"Excuse me." "Come on, honey, let's get you ready for bed." "I am no one special, just a common man with common thoughts." "I've led a common life." "There are no monuments dedicated to me." "And my name will soon be forgotten." "But in one respect, I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived." " Looking good, Duke." " Feeling good." "I've loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough." "How's it hanging, Harry?" "I keep trying to die, but they won't let me." "Well, you can't have everything." "Big day today." "You say that every day, you old devil." "It's a lovely day outside." "Let's take a walk." "I don't think so." "Well, we've got to get you out of this room." "Come on now, honey." "Some fresh air" " would do you good." " Hello." "I'm sorry, it's not a good day." "I don't think she's up for anything." "Hello?" "This is Duke, he's come to read to you." " Read?" " Mm-hmm." "No." "I don't know." "Oh, come on, you'll like him, he's very funny." "Ahh..." "All right now, where did we leave off?" "Oh, yeah, yeah, it was the night of the carnival." ""Noah, was there with his friends, Fin and Sarah."" " Noah?" " That's where they met" "June 6th, 1940." "Allie was 17 years old." " Little man wins a prize." " Damn!" " Thank you for playing." " Ha, you're real funny." "Man, I clobbered that thing." "I'm tellin' you, these games are fixed." " Hello." " How are you?" "Hi, what's your name?" "Step right up here." "Over the hook, yeah." "Whoa." " Who's this girl with Sara?" " Her name's Allie Hamilton." "She's here for the summer with her family." "Dad's got more money than God." " Hi, Fin!" " Hi, honey." "Look, I won you a prize." "Oh, Fin, thank you!" " Oww!" " Yeah." "Hey great, huh?" "Hey Allie, you want some cotton candy?" " Umm, okay." " That would be so much fun." "You only get one chance, son." " You want to dance with me?" " No." " Why not?" " 'Cause I don't want to." "Noah, she's with us." "Hey Allie, you want to ride the Ferris wheel?" " l'd love to." " All right." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." " Noah Calhoun." " What?" "Works down at the lumber yard with Fin." "Oh..." "Did you see he was standing like two inches away from my face?" "Yeah, I saw." "That's Noah, though." "You know I'm surprised he even came over." "I think he likes you." "Hey what-- jerk" "Get off me." "Don't touch me." " Hey!" " Well, I... ugh!" " What are you doing?" " Hey, you can't do that!" "I'll pay you when I get down, Tommy." "I'm Noah Calhoun." " So?" "!" " So, it's really nice to meet you." " Allie, who is this guy?" " l don't know, Noah Calhoun." " l would really like to take you out." " Friend!" "Do you mind?" "You can't sit more than two people in a chair, Noah." "Okay, Tommy, all right." "Get down, Noah, you're gonna kill yourself!" "Noah, cut it out." "Now, will you go out with me?" "What?" " No." " No?" " No." " No?" "Hey pal, she just told you." "Why not?" "I don't know, because I don't want to." "Noah!" "What?" "Well, you leave me no other choice then." "Oh my God." "I'm not kidding." " Noah, stop fooling around." " What are you doing?" " Noah, grab the bar." " l'm gonna ask you one more time." "Will you..." " or will you not go out with me?" " Noah, you best come on." " God damn, my hand's slipping." " Then grab the bar, you idiot." " Not until she agrees." " Ah, go on out with him, honey." " Okay, okay, fine, I'll go out with you." " What?" " No, don't do me any favors." "No, no. I want to." " You want to?" "You want to?" " Yes!" " Say it." " l want to go out with you." " Say it again." " l want to go out with you." "All right, all right we'll go out." "You think you're so smart, don't you?" "That wasn't funny, Noah, you idiot!" "No, it's okay, I'll take care of this." "What are you doing?" "Please don't do that." "Please don't do that, Allie." "I can't believe..." "Oh God." "You're not so cocky now, are ya?" "I'm gonna get you for that." "Ah, maybe you will, maybe you won't." " Did he say anything to you?" " Oh, yeah, will you look at that?" "It's that girl from the Carnival, right?" "Do you remember me?" "Yeah, sure, Mr. Underwear, was it?" " Well, I..." " How could I forget." "Yeah, I wanted to clear that up with you, because I'm really sorry about that." "It was a really stupid thing to do-- crawl up a Ferris wheel to talk to somebody." "But I had to be next to you." "I was being drawn to you." "Oh-- oh, jeez, what a line!" "You use that on all the girls?" " No." " Right." "I saw you the other night with little Miss Ribbons." " What are you doing tonight?" " What?" "Or tomorrow night, or this weekend, whatever." " Why?" " Why?" "Our date." "What date?" " The date that you agreed to." " No..." "Yes, you did." "You promised and you swore it." "Well, I guess I changed my mind." "Look, I know you get some dirty guy coming up to you on the street-- you don't know him." "You don't know me, but I know me." "And when I see something that I like, I gotta ha-- l love it." "I go-- l mean, I go crazy for it." "Okay, what are you talking about?" "Well, you." "Oh, you're good." " What?" " You're good." " No." "No, you're getting me wrong." " You're good." "You are." " You're fantastic." " l'm not." "You really are." "I'm impressed." " l'm not usually like this, I'm sorry." " Oh, yes, you are." "I can be fun, if you want... pensive, uh, smart, uh , superstitious, brave." "And uh..." "I can be light on my feet." "I could be whatever you want." "You just tell me what you want and I'll be that for you." "You're dumb." "I could be that." "Come on, one date." "What's it gonna hurt?" "Umm..." "I don't think so." "Well, what I can I do to change your mind?" "Guess you'll figure something out." " You sure she's coming?" " Relax, pal, it's all set up." "We're meeting her for the late show." "Look-- what did I tell you?" "Come on." "Oh my goodness, what a coincidence!" "I need to talk to you for a second." " He's here!" " Allie, you remember Noah, don't you?" " Yes, I remember." " Yeah." " Come here." " Fin!" " Hi." " Hi." " lt's nice to see you again." " You too." " You look great." " Aw, thanks." "Really, really great." "You do look great." "You look great." "And I know I look great, so could we please go see this movie?" " The show's about to start." " After you." "You come back here, Li'l Abner." "You ain't gonna catch me, Daisy Mae !" "It's Sadie Hawkins Day, I'm supposed to catch you!" "I'm faster than you." "No, No!" "I'll get you!" "I'm going get..." "Here I come!" "You better run fast!" "You ketchum Polecat far and squar." "Wait for me." "What happened in that movie?" " Here you go." " Thank you." " What are you guys doing?" " Want to walk with me?" "Yeah, what's going on?" " Yeah." " We're gonna walk." "Do you guys love each other?" "Huh?" "Oh, I get it." " You guys do love each other." " Don't do anything I wouldn't do." "Okay, good bye." " All right, all right." " Mmm..." "That was fun." "Mm-hmm." "I haven't seen a movie in ages." " Really?" " Huh-uh." "Not since I was a little kid." "What?" "No, I, uh... I'm busy, you know, I don't have a lot of time." " You're busy?" " Mm-hmm." "I have a very strict schedule." "My days are all planned out." "I get up in the morning-- breakfast, math tutor, Latin tutor, lunch, tennis lessons, dance lessons-- sometimes both" "French tutor, piano lesson, then I eat dinner." "And after dinner I spend time with my family." "And then l-- l catch up on some reading." "Wow." "Sounds like the road to success." "Oh, you bet." "We're applying to all these colleges-- umm..." "Radcliffe, Sarah Lawrence-- those are the ones we want." " And who's we?" " What?" "You just said, "The ones that we want."" "Oh, Mom and Daddy." "We decide everything together." "Everything?" "No, not everything." "But the important things, yes." "And then everything else, you get to decide all by yourself?" " Don't be rude." " l'm sorry." "Just trying to figure out what you do for fun." "What do you mean?" "I mean... I don't know, I mean all those things are things you have to do, right?" "So what do you do because you want to?" "I just told ya." "I don't know." "This surprises me." "Why?" "I just always figured you were kinda..." "Kinda what?" "Just..." " Free." " What?" "Free." "I am free." "You don't seem like it." "Well, I am." "Come here, I want to show you something." " Noah, what are you doing?" " Just come on." " You're gonna get run over." " By all the cars?" "My Dad and I used to come out here and lay down and watch the lights change." "And watch them go from green to red to yellow." "You could try it, if you wanted to." " No." " Why not?" "Because I don't know-- will you just get up?" "That's your problem, you know that?" "You don't do what you want." "Okay." "What happens if a car comes?" " We die." " What?" "Just relax." "Just trust." "You need to learn how to trust." "Okay." " Painting." " Hmm?" "You asked me what I do for me." " What now?" " l love to paint." " Yeah?" " Mm-hmm." "Huh." "Most of the time, I have all these thoughts bouncing around in my head." "But with a brush in my hand, the world just gets kinda quiet." "Get out of the street!" "Are you okay?" "Why are you laughing?" "Oh, that was fun." "Do you want to dance with me?" "Sure." " Now?" " Mm-hmm." " Here?" " Mm-hmm." "Not supposed to dance in the middle of the street." "Who said dance in the street?" "And we don't have any music." "Well, we'll make some." "You're a terrible singer." "I know." "But I like this song." " Southern summers are indifferent to the trials of young love." " Armed with warnings and doubts," "Noah and Allie gave a remarkably convincing portrayal of a boy and a girl traveling down a very long road with no regard for the consequences." "They fell in love, didn't they?" " Yes, they did." " Good." "I like this kind of story." "Go on." "After that night," "Allie and Noah spent every waking hour together." "And soon they were inseparable." " Noah, come on." " Your boat cannot beat me there." " That's really nice." " Mmm, mmm, mmm..." ""Beautiful dripping fragments." "The negligent list of one after another, as I happen to call them to me." "Or drink to them." "The real poems, what we call poems, being merely pictures." "The poems of the privacy of the night." "And of men like me." "This poem, drooping shy and unseen, that I always carry." "And that all men carry."" "Not bad for Whitman." "Hey, look, we got a visitor." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." "Well, don't apologize, come on up here, darling." "We could use a little something here besides the smell of lumber." "Dad, this is Allison Hamilton." "Allison, I'm glad to meet you." " Allie." " Allie." "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Calhoun." "Well Mr. Calho-- What, am I old or something?" "You can call me Frank." " Here, come in and have a seat." " Okay." "So, Allie." "Well, yeah, she is pretty, son." " Yes." " She's a lot prettier than you let on." " Oh, is that right?" " No, it's not right." "Don't believe what he says." " What is this you got?" " Umm, l-- uh, I just-- l brought you something." "Let me see." "Let's have a look." " Did you do this?" " Mm-hmm." "Well, that's beautiful." "Look at that." "That's a damn picture there." "Well, I know just where we can put that, thank you." "Oh, that was a lovely poem." "What was it?" " El" " Whitman." "See when he was a little kid he used to stutter real bad." " Dad" " So-- well, you did." " l didn't know that." " God. I stammered." "Stammered, stutter, what's the difference?" "Couldn't understand a damn thing he said." "So, I got him to read me poetry out loud." "It wasn't very pretty at first, but then his stutter went away." "Well, it's a good idea, that poetry." " Yeah, I thought so." " Huh?" "Unbelievable, unbelievable." "I'm a Tennyson man, myself, but he likes Whitman" "For some reason, I don't know." "Say, how would you like some breakfast?" "Would you like some breakfast?" " Breakfast?" " Yeah." " Dad, it's 10:00." " What's that got to do with it?" "You can have pancakes any damn time of night you want." " Come on, you want some breakfast?" " Sure." "It was an improbable romance." "He was a country boy." "She was from the city." "She had the world at her feet, while he didn't have two dimes to rub together." "Noah, come on." "Whoo!" "Look at us." "What are we doing?" "Do you think in another life, I could have been a bird?" "What do you mean?" "Like reincarnation." "I don't know." "I think I could." "Say I'm a bird." "No." " Don't do it." " Say I'm a bird." " Stop it." "Stop it now." " You're not." " Say it!" " You're a bird." " Yeah." "Now say you're a bird too." "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." " Come on, darling." " What are you doing?" "Don't." "Don't!" "Here we go, on the count of three, okay?" "Real easy, on three, ready?" " Okay, okay." " One..." " Two-- two..." " two..." " ...three!" " No!" "I can't." "Get in the water!" " Get in!" "I'm sorry." " Come on, chicken." "Get in the water, baby." "Baby, would you get in." " Get in the water." " l can't." " Go!" " Get in the water!" " One..." "Come on, jump." " Two..." " Three." "Keep 'em together!" "No, no, no." " Get to your place." " Down here." "And move." "And keep it." "No, don't move it!" "I don't understand what you're talking about." "They didn't agree on much." "In fact, they rarely agreed on everything." "They fought all the time." " Don't kick me!" " Don't push me." "And they challenged each other every day." "But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common." "They were crazy about each other." "Okay, I have to go." " No." " Yes, I do." "Allie." "Daddy." "Oh, Daddy you're-- l didn't see you there." "You kinda scared me." "Becoming friendly with that boy down there." "Yes." "Bring him to the house on Sunday." "I want to meet this young man." "Okay." "Good night, Daddy." "Good night." "Oh, boy." "This bug goes "Daddy, I don't understand."" "He goes, "Well, in theory, we're both millionaires, but in reality, we live with a bunch of whores."" "Bishop Stevens told me that." "Olivier, please remove the-- the liquor decanter from in front of my husband." "I think he's had a little too much to drink." " l don't get it." " Pay attention." "So, what do you do, Noah?" "I work at the lumber yard with Fin." "Mainly milling and receiving logs-- and stripping the bark." "Oh, that's lovely, dear." "Thank you." "If you don't mind my asking, uh, how much do you make at your job?" "Uh, how much money do I make?" "Mm-hmm." "About 40 cents an hour." "Yeah, it's not much, but I don't need a lot." "And l-- l save most of it." "Let's eat." "Shall we?" "Yes!" "Oh, it looks delicious." "So Noah, you and Allie have been spending a lot of time together." "You must be very fond of each other." "It's getting pretty serious, huh?" "Yes, ma'am." "Well, summer's almost gone." "What will you do?" "You know, Charleston's only a couple of hours away." "But Allie's going to Sarah Lawrence." "Didn't she tell you?" "No, she didn't tell me that." "I just got the letter." "I was going to tell you." "It's okay." "And Sarah Lawrence is in New York." "I didn't know that." "Anne, this conversation's too stuffy for the dinner table." "Let the children have fun without bringing in the Spanish Inquisition." "My lips are buttoned, right now." "I do know another joke about the Nun and the full standing bishop." " Stop" " That wasn't me." "I'm leaving the table if you tell another joke." "Whoo!" "I'm gonna do it." " Yeah." " Yeah." "That child's got too much spirit for a girl of her circumstance." "Nah, it's just summer love." "Trouble is what it is." " Mmm." " Mmm." "is that Allie out there?" "Do you want to go somewhere?" "Okay." "Wait here." "Allie!" "Come on." "All right, take a step." "Step." "No, don't" "All right, just stay there." "Don't open your eyes." "Okay." "The Windsor Plantation." "It was built in 1772." " Rumor has it that Francis Marion..." " Mm-hmm?" "proposed to his wife right here under these-- uh, these steps." " Huh?" " Watch out." "You be careful, these are broken." "Look at that." "This" "This place is gigantic." "Yeah, a gigantic piece of crap." "It is." "But I'm gonna buy it one day and I'm gonna fix it up." "All it needs is a new floor." "And new walls and a roof." " ls that all?" " And plumbing and electric." " And furniture." " Yes, and furniture." "But it's right on the water." "And there's a big old barn out there-- l could turn that into my workshop." "Well, what about me?" "Now don't I get any say in this?" "You want a say in this?" "Yes, I would." "What do you want?" "I want a white house..." " with blue shutters..." " Mm-hmm." "and a room overlooking the river so I can paint." " Anything else?" " Yes." "I want a big old porch that wraps around the entire house." " We can drink tea..." " Whoa, whoa, whoa-- and watch the sun go down." " Okay." " You promise?" "Mm-hmm, I promise." "Good." " Where are you going?" " ln here." "Wow." "I can't play chopsticks if you're doing that." "Oh, God." "Oh, make love to me." " Noah." " Yeah?" "Um... I know I said that I wanted you to make love to me," " but I think you" " Yeah?" "you're gonna have to talk me through this." " Right." "You all right?" " Yeah." " Did I hurt you?" " No, no." "I'm just-- l'm just having a lot of thoughts." "I'm just-- l'm just having a lot of-- never mind." "Like what are you thinking?" "What are you thinking, right now?" "You know, right this second?" "Uh." "Did you know that this was going to happen when you brought me here?" " No." " No?" " No." " No, you didn't think about it?" " Of course I thought about it." " You did?" " Uh-huh." " Well, what did you think?" "Uh, I'm talking too much, aren't I?" "Okay, okay, I'm just going to shut up." "Mum's the word." "Okay." " You all right?" " Yeah." " Uh-huh." " All right." "I just don't understand how come you're so quiet." "You don't have one thought?" "I'm going crazy over here, but no, with you, everything's fine." "You don't have a care in the world?" "I'm sorry." "I wanted this to be so perfect." "Now I can't shut up." "I love you." "Did you know that?" "I love you too." "Yeah." "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." "No, no, I want to, I do." "Noah!" "Noah!" "What?" "Fin, get out of here!" "Look, I'm sorry, but Allie's parents are going crazy." "They got every cop in town out looking for her." " You sent the police for me?" " Yes." "It is two in the morning." "We sent the police." "Thank God you're all right." "Where you been?" "Mr. Hamilton, all this is my fault." "Would you give us a moment please?" "I'd like to talk to my daughter." "Alone, young lady." "Thanks for everything, Lieutenant." "You bet, John, anytime." "You go straight home now, it's late." "Sir, it's really not her fault." "I lost track of time." "Sit down." "I'm sorry, Daddy." " ls he a rapist?" " No." " Like what, mother?" " You are going to stop seeing Noah." "She is out fooling around with that boy till 2:00 in the morning and it has got to stop." "I didn't spend 17 years of my life raising a daughter and giving her everything... so she could throw it away on a summer romance." "Daddy, come on!" "She will wind up with her heart broken or pregnant." " Anne, please." " Now, he is a nice boy." " He's a nice boy, but he's" " He's what?" "He's what?" "Tell me." "He is trash, trash, trash-- not for you." "Trash?" "Don't touch me!" "Now that is enough." "You are not to see him anymore." "And that's final." " No, it's not final." " Yes it is." " No, it's not final!" " Allie!" "You're not going to tell me who I'm gonna love." " Love?" " Yes Daddy, I love him." "I love him." "He's not suitable for you, baby." "I love him." "You are 17 years old, you don't know anything about love." "Oh, and you do?" "You don't look at Daddy the way I look at Noah." "You don't touch or laugh." "You don't play." "You don't know anything about love." "Noah?" "Noah?" "Hey, hey." "You leaving?" "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." "I don't even know what to say." "I'm humiliated." " lt's all right." " No, it's not." " Yeah." " No, it's not." "Shh..." "No." " l'm gonna go." " No, I don't want you to go." "I got to think about some stuff." "What do you got to think about, huh?" "Come here and talk to me." "Talk to me!" "About what?" "You want-- you're going away!" "You're leaving." "And I'm staying here." "And I'm so happy that you're doing it, but you're gonna have a million things to do." " No." " You got so much ahead of you." " Don't talk like that." " lt's true." "I'm not going to have nice things, fancy things." "It doesn't-- lt's never gonna happen for me." "It's not in the cards for me." "I don't have to go to school, okay?" " Yes, you do." " l can stay here." "No." "Do you see, that's exactly what I am talking about." "Then you can come with me." " To New York?" " Yes." "What am I going to do in New York?" "Be with me?" "Yeah." "I don't know." "We don't got to figure all this out tonight, ya know?" "We'll finish out the summer and we'll see what happens." "You saying you want to break it off?" "What I'm saying we see how it goes later on." "Are you breaking up with me?" "I don't see how it's gonna work." "I see..." "Please don't do this." "You don't mean it." "Oh hell, well if you're going to do it, why wait until the summer ends, huh?" "Why don't you just do it, right now?" "Huh?" "Come on." " Come on." " What are you doing?" "Do it!" "Do it!" "Do it right now." "Do it!" "Stop it!" "Oh!" "You know what?" "I'm gonna do it." "It's over." "Okay?" "It's over." " Come here." " Don't touch me." "I hate you, I hate you." "I'm gonna go." "Why don't you, why don't you just go." "Get out." "Leave!" "Go!" "Go!" "No, no, just wait a minute." "We're not really breaking up, are we?" "Come on." "This is just a fight we're having, and tomorrow it will be like it never happened, right?" " Going?" " Gone." "Well, she must have been devastated." "She was." "He was only trying to do the right thing." "Yeah." "But what he really should have done is just told those parents to go to hell." "Just stick it where the sun don't shine." "Yeah, you're right, probably should have." "The next day, Allie woke up to find her world completely changed." "What's going on?" "We're going home." " We're going now?" " Mm-hmm." "No, we're not supposed to be leaving for another week." "Get dressed and then come and have some breakfast, dear." "Willow will pack your things." "Why, I'd be happy to pack your things, Miss Allie." "I don't want you to pack my things." "I don't want you to touch my stuff." "I'm not going." " Yes, you are." " No, I'm not." " Yes, Allie, you are." " No, I'm not." "Allie, you are going whether you like it or not." "Now, even if Aaron has to throw you over his shoulder and drag you the whole way, you're going." "Excuse me." " All right, let's go." " Come on." "We have to have all these done by lunch." "Come on, get on!" "You shouldn't be standing around." "Here we go." "Let's go." "Come on." "Fin!" "Where's Noah?" "He's out delivering a load." " What's going on?" " l'm leaving town." " Leaving?" " Yeah." " When?" " Now, right now-- like today." "Look, I need you to tell Noah something, okay?" "I need you to tell him that I love him." "And tell him that I'm sorry for everything, okay?" "Look, I was up all night with him, Allie." "I've never seen him so low." "It's over." "Don't make it any harder than it already is." "No!" "No, it's not over." "Fin, we had a fight last night." "No, we said some things we didn't mean, but it's not over." " lt is over." " No." "Leave it alone." "Let it go." "I'm coming." "Mama, I'm coming!" " Look, he understands." " But-- lt's hard, but he really does." "Summer's over and it's time to go home." "If he wants to talk to you, he'll write. lf not?" "Okay." "Okay, can you just-- can you just tell him that I love him, then?" " Can you do that?" " l'll tell him." "Thank you." "Bye, Fin." "She's gone." "Summer romances end for all kinds of reasons." "But when all is said and done, they have one thing in common:" "They are shooting stars-- a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity." "And in a flash, they're gone." "Noah was desperate." "He wrote to Allie that he was sorry and stupid for breaking up with her." "He wrote to tell her that he still loved her, and he wanted to see her." "And that if she would write back, he would come to wherever she was." "He wrote one letter a day for a year-- 365 letters, but they all went unanswered." "Hey Fred!" "Nothing?" "Sorry." "All right, thank you." "Finally, after a year of silence, he decided to put it all behind him and start a new life." "So he wrote a farewell letter" "And he and Fin packed their bags and headed for Atlanta." "Noah!" "Noah!" "Noah!" "Come on, listen to this!" "A state of war has existed between the United States and the..." "The Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic." "Noah and Fin enlisted together." "And after two years of chasing Rommel through the North African desert, they were deployed to Patton's Third Army in Europe." "Go!" "Fin!" "Do I contradict myself?" "Very well then, I contradict myself." "Allie was in her third year of college when she volunteered as a nurse's aid." "To her, the broken men with shattered bodies, who filled the ward were all Noah." "Or someone who fought beside him in the jungle or frozen snow swept road." "I'm gonna lift you up." "Ready?" "There we go." "Now, I'm gonna bring this leg over." " Set it on the stool." " All right." " You okay?" " Yeah." "Miss, can I ask you a question?" "Hmm?" "I noticed that you aren't wearing a ring." "And I was wondering if I could take you out." " Excuse me?" " On a date." "Now, before you go and say no, I'll have you know that I am an excellent dancer and my intentions are completely dishonorable." "Okay, okay "Casanova," come on." "Let's just get you better, then we'll talk about a date, okay?" "Would you get a load of him?" "Oh my gosh, he is dreamy." " What is he doing here?" " Mmm." "He's staring at you." "Oh, miss?" "I'm all better." "Now, how's about that date?" "Allie was surprised how quickly she fell in love with Lon Hammond." "He was handsome, smart, funny, sophisticated and charming." "Hey!" "He also came from old Southern money, and was fabulously wealthy." "What?" "Oh, what's happening?" " Where you going?" " Where they going?" " See you later, sweetheart." " Oh dear, look at that." "Allie, I've been thinking a lot about why we shouldn't get married." "Okay, I give up, why shouldn't we get married?" "Well see, that's the thing, I couldn't think of anything at first." "An then, it just dawned on me." "Your parents..." " My parents?" " Absolutely." " Your old mom and dad." "Thank you for that." "Mom?" "You see, the problem is that they love me." " l'm exactly the type of man" " They do." " they want you to end up with." " Really?" "You know, I'm wealthy, I'm from the South, I got a decent job." "You know, I'm an incredible dancer, I'm a really smart guy." "You look great." " l like to think" " So what's the problem, huh?" " Now just this, if you marry me" " Mm-hmm." " Now listen close." " lf you marry me..." " Mm-hmm." "then you will have lost a life long battle of defiance against them." "Oh my goodness, what are we going to do?" " l do not know." " Huh!" "Hey, band, you feeling all right?" " You say it!" "See Allie, I think-- damn it, I think you have to marry me." " l think you need to marry me." " l do?" " Yes you do." " l do, why?" "Because if you do, you parents will always know the unhappiness that you feel for not being able to disappoint them." "I think you may have overlooked one minor detail." "And what's that?" "Well, you see you have to get their permission first." "And I think you may have overestimated their affection for you." "is that right?" " Mm-hmm." " Oh, I don't think so." "Then why not?" "Oh, 'cause I asked them already and they said yes." "What?" "One more thing." "I love you." "Will you marry me, honey?" "I know I kid around a lot, but I'm crazy about you." "Marry me?" "Make me the happiest man in the world." "Yes." "Yes!" " Just hold tight." " Where are you going?" "Oh my God." "Mama." "Okay, stop the band." "Excuse me. I'd like everyone here to know that this young lady and I are getting married." "She agreed with all her heart, but couldn't understand why at the very moment she said yes," "Noah's face came to her mind." "Hey, Noah, yeah!" "Oh, good to see you." "Let me see you." "You bleeding anywhere?" "No?" " Everything good?" " Yeah." "Oh, I love you." "Come on, there's something I got to show you." " Come on." " All right." "What's going on?" "What is this?" "Here." "I sold the house." " You sold the house?" " Yup." "Gotta be out by the end of the month." "Between that and your Gl Bill, you ought to be able to get it now." " Get what?" " Your dream house." " The Windsor Plantation." " Dad" "Now, don't Dad me, I don't want to hear about it." "I already talked to the bank, they're gonna give you the loan." " Well, I can't let you sell your house." " lt's done." "It's a good thing." "You should do it." "Wait a second." "You sell the house, where are you gonna live?" "With you, dummy, what do you think?" "Somebody's got to help you fix it up." "Noah took a look at the house, but only saw one thing" "Allie." "He decided right there to fulfill his life-long dream." "He would rebuild the old house from the ground up." "And when Noah went to Charleston to get the building plans approved, fate stepped in and dealt him a sweet card." "Stop the bus!" "Stop the bus." "Sorry, Mac, I can't stop the bus until I get to the depot." "No, no, no, please stop the bus now." "Please!" "Do you understand English, pal?" "No one gets off till we get to the depot." "Now sit down." " God." " Hey!" "Watch it, screwball!" "What are you doing?" "Hey!" "How old is your daughter now?" " Well, you mind." " He's right over there." "Baby, hello." " Oh!" " Hold it." "Oh, come with it." "After seeing Allie that day, something inside Noah snapped." "He got the notion into his head that if he restored the old house where they had come that night," "Allie would find a way to come back to him." "Some called it a labor of love." "Others called it something else." "But in fact, Noah had gone a little mad." " Excuse me." " Would-- lt's time to eat." "Lunch will be served in the Sun Room today." "The melon is good." "I had a bite." "Did they ever see each other again?" "Noah and Allie?" "Now you don't want me to spoil the end of the story before I get to the good part, do you?" "Where did I leave off?" "I shall not want." "When Noah's father died in November, the house was all he had." "He leadeth me down... ln time, Noah finished the house." "Okay, smile." "Here we go." "He took a good look at what he had accomplished, got rip-roaring drunk for 10 days, thought seriously about setting it on fire, then finally put the house up for sale." "I'm prepared to offer you this much." "He had a number of interested buyers, but he always found a reason not to sell it to them." "No." "Either the bids were too low, or if they met his asking price, he felt it was worth a lot more." "It's a lot of money, but I'll take it." "$50,000." " That's more than my asking price." " That's right." "It's a great deal more." "He told the man that offered him $5,000 over his price that no one in his right mind would do that and he wouldn't have a lunatic living in his house." "He worked out his frustration with life on the creek every morning." "And in the evenings, to temper the sting of loneliness, there was Martha Shaw." "Martha was a war widow who lived in Quail Ridge, a town away." "So you want to go out tomorrow?" "I got to work." "Well, we could down to the river if you want to." "Next week, sometime." "Maybe we could take a drive somewhere?" "No." "Well, I'm just asking you." "What do you want, Noah?" "What do you mean, what do I want?" "From me." "Sometimes when you talk to me, you don't even see me." "Look, a woman knows when a man looks into her eyes and sees someone else." "Now you know I want to give you all the things that you want, right?" "But I can't, because they're gone... they're broken." "All right?" "is the veil too much?" "Are you kidding?" "You look perfect!" "You're the most beautiful bride." " You look gorgeous, honey." " Thank you." "Wait until Lon sees you in this dress, he's gonna go crazy." "He won't be able to take his eyes off you, or his hands." "Oh, you're bad!" "Have you seen this morning's paper?" "The "Daily Journal" says that you are going to be" " the social highlight of the season." " Of the season?" "This is gonna be a celebration the likes of which this town's never seen!" "She doesn't plan, she plots, doesn't she?" " Mama, look, the Governor's coming." " He better." "Let me see." "Oh, boy." " All right Savannah, where are we at?" " We're 82 now." " Memphis, where are at?" " We're 89 now." "89, great, up from 85." " Sir?" " Yes." "You have a visitor." "Well, hello." "Baby, I didn't know you were coming." "I'm-- l'm so sorry, I should have called." "Baby, what are you talking about?" "You don't have to call." " Guys, could you give us a minute?" " All right." "Yes, sir." "Miss Allie." "Ma'am." "So what's up?" "I don't paint anymore." "I used to paint all the time." "I really loved it." " l didn't know that." " Yeah." "So paint." "I will." " l'm gonna start." " Great." "is everything okay?" "I need to get away." "Okay." "I need to take care of a few things." "I need to clear my head." "Okay, should I be worried?" " No, I don't think so." " Oh, that's reassuring." "Listen, are you all right?" " Yeah." " Okay, then go." "Take your time, do whatever you need to do." "It's okay to be nervous, all right?" "It's normal to get cold feet before your wedding." "No, no second thoughts, huh-uh." "I love you." "I'm going to be back from Seabrook in a couple of days, okay?" " Seabrook?" " Yeah, Seabrook." "Hello." "I saw your picture in the paper, the one with you and the house." "And I just wanted to come and see if you were okay." "I mean, I wasn't in the neighborhood or anything." "I just..." "So are you okay?" "Okay, good." "I'm a stupid woman, I shouldn't have come." "You want to come in?" "Okay." "This is a good story." "I'm glad you like it." "I think I've heard it before." "Yes." "Perhaps more than once?" "Doctor needs to see you." " Me?" "Now?" " No, him." "But he hasn't finished reading his story." "I'll read some more when I'm through with the doctor." "This shouldn't take too long." " All right." " Don't you go away." "I'll be right back." "While you waiting, maybe you'd like to play the piano for a few minutes." "You do like that." " l do?" " Mm-hmm." " l don't know any tunes." " You can read music." " No kidding?" " Mm-hmm." "Who are you?" "I'm Dr. Barnwell, one of the new attending physicians." "We haven't met, so I thought I'd examine you myself." "Okay, so I see here that you've had two heart attacks over the last 18 months." "Yeah, minor ones, I think one was angina." " Okay, any complications?" " Nope, feel fine." "Okay, deep breath for me." "Okay, one more time." "And deep breath." "And one more." "Terrific, terrific." "You still taking your medication?" " Every day, twice a day." " Good, good, good, good, good." "Okay, you can put your shirt on." "So I understand that you read to Miss Hamilton." "Yeah, to help her remember." " Hmm." " You don't think it'll help?" "No, I don't." "She remembers, Doc." "I read to her and she remembers." "Not always, but she remembers." "But senile dementia is irreversible." "It's degenerative." "After a certain point, its victims don't come back." "Yeah, that's what they keep telling me." "Well, I just don't want you to get your hopes up." "Well, thanks, Doc, but you know what they say?" "Science goes only so far and then comes God." "Then comes God." "Damn, I forgot to turn the page for her." "You through with me?" "I guess they flipped that page." "No, that she's playing by memory." "His name is Lon Hammond, Jr." "Hammond?" "As in Hammond Cotton?" "As in Hammond Cotton." "Well, your parents must love him." "He's a really good man, Noah." "You'd really like him." "You love him?" "Yeah, I do." "I love him very much." "Well, that's that." "You marry Lon and we can be friends... right?" "Right." "Are you hungry?" "Do you want to stay for dinner?" "Umm... I have to warn you, I'm a cheap drunk." "A couple more of these and you're gonna be carrying me right out of here." "Well, you go slow then, I don't want to have to take advantage of you." "You wouldn't dare." "I'm a married woman." "Not yet." "What?" "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Just memories." "This room." "This-- is this where we" "This is the room?" "Huh..." " l'm full." " Me too." ""Oh how your fingers drowse me." "Your breath falls around me like dew." "Your pulse lulls the tympans of my ears." "I feel a merge from head to foot." "Delicious enough."" "It was real, wasn't it?" "You and me." "Such a long time ago, we were just a couple of kids." "But we really loved each other, didn't we?" "I should go." "Goodbye." "Do you think you could back tomorrow morning?" "There's some place I'd like to show you." "Please." " Okay." " Okay." "She had come back into his life like a sudden flame, blazing and streaming into his heart." "Noah stayed up all night contemplating the certain agony he knew would be his, if he were to lose her twice." "Oh, I do wish I could figure out the end of this story." "The children are here." "Children?" " Not yours, his." " Oh..." "Do you mind?" "Why, I'd love to meet them." "Come over here." " Hi, Daddy." " Sweetheart, how are you?" " Hi, Daddy." " Hi, Maggie." "Hi, I'm Allie." " Hi, I'm Mary Allen." " Mary Allen." " Nice to see you." " Nice to see you." " Hi." " Hi, Maggie." "Maggie, how are you?" "Hello there, honey." "Hi, Davanee." " What a pretty name." " Thank you." " Oh..." " Oh, how cute, thank you." " And who's this?" " Edmond." "Hi, Edmond." "You know, I think I'll run on up and take my afternoon nap, all right?" " Come on, honey, let's go." " There you go." " All right." "Good." " Thank you." "I'll read some more later." "All right, thank you." "I'm so happy to meet you all." " Goodbye." " Bye, bye." " Nice to meet you." " Goodbye." "Bye." " She seems good today." " She is good." "I don't know, there's something about today." "Maybe it's a day for a miracle." "Daddy, come home." "Mama doesn't know us." "She doesn't recognize you." "She'll never understand." "We miss you." "This is crazy, you living here." "Yeah, you know we'll all help with Mom." "We can take shifts visiting." "Look, guys, that's my sweetheart in there." "I'm not leaving her." "This is my home now." "Your mother is my home." " Hello?" " Hey, there." "Hi, who is this?" "It's Lon, who were you expecting?" "Uh, nobody, l-- l just-- l'm just surprised." "How-- how did you find me?" "Well, there's only one hotel in Seabrook." "And when you didn't call, I got worried." "Where you been?" "Are you all right?" "You know, I feel like an idiot, 'cause I called your hotel about a hundred times." "I'm fine." "Anything you want to tell me?" " No." " No?" "No." "Okay." "Lon, I love you." "Call you tomorrow?" "Okay." "Noah?" "Noah!" "Hey, there." "Well, we better get going, the rain's coming in." " You like it?" " lt's spectacular." "It's like a dream." " Do you want to feed them?" " Yeah." "What are they all doing here?" "I don't know." "They're supposed to migrate to the Guatemala sound." "They won't stay here?" "No... they'll go back where they came from." "You're different." "What do you mean?" "Just the way you look." "Everything." "You look different too, but in a good way." "You know, you're kinda the same though." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "And you really did it." " What?" " Everything." "The house-- it's beautiful what you did." "Well, I promised you I would." "Great." "We got to go." "Noah!" "Why didn't you write me?" "Why?" "It wasn't over for me." "I waited for you for seven years." "And now it's too late." "I wrote you 365 letters." "I wrote you every day for a year." " You wrote me?" " Yes." "You-- lt wasn't over." "It still isn't over." "Oh..." "You got to be kidding me." "All this time, that's what I'd been missing?" "Let's do it again." "Noah." "Noah." "Wake up." " Wake up." " Um-mmm." " Um-mmm." " Mm-hmm." " Mm-hmm." " Mmm..." " Hi." " You're trying to kill me, woman." " Huh-uh." " Mm-hmm." " Mmm..." " Mmm... I need rest." "I need food so I can regain my strength." "Okay, what do you want?" "Umm... umm... some pancakes." "Okay." "And bacon." " Okay." " And some chicken." "She's the one, isn't she?" "Can I meet her?" "I'd really like to meet her." "I don't know if that's a good idea, Martha." "So this is Martha?" "Hi, I'm Allie." "I've heard a lot about you." "I've heard a lot about you, too." "You want to come in?" "Are you sure?" "Yeah, yeah, Noah's just saying how hungry he was." "And, you know, you could put on a pot of tea." "Come on in." "Come on in." "It was nice meeting you, Martha." " Nice meeting you too." " Goodbye." "Take care." "She's sensational." "She really is." "I'm really glad that I came, Noah." "I'd forgotten what it's like." "For the first time since I lost Richard, I feel like I've got something to look forward to." "Mmm..." "Lon is on his way here." "I'm afraid your father spilled the beans about Noah, and when Lon didn't hear from you again last night, he decided to come." "Well, that's great." "That's just terrific." "You, me, Noah and Lon, one big happy family." "Tell me about the letters, Mother." " ls it true?" " Yes." "You watched me cry myself to sleep for months and months and you never said anything." " How could you do that?" " l'm sorry." " You're sorry?" "You're sorry?" " Yes, I am-- l am sorry." "Because of you, my entire life is ruined!" "Okay, yes, I stole your letters." "It was wrong, but stop being dramatic and at least take some of the responsibility." "You came down here." "You knew what you were doing." "You knew this would happen." "Oh, so now I'm a tramp?" "You are unbelievable." "Unbelievable." "Go on and get some clothes on." "Let's take a drive." "Let's take a drive?" "Why would I want to go anywhere with you?" "Because I might know you a little better than you think." "And I don't want you waking up one morning thinking that if you'd known everything, you might have done something different." "What are we doing here, Mama?" "Do you see that man, there?" "Mm-hmm." "Don't look like it now, but 25 years ago-- oh my goodness, he was really something." "We were out of our minds in love, let me tell you." "Wow." "Well, naturally, your grandfather was furious, so... we decided to run away." "We didn't even make the next town before the police picked us up." "But that was then." "You know sometimes when I'm in the area, I just stop here and I watch him," "trying to picture how different my life might have been." "I want you to know that I love your father." " Mama, I'm" " No, goddamn it, this is important and you need to hear it. I do." "He is a wonderful man." "He is good to me and I don't deserve him." "I love him, Allie, I do, I love him." "I know." "Oh, God." "Oh, this is just very embarrassing." "Oh, I'm a stupid woman." "Look at me, the big old bawl-bag." "It's crazy." "I don't even know who that person is." "Oh, boy." "Okay." "Allie!" "Here." "I hope you make the right choice." "Interesting morning?" "Yeah." "Lon's here in town." "He's here?" "Yeah, we saw his car on the way, at the hotel." "Huh." "I see you got my letters." "Finally." "What are you going to do, Al?" "I don't know." "We're back to that?" "Are we back there?" "What about the past couple of days?" "They happened, you know?" "I know that they happened, and they were wonderful, but they were also very irresponsible." "I have a fiance waiting for me at a hotel, who's going to be crushed" " when he finds out." " So you make love to me and then you go back to your husband?" "Was that your plan?" "Was that a test that I didn't pass?" "!" "No, I made a promise to a man, he gave me a ring and I gave him my word." "And your word is shot to hell now," " don't you think?" " l don't-- l don't know." "I'll find out when I talk to him." "This is not about keeping your promise, and it's not about following your heart, it's about security." " What is that supposed to mean?" " Money!" " What are you ta" " He's got a lot of money." " Now I hate you, you smug bastard." " Well, I hate you." " lf you leave here, I hate you." " You wou" " Hate you if you leave here." " Have you been paying attention to anything that's happening?" "I guess not." "I think I must have misread" " all of those signals." " l guess you did." "You're bored." "You're bored and you know it." "You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something missing." "You arrogant son of a bitch!" "Would you just stay with me?" "Stay with you?" "What for?" " Look at us, we're already fighting." " Well, that's what we do." "We fight." "You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're being a pain in the ass." "Which you are 99% of the time I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings." "They have like a two second rebound rate and you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing." "So, what?" "So it's not gonna be easy." "It's gonna be really hard." "And we're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that, because I want you." "I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day." "Will you do something for me?" "Please?" "Will you just picture your life for me?" "30 years from now, 40 years from now, what's it look like?" "If it's with that guy, go!" "Go!" "I lost you once, I think I could do it again, if I thought it's what you really wanted." "But don't you take the easy way out." "What easy way?" "There is no easy way, no matter what I do, somebody gets hurt." "Would you stop thinking about what everyone wants." "Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want." "What do you want?" " What do you want?" " lt's not that simple." " What do you want?" " lt's not" "Goddamn it, what do you want?" "I have to go." "My dearest Allie, I couldn't sleep last night because I know that it's over between us." "I'm not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real." "And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I'll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent a summer beneath the trees learning from each other and growing in love." "The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds." "And that's what you've given me." "That's what I'd hoped to give to you forever." "I love you." "I'll be seeing you, Noah." "It's beautiful." "It's a beautiful story." "Yes, it is." "I don't know why, but it makes me feel sad." "I know you feel lost right now, but don't worry, nothing is ever lost, nor can be lost." "The body sluggish, aged, cold, the embers left from earlier fires." "shall duly flame again." "Did you write that?" "No, that was Walt Whitman." "I think I knew him." "I think you did." "Shall we go in?" "I'm feeling a little chilly." "Okay." "Thank you." "Well, who did all of this?" "I did, with a little help from my friends on the nursing staff." "Oh... I've never seen anything so beautiful." "Neither have I." "Shall we?" " Some grape juice?" " l'd love it." "Ah, so many pills." "How sick are you?" "The sickness has become a relative term for me." "I think of it now as more a general wearing out process." "To you." "So what happened?" "In the story, which one did she choose?" "Okay, the way I see it, I got three choices." "One, I can shoot him." "Two, I can kick the crap out of him." "Or three..." "I leave you." "Well, all that's no good." "You see, 'cause... none of those options get me you." "And in spite of everything, I love you." "I love you too." "I meant what I said when I gave you that ring." "I did too." "I did too." "It's just that when I'm-- when I'm with Noah I feel like one person and when I'm with you I feel like someone totally different." "Look, it's normal not to forget your first love." "I love you, Allie, but I want you for myself." "I don't want to have to convince my fiance that she should be with me." "You don't have to." "I already know I should be with you." "And they lived happily ever after." "Who?" "Who did?" "Oh yes, of course." "I remember now." "It was us." " lt was us. lt was us." " Oh, my darling." "Oh my sweetheart." "I love you so much." "Oh, my baby." "Noah, Noah." "I love you, Angel." " What happened to me?" " Nothing." "You just went away for a little while." " How much time do we have?" " l'm not sure." "Last time it was no more than five minutes." "Okay." "Hey, I brought along an old friend." " How are the children?" " Oh, they're fine." "Now, they were here today" "Little Noah, Davanee too." "They're getting so big." " Oh, boy." " How fast the time goes." "Mm-hmm." "It flies right on by." "Oh yes, it does." "Will you tell them I love them?" " Of course I will." " And that I'm sorry." " l'll tell them, sweetheart." "Remember that story you were reading to me?" "Why, yes." "Do you think that I could be her tonight?" "Would that be all right?" "You know what we could do?" "Maybe we could get a car and we could go for a ride." "Why could get out of here and just go someplace, you want to?" "I don't think so." "Not tonight, darling." "Come on, why not?" "Wait a minute... why did you call me darling?" "I don't know you." "What's going on here?" "Am I supposed to know you?" " Allie..." "Allie, sweetheart." " No, no, no!" "Hey, Allie, I love you, stay with me, don't leave" "No!" " Who are you?" " l'm Noah, I'm Noah and you're Allie." "What do you want?" "What are you doing here?" " Come on, baby." " Don't come near me!" " Don't you come near me!" " Allie" " Allie, l" "Help!" "Help!" " Help me!" " Calm down, Allie, calm down." "No, no, not you!" "Calm down, Allie!" "It's all right, sugar, come on." " No!" "Let me go!" " lt's all right, baby." "Just calm down!" " No!" "Leave me alone." " Calm down, Allie, it's all right." " Somebody help me!" " Now calm down." " Help!" " Doctor!" "Talk to me." " Somebody help me!" " Calm down!" " Give her two cc's." " No!" "No!" "Calm down, Allie." " Calm down, Allie, yes." " One, two..." " ...three." " Allie, it's all right. lt's all right." " Okay, okay, okay." "Okay, now take a look." "Let's take a look." "One-- oh, she's fine." " Good." "Just breathe." " She's fine." "She's fine." "Stay calm, just breathe in and out, come on." " Relax..." " You're going to be okay, Allie." " Relax." " Allie?" "You're fine, honey." "Shh..." "Morning, Mr. Calhoun." "Mr. Calhoun?" "Call Dr. Von Pettit and USC, okay?" "I've got no BP, I got no pulse." "I've got nothing." "Let them know we are in full arrest." "Call me on my cell." "Okay, will do." "We talked about this." "It's all right now." "Come on, come on, precious." "Okay, yes, come on, let's go." "It's okay, baby, come on." "You know Mr. Holmes." "Just try it." "Oh, Mr. Calhoun." "Welcome back." " How do you feel?" " Fine." "Fit as a fiddle." " Where you going?" " l was just taking a walk." "I can't sleep." "Well, you know you're not supposed to, it's against the rules." "Yeah, I know." "You weren't really going for a walk, were you?" "You were going to see Miss Allie." "I just got out of the hospital and I miss her." "Mr. Calhoun, I'm sorry, but I can't let you see her tonight." "Now you're gonna have to go back to your room." "As for me, I'm gonna go downstairs and get myself a cup of coffee." "I won't be back to check on you for a while, so don't do anything foolish." "Hi." "Noah." "Noah." "Hi, sweetheart." "I'm sorry I haven't been able to be here to read to you." "I didn't know what to do." "I was afraid you were never coming back." "I'll always come back." "What's gonna happen when I can't remember anything any more?" "What will you do?" "I'll be here." "I'll never leave you." "I need to ask you something." "What is it, sweetheart?" "Do you think that our love can create miracles?" "Yes, I do." "That's what brings you back to me each time." "Do you think our love could take us away together?" "I think our love can do anything we want it to." "I love you." "I love you, Allie." "Good night." "Good night." "I'll be seeing you." "Subs ripped and edited by Mikloprince"