Love From The Pages: The Notebook: Letter 2

Cover page of The Notebook

The Notebook is a 1996 romantic novel by American novelist Nicholas Sparks, The novel was later adapted into a popular film of the same name, in 2004. The Indian Bollywood film, Zindagi Tere Naam, starring Mithun Chakraborty, is also based on it.

Noah and Allie are meeting, again, after a 14-year separation, which followed their brief but passionate summer romance. Later in the story, Noah reveals to the audience that he is reading to his wife (a notebook and letters), who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and does not recognize him.

This is the letter which Noah writes to his beloved Allie during time of their fourteen years of seclusion. He has presumed that Allie has forgotten him. The letter is the mode of 'good bye' letter.

THE NOTEBOOK

-by Nicholas Sparks

My dearest Allie,

I don't know what to say anymore except that I couldn't sleep last night because I know that it is over between us. It is a different feeling for me, one that I never expected, but looking back, I suppose it couldn' t have ended another way.
You and I are different. We come from different worlds, and yet you are the one who taught me the value of love. You showed me what it was like to care for another, and I am a better man because of it. I don't want you to ever forget that.
I am not a bitter because what has happened. On the contrary, I am secure in knowing that what we had was real, and I am happy we were able to come together for even a short period of time. And if, in some distant place in the future, we see in our new lives, I will smile at you with joy, and remember we spent a summer beneath trees, learning from each other and growing in love. And maybe, for a brief moment, you'll feel it too, and you'll smile back, and savour the memories we will always share together.

I love you, Allie.

Noah

Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an American novelist, screenwriter and producer. He has published eighteen novels and two non-fiction books. Several of his novels have become international bestsellers, and eleven of his romantic-drama novels have been adapted to film with multimillion-dollar box office grosses including THE NOTEBOOK.