More than words (Part 1)

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29 Responses

  1. Reeka says:

    Hello there, my friend!

    About this “love and gratitude”, okay let’s forget the fact Candy used ‘ai’ here for a while, and let’s just see it plainly in english. I agree with you that we have to read the whole letter to get better understanding what this love and gratitude meant. In fact, we should read the whole epilogue and how the nuance of those letters had been changing. I don’t get why some people pointed this gratitude Candy showed was actually her gratitude to Uncle William. Isn’t it very common that we tell our partner that we’re grateful to finally find him/her? Especially for those who had experience many heartbroken and failures in relationship. I do very often feel about how grateful I am for marrying my husband, though I rarely say it to him :). Being so grateful and showing our gratitude to our partner, for me, is bigger than saying ‘ I love you”. It means you love someone consciously, and you are fully aware that whatever this person does, he/she does it with you in mind.

    About the diary, .. I always think it was one of Mizuki’s brilliant ways to picture their feelings without the word love. That being said, I think this was also a reason why Mizuki changed the scene of Prince revelation. I’ll talk more about it in my comment to Quevivacandy because she also pointed the same issue. 🙂

    Btw, beautiful and suitable song it is, Ms Puddle. Another simple song with meaningful lyric.

    • Ms Puddle says:

      Hello Reeka! Totally agree with you that we should read the entire epilogue to see how their relationship got more and more intimate over time. In this last letter from Candy, you can sense how Albert treasured her as a lady. His love for her was unconditional too because he fully accepted her past relationships with Anthony and Terry. Sigh. I’d better stop or else I’m going to repeat myself in Part 2. 😉

      Those who insist her love for him remain brotherly should really open their eyes. First, Albert and Candy weren’t related in blood at all, and the love between them was apparent and strong. It was only natural they had fallen in love with each other.

      About gratitude, I share your sentiments, my friend. What’s beautiful about their relationship is that both were grateful to each other, not one-sided. In fact, I’ll write more about that in my new fic, that is, if I have time to start writing… LOL!!

      Glad you like the song! I picked it long time ago but couldn’t share it till now. As you said, the lyrics are meaningful indeed. 🙂

      • Evelyn says:

        Hi Ms Puddle and Reeka!! I love what you said Reeka about being grateful to find your special spouse (or spouse to be in Candy’s case) after many heartbreaks which was exactly what Candy had gone through her entire life!! And Ms Puddle, how special it is that you pointed out that both Candy and Albert were grateful to one another, it wasn’t a one sided relationship. They really had everything in common with each other!!! 😀
        Sorry about my late post… Been so busy. Great post! Reading part 2 next 😉

        • Ms Puddle says:

          Hola Evelyn!! Thank you for reading despite being busy! 🙂 Yes indeed both Candy and Albert were grateful to each other, unlike Judy Abbott in Daddy-Long-Legs (only one way). Albert said himself that he couldn’t thank Candy enough, and it must have touched her deeply. Remember her brief reply to him? She asked him if he was that grateful when would he come to see her? She sounded like his girlfriend don’t you think? 😉

          • Evelyn says:

            Yes absolutely sounded like his girlfriend 🙂 giving him a slight reproach and forcing him to come see her! It takes guts to say that to someone like Albert if she didn’t already have a certain level of intimacy with him!! 😉
            Love it!!!

            • Ms Puddle says:

              Right on! The fact that she dared to write that to him shows that she was no longer his protégée or little sister! 😉

  2. Agnès says:

    Hello Ms Puddle,

    Once again a great post and a beautiful song! Thank you!
    And as Antlay said your arguments made the point! 😉 😀

  3. Quevivacandy says:

    Hello my friend!

    I read this post with a smile sticked on my face! I cannot agree with you more!

    About the letters, I also have the feeling that she wrote Anthony’s letter before Albert’s because the same facts you said only that I imagined Candy talking to Anthony in a different way… you will see… hehehe We have already agreeded that we both feel she finally felt comfortable to write to Anthony because Albert helped her on that trip to heal her guilty feeling. Seriously, Albert is an amazing man! No wonder why she loves his embrace and all the time is running looking for it.

    About the diary, yep, I’m with you. She knew the diary still affected him, she witnessed, she noticed his change so she wrote a little bit about it in her letter. I’m pretty sure she knew what was his intention, In his last letter, he told her that he will find out where her happiness lies and what a brilliant way to find it out, by returning her the diary. So then, she can freely choose, him or Terry. I’m one of the ones who think that Albert already knew her feelings for him but also think that he, just to left behind the shadows from the past, and in the order to do it, did his last move by returning the diary (I’m not quite sure if I’m explaining myself here)

    In the last post I read a comment that said, Albert left Candy alone after she returned to Pony’s Home, because he began to travel. That is not true, he kept visiting her out of the blue (she says that in their correspondence) and while he was out of the country, they kept in touch, with deep an touching letters. And as you said, when he returned,took her to Lakewood, I guess to accomplish his purpose, he was willing to let her go if she decided so. I believe despite he didn’t look at her while he was talking in the ‘solarium’ to not show up how it affects him, after that, he lived a hell not knowing what she will do because she took the diary with her and say no word. And later, just after get her letter, he finally could breath quietly again because what she said. Here there is a proof she understood his intention about returning her the diary, she not only said she hadn’t touched the diary and wanted him to have it back as he gave her again as PRESENT his badge but she also said, HERE LIES MY HAPPINESS, with him. She was answering his statement about the same topic in his previous letter to her. You really have to be blind to not get that.

    Hmmm… I’m not quiet sure if I’m already talking about part 2 so I better stop now. :p

    And, love the song!!!

    • Ms Puddle says:

      Hola QuevivaCandy dear!

      Glad you feel the same about the letters! 😉 Yes, I’m sure it will be interesting in your story! 😀

      Yeah, about Albert and Candy, you can tell they needed each other, not just one way. He gave her full respect despite being years older, and she didn’t hide how much she adored him.

      About the diary, the way she wrote it I sense that she had noticed his unease, that he wasn’t his normal self. Sigh.

      You’re absolutely right that Candy knew exactly the question on Albert’s mind. He said the diary was her treasure, using present tense. He wanted to know if it still was her treasure, that she’d like to go back if possible.

      Before his confession, she had special feelings for him for sure. Yeah, QuevivaCandy, it’s true their relationship changed the instant he asked her to return his badge. That was his love confession too. That’s why Candy wasn’t able to sleep that night. She was so excited her feelings were reciprocated. 🙂

      I totally agree with you that the return of the diary is a step to move forward, leaving the past shadows behind for good. Or, Albert would understand where Candy’s happiness was, and he wouldn’t force her to be with him. He was brave enough to face the reality even if it means to give her up.

      Of course Albert didn’t leave her behind without a trace. She knew he was a business trip, and he promised to write to her. The fact that he wrote his letter at 2am means that he had been too busy and couldn’t find time to write. But he kept his promise sacrificing his rest, and it was a touching letter too.

      I feel the same, that Albert was living through hell the days after Candy got her diary back but said nothing. Sigh… Yup, she understood his intention, and she gave him the answers he had been waiting patiently. Not only that, she gave him the reassurance where her happiness was, her prince, not the guy in the diary. 🙂

    • Reeka says:

      Dear QuevivaCandy, I have similar thought with you about the returning of Candy’s diary to Albert. I see this gesture mirroring the action of Albert presenting back his badge to Candy. And I admire Mizuki for these two genuinely brilliant scenes. I’ve thought of it as one of few reasons why Mizuki had changed the scene of Prince revelation.

      As we agree that Candy returned it as an expression that she had closed her chapter with Terry, she had moved on and had no intention to look back to whatever she was writing on that diary. The returning of this diary, I see it as Candy gave it back to Albert because he was the one who helped her overcome her broken heart and because of him, she could find another form of love, an unconditional love who expected nothing in return.

      Similar to it, I see that Albert represented his badge to Candy because she was the one who made him finally have peace with his fate as the patriarch of Ardley’s family. For whatever reason it was, I am sure Albert’s decision to resume his role as Ardley’s patriarch was because of Candy. And he knew the significant of that badge, so giving it to her was like giving her his whole life as William Albert Ardley.

      Well, I don’t know if I am explaining my thoughts well here … hahahah I’m always having problems to write down my ideas in simple words. 🙂

      Last, I too agree with you and Ms Puddle, I don’t get it when people said Albert prioritised his duty/business over Candy, and he barely had time to her. Ck! Albert was a matured man, he knew well his duty and he had decided to leave behind his vagabond lifestyle. And I always think, being a responsible patriarch was one of his ways to soften Aunt Elroy’s heart. Probably to bargain with her if she someday reproached his decision to marry Candy. 🙂 **just my imagination, of course**. However, from this letters exchange, readers should know that Albert always made time to visit Candy to Pony’s home or to write her letters. Like Ms Puddle pointed, the fact he was writing her at 2 AM in Sao Paolo speaks volume. Will my father or my brother write me a letter at wee hours just to tell me something not urgent? I am sure they won’t! LOL

      • Ms Puddle says:

        Interesting thoughts, Reeka! Without Candy’s help, Albert wouldn’t have been alive, let alone resuming his role in the family! Aunt Elroy had changed her attitude towards Candy for sure, and you might be right that Albert’s serious attitude could help soften his aunt’s heart.

        About his badge, I’m going to talk about it in Part 2 as well. You can see what I think then, though not far from what you said here, dear Reeka. 🙂 Of course, each of us has different interpretation of the return of the badge, but the return of the diary can’t be more clear — Candy had changed. Gone was her passion for Terry.

        Writing at 2am could mean a lot as you said above. At the very least it shows how much Albert missed Candy; when he finally had some free time, he picked up his pen even though it was his bedtime (to get ready for another long day, right?)… No, a brother won’t do that to his sister, and Albert had clearly said to Candy that he didn’t want people to think she was his sister. 😉

      • Quevivacandy says:

        Hello there, Dear Reeka!

        It’s so easily to get the story when you are not trying to fit someone else as anohito. You really do not have to make an effort, just follow the story. And as you said, you cannot just take a fragment of the story to say, “aha, whatshisname matches here… oh…. and over here…”, you have to read the whole story to understand everything.

        Well, I’m not quiet sure why Mizuki changed POTH revelation in CCFS but as we can see many changes in the epilogue, I guess she did it to make the story more understandable. There we can see how their relation began to change until they do not have anything else to hide but confess their feelings for each other.

        About the badge, as MsPuddle I have another interpretation or interpretations… lol… When Candy picked it up from the ground, she thought the badge was beautiful, precious and surely it might has a great value. She recognized that and we also know that we know Candy climbed day after day up to the hill just in case she could met POTH again to return him the badge,so she was willing to do it. I remember have read somewhere, that the badges from the other boys were kind of different. I guess Albert’s badge was unique and was a heirloom, the patriach’s heritage and only the patriarch himself could have. I guess back then, he was so sorry for have losen his badge but later, was shocked when he realized that Candy had it. He couldn’t back then asked her to give it back to him because no one knew who really he was and so, he wait and wait and wait. When it was about time, just to let her know who he was (POTH), he asked her to return it but he already knew how important it was for her.

        For me, the badge means him, all he is, as man and head of the family. The act of give her the badge as present, he was offering himself to her, he was like setting a new bond between them, a promise, telling her with no words the dreams/plans he wanted for them; he wanted her to be by his side, as his wife and she kind of understood that (only the heir could have that specific badge). He could sense by then her true feelings for him. That’s why when she returned to him her diary, she said, “AS YOU gave me the badge again as a present, I will return you my diary”. She was kind of saying that her past is in the past and she was accepting his proposal.

        I don’t know, I have may things on my head I’m pretty sure I cannot write them down. I’m too bad at that… lol…

        • Ms Puddle says:

          Aha, my dear friend!!! Great minds think alike indeed, and I just published Part 2. Just before publishing it though, I got your message, and I almost couldn’t believe my eyes LOL. Thank you QuevivaCandy for your great insights. 😀

        • Reeka says:

          I understand you, Dear Queviva. And I agree, both gestures represented their love declaration. Beautiful, isn’t it?

          Yes, the badge = William Albert Ardley. It’s not merely Albert the vagabond, or Uncle William, or POTH alone. It’s these 3 personalities as a whole person. This was what Albert offered Candy. That he wanted to be her best friend, her shelter, and her love. 🙂 **oh it’s so wonderful I wanna hug myself **

    • Evelyn says:

      Wow ladies! Brilliant to say that Albert already knew Candy had feelings for him but to really find out and clear shadows from the past he returned to her the dairy! She could only do two things, keep it which would be a loud and clear message to Albert that she still had feelings for Terry OR return it to the person whom she trusted blindly, the one who owned her heart now!!! This to me signifies that she was giving Albert her entire past so he could guard her heart and life from that point forward, and by confessing that her happiness was in the now, was her loud and clear way to tell him that her heart belonged to him 😀

      I never really thought how agonizing must have been for Albert to wait for Candy’s response after the return of her diary. sigh! The fact that she never opened it speaks volumes also!

      Lastly, both Albert and Candy gave back to each other something that belonged to them which had special meaning and value. When exchanging these items with one another is like placing your past, present and future in the hands of the other person and telling them that they fully trust and love each other! Yes indeed their relationship is so beautiful!!! Sigh!!!

      • Ms Puddle says:

        Yes indeed, Evelyn! No doubt Albert and Candy had strong feelings for each other by then, but Albert wanted to find out where her happiness was. He took this big step to make sure she took time to ponder on what she really wanted. It was a selfless act because I believe Albert would totally respect her choice. In other words, though he loved her, he wouldn’t force her to choose him.

        I completely agree with you, Evelyn! That they exchanged something with special meanings and values is not a trivial step. While Albert gave Candy his badge, she didn’t have to return her diary. Yet, as you put it so perfectly, Candy wanted Albert to guard her heart from that point forward. It was a commitment indeed! So beautiful, sigh… 🙂

  4. Anonymous says:

    this song fits perfectly, So describes Candy and Albert,, wipes tears..lol

  5. Antlay says:

    Ah ! j’oubliais, ceux sont de très belles paroles dans la chanson.

    “Les actes valent mieux que les mots” Napoléon Bonaparte.

  6. Antlay says:

    Bonjour Ms Puddle
    Encore une fois vos argumentations font mouche !
    Je pense que cette journée à Lakewood était très important pour Albert. Son avenir avec Candy, c’est joué ce jour là à mon avis. Je crois savoir qu’il portait une belle chemise contrairement à d’habitude, il voulait donc se montrer sous son meilleur jour, il voulait probablement être séduisant. Il semble très heureux en voiture, il chante, je trouve que c’est l’attidude d’un homme amoureux.
    Oui il savait exactement ce qu’avait écrit Candy dans le journal. Il s’était probablement rendu compte des sentiments de Candy pour lui. Alors il devait être sûr avant de s’aventurer un peu plus loin et lui déclarer son amour. En lui rendant son journal, il pensait que peut-être son bonheur se trouvait là, Terry.
    Lorsque nous sommes émus nous nous isolons parfois et nous regardons au loin vers l’horizon, cherchant des réponses. C’est l’attidude d’Albert à ce moment là, il n’ose pas regarder Candy car oui vous avez raison il ne doit pas influencer son choix, mais j’ai le sentiment qu’il est triste. Cette scène me rappelle deux scènes de l’animé dans le dernier épisode quand Albert fait référence à Alistair et à sa soeur Rosemary. Il tourne le dos à Candy et regarde par la fenêtre au loin, très ému.
    Tout se joue maintenant pour lui, comment va réagir Candy, que va t-elle décidée ?
    J’en termine ici car je sais que nous pourrons en parler dans la partie 2 😀
    Ravie de voir que les commentaires de hier ne vous ont pas affectés. 😉
    Have a great day !

    • Ms Puddle says:

      Bonjour Antlay!
      I totally agree with you that this trip to Lakewood marks the turning point of the relationship between Albert and Candy. Like you said, Albert dressed up for the date and sang during driving. He was a man in love indeed.

      Yes, he returned the diary because he wanted to find out if it was where Candy’s happiness was. He wanted to know for sure before he formally declared his love for her.

      Despite loving her unconditionally, Albert was only human. I share your sentiments too that I feel sad for Albert. He could have skipped this step but he wanted Candy to be genuinely happy even if that means he had to give her up.

      Yes, this scene is similar to that particular scene in the anime when he talked to her while facing the window.

      About the comments, as you and the others said, they won’t convince us nor alter our opinions whatsoever. The facts are loud and clear in CCFS. 😀

  7. Delia Diaz says:

    Gracias MsPuddle.
    el vídeo si que me llenó de sentimientos :'( 🙁 :'(
    y las cartas. Gracias

  1. April 30, 2015

    […] More than words (Part 1) […]

  2. May 26, 2017

    […] highlight of the trip is that he returned the diary to Candy in the very room she had discovered his true identity. Mind you, her diary is only in CCFS, which […]

  3. July 11, 2017

    […] with the Old novel. For your interest, I’ve explained why this is the case in the post More than words (Part 1). Before I go on, I’d like to share some good news with you. My dear friend Yue Chan has […]

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