, but in shock as Keyshia Cole’s song Sent From Heaven replays in her head and fast forward to, ‘You can’t help who you love.’ Then her memory escorted her to the many times April, her cousin couldn’t help who she fell in love with, costing the family money, time, and energy.

Juan Lindo wasn’t sent from heaven; he was sent from hell.

“Sorry,” she began an explanation as more than twenty pairs of eyes cornered her, “all of April’s life, she never can help who she falls in love with.”

“Isn’t that how love goes?” Delia threw back irritated.

“I don’t think that’s how she meant it,” Elaine, another cousin informs.

“What did she mean?”

All eyes turned to Tessa, who explained, “None of you are aware of the kind of guys she falls for?”

Silence reigns as more than twenty family members consult with their memory.

Minutes later Elaine said, “I agree with Tessa, Keyshia Cole’s song Sent From Heaven said, “’ You can’t help who you love.’ We should be able to be aware of the character of the people we fall in love with and make better decisions.”

The shock on Tessa’s face while she stared at Elaine, said, ‘Stop reading my mind,’ with a half-smile hiding her shock. Her cousin is thinking like her.

Others agreed, igniting a fire and Delia explodes, “So he has been in prison!”

“For the murder and rape of a ten-year-old child and her mother!” Tessa reminds her.

“He did his time and love is everywhere,” she defends. “Everyone needs forgiveness.”

“Yes, everyone needs love and forgiveness, but he isn’t sent from heaven. He is sent from hell,” Elaine argues, her eyes on Tessa.

“Our cousin is in love and wants to get married. We should be supporting her instead of judging who and how she loves!” Delia argues.

“She has two young daughters under twelve years old. I am not supporting her decision,” Elaine notified her eyes still on Tessa.

“He is a registered sex offender,” Tessa informs.

“He paid his debt to society and deserved a second chance,” Delia pleads.

“The other two violent offenders that she fell in love with, and almost killed her did pay their debt to society already too,” Tessa says. “For god’s sake, they were on parole when they beat the crap out of her!”

“And they went back in to pay more debt to society,” Elaine reminds everyone. “I agree with Tessa, I am removing myself from this mess.”

“Why does she go to these places trying to help those in trouble and end up falling in love with someone in crisis?” another cousin asked.

“What’s wrong with her and these bad men?” someone else wondered out loud.

“She likes the rude guys,” another family member informs.

“Maybe if you cared more about our world and humanity, you would understand,” Delia fights back.

“Her job is to convert them, not seduce them,” Tessa said. “You don’t think what she is doing is dangerous? For God’s sake, it’s a habit for her!”

“Not all of us can help who we fall in love with!” Delia argues.

“We should!” Tessa cried out. “No sane, sensible, or smart female should go around falling in love with guys with questionable characters that will put their life at risk. These are violent men!”

“None of you are afraid that one of these troubled guys might eventually kill her?” Elaine wondered out loud. “This is the fifth guy she falls for with a violent background.”

“Not if he is sent from heaven,” a not-so-smart cousin suggests.

Tessa, Elaine, and eight other family members stared at her in disgust and walked out saying in agreement, “Sometimes you gotta help who you fall in love with!”

“You really leaving!” Delia called out as more family members followed Tessa and Elaine.

“Someone got to save her life!”

Can you help the type of guys you fall in love with?

Keshia Cole's words:: When love won’t let you walk away (when love)
And you can’t help who you love (just can’t help who you love)
And you find yourself giving it away
When you, think you’re in love, ooh, ‘cause

Links to her song.

Do you believe you can help who you fall in love with?

Write a story around this prompt. Be honest, funny, different, unique, tell what you learned from your experience, heck just be yourself.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it.