Don't own the musical or the movie.
My first thought, when I finally heard the full story, was, 'He couldn't have known.' But then I would have to answer that with the question, 'How could he not have known?'
She was a one in a million kind of woman. At first glance, she was beautiful, obviously. A natural beauty like her doesn't come along every day. That side of her I'm sure he saw; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the primary reason he had been attracted to her in the first place.
On the other hand, she was also brilliant, an extremely rare combination. Granted, that side of her had taken some prodding to bring out, so I could almost excuse him for not seeing that. I hadn't seen it either at first.
But there was one thing he had to have seen. It was obvious from the start. I may not have identified it clearly, but I had definitely seen it the instant she stepped on campus: her light. She glowed, through her smile and the because she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was outside. Maybe she was a little spoiled and a little naïve in the ways of the world, but she was sweet and strong and simply…beautiful. There was no way he could have missed that. And, following that logic, letting go of her was the biggest mistake since Little Big Horn. I remember thinking, when I first realized everything she had to offer, 'Man…if I could have been in his place, if I could have even a chance at what he gave up, I wouldn't let her go for anything.
And he didn't just let her go, he consciously chose to give her up.
Of course, I should be grateful. She wouldn't be Elle Forrest right now if he hadn't made that mistake.