Those who are familiar with the story of “Candy Candy” know who Albert really was, but for the readers who read the manga for the first time, they might wonder where Albert had gone and what he had been doing after he had disappeared from Candy’s life. At least I did.
Besides, I didn’t quite understand why Albert sent Candy a parcel from Rockstown, a big hint of where he might be. It seems that he intended to lead her back to Terry, who was obviously miserable and depressed. But why didn’t Albert tell Candy directly about Terry’s situation? What was he thinking really? Did he know that Candy missed him and that she would go to find him after getting his present? Also, did he know the outcome, that she didn’t stay with Terry after all?
In one of my stories, “Afternoon Nap”, I have attempted to give answers to the questions above using my imagination. My guess was that Albert had fallen in love with Candy but because of their adoptive relationship, he had inner struggles.
Some people have argued that Albert didn’t really love Candy as a woman. He had never kissed her like Terry did nor confessed his love explicitly. However, to me, actions speak louder than words. In the manga, more than once it was apparent that his feelings for her were more than a friend or a brother. For example, he risked his life to shield her from the lion’s claws, he wanted to share her sorrows for the rest of her life (the famous sandwich scene), he searched for her frantically not knowing where she might be (she was tricked by Neil), etc.
Talking about that, when Candy was missing because she had been trapped by Neil, Albert must have been so worried about her safety that he had pushed his old car to its limit. The car later broke down and was totaled. They ended up being stranded in the middle of nowhere. In the manga, it shows that Candy was lost and very scared after she had escaped from Neil, but she was more than relieved to see Albert coming to her rescue. They had no choice but to spend the night together by the lake. Yet she trusted him enough to tilt her head against his shoulder as she relaxed into him, falling asleep before long.
I wonder if Albert slept that night at all. In Chapter 11 of my long story “Love Never Fails”, Albert gave in to his drowsiness.
As he sat staring into the darkness that was thick and almost tangible, his mind slowly became blank. Try as he might to fight the drowsiness, an enormous wave of fatigue washed over him… The rhythmic beat of Candy’s slumber lulled him to sleep, and gradually his breathing fell into step with hers. The leaves whispered in the breeze from the lake came to him like a lullaby, and his eyelids drooped and closed, fluttered and closed again. Soon, he too was asleep.
For your interest, you can find my stories in http://www.fanfiction.net/u/3260266/
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