"I Guess…"

(Candy Candy and all character belong to Kyoko Mizuki, images to Yumiko Igarashi and anime a Toei Animation)

Chicago, spring 1919

"I guess, I was mistaken on having them separated once again," said a man with long blond hair, and in his late twenties. Watching how the girl he treasures the most; as she breaks down into tears on the cranberry carpet of the grand library. His words were not heard by the girl and his secretary, as they watch the girl destroys the newspaper into pieces. The name of the cruelest man on the world was Albert William Andre, and he was a good man when trying to protect the ones he loves the most. He had suffered many losses during his life time: parents, sister and nephew all in the same decade. He became a parent to the girl name Candy in his early twenties, all most ten years ago. He had watched in the sidelines how this girl became a young strong woman, but for him she was still a girl. He had seen how spring had touched the girl, by falling in love with HIM, and how winter had made her heart melt into tears. But this time it was different, for he could had prevented it. "This would not had happened if I wouldn't had stopped HIM from seeing her," though the man.

HIM: Terry Grandchester, an actor and the son of a duke. Terry was one of his few friends, and at one time his best friend. Now that name presented cowardice, resentment, and anger. But Albert Andre knew this man well. He knew Terry would not walk away from a responsibility with such magnitude. Terry was after all a gentleman, always trying to rescue the beautiful girl in distress. Though Albert could not understand how a guy like Terry would give up his comfort life to perform. He knew it was not just to upset the duke, for Terry had become a successful actor in a short time. In a second he realized that the young Terry he used to know was no longer. The man walks to his daughter and pats her back to calm her down.

"Candy, you knew this day would come. I thought you were prepared for it," said the man reaching of what was left of the front page of the Entertainment section of the newspaper. In the page was picture of the young actor Terrence Grandchester and a young actress. "You knew Terry would fulfill his promise of marriage to Susana Marlowe, any day now," he engulfs the girl in a proactive embrace. As Albert, reads the caption of the name of the young woman was Karen Clay, an actress.

"I was ready to seeing him marring Susana and not Karen," said the girl between sobs. "Why did he choose her and not me, if he didn't want to marry Susana?"

Albert didn't have an answer to the question, but he knew he was involved on the decision the young man had. Couple of years ago, he made the young actor turn around to New York, and leave Chicago without seeing her. He, until today, thought the actor was truth to that decision of marriage to Susana. Moved on. Yeah, he did move on with his free will and decision to marry any one of his choosing. Why? Did Karen Clay stole his heart and heal it in the process. Whatever the reason is he could figure out that Terry was in love with her, Karen. His eyes, in the photo, shine with love.

"I think you should move on with your life, Candy. Remember you were the one who left him on New York to do whatever he wanted," said Albert, hating every word he said. The girl clams and looks at her father.

"Yes. This was my decision and I should live with the consequences," said the girl in a clam tone, "but why do I feel so hurt and I just feel like my world just crash down."

"I don't know, but you need to be strong," said the man heating himself more than ever. Could he ever forgive himself after this day? He was not sure.

New York, spring 1919

"I guess we made the gossip section," said a young woman handing the newspaper to a young man lying on the bed. He was only wearing a royal blue bed sheet, covering his lower half. She could see his muscular chest and broad shoulders. "Honey, are you still asleep?" said the woman sitting next to him and noticing his blue eyes on her. The man raises his head to capture the pink lips of the woman into a frenzy kiss. The woman only welcomes the kiss with more passion. "Terry stop…" biting lip, "or…" tongue inserted on her mouth " Nicky will walk on us, yet again," mange to said after a short break for breathing.

"Let her walk on us again," said the man moving one of his hand under the light blue silk nightgown, "I love you more than I had never loved before."

"Even more than Candy?" said the woman looking at the man's reaction.

"Yes, more than I loved her," said the man looking at his wife and understanding why she did asked. It was difficult to believe that Karen Clay still felt treated by a ghost of the past. Karen was a proud woman; he knew that and knew Candy was a weak spot on her pride. He knew that she got hold of his heart after she walked away. And that she always felt like a second choice. He also knew that he had not chosen a better life companion than her. They both share similar backgrounds and understood each other actions, in a way he had never experience before even with Candy. "Or else I would had not marry you and fight with Susana to stop her nonsense."

"If I recall I was the one who got the short end of the stick," said the woman removing her nightgown raveling her nude body to him. And the man placing her on center of the bed, "I still got that scare she gave me see," she points into a tiny scare on her cheek to this signal the man kisses the scare and moves his way down to her long neck and his hands moving upward to her breast. "You know it hurt me but I think I would do it again," said the woman as she is been loved by her husband. And him placing himself in the middle of her legs, readying himself to untied with her, in a dance of passion. She knew his word were truth. She knew that she was his home, refuge, and healing place. She knew, like her, he had battle scares on the heart. He felt, at first, sorry for him because he was an alcoholic like her parents. Then she saw, he was a beautiful individual. He was an artist that carries his emotions at skin. "Don't you ever let me go, please?" she whisper on his ear as kiss starts to kiss the man's neck.

"Never," said the man as he looks directly into the woman blue eyes, and give a kiss into her lips" I would never let go of my heart."

Chicago, spring 1919

"Albert, I saw the news on the paper in the morning," said a man entering the grand library, "I thought he was going to marry Susana Marlowe, but how is Candy doing? Is she okay?"

"Hello Archie, yeah I guess Terry marries another woman," said the man looking at his young cousin that had light red hair and short," Candy saw it and broke down. She was not ready to see such shock, but what it's done its done, and now we must move on. And help her be happy," said Albert looking sad and in pain.

"Who it's the wife?" said Archie sitting across his older cousin. "It says that she it's an actress with the same troupe as Terry. I have the impression that I had seen her face before."

"Yes, you knew her as a young child. She is the granddaughter of Doctor Leonard, the once grand-aunt's private physician. You met her on your first Christmas at Lakewood, she was a guest. And sometime after it, she went to live with her father's relatives on New York," answered Albert to Archie. "Her father was a playwright and actor, so she followed his path."

"I just don't get it," said Archie sucking more into his chair, "two children of society throwing everything away to become actors. But you look you know more. Pray to tell?"

"Well after Candy went to her room I call the reporter and asked him more about the article," said Albert looking to the window to his right. "He couldn't tell much more than what's on the article. But he did said that it seen that Terry and his wife became close after Terry returned to New York. And their relationship got more heated while in tour to the west coast. And close sources said they been together for sometime before marriage. And about Susana, he only mentioned that she doesn't live in New York anymore."

"Hey, did he mention where Terry was during that year. I mean it was almost a year he disappeared," said Archie. Albert knew where or at least on stop of that year.

"I don't know and the reported didn't say anything about," said Albert lying and condemning himself to hell after this. "At least we don't have to worry about him coming back into our lives anymore, and we could care less about his whereabouts."

"I asked about it because I thought I saw him once long ago. He was walking from the Happy Clinic, but until today I don't think he was Terry or he would just walk to Candy. And who knows what would had happened," said Archie looking at his older cousin.

"He was here" said Albert on a whisper like voice," and I sent him away."

"How could you!" Archie raises his clam voice. "This day could have been prevented, Albert, why?"

"I thought it was for the best. You should have seen him that day," yelled Albert angry." He was an alcoholic mess, and he was not the Terry I knew. This was a man broken and a ghost of his past. What should I have done?"

"I don't know," said Archie more clam. "Anyways, Annie it's coming back from New York this evening so probably she doesn't know anything about it. I can feel the wedding day very near."

"Yes, her company will do good for Candy and probably she will know more about this," said Albert, "Now we need to focus on her and try to make happy."

"Yeah you are right," said Archie but he knew Candy was not going to be the same person after this. He knew happy Candy was no longer, and a cold Candy will result after this. In his mind he could not understood why Terry had done that. If he, Terry, was free to choose his bride why didn't he came for Candy, but had to chose another. Did Terry have fallen in love with that woman? Think more about it he knew that he had fallen in love with Annie after Candy turned him down. Could Terry have done the same he did? If that was truth who was he to reproached Terry about his decision? In his slices he knew the truth responsible for the girl crying upstairs was herself, and one else.

In a room fitting for a princess a girl was sleeping away her sorrows. Her name was Candy. Her heart was just been broken yet again for the second time for the same man. The first time he left her, alone, in London. She was there when his ship to America was sailing away, and she could not reach it. The second time was he didn't chase after her after learning about Susanna Marlowe. And now, her heart was broken seeming him happy with a woman she knew: Karen Clay. Why her? Karen the most proud woman and loveless person she has ever met. What did she have that herself didn't have.

Boston, fall 1919

"Why did you choose her and not me?" yelled anger woman to a man looking at the woman, he once loved. "I could have given you a second chance."

"You left. Remember. I beg you to stay and asked you for you to marry me but you left. That was a selfish thing to do. Did you ever thought about my feelings?" said the man to the woman, "No. You didn't. You only thought about your consciences. You only thought was to being the victim of the situation. But the truth victim was me and I don't dwell on those painful days."

"I am not selfish!" yelled the woman back to the man you had started to walk away from her. "Terry, don't leave me here." The man just kept on walking. The woman started to run towards the man.

"Stop right there, you are about to marry," said the man without turning to the woman. "See you are selfish. Think about your groom and his fleeings. No Candy you have to turn the page and live. And let live. I wish you the best Mrs. Richard Lafayette."

The woman stands as she watches the man she loved walked away from her. She would like to run after him, but her heavy wedding dress prevented it. Why? Did she find him on the park, as she walked before the ceremony? Why? Did she agree to marry Albert's lawyer. So many things she could have done, but didn't. At one point in her life without Terry, she did thought about looking for him but her pride didn't let her. Tears were coming out off her eyes, and were fogging the view of the man walking away from her. In the distance the man keep going without stopping until reaching the entrance of the park. He takes a deep breath and fights the instinct to look back. Starts to walk in the sidewalk, every step he took put distance between that woman who was putting doubt on his marriage. He stops half way his third block away from the park, and breathes at easy. He retakes his walking passing thru people, and giggly girl who recognize him. He reached the elegant door of his hotel and stops.

"I guess my life is complete," said the man putting his hand on the door. "I guess now I can live without regents."

THE END?