I know I have written a few articles about how some storylines should include a little more reality when comes to certain facts and such. I feel as if I must applaud One Life to Live for actually telling a story with a modicum of realism on the topic of discussion, whether discussing, plotting, or fighting.

I was a bailiff a few years ago, and a Probation Violation is no joke. I think we all know that when one commits what is considered to be a minor crime, one gets sentenced, one gets time suspended and placed on probation. When one violates that probation, for whatever reason, he or she is given his or full back time, which is the original sentence of actual time in jail. That is the way it is suppose to happen anyway.

In Soap World, we are forced to sit through murders, frauds, baby stealers, and psychos either getting off completely or someone with ulterior motives gets them off with a magic wand or pixie dust or something. I thought the same thing was going to happen to Cole when he got busted with pills he had no business having in his possession.

The story goes a little something like this:

Cole went to the docks to “clear his head”. There, he ran into Asher who tried to sell him some pills. When Cole rejected the drugs, Asher stuffed them into Cole’s pocket. Moments later, Cole had the pills in hand and was about to throw them in the river when the police showed up and saw the pills in Cole’s hand. Busted!

All during the drug debacle, Starr was getting Hope back for good. Starr desperately searched for Cole to give him the good news. He was not reachable. Why? He was facing the judge in his probation violation hearing. The judge slammed Cole with 5 years. Just then Nora stood up and I thought the whole realism thing had flown out of the window!

I was not disappointed after all. I want to make it clear that in the last few months, I have fallen in love with Cole as well as his portrayer, Brandon Buddy; although he is not the main focus of this article. The judge returned from a private conversation with Nora in chambers and reduced Cole’s sentence to 2 years in prison.

He was devastated and upon being allowed to have a few days to “get his affairs in order”, ran to Starr and got the good news while he broke the bad news to Starr. Without the high dosage of promos we are constantly privy to, we would have all been shocked when Cole dropped to one knee and proposed to Starr. By the way, no judge in his right mind would give a violator any days to get even his underwear together. They would just take and go….

I was really enjoying the reality of the storyline, until recently, when Marty the good doctor showed up at McPain’s bar and asked him to help her and Cole escape Llanview with Hope. McPain almost looked like he would accept her offer. I am scared of it!