The eternal Love Story

Erich Segal’s death came as a shocker. I read about it in the morning newspaper, a small news item put in one corner of the front page in the Entertainment supplement. I didn’t recognize him by face, and the photo attached to the article was a bit strange – a pale looking man with sunken cheeks and slightly protruding eyes. I wondered who that could be when I picked up the paper. Then, I read the name “Erich Segal” and instant recognition struck me.

I may not be a great Erich Segal fan because I haven’t read many of his works. But, I have read his most famous work, “Love Story” a number of times over and two other books, namely, “Oliver’s Story”, the sequel to “Love Story” and “Doctors”, which my sister who is studying to be a doctor gave me. Trust me, nothing ever will beat “Love Story”. Anyone who is even remotely prone to reading a ‘Romance fiction’ will swear by it.

As simple as it was, it was a truly heart-wrenching tale of happiness, togetherness and sadness. A rich boy meets a poor girl, marry against his parents’ wishes, live together on the sole foundation of love all the while struggling to make things work and in the end, the girl dies leaving the boy’s as well as the reader’s hearts filled with love and sadness. Surely, no story could have been simpler than this. Not only is the book a small readable one, it is written in the simplest manner possible. In fact, ‘SIMPLE’ is written all over it. It reaches out to its readers, even those who are not much into reading, and embraces them with feelings people only dream about but never experience – the feeling of pure romance, mush and the feeling of being in love for the sake of love.

I don’t remember how many times I have read “Love Story” but I do remember that every time I have, I have cried my heart out. I have cried my heart out for Jenny who found love against the sacrifice of a good education and career and yet couldn’t keep it long enough. I have cried my heart out for Oliver who gave up his family and its traditions for love but couldn’t make it last a lifetime. I have cried my heart out for both of them, who found love in togetherness and togetherness in sorrow. And, I have cried my heart out for myself for I wish I find a soul-mate who would love me so but I never wish the fairytale to end like this. Every time I have read “Love Story”, I have cried; and my heart has felt lighter and my belief in love stronger.

I may not be a big fan of Erich Segal, but I felt sorry for his death because for me Erich Segal was the true owner of “Love Story” as it came out of his heart and who knows may be out of his experiences as well. Now, with him gone, there may not be another eternal love story ever written. And as a small obituary, I would just dedicate one line from “Love Story” for Segal, “I don’t just love you [Oliver], I love you very much.”