The most opposite in this was that each of them wrote note, in absolute confidence that she will agree. At it was neither time, nor opportunity to cancel these meetings, and they knew it.
Walk on horses couldn't be cancelled because this day has already come, and it was already late to send the answer with refusal, Archie, in turn, knew that Candy will die, but won't write to him, being afraid that the note can fall into hands of Annie and wound her, and Neil … Neil was always sure that she will be delighted with his company…
Ms. White resolutely wiped tears and got up, having lifted the uncombed bouquet. Fine! She will go and meet each of them. She will tell them everything, looking in their eyes. The girl frowned, and resolutely left the room.
It didn't pass even a hour as Candy heard beeps of the car. She already changed clothes, she put on clothes in which she often worked. It was denim overalls and a plaid shirt. The girl couldn't ride horses in a dress, but take the riding dress which will be offered, most likely, by Albert, she already for some reason hesitated.
"If we just go to ride,, what difference how I look", - Candy thought, tying tapes on tails by habitual movements.
"Hi, Candy!" Her guardian angel waved hand to her. Guardian angel. Or friend. Or … unknown man?
"Hi, Mr. Albert!" the girl tried to yell this phrase easily, as usual, and therefore smiled too broadly and unnaturally. She again felt strange constraint and concern when noticed that attentive blue eyes look at her.
"Why he looks at me so? Why?!" Ms. White was angry. "He have saw me for million times!"
The girl got into the car and waved to kids and her mothers, Ms. Pony and sister Lane.
See you later, bye! … - voices disappeared in noise of the motor, and Candy looked at face of the satellite.
"Candy, I wanted to ask you long ago, but always forgot , " William Albert smiled." Why you call me "Mister" all the time?"
" I got used so!" Ms. White smiled in reply, but for some reason it wasn't so easy for her to talk with her guardian angel, as before. As though the invisible barrier appeared between them, and she weighed each word. And earlier she spoke without thinking…
"Well, I also wanted to ask you, maybe, you will call me just… "Albert"? In my opinion, it sounds much better, doesn't it, Candy?"
Blue eyes laughed, and the request was, in general, usual, easy, but why it is so difficult to her to execute it? Why she wants that her kind friend remained "Mr. Albert" how it was earlier?
"Well, ok… Albert, " Candy again smiled, testing strange awkwardness. As though she approached more strongly with him, than she wanted at this moment, and thus it occurred against her will. But all this was as though a joke, and you shouldn't have worried about it … But flowers? But dress?
" Mr. Albert, - the girl began, but the man shook his head and reproachfully clatter his tongue, and she recovered, "Albert… Will you cancel my adoption tomorrow as we decided?"
Albert turned back and, having sighed again looked at the road:
"Candy let's talk about affairs tomorrow. Everything will be as you want."
He kept silent, without knowing what to tell. Candy became such strange, in just one evening… And he didn't know how to talk with this new Candy.
" How are Annie and Archie?" Ms. White asked just to continue conversation.
"They are good. Having rest from vanity and preparation to engagement ," William answered quickly, thinking absolutely about other. And the girl felt it too.
The rest of a way they kept silent, doing some attempts to begin talk, but it wasn't continue. Always in their life there were events which they discussed, but now they were alone, being confused by each other they. Perhaps, it was because Albert always treated Candy like to little girl? And now everything is not so… Yesterday he understood that she grew up, and that he can't be just like a shadow or an angel, but not as a man. She didn't perceive him yet differently, than the elder brother or even the elder friend, but a small step – to move away this foolish "Mister." from her address to him, and, maybe, she will see in him not only brother or friend? Oh, how he want to ask her to call him "you"…*
Blue eyes with grief looked forward, at the infinite road.
"No, it's still early … She isn't ready yet... to call me "you"."*
Young people left the car and Albert as if he just noticed clothes of his companion.
"Look, Candy, " he conspiratorially winked."I suggest you to dress the riding dress of my sister – it is red color and perfectly will approach you! What do you think?"
To tell that the answer of the girl surprised him is means nothing to tell:
"Thanks, Mis... Albert! But I like my clothes more, " Candy hitched up her nose as though challenge him.
William made one more attempt about which, in a consequence, he regretted:
"But, Candy, after all earlier you never refused to put on…
He suddenly was late to understand that she could regard this phrase as "You never refused to put on those things which I chose for you – neither Romeo's suit and Juliette's dress, nor new dresses, and it was always pleasant to you, but now …" and stopped.
"Let's go to horses, " Ms. White pretended that didn't catch.
"Yes, of course…" the young man was already not glad to the forthcoming ride. Not so he imagined it, and, reflecting the night before that he wanted to tell Candy during this ride, now he thought, whether It is necessary to tell it in general sometime. "How it everything is at the wrong time… At the wrong time I invited her…She is not in good mood" Albert was distressed, but it was impossible to do anything already. "And this refusal of an adoption and her wish to return money to me… From where she has such thoughts?"
Also there is no sense to ask her, whether she like his flowers which he was choosing this morning for a long time…
Candy ride silently too, without doing more attempts to start nothing the meaning conversation. Everything went not good, and the girl for some reason gloomy rejoiced to this. She likes her clothes, she doesn't want to put on something another! For what reason!
And she didn't plan to ride today, she has a working day tomorrow. But nobody thought about it, nobody! And her job is very important for her. And eventually, it is awkward to her to name Mr. Albert "Albert"! But now she has to do so because he asked it. Why he made it? What for?
"Candy, do you have troubles?" the young man asked silently. "You remember, I somehow told you that how it is fine when two people divide something in half…"
"It is fine when both of them want it," Candy answered, and her even felt hot from these words. Why she is rude? Is rude to one of the dearest people? How such in general could come to her mind? But … why he speaks about it "in half" so significantly? Why?
"Candy…" William only could just whisper to Candy.
Candy felt that she is crying, without understanding why, and put spurs to the horse.
"Candy, forgive! Forgive me!" it sounded after the girl, and Ms. White, sobbing, drove and drove a horse away from her satellite.
*In Russian there is a difference in addressing. English word "you" have different meanings. "Вы" - "you" for strangers, older people, respected people, colleagues. "Ты"- "you" for friends, family,lovers, children. Albert wanted Candy called him as a loved one.