My Dear Candy
by Tuba
Chapter
1
New York
“My Dear Candy,
I don’t even count anymore the number of
letters that I wrote to you during the last two years that had passed since our
separation. I don’t know how you feel but as I say it in all these letters, I
can’t help thinking about you; my life has no meaning without you my Freckles. I
don’t know if I have the right to call you like that, you surely forgot about me
as you never answer my letters. I’m afraid you don’t even read them.
I
beg you answer me this time. It’s so important for me to know your reaction
when you will learn what I have to tell you. It’s that… Susanna and I were
separated and believe me I did everything I could to make her happy and keep my
promise. However, she didn’t want to be with me anymore, she doesn’t find me as
attractive. I think it’s because I belonged to her that her love for me
decreased with time. She also confessed to me that she wanted to be with me by
vengeance; well I guess I’ll never understand her. Sometimes I get mad thinking
that we sacrificed ourselves, you and me, and our love for nothing but I am also
happy to be free at last. What’s the point of being free if you don’t want me
anymore?
My sweet, gentle and cheerful Candy, tell me, do you remember
the days we passed together? Do I have the right to call you MY Candy? What
would you do if I came to see you? I would never dare to bother you in your new
life, you know it, don’t you? Nevertheless, if you ever want to see me again,
even if it is for talking about the old times, I will wait for you at the New
York Train Station. You will find with this letter a “one way ticket” to New
York. I will be at there all day waiting for you; wearing the same outfit I wore
last time when I came to pick you up there, do you remember it?
If ever
you don’t come, I won’t bother you again. I promise…
I’m thinking about
you…
Terry”
Albert is having his breakfast when a maid brings
him the mail and puts it on the table.
“Ah, another letter from
Terry, I wonder what he wants… Won’t he ever get tired of writing to Candy?”
- Good morning Albert.
- Oh good morning Candy, did you sleep
well?
- Yes and as usual I am late for the hospital, I must hurry to
drink a coffee....
- Candy, you know you don’t have to work. You have all
the money you need. Why do you insist on working in a public hospital?
- Albert please, don’t start again. I don’t want to stay home, do
nothing. I want to be useful, and I don’t work for money, you know it.
-
Ok, then you must hurry up if you don’t want to make the chief doctor furious.
- Yes you’re right, (while she was saying that Candy gets up ready to
leave, then she sees the letters on the table) Tell me Albert, is there anything
there for me?
- Well, no… are you expecting a letter ?
- I was
hoping to receive a letter from Annie. I miss her so much…
- You know
Archie hasn’t written us either, for over a month, let the newlyweds enjoy their
honeymoon…
- You’re right…. All right, I have to go now. Oh, I’m so
late!!!
Candy leaves running; Albert hears her closing the door…
“My dear Candy” he thinks and opens Terry’s letter which also starts
with the same words “My dear Candy”.
He reads it, gets up and puts it in his safe, between all the other letters that Terry sent during
the last two years.
He then sits in front of the window looking at the
garden while thinking about all that had happened since that day that he told Candy
that he was her prince of the hill. Candy came to live with him and aunt Elroy
who was paralyzed since last year. Candy is working part time at the hospital and
spends all her spare time taking care of Aunt Elroy. She didn’t see her friends
often. They were living their own life. Annie married Archie. Patty was living with
her grandmother. Candy was still cheerful and never talked about Terry. Albert
asked himself often if she forgot about him. He remembered when the first letter
from Terry arrived. It was right after Candy had moved in to the Andley mansion.
One morning, he saw a letter for Candy coming from New York, and couldn’t decide
whether to give it to her. She was suffering too much from their separation that
he didn’t want to cause her anymore pain. He wanted to see what it was about
first, and opened it. It was just as he imagined. Terry was talking about his
life with Susanna, how much he missed Candy that he was thinking of her almost
all the time. However he wasn’t talking about leaving Susanna, so what was the
point of giving this letter to Candy? At the bottom of his heart, Albert was
hoping that Candy would remember one day of her first love for the prince of the
hill… And now there is this last letter with a one way ticket to New York, but
this time Albert won’t let his dear Candy go to New York and suffer again
because of this young actor.
- Good morning Uncle William.
It’s
Neil who drags Albert from his thoughts. He came back from the military school
for holiday. Albert gets up to hugs his nephew, who changed so much during the
last two years. He wasn’t the spoiled child who took pleasure in torturing Candy
anymore; he wasn’t how he used to be. He was now a handsome young man really
calm and thoughtful. He never mentioned his love for Candy but Albert knew very
well that he was still in love with her.
- Good morning Neil, welcome,
how are you? How was the trip?
- I’m alright thank you, the trip was
long but fine.
- You must be tired, your room is ready upstairs.
- Thank you uncle…
Neil turns back to go to his room when Albert
asks him :
- Did you go to see your parents in New York?
- Yes I
went there first, but you know them they were too busy to see me, they just said
hello…
- Yes, forget about them… tell me what you want for dinner; we
should celebrate your coming back.
- Alright, I will go to see my aunt
first, how is she? Still the same?
- Yes, it’s not getting better, the
doctors gave her a few months but Candy takes care of her so well…
- Is
she here?
- No, she’s at the hospital but will be back for dinner, I’m
sure she would be happy to see you.
Neil’s glance gets dark with the
last words of Albert, he goes up the stairs without saying anything else. Albert
looks behind him and thinks;
"Poor boy, I understand him well, being
in love with her is our destiny but she sees us as her family and
that’s what
makes us suffer more than anything in the world.”