The day her life changed (Part 5)
Remember I have mentioned that the order of the last two letters in Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) epilogue might have been swapped? As explained in The day her life changed (Part 4), Candy possibly sent a mental letter to Anthony some time before writing a very long letter to Albert. The way Candy began the mental letter gives me the impression that she could hardly contain her excitement after spending nearly the whole day with her Prince on the Hill (driving back and forth plus a few hours in Lakewood).
In the letter to Albert, Candy wrote that she had returned from working at Happy Martin Clinic and just put the kids to bed. Yet, it’s unclear how much time had elapsed in between these two letters. I suppose Albert and Candy went to Lakewood on a Sunday when both were free, and Candy wrote this long letter to Albert on a weeknight, probably several days after the day trip.
Like her letter to Anthony, Candy was in high spirits when writing to Albert. First, she sounded elated about having the privilege to address Albert as “Little Bert” (see Endearing nickname for details). If you don’t appreciate this nickname, it’s fine. 😉 You can think of another name that Candy could use with fondness, such as “cutie pie”, “sweetie”, “Bertie”, “Darling Bert” or whatever. The point is, Candy understood it was a secret between Albert and her only. I bet nobody else knew about this name (perhaps except George), and Candy was highly likely the only woman in the world who had this “right” to call Albert this way. 🙂
Then Candy’s tone turned serious in her writing. She wanted to tell Albert that after spending hours with him in Lakewood, she felt something inside her heart “was brought back to life”. (For your interest, Candy used the past tense of the verb よみがえる.) Then she mentioned his sudden visit (apparently not the first time because またまた is used) wasn’t good to her heart, but she was getting used to it. 😀
Then she started describing the long ride to Lakewood (see my earlier post Wildflowers on the way to Lakewood). No doubt both Candy and Albert were in wonderful mood. He even sang a Scottish folk song while driving. We don’t know how many verses there were in that song and how long he had been singing, but Candy wrote that he had sung to her. 🙂 Have you ever wondered about his singing skills? 😛 😉 We only know that Candy wrote うっとりしていまった, meaning she remained enchanted, fascinated, captivated, etc, for a period of time, not just a brief moment. 🙂
Does it mean Albert sang very well? 😆 Anyway, I can imagine Candy couldn’t stop showing off her sweet smile to Albert. This reminds me of the images of a man serenading to a woman underneath the moonlight or outside her balcony. If you like, you can read the funny but sweet answers on this page about why it makes you smile when your man sings to you. 🙂
To me, the highlights of this letter are the loving embrace between Candy and Albert (see A memorable embrace or A hug so tight) and the return of her diary as discussed in More than Words (Part 1) and More than Words (Part 2).
As explained in Susanna and Candy (Part 2), Terry was still with Susanna around that time, and Candy had evidently moved on in her life, as she had promised Terry (remember his last words to her as discussed in Her happiness?). Come on, the breakup had taken place about five years ago (if not longer) by then, and how could Candy possibly predict Susanna’s death some years later? 😕
Hence, the fact that Candy asked Albert to keep her diary for her was her proclamation that she had already closed the chapter with Terry.
Not only that, just as Albert had given Candy his badge, she gave him her diary. It was an exchange of personal items, meaning that they owned these items together from now on. That is, the badge and the diary belonged to them both.
As though this is not enough to show Candy’s commitment to Albert, Candy added (CCFS Vol 2, P. 321):
わたしはーーーわたしをポニーの家に捨てた両親に、とても感謝しています。
そのおかげで、アルバートさんと出会うことができたんですもの！
To translate the above, Candy said,
I… to my parents who abandoned me at Pony’s Home, I’m extremely grateful.
Thanks to them, I was able to meet Albert-san, that’s why!
Candy must be very glad to have met Albert, so much so that she was extremely grateful to the parents whom she had never met. 🙂 😀 Come to think of it, do you suppose Candy would have said this without meaning it wholeheartedly? 🙄
I believe Candy meant every single word, not flirting with Albert. Being abandoned was unfortunate no matter how one looks at it; it wasn’t something to be proud of, even though Candy was a very cheerful and optimistic person. Not to mention that saying “I’m glad to have met you” is essentially one way to express your strong affection to another. (Candy said she was happy to meet Anthony too in her mental letter to him.) If you disagree, just ask yourself how many times you have said “I’m glad to have met you” to someone in your life. 😉 You won’t say it casually just to anyone, will you? 🙂
Now, put yourself in Albert’s shoes. How would you react to Candy’s statements about her gratitude to her parents for abandoning her such that she could meet you? 🙄
I strongly believe Candy meant her first encounter with Prince on the Hill, not Albert the vagabond in Lakewood, because she explicitly mentioned Pony’s Home. If her parents had abandoned her elsewhere or chosen to raise her themselves, she wouldn’t have met Albert in his youth as a little girl. This young Albert dressed in kilt had a considerable impact on little Candy, and since then, he had come and gone in her life time and time again, supporting her in different ways.
Do you know that this picture (Candy & Prince) was one of the posters in the last volume of the Candy Candy manga? Please click here for the other images in this manga volume. 🙂
Therefore, Candy must have pondered the consequences of her words before writing that an unfortunate event in her life had turned out to be a blessing in disguise — meeting Prince on the Hill. I’m 100% sure Albert would melt upon reading these words, and Candy might actually hope that to happen too. 🙂 😉 Remember, she wrote this almost right after she announced the fate of her diary. Albert would be keeping it for her (for the rest of her life? 😛 ), which implies she had chosen not to live in the past. Hence, I have reasons to believe that Candy was letting Albert know that she belonged to her prince now. ❤❤
So why had Candy waited before writing this letter to Albert? I think she needed time to contemplate before making a big decision in life. There are more in this letter, but I’ll continue in Part 6. 🙂
Hi i wrote you a comment in another post, i must say i like the way you explain the theories about CCFS. Just like i said in the other post, i can’t imagine Candy crying for terry all her life. How could that be possible? when she has a man like Albert by her side. Of course, it may have taken a long time, but in the end she got over it. That is what lot of fans don’t understand, i just came from arguing with a terryfan and he swears that candy waited for terry all of those years. Which i find bizarre. Leaving that aside, i have to say i would love to hear Albert singing, he must have a beautiful voice, oh she is so lucky.
Thanks for your post, i really enjoyed reading it.
Oh before i forget my name is: Ivonne.
Good night.
Yes, Ivonne! Hi, I remember you. 🙂
I agree with you totally! Candy herself said she was happy in her unsent letter to Terry, and that both Susanna and Terry were wonderful. Candy had no reason to hide her true feelings in this letter, so she had clearly moved on in her life.
As you said, she had a man like Albert by her side. Why waiting for Terry who had chosen Susanna already years ago? More importantly, Albert was her Prince on the Hill, who was willing to make her happiness his priority. Sigh… ❤
About those who believe Candy had waited for many years for Terry… I can’t help saying that it was their wishful thinking. By the time Candy read Susanna’s obituary, Candy was likely a married woman already.
I believe Albert was great at singing too… Because Candy said she had been captivated. 🙂
Good night to you too, Ivonne!
An affectionate greeting Ms. Puddle
Un interesante post, concuerdo con Usted, es una carta escrita por Candy de una manera cuidadosa de tal forma que Albert captara que los sentimientos de Candy por el POTH eran de amor.
Además Candy finaliza su carta con la frase con amor y gratitud; es interesante ver el orden de los sustantivos, no es una casualidad que Mizuki los ordenara de esta forma, más bien quería enfatizar que Candy tenia sentimientos de amor por Albert y además le agradecía por estar en su vida.
Candy acepta amar al POTH con todo lo que implica y eso se resume en la forma a quién dirige su carta (observemos está dirigida tanto a William Albert Andley o Little Bert , en mi consideración personal Mizuki unifica ambas personalidades en el Príncipe de la Colina)
Hola querida Vera!
It’s true that Candy had written this letter very carefully, with so many details and descriptions, as though she wanted to capture the day trip in writing. 🙂
I’ll once again talk about the ending of this letter, signed with love and gratitude indeed. ❤❤
Good point, my friend! This letter is written to WAA or Little Bert, and in a sense, both combined into one person, Prince on the Hill. 🙂 😀
Hello again!
Indeed, it was a really strong declaration to tell she was grateful to her parents for having abandoned her. I think Albert had had to tell her something or had showed her by acts that his feelings for her were more than those of a father, a brother or a friend to push her to make such a statement! That explained why she was so elated and excited! 😀 Don’t forget they lived in the beginning of twentieth century and lovers were less demonstrative than nowadays above all in letters !
About Albert singing well, yes of course, in any case he had good music skills because he played bagpipes! He had a Scottish origin after all and in Scotland it is a tradition to sing a lot! For him I think it was a way to share good emotions or… to court Candy gently! 😉
Bonjour Candy Bert!
My sentiments exactly!! Something must have happened to give Candy some assurance of Albert’s feelings for her such that she could be so BOLD to write such a strong statement about being grateful to her parents!! 😀
Good points about Albert’s singing, my friend! He was a Scottish, and they like singing and dancing. You’re right! He played bagpipes well too (as he said in CCFS), so he must have musical skills.
Yes he sang to her (in a great mood) and he dressed up too (wearing a fine shirt). To me, they went out for a date. ❤❤
We’ve discussed these two letters many times, especially her last letter to Albert on Epilogue. The letter is my most favourite part from CCFS. I don’t care if some are quite cynical with the way Candy ended the letter with “Love and Gratitude” because the content and the nuance of the letter told us a lot. It’s still moved my heart whenever I read the part where Candy felt extremely grateful to her parents for abandoning her at Pony Home, so that she could met Albert. That’s a very strong expression. Candy practically told Albert how much POTH meant to her.
A pretty short yet very lovely post, my friend. <3
Yes indeed, dear Reeka, we’ve talked about various aspects of this lengthy letter many times. Like you, this is my number one favorite part in the entire CCFS! 😀 I keep this post short and to the point because I want to focus on Candy’s feelings of how much POTH meant to her, so much so that she felt grateful to have been abandoned!!
How could people overlook the significance of these loud and clear statements about her parents? 😉
It doesn’t matter to me how they keep saying “love and gratitude” is not a big deal but merely a common expression. They seem to have neglected the fact this was the only time Candy ended a letter this way. She had never done it with anyone else before, not even to Albert, until this particular letter.
As you said, the letter itself is filled with happiness, emotions and feelings of gratitude. It’s a love letter, from Candy to Little Bert. 🙂 😀
Hello my friend!
Well I guess this time I will be short, hehehe… It’s just I can’t agree with you more and several times, we have discussed about this, getting to the same conclusion. 😉
This specific letter show us many facts that made Candy to make a decision. As you said, he gave her back the badge, that was something meaningful, and then, having with her the diary, she pondered about what to do next and at the end, she was eager enough to let him know how she feels for having him in her life and returned to him her diary. When you return something like that, is because that chapter is closed unless you say ‘please, keep it for me for a while’ but she didn’t say that. And even more, you won’t say a guy you are EXTREMELY thankful with your parents for had abandoned you so you were able to met him, if you haven’t developed special feelings for him! Argh, I don’t know how to explain myself, yes, you can say that to someone you love as a dear brother or to a close close friend but at that point, it is crystal clear that nor Candy or Albert looked at the other as brother/sister or just a simple friend, Mizuki took care of that. There was more between them. And then, the thing about her happiness but I guess you will touch it in part 6.
And yes, she was talking about the time she had met him for the first time, on PH. I already had seen the last images of manga and them tells us how the story ends, with Candy and her POTH together. Someone can say more things happened after that in the novel, and that is true, the EPILOGE where we can see how C&A relationship goes. Honestly, it is crazy to think you will write the end of the story in the story itself. I have read novels when the story ends in a way and you say, what? but then there is the epiloge that tells you the real ending and you say, yes! hahaha, sorry, I projected myself. 😛
Now, I just have one doubt, did Albert song several songs? I thought it was only one because it is written in singular. Or it is just your interpretation because Candy was captivated for a while? just wondering. 🙂
Oh, this was supposed to be a short comment… 😀
Again, well done my friend, as always a great post!
Hola querida QuevivaCandy!
Thanks for pointing out about the Scottish folk songs. I think it’s one, but there could be few verses, or Albert could sing again and again. He was in great mood for sure. 🙂
Yes indeed Candy had to respond to Albert… The badge, the diary, and their visit around the villa and the enchanting forest.
About the diary, I agree with you that she didn’t say “for a while” at all! It shows that she was determined not to look at it again, so she entrusted it to Albert again.
You’re absolutely right, my friend, that Mizuki took care that neither Albert nor Candy saw each other as a friend anymore. Besides, to say “I’m glad to have met you” means that Candy had developed strong feelings for Albert!
To me, this was Candy’s love letter to Albert, no less. This is likely the last letter in the epilogue, chronologically. Candy’s heart belonged to POTH by then! 😀