I should have done this sooner, but I got caught up with other things. I know some of you were surprised that I could update so fast this time around. Honestly, I was very motivated by your eager support, and whenever I had some spare time, no matter how short it was, I would try to write my ideas down, even in point forms. Sometimes I just couldn’t stop writing. 🙂
Therefore, many thanks to those of you who have written to me, and as I have always said, I can’t appreciate you enough. Some of your reviews touched my heart too, and as mentioned in my previous post, it made my hard work pay off. Thank you!
Before I start, I want to share with you something that I found fascinating while I was doing research for this story.
Nowadays, men are allowed to bare their chests in public, but you know what, due to modesty, it wasn’t until 1950s that this was accepted in public, even when swimming. These are some examples that show how strict the modesty laws used to be:
- In 1919, a woman was detained for wearing a bathing suit under her street clothes.
- In the early 1900s, many American cities created laws that required all women in bathing suits to wear stockings.
- In May 1917, the “Bathing Suit Regulations” required that men’s suits should include a “skirt” worn outside the swimming trunks. Men could also wear flannel knee pants with a vest front.
For other interesting facts, please check http://facts.randomhistory.com/swimwear-facts.html.
If you want to see many photos of how men’s swimsuits “evolved” from late 18th century till now, this site (http://www.gallimauphry.com/beefcake.htm) is excellent! I have enjoyed reading the captions and descriptions.
Anyway, my point is that back then, men wouldn’t normally show their chests to others. Perhaps only family members or their spouses could see them half naked?
However, as shown in my earlier posts, “Lion’s claws” and “Love is like a seed”, Candy bandaged Albert’s chest after he got seriously injured by the ferocious lion. Later, as discussed in my other post, these two young people spent a considerable time in front of the fireplace to dry themselves off (or waiting for their clothes to dry). In other words, Candy had seen Albert’s bare chest at least twice. Now that makes me wonder, when Candy and Albert lived together, did he hide his chest from her or did he not? 😀
Enough of that, here comes my response to your reviews to Chapter 45 only as of now. (SPOILER ALERT!)
The first half of the chapter actually belonged to the previous chapter. It was part of Candy’s birthday. However, the last chapter would be way too long if I had included this confession on the hill, so I had decided to split. I actually prefer this arrangement now because my latest chapter focuses only on Candy and her prince. Also, Albert’s account of his runaway incident was based on Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS). I did put in my imagination but not much.
To me, Candy Candy is a story of how little Candy met her prince. As she grew up, she went through many ups and downs in her life but eventually returned to his arms. In a sense, it was about Albert finding his companion as well. He had never had a real friend in life, but he met her when he was at his rock bottom. Candy herself believed no one understood Albert like she did (she said so herself in the manga). Besides, as written in CCFS prologue, the day she met him was the day her life was changed. It didn’t say so explicitly, but it was the day her best friend Annie left with the Brightons. Hence, Candy hid herself up on the hill and cried her eyes out, and fate brought young Albert to her.
Now back to my chapter, I’m so happy that some of you also love the song “All of me”! To me, the lyrics of the song is very touching! About the dancing scene, Albert asked Candy to dance with him because he remembered that Candy had dreamed of dancing with her prince. 😀
About Aunt Elroy, I want to convey in my story how Candy won her heart not just because of Albert. The blond girl herself ultimately revealed her true colors through adversities, and Candy exemplified how she could bring people together. Our lives are full of surprises after all, or as someone said, “our lives are full of waves and troughs”, and that’s why Candy’s resilience truly impressed Aunt Elroy. I have slightly revised that particular paragraph to explain a bit more.
CKati: thank you my dear friend for catching up! Glad that you find this chapter romantic! I’ve not forgotten Terry, my dear. Don’t worry! 😛 I can’t wait to tell you more about him, and I hope you will like what I have in store for him, but I just wanted to focus on Candy and her prince in this chapter.
CandyFan72: thank you so much for your eagerness and compliments! As you can see, next chapter will be the wedding ceremony and reception. Hopefully you will enjoy your ‘time’ there as a guest. 😀
quevivacandy: yes my dear friend, Albert could run again, and even he himself was surprised. That was why he was so happy and had a little ‘fun’ time with Candy on the hill. Originally, he wanted to dance with Candy right away lol. Thank you so much my dear for your compliments, and I prefer the confession in the manga. He simply implied he was her prince, and he let her figure it out herself. I found that very brilliant. 😛 I also like that he said Candy was pretty even when she cried (in CCFS), so I added this part too. BTW, I don’t want the Leagans in the wedding either… LOL …. we are bad girls aren’t we? 😛 About drawings, I have many in my mind at the moment, including the dancing scene, but I don’t know if I have time to draw a complicated one. I probably will draw something simple first, but currently, writing next chapter is my priority. I myself can’t wait to describe Albert’s reaction to seeing his bride. 😀 Yes, I did get requests to write about their wedding night… lol lol…
Heidy: gracias por leer! I’m so glad to hear that you like my version of Albert’s confession on the hill, and you like the song too. Yes, next chapter is the wedding, and I have many things I want to say! Please be patient. 🙂
Reeka21: another good example of “great minds think alike”, my friend! This is so funny indeed that I’ve listened to this song many times but not until recently that it “clicked”. So I decided to use it. Thanks again for pointing out my big mistake! Can’t believe I actually misspelled that important word… silly me!
Albertcraze: thank you for reading, and I hope you like it!
Angdl: I’m pleased to know you like this chapter and thought it was romantic! Yup, their lives were connected since that first encounter on the hill, but neither of them knew until much later in their lives. 🙂
Patty Castillo: gracias por leer! Yes, the engagement ring! I want Albert to present it to Candy as her prince after dancing, and to me, it was like her prince asking her to marry him. I like that myself. Glad you like it too! Annie in CCFS was slightly jealous of Candy because it seemed to Annie that Archie was not completely over Candy yet. I think this changed when Archie proposed to Annie in CCFS. 😀 Wedding next chapter! I’m excited myself. 😛
Nilva: thank you so much! So you cried? Awww… I hope you were ok? I take that as a big compliment from you, my dear. Yes, I wanted Candy to cry tears of joy just because she was with Albert, but she didn’t know he was her prince yet. About Tom, unlike the anime, he was not mentioned in the manga at all after his adoption, and so far I haven’t talked about him in my story either. So I don’t think I’ll mention him. Yes, Dr. Martin and other guests will appear in next chapter. Thanks again for your kind words!
Guest: I’m not sure if you were the one who wrote me few reviews for the previous chapter. Thanks for reading! If you were the one who asked me about Miss Pony’s gift, then you know the answer already. Cheers!
Guest: Last chapter? Did you mean the latest chapter? Yes, it is. I haven’t yet started writing next chapter. I’ll try to start writing again as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!
MK: Hi there! Thank you so much for your encouraging words, I have written something similar about Candy’s reaction to Albert’s confession in my other short story, so this time I have tried to be different, and I’m so glad to know you like this one. 😀 Yes, the wedding day… I want to end this chapter in a way that Candy, now grown up and no longer a little girl, couldn’t wait to start her life with her prince. Thank you for your continued support!