What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

“People are different, Mel. Sure, sometimes he may have acted crazy. Okay. But he loved me. In his own way, maybe, but he loved me.”

From the onset, Terri introduces the theme of The Inability to Define Love. Terri tries to justify her previous connection with a violent man, but her choice of language is significant. There is a conflation between madness and love, one that is often made in literature. Love is an out-of-control emotion that causes people to behave in unbalanced ways. For Terri, this proves Ed’s feelings toward her, but she tempers her fixed views with words like “okay” and “maybe,” as if she is trying to convince herself. It is also important to note her comment about difference, which pinpoints the story’s principal message: Everyone has a different perspective, and there is no one interpretation of love.

“You should have seen the way we lived in those days. Like fugitives.”

Mel says this about his and Terri’s attempts to hide from Ed. Terri agrees, which is her only admission that she feared her ex. Up until this point and after, she clings to the notion that his brutal behavior could be viewed in a positive light. Mel’s use of the word “fugitive” is curious, as this usually refers to people who have committed a crime and are running away to evade capture.