Candy Candy Manga is written by Kyoko Mizuki, Yumiko Igarashi.

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Avatar is drawn by Elsa.

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CHAPTER 1: Jobless

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A few months after the manga ended.

Humming softly to herself, Candy diligently was cleaning the Happy Clinic. The patient line had long ended and everyone had gone home. She wiped the tables, seats, swept the floor before closing all the windows.

Just after she pulled up the curtains and readied to go home, Dr. Martin, taking off his white doctor jacket, walked in. He was toying two envelops in his hands and looked uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Candy," he said. His eyes didn't meet hers. "But I am going back to Texas. There's an influenza outbreak just broke out close to my hometown. My relatives were contracted by it and they had no doctor in their small village. They need one badly."

Candy stood there with her mouth dropped low.

Dr. Martin handed her the first envelope. "I know you're Sir William's step daughter but I think you're the best nurse. There's two months money in there. The clinic closes next week." He gave Candy the second envelope. "I prepared several letter of recommendations for you in case you need one when you look for a job."

ooOo

A few months later...

Candy was staring at the yellow notice inserted under her apartment door. She knew what that was before even reading it. Sighing she bent and picked it up.

"Final notice. Rental payment is due in two weeks. Expect legal action."

Candy folded the paper back and tossed it on her table.

Six months after Candy lost her job, she was still out of work. Everyone thought just because she's Sir William's daughter money just grew on her back. No. She had pride, especially now that Albert had a girlfriend, she wouldn't want to cause friction by asking money from him.

Candy walked into her kitchen to fix some lunch. Lunch. She shuddered. That cost money. She could move to a cheaper apartment, but without a proper job which owner would want to accept her? She looked around the apartment. It's small but everything inside was hers that she bought using her own money, the result of her hard work. Albert was saved here too when he lost his memory.

Candy left the kitchen and dropped herself on a couch. She picked up the newspaper and read the employment section. She tossed it back. She had applied to all hospital jobs listed in there.

In desperation, Candy decided to take a break and went to Pony's home. She hadn't visited them for months, hoping she could get a job for the sake of personal pride. Unfortunately, she's still jobless.

Candy picked her handbag and went to a local market to buy little gifts for the children. Candies, toys! They seemed so expensive now. She went to a nearby park and picked wild flowers. For the bigger girls, she'd make them homemade potpourri. It's cheaper that way…

oOo

Candy rode a bus to Pony's home. When she arrived at the bust stop, the connecting bus had just left. There wouldn't be any more bus for today. Lifting her backpack, she braved herself for the seven-mile walk to Pony's home.

A few hours later, she walked up the driveway to the Pony's home. One little girl was riding a tricycle in the yard. The girl made a sharp turn and lost control of her little vehicle. She fell. Her feet got tangled in the tricycle. She scrambled trying to get up, in vain. Panicked, she started to cry out loud. Candy came and lifted her up.

"It's okay... okay... Are you alright?" Candy crouched down to pat her.

The girl nodded, wiping her nose with her sleeves. She then looked up to thank her savior and cried happily. "Candy you're here." She hugged her.

"Hi Bebe. Yes, yes... I'm here here. Smart girl, you can ride a tricycle now."

Bebe beamed.

"Where is Ms. Pony and Sr. Lane?"

"In the kitchen," Bebe said.

Candy patted the girl's head and went into the kitchen.

"Candy! Good timing, we're having lunch soon," said Ms. Pony.

"Where's your driver? Invite him to lunch," said Sr. Lane.

"I'm using a bus," said Candy in a low voice. Albert gave her a car and a driver but she insisted she would use the service only if she paid for the gasoline. And she had been running out of money for that.

Ms. Lane wiped her hands in her apron and looked at her. She noticed Candy's gloomy mood. "Are you alright, Candy?"

"Yeah. It's a long trip with the bus, that's all," said Candy.

Sr. Lane held her gaze but didn't say anything.

After lunch, the children came surrounding Candy. It's the sharing gifts routine. The bigger girls really liked the potpourri she made. Candy felt ashamed she bought the cheapest possible gifts for them but grateful that they looked happy.

"Today is Tuesday. You're taking on some sort of vacation?" asked Ms. Pony after all the children left.

"Ehm..."

"Which is great," Ms. Pony added hurriedly. "Even busy nurses need a vacation. Excuse me..." She left briefly to attend a boy who's crying.

"Are you ill, love? Too much work in the hospital?" inquired Sr. Lane who noticed that Candy was not as jubilant.

Candy's heart fell even more remembering she's jobless. "No I am not busy at all."

"Did you fight with anyone? Annie is fine, isn't she? Ah Ms. Pony is here, you can tell us how things are."

"I lost my job." Candy just blurted it out. Sooner or later they would find out anyway.

The words were hanging in the air for a long moment after she finished saying it.

"Oh dear, we're so sorry," Ms. Pony said. She made Candy sat in a chair. Sr. Lane poured warm water for her.

Candy told them about Happy Clinic that's being closed and there's no job for her even after half a year of looking.

"That's odd. I thought nurses are in high demand," said Ms. Pony, thoughtfully. "I read about that in the paper every day. They say there's, how's that called... an influenza epidemic?"

"Oh Pony I am sure Candy is an excellent nurse." Sr. Lane secretly gave Ms. Pony a warning look.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sr. Lane. But perhaps-"

"Of course Candy is an excellent nurse, no doubt about it," said Ms. Pony. "That makes it even odder. That's what I'm trying to say."

"Did you go to job hunters, Candy?" suggested Sr. Lane. She paused. "Oh Pony, maybe you can contact Mary Jane again. Last time she said she was in need of nurse-"

Candy sat there in silence as her mothers discussed things. Bebe came watching Candy and quietly gave her some berries that she picked outside.

"Thanks," Candy mouthed silently.

While sitting there, Candy started to see the logic raised by Ms. Pony. The hospitals were in desperate need of staffs, how come no one hired her? And she's a good nurse too. The letter of recommendation form Dr. Martin were so glowing. Why no one wants to hire though?

-To be continued-

Will be updated irregularly.

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FYI:

Spanish Flu: 1918-1920

World war 1: 1914-1918

This is a light story otherwise about Candy and Neal.

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Thanks for reading.