"So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday." - NoahYep, SWOON.
But my friends and I noticed something different this time. We've always paid attention to Noah and his crazy passion for Allie, but now that we're all in our late 20's, early 30's, there was another character that doesn't get enough credit, Lon Hammond Jr.
Lon is the guy that Allie get's engaged too, and (spoiler alert) the one that ultimately get's left behind in the dust of Noah and Allie's "true love". But when we were talking about the different guys, it was unanimous, Lon was the one we would all choose, because Lon was the dependable guy.
Lon Hammond Jr, was the faithful PI that asked Allie out as she cared for him. He then followed-up on that date after he recovered and pursued her and asked her to be his wife. He was the dependable guy. He was there for her, which was shown through the fact he stopped a work meeting for her, called around for her when she ran to spy on Noah, and ultimately supported her even though she cheated on him. They didn't fight and hit each other (which FYI - is NOT healthy) and they didn't make-out in the streets, but he supported her and wanted the best for her. But she chose Noah.
There's a flaw in this kind of thinking. Ultimately it did work out well for Noah and Allie as we see them grow-old together, but in real life, that is not always the case. Hollywood and fairy tales tell us that we need those "fireworks", but the problem with fireworks is that they explode and then they're done. Other times they don't go off or even explode unexpectedly leaving people with burns or missing fingers. They are simply unreliable.
As I've grown older, I have come to appreciate the dependable. I don't need a guy to send me flowers, I need him to show-up. I don't need a man to write me poems, I need him to call me when he says he will. I need to know that he'll be around the next day, no matter what. I don't want the fireworks, I just want the fire. Fires, specifically bonfires, are more dependable. Once they are lit, you just have to maintain them. Even when it looks like the fire is dead, all you have to do is stir up the embers, add a few logs, and the fire will burn bright again.
I know the movie would not have been nearly as romantic if Allie chose the dependable guy, but in real life that is the kind of romance I pray for, the one with the dependable guy. Some may say that I would be settling, but when I find my match, I'm in it for the long run. So it may not be a movie worthy romance, but it will be a story that people will remember, for generations to come.
