I Am Convinced That Nicholas Sparks Has It In For Me

The first time I saw the commercial for the new film "Nights In Rodanthe" I actually yelled at my television. I thought, here we go again; a movie muddying the already very murky waters of love. Isn't finding and sustaining a relationship hard enough without the expectations that Sparks heaps on us?

I want every woman who has ever had a man ask her, "Who keeps you safe?" in a sensitive, super-caring way to raise her hand (and your father doesn't count!). Yeah, I thought so. I'm betting no one, except maybe Nicholas Sparks wife (and boy, would I love to talk to her about what he's REALLY like)has ever had a Sparks-esque relationship. She may have had a moment, especially early on, and chances are there was the possibility of sex laying in the balance that was the real reason behind the moment.

Sparks is the man who brought us tearjerkers like "Message in a Bottle," and "The Notebook." I think, like so many writers (I have to say, usually women) he is ruining love for we singltons, rendering us dreamy eyed and wistful thinking that maybe, just maybe there's a guy who will sweep in and care about your feelings more than the score of the football game and the report due on Monday at work.

Now granted, I haven't seen the movie, but what I have seen in trailers and commercials shows Richard Gere as a doctor who doesn't appear to have been a great husband having put career first. Then, a crisis (I'm assuming) brings him to Diane Lane, equally sad and well, there were end up with the "who keeps you safe?" line.

I don't like to think I'm bitter about love. Realistic perhaps. All right, there may be a smidge of bitterness crammed in there somewhere. Not a lot, just a little. Maybe I have such a visceral reaction to line like that, or "You complete me" as a bit of a defense against hoping that maybe there actually is a guy out there who want to take on me and my complicated life.

I'm not holding my breath, but you never know. But if he ever asks me, "Who keeps you safe?" I might just have to say, "me."