Boy Discovers 45-Year-Old Love Letter In Bottle Addressed to His Grandfather
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stevanovicigor/iStock/Thinkstock(LAKE MURRAY, S.C.) — A boy looking for adventure while his family was fishing at Lake Murray in South Carolina made a strange discovery that sounds like it’s straight out of a movie.
Nolan Rogers, 9, stumbled upon a love letter rolled into a Dr. Pepper bottle. Turns out the note was written 45 years ago by his mom’s close friend Diane Bryant.
And this story gets even stranger: The note was actually meant for Nolan’s grandfather Mike Rogers. Bryant is actually Mike’s ex-girlfriend.
Though the note is faded and difficult to read, certain phrases like “I wish I could see you,” “I love you so much,” and Bryant’s signature can still be made out.
Nolan discovered the bottled note washed up by the lake last Saturday, thinking it was “pirate treasure,” Bryant told ABC News on Friday, adding Nolan showed it to his mom Vicki Garrick.
“Vicki texted me a picture of the note because she thought the signature was similar to mine,” Bryant said. “As soon as I saw it, I was like, oh my gosh, that’s definitely me.”
Bryant said she remembered exactly when, where and why she wrote the note.
“It was June 1970, and I was at the lake with a church group,” Bryant said, “and my then-boyfriend Mike, who’s Nolan’s granddad now, couldn’t come.
“Mike was a very bad boy, so it wasn’t surprising,” Bryant added, “and I, of course, was a very good girl–13 and heartbroken.”
Bryant said she wrote the note hoping Mike would stumble upon it when he vacationed at the lake with his family later that summer.
Mike didn’t find the note that summer, but he got a good laugh after seeing it this past week, Bryant said, adding it was fun for them to reminisce about the “good old times.”
Bryant said she’s kept the note in a sheet protector as well as the bottle, knowing it’ll be a great conversation piece at gatherings with family and friends.
“And I know you’re wondering, but the answer is no, I am not getting back together with Mike,” Bryant said while laughing. “I’m going to be happily married for 40 years soon, and Mike’s also got his own wife, family and grandchildren.”
Bryant added they don’t talk often, but she still considers Mike her “longest friend.”
“I know if I needed him, he’d be right there for me,” she said.
Vicki Garrick and Mike Rogers did not immediately respond to ABC News’ calls and voicemails requesting additional comment.
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