Marvelous feeling of security

In Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS), Candy recalled the time when Albert had been amnesiac. She had been fired by the hospital because they had been living together. She didn’t regret that at all, and she said (from spoilers),

“Albert …
I didn’t even know his full name at that time.
Albert was just Albert. It wasn’t something I had to wonder about.
His presence gave me a marvelous feeling of security.
Now I can understand the meaning of the bond that tied us with invisible threads…”

To me, this speaks volumes of her relationship with Albert, even when she was in her 30s. In the manga, Candy often flung herself to Albert, snuggling her face into his chest. Over the years, she had found solace in his embrace, especially when she had been troubled or feeling down. Not to mention that their caring for each other was very deep. I believe their relationship, though platonic initially, had grown with time, so that explains why it hurt Candy so much when Albert was gone. It’s almost like she had lost part of herself. Their bond was so profound that their friendship had naturally evolved into romance, which isn’t all about flowers, chocolates and dining out. Real romance is a life long commitment you make to your loved one.

In Candy’s last letter to Albert in CCFS epilogue, she described the time when Albert spent a day with her in Lakewood. She wanted to revisit the forest where Anthony had had his fatal accident. The way Candy described the whole incident, in particular how Albert had consoled her, is bittersweet, beautiful and touching.

In my short story “The Diary”, I’ve written the following based on this scene:

… her face is contorting into a series of sentiments ranging from pain to sorrow. I can’t help feeling disheartened and distressed myself. Before long, she whimpers, “Because of me… because of me Anthony was…”

Tears begin streaming down her cheeks; her body shakes, and her lips quiver. I can scarcely believe she takes all the blame herself for Anthony’s death. At that moment, I’m flooded by a tidal wave of paralyzing emotion, it is not your fault, Candy. I wish I could turn back the clock to mend it all…

The fact that she must have inwardly suffered all this time blows my head and breaks my heart to million pieces, so I step forward to gingerly pull her into my arms, giving her all the strength that I have left. She buries her face in my chest without any hesitation. Then I bend my neck to make sure she hears me, “Candy, it was I who adopted you… it was also I who ordered the fox hunting.”

She freezes at the sound of my broken voice, and within seconds she unleashes a torrent of hiccupping sobs. A few bitter teardrops escape my eyes too and trickle down my cheeks. I hastily close my eyes to hold back my tears. With my left arm drawing her even closer to me, I gently rub her upper back with my right hand in an attempt to console her…

To capture the moment Albert pulled Candy into his arms when she started crying, I drew the following picture. You can find my story “The Diary” in

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8667837/1/The-Diary

Please feel free to share my post but not the image itself. Thank you very much!