當閱讀 David Nicholls 著作《One Day》尾段的時候，我還是忍不住掉眼淚，儘管故事免不了陳腔濫調，管他呢，我就是喜歡。1988 年 7 月 15 日，Emma Morley & Dexter Mayhew 碰上了，其實二人早已在大學知道對方的存在，就是沒有機會深入認識。
大學畢業了，他們隔天要各奔前程了，在四散前的一夜，二人擠在狹小的單人床上談天說地，成為了最好的朋友。
Emma 很早便喜歡 Dexter，欣賞他的才氣，可是 Emma 對 Dexter 的愛情只是單向的。
Dexter 喜歡 Emma，但更喜歡闖蕩，尋求刺激的人生，就像一開始，二人討論到遊歷，Emma 笑言遊歷是逃避現實 "avoiding reality more like"，Dexter 則認為是擴闊視野 "because travel broadens the mind."可能是因為不同的看法，拉遠了他們的距離，但又拉近了他們的心靈。
二人維持着聯繫，Emma 寫信給 Dexter，總是張滿滿的白紙填滿二千多的字，載滿了她的情感。
Dexter 最多給她寄明信片，簡單寫着：
Amsterdam is MAD.
Barcelona INSANE.
Dublin ROCKS.
Emma 踏實過日子，她可以在一間麥西哥餐廳當無名侍應多年，以為這便是她的命運。Dexter 會支持着她，給她力量，"if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of Confidence. Either that or a scented candle."
這麼多年來，二人維持着朋友關係。Em 仍然心繫一人，以為這段感情可以得以昇華，但他身邊的女伴永遠不會是她。
Dex 只在最倒霉、最不堪的日子，才會想起這位伊人。
一天，Emma 決定要改變自己的生活了，她跟 Dexter 說，“I'm not the consolation prize, Dex. I'm not something you resort to. I happen to think I'm worth more than that.”
這份愛埋藏在心底裡多年，終於有一天，愛情開花結果。
Emma 坦然跟 Dexter 說，很久以前已愛慕着他，為他寫情詩。
When we first met, at University, before we became, you know, pals, well, I had a bit of a crush on you. Not a bit of a crush, a massive crush actually. For ages. Wrote dopey poems and everything.
Poems? Really?
I‘m not proud of myself.兜兜轉轉，尋尋覓覓，Dexter 終發現，原來認識已久的伊人，才令他生活快樂。
合上眼睛前的一刻，她看到九歲時拍的一張照片，她又想到為她擔心的 Dexter。
The first is a photograph of herself at nine years old in a red swimsuit on a beach, she can‘t remember where, Filey or Scarborough perhaps. She is with her mother and father who are swinging her towards the camera, their sunburnt faces buckled with laughter. Then she thinks of Dexter, sheltering from the rain on the steps of the new house, looking at his watch, impatient; he‘ll wonder where I am, she thinks. He‘ll worry.Then Emma Mayhew dies, and everything that she thought or felt vanishes and is gone forever.
Dexter 決定了努力過日子，就像是 Emma 從沒有離開 "live your life as if Emma were still here"。他記起了她曾說過的。
故事又帶我們回到了 1988 年那一天：
She began walking again, south towards The Mound. 'Live each day as if it‘s your last‘, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn‘t practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at . . . something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.
That was her general theory, even if she hadn‘t made a very good start of it. With little more than a shrug she had said goodbye to someone she really liked, the first boy she had ever really cared for, and now she would have to accept the fact that she would probably never see him again. She had no phone number, no address, and even if she did, what was the point? He hadn‘t asked for her number either, and she was too proud to be just another moony girl leaving unwanted messages. Have a nice life had been her last line. Was that really the best she could come up with?不會忘記 Emma Morley 的一句話：
Emma Morley: Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today. I'll always remember it.
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