It’s a beautiful story, which seems straight out of a movie. A history and geography professor made an astonishing discovery this Wednesday, January 3, on a beach in the town of Montalivet in Gironde. While he was jogging, Jean Rouchaud found a bottle in the sea washed up on the coast, with a moving mourning letter inside.
“This morning, by chance, I saw a bottle. There was something in it, with writing. I took it home and opened it,” says the teacher at France 3. In this bottle, sealed with paraffin, “there was a letter written in American English. “It’s a girl who wrote to her deceased father.”
“You are my legend”
Dated March 19, 2022, the missive was written by an American living in Provincetown, Massachusetts. “The father died in 2021, at the age of 77. The latter was apparently the boss of a towing boat. Obviously the sea was something fundamental to him, and his daughter threw two bottles into the ocean. One at the time of his death and the second, for the first anniversary of his death,” explains Jean Rouchaud.
“You are my legend. Everyone who knew you loved you, admired you, respected you for who you were. You were generous and fundamentally kind. I am beyond proud to have been your daughter. We know that time changes everything, nothing stays the same, but my love and admiration for you will always be there,” we can read in particular in the letter.
The author of the letter found thanks to Facebook
In order to identify the author of this missive, Jean Rouchaud undertakes a small investigation on social networks. “The letter was signed. Both the father and the daughter have Facebook pages. The father’s page serves as a place of contemplation,” he explains to France 3. After hesitating, he finally contacts the young woman on Facebook, who, moved, responds quickly. “She confirmed everything I had deduced about her father’s life. And she explained to me that when she was overwhelmed by grief, she wrote to him.”
Posted on the Facebook page dedicated to the town of Montalivet, this lovely story aroused the emotion of the residents. “What’s funny is that Provincetown looks a lot like Montalivet, it’s a small seaside resort with a dune shore and beaches,” notes Jean Rouchaud, “one might think it’s a mirror town! “.