Chapter 7:A Birthday
When Candy woke up, she smelled the scent of roses. The scent was so sweat that she thought she was still dreaming. She opened her eyes and looked around her: there were room full of different kinds of roses…"I must be still dreaming…"she murmured and rubbed her eyes…She opened her eyes again, but the roses were still there.
"Happy birthday, Candy!" she heard and got up and saw John and Penny standing beside her bed. John was holding a cake in his hands. Regina came to say her regards as usual.
Penny:"We baked you a cake!"
Candy was really happy, so she got up and hugged both Penny and John.
Candy:"Thank you! This is so lovely! You bought all these roses for me?"
John:"Yes. I woke up early this morning and rowed to the mainland. I had to wake the florist up…"
Candy:"How could you afford all these?"
John:"Those fishing trips I made…I got lot of fish, and sold the extra fish to save money for your roses…I even had discount, when I told the florist about you…"
Candy looked at John with her eyes shining brightly: she was happier than she had been for a long, long time, and it was all because of him…"These roses are wonderful!" she said.
John:"Your favorite flowers…Come on, ladies! Let´s eat the cake and drink coffee before it gets cold."
Candy:"You seem to like more coffee than tea."
John:"Nowadays, yes. But you should really taste the tea my brother makes! He is the master of making excellent tea!" Then he realized that Candy would never taste the tea of his brother, because she wasn´t going to stay with them for much long. He had these dreamy eyes, when he watched Candy eating…"If I only could…marry you, Candy."He thought.
Penny:"Dad! What are you dreaming about?"
John was startled:"Well…I thought that it´s time for a swim!"
Candy:"But I don´t have a swimming suit!"
Penny:"It´s ok! You can swim with your underwear! There´s nobody to see, except us!"
Candy glanced at John and blushed."Oh my …! He´ll see me in my underwear..." she thought for a while and then remembered that he had seen her naked. She blushed even more…John noticed her embarrassment and took the hint. He got up and walked to the door.
John:"I´ll just leave you two ladies to dress up." Then he shut the door behind him.
Meanwhile in Lakewood George was walking towards Albert´s study, when the door opened and madam Elroy rushed out. Her face was all red as if she had been crying. George had never seen her in that state before. The door was ajar, so George went inside. He found Albert standing behind his desk looking very upset. He was holding Anthony´s hospital files, which George had brought him earlier, in his hand.
George knocked on the door and Albert raised his eyes toward George…
Albert:"George…I want you to escort madam Elroy to the nearest police station; she has something to confess…"
George:"Yes, sir."
Albert:"Did you find the information I asked?"
George:"Yes and no…" he replied and gave him the file of John Harrison. Then he continued:"This is the only information I got about John Harrison."
Albert:"Only this? But there´s…"
George:"Exactly! No records of a man named John Harrison ever been born nor been married…There´s no record of his daughter, brother or father neither."
Albert opened the file and read:"…Until last autumn, when his name suddenly appears…"
George:"Exactly. There´s only one record of him and that´s dated in autumn 1918, when he was taken to a hospital. He had been in Europe´s continent, when he was involved in a train accident and was hurt. He didn´t get much physical injuries, but apparently he hit his head and lost his memories…"
Albert:"So he suffers from amnesia?"
George:"It seems that way…"
Albert:"No birth record, nothing…Until last year…"
George:"That´s right."
Albert:"That can only mean one thing…"
George:"He has false identity…"
Albert:"That makes our job much more difficult."
George:"Not necessarily…I happen to know a couple of guys from inside…And I think I can persuade them to look into "John Harrison`s" files."
Albert:"Please, do it."
George:"I´m on it, sir." Then he left Albert alone.
Albert:"So…you worked for MI6 during the war, gathering information about Germany and passed it on… until last autumn, when you had an accident…"
Meanwhile John had returned to the cabin, where Candy and Penny were ready. "Candy, you look beautiful" he said grabbing her into his arms. "John!" she was embarrassed and her face was completely red. She felt her heart beating fast as he carried her towards the beach. "Today you´re the princess and you don´t need to walk…" he smiled. "I´m the princess…" she thought…She felt strange being in his arms, considering that they were both half naked. Not that she hadn´t seen half naked men before, she was a nurse after all. But this time it was different...
Both Penny and Regina ran at full speed into the water and splashed it all over. Penny screamed out of joy. And why wasn´t she happy; it was a warm sunny day with only few clouds in the sky. A perfect day for playing in the water.
John put Candy down on the beach and smiled:"First one in the water can eat the rest of the cake!" then he ran toward the water."Oh no, you don´t!" she yelled and started to run after him…They played there for hours until came lunch time.
Penny:"Do we have to leave? We had such a fun!"
John:"It really is time to eat."
Penny:"All right! But only after I collect some of those round rocks!" and before John could reply, she was already under water. She quickly got up. She had lots of round rocks in her hands.
Penny:"Look! These rocks are beautiful!"
John laughed:"Why don´t we dive and collect them too!"
John didn´t get to finish his sentence, when Candy was already in the water searching for those rocks. When candy found those, she swam underwater towards John and got up quickly. He was standing right in front of her…Her heart began to beat fast again and she kissed him…The kiss full of passion, but when their lips parted and she looked into his eyes, she noticed tears in his eyes. She was surprised…
Candy:"John…What´s wrong?"
John:"Nothing…Happy birthday, Candy!"
Then they started to kiss again…Even if his touch was tender, she knew that there was something that bothered him…
That night he couldn´t sleep at all. He wasn´t awake because of the nightmares, but because of the pain he felt in his heart. The pain of separation…
When the next morning came, they went to the beach again. Penny was playing with Regina again and John was alone with Candy. He had that same miserable look on his face that Candy saw only yesterday…
John:"Candy…This is your last day on this island. Tomorrow I´ll escort you back to your hotel."
Candy:"What?! But why?!"
John:"it´s for the best." He said and started to walk towards their cabin leaving her alone on the beach with her thoughts. Candy started to weep."Why does he want to take me back? Doesn´t he love me?" she wondered…
Later in the evening John and Penny were lying on a grass. John seemed quieter than usual and they didn´t talk much, only looked at the sky and the clouds. Penny wanted to break the silence…
Penny:"Dad…What does that cloud looks like to you?"
John:" I think that cloud over there looks like a feather."
Penny:"And that over there looks like an ice-cream!"
John:"An ice-cream? Maybe you see it, because you want to."
Penny:"Then, if that´s true…why did you see a feather?"
John was sad… He was worrying about something…"I wish…I wish that we were all like birds…as free as birds, so that we could do anything we like."
Penny:"You are talking about Candy, aren´t you? Why do you send her away?"
John:"Her friends must be so worried about her. I just want her go to home, the place that she loves so much…"
Penny:"You really don´t want her to go away…"
John:"I don´t. But sometimes, my sweetheart, we have to do things we don´t like."
Penny:"Dad…Did you know her before?"
John:"Before?"
Penny:"Before this year?"
John:"No."
Penny:"Are you quite sure?"
John:"…"
Penny:"So, you´re not sure!"
John:"I knew someone very much like her, a long, long time ago…"
Penny:"Do you remember her?"
John:"No…That is weird, because it doesn´t matter how I try, I still can´t remember even her face…The only thing I can remember is, that I lost her…"
Penny:"And that lucky charm you wear around your neck is a memory of her."
John:"Yes…But I seem to have lost it. If you find it somewhere, would you…"
Penny:"Of course! If I see it, I´ll give it to you! " she stopped for a while and then continued:"I think you and Candy would make a perfect couple!"
John:"What? Now, why do you say that?"
Penny:"Well, you are obviously in love with her…"
John:"Well, she is that kind of a woman you fell in love…Wait! Who says I'm in love with her?"
Penny laughed:"I fooled you, didn´t I! Dad, it´s all over you…ever since she came here, you´ve been much happier…You smile and laugh…Even if you were trying to hide your feelings from her, you couldn´t."
John:"I try to hide my feelings, because…"
Penny:"What? What´s wrong with that you two are in love with each other? Why can´t you just show it to her?"
John:" We are from very different classes…She´s a fine lady and I…I´m nothing but a poor fisherman!"
Penny:"Why don´t you even try?"
John:"Oh, Penny! I wish it would be that simple…This world doesn´t approve marriage between a rich, noble people and poor, working class…"
Penny:"That´s so stupid! Would you marry her, if it was other way around…I mean that if you were rich and she was poor?"
John:"What a silly question! Of course I would. Now, how come I have such a mature daughter? I wouldn´t manage without you."
Penny:"I know!"
Right that instant John saw Candy walking in a distant, she looked sad…Just as he was…he gazed at her without saying anything…He was feeling blue…He wanted to go to her, but he remained still. Penny noticed Candy too."I want to help you, dad…" she thought, so …
Penny yelled:"Candy! Come here!"
Candy heard her and ran towards them. Her dress swayed nicely with the wind as she came closer. Then she stopped in front of them.
Penny:"My dad has been very happy ever since you arrived here…The way he always looks at you…He has that tender way of looking at you… Candy…There is something he wants to tell you!" she said first to Candy and then turned towards John:" There´s no way you can hide your feelings, dad! Not anymore!"
Candy:"Is it true?"
Penny:"It is! Tell her dad!"
Then Penny ran away to Regina and she shouted from the distant:"Candy! My dad loves you!"
Candy turned towards John and started to cry:"Then why are you sending me away?!"
John wanted so much to hold Candy in his arms, but he couldn´t."Candy…Please, don´t make this even more difficult…"
Candy:"Why…I need to know the truth! Why are you driving me away from you?!"
John:"You know why…I brought you here, because I thought you were going to hurt yourself. I was just keeping an eye on you, I never thought…"
Candy:"Thought of what?"
John:"I never thought I would fall in love…So, it´s best for you to leave."
Candy:"Why? Is it because of Anthony?"
John:"No, it isn´t…It´s because of us…You know we can never be together."
Candy:"Why?! Don´t you think that I have something to say about that?"
John:"It´s impossible…Our worlds are so different…" he cried:"I could never think of you as fisherman´s wife."
Candy:"Why not! Madame Elroy once called me common-low birth…a poor girl from orphanage."
John turned around and touched her face. He looked into her eyes:"Candy, don´t say that! You´re the finest lady I´ve ever known! Regardless of where you were born… Your manners…attitude towards everything and everyone…You have such a good heart…Candy…"
Candy:"I know that you think that way about me…John..." She suddenly remembered something that made her happy:"Albert once said that I could marry anyone I choose! Besides, I don´t want to live in a fancy mansion…When we get married, I could work as a nurse!"
Candy had just finished her sentence, when she stopped to think of what she had said…The words "When we get married" made her blush. She knew now that she wanted to be with him.
John came near her and put his arms around her waist. His eyes shone now brightly and his heart beat fast. He seemed very happy.
John:"Candy…Do you mean it, that…you could one day marry me?"
Candy:"Yes…"
John:"Then I would be the happiest man on Earth! I could sell the island and we could all move to America!"
Candy:"John…I love you!"
