As mentioned in my previous post of this topic, most men are reserved and tend to express their love without words, so women need to recognize the signs.
For example, men love helping the women they adore. They want to be the “knight in shining armor”. In other words, he wants to come to her rescue when his love needs him. If a man is constantly offering his assistance to a lady, even when she hasn’t asked for it, take that as a clear sign of where his heart is.
Near the end of the manga, when Candy realized who Albert really was, what were the moments that came to her mind? She recalled the times when she had been down, but he had always been there for her.
In addition, a man wants to help his love feel better in any way he can. In particular, he wants her to feel cherished and protected. For instance, after Candy came back from New York with a broken heart, Albert wanted to cook something for her to make her smile again. His mind was so preoccupied that he hadn’t seen a car approaching.
Likewise, he wants to be physically close to the woman he loves. To him, the fact that he gets to be close with his love is way more important than what they are doing. He may be content just to be near her.
In the manga, when Albert resumed his responsibility, he started working long hours every day, so he couldn’t afford the time to cook for Candy anymore. They resorted to takeout dinners although Candy complained it was a waste of money. Nonetheless, for many months Albert insisted living with her in that tiny apartment on the outskirts of Chicago, even had his men coming to pick him up for work (because their neighbors saw him dressed in a dark suit with some other strangers). I wonder what those men were thinking about their boss?
Another subtle way a man shows his love for a woman is by giving her his time, which is really a big deal. A very good example is that he takes the time to find her the perfect gift for her birthday.
In Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) epilogue, Candy wrote to Albert with obvious excitement that she had been very happy and thankful to see the birthday presents he had prepared for her, including handmade wooden furniture and a large refurbished bedroom.
Albert could have easily paid someone to get those done, but he had chosen to do all that himself. Come to think of it, more than once in her letters Candy expressed her concerns to Albert that he was extremely busy as a businessman. She was even worried that he would suffer from amnesia again. Albert himself also acknowledged that he had been very tied up at work so that was why he couldn’t come to visit her at Pony’s Home as per her birthday wish.
Therefore, Albert must have squeezed time in between his tight schedule to build and/or assemble wooden furniture, even decorating a large room in the mansion specifically for her, all prior to her arrival for her birthday party in Chicago. Did he sacrifice his sleep? Very likely. 🙂
In response, Candy later wrote to Albert that she might come to Chicago more often because of his presents. Was that her ‘reward’ to him? 😉
Anyway, I suppose Albert wanted to let Candy know that she was so important to him that he had set aside part of his precious spare time to make something special for her, but what touched her the most was the product of his “blood, sweat, and tears” (in Albert’s own words). He had found the horses, Caesar and Cleopatra, for her. She used to take care of these two horses, which Neil and Eliza had later sold to different owners. In the old Candy Candy novel, when living together, Candy had mentioned to Albert that she had been wondering about the fate of the horses. That explains why she was more than surprised yet delighted to know that he had bought them back for her to bring to Pony’s Home. Needless to say, Candy was fully aware that Albert had kept her words in mind. According to him, he had been looking for the horses for a long time, which indicates that he was not only an attentive listener, but also thoughtful and willing to put his time and energy in order to find her the perfect birthday gift (before she reminded him that her birthday was coming up).
Therefore, all these small gestures were not merely symbols of affection. In fact, they could be viewed as windows to his heart. How Albert acted essentially revealed some hidden clues about how deeply he cared for and desired Candy.
For your interest, you can read this article that inspired me: