Is it you, Anthony?
Candy had lost both of her beloved ones, first Anthony and then Terry. She had returned to Pony`s Home believing, that she would never fall in love again. Then one day, everything changed…
1926
Chapter 1: Is it you, Anthony?
It was late in the evening somewhere along the coast of England. Candy was sitting in a restaurant together with Annie, Archie and Patty. They were celebrating the anniversary of Annie and Archie and the birth of their child.
Annie:“I´m so happy, that we decided to come to England for our vacation.”
Candy:“When are you planning to give official parties?”
Archie:“This autumn.”
Annie:“Only six months from now…”
Candy:“You are so lucky to have each other!”
Annie:“Candy, I wanted to ask you if you would be a godparent for our baby.”
Candy:“I wasn`t thinking of anything else!”
Archie:“Let`s celebrate that! Waiter! Champagne!”
Candy:“I`m afraid I have to leave.”
Archie:“You´re still going to visit that children´s hospital tomorrow morning?”
Candy:“Yes and that´s why I need to get bed early.”
Patty:“We´ll see you tomorrow evening then?”
Candy:“Yes!” She walked to the front door and waved at her friends:“Have a wonderful evening!”
Archie:“Good night Candy!”
Patty:“Good night! Take a cap back to the hotel!”
Candy nodded and left her friends behind. When she stepped outside, she saw that the weather was fine and so she decided to walk to the hotel. It wasn´t that far away and it was a beautiful night. The sky was clear and the moon lighted nicely. She was quite pleased, because finally Annie and Archie were going to have a baby. “About time we had a baby in our family!“She always had loved weddings and now she was going to be a godparent!
She was so concentrated thinking about the baby, that she didn´t notice that two men were following her. The other man took a knife out of his pocket and held it in his hand. Then he whispered “Let´s chase her in the alley back there” to the other man. It was then, when Candy noticed them and got scared. She started to run, but she couldn´t get away. She ran faster and faster, but she couldn´t shake them off. She yelled for help, but no one came. Finally she ran into a dark alley, from where she could not escape: it was a dead end. Candy turned towards the two men and stared at them.
Candy:“What do you want? Leave me alone!” Her breathing was getting faster and faster.“I should have taken the cap” She thought to herself.
These two men were ready to attack her, when suddenly they heard a voice saying:“You heard her! Leave her alone!” It was a voice of a young man, who had heard Candy´s cry for help. The two men attacked him, but he was faster and he beat them. So the two men ran away fast. “And don´t come back!” yelled the young man. Candy was still frightened and was shivering. She couldn´t move at all.
The man turned towards her and walked closer to her to see if she was all right. “Everything is fine now, those men left and won´t be coming back” he said to her trying to calm her down. She didn´t reply. He came even closer. ” Are you all right, miss?” he asked. She started to calm down and she replied to him:“Yes, I´m fine now…” She was going to thank him, when she noticed something familiar about his voice. Was he someone she knew? Who could it be? Most of the people she knew were back home, in America.
The man came closer still. Then he stepped into a light so that his face became visible. It was the first time, Candy really saw him. He was tall, slender and he had short, blond hair. He had blue eyes, that seemed some sort of empty…He looked just like Anthony except that this man was taller and older…As if Anthony had come back to life…
Candy´s eyes became wide open and her heart almost stopped, she couldn´t breathe…
Candy:“Anthony!” she said and then fainted.
The man got a hold of her and he carried her to his small apartment nearby and put her on his bed. He covered her with a blanket and stayed next to her. He watched her sleeping. She was restless and she kept repeating a name: Anthony. Finally she opened her eyes and looked at him.
Candy: “Anthony!” She shouted and rushed into his arms kissing him. He responded to it. Both their hearts beat fast. For that passing moment she was very happy. She was in the arms of her beloved Anthony.
Candy: “Anthony!”
The man:“What?! No…” he distanced himself from her. “I´m sorry, but I don´t know, what you are talking about. My name isn´t Anthony…”
Candy:“What?! But you are! You´re my Anthony!”
The man:” No. I´m sorry, but I´m not him. You are mistaken.”
Candy:“But you have to be him!” she became desperate and started to cry. “Your voice…Your face…Everything…”
He came closer to her and took her into his arms. He held her tight. “I can swear to you, that I am not Anthony…I wish I was, so that you didn´t have to cry anymore.”
Candy:“But…Who are you then?”
The man:“My name is John, John Harrison. I´m a local fisherman.”
Candy:“A fisherman?!”
John:” Yes, that´s right. Miss…”
Candy was confused: the man looked exactly like Anthony and even his voice sounded just like Anthony´s. He had to be Anthony. But if he really was Anthony, how did he survive the accident? Candy was there, when it happened, when he died…It seemed really farfetched, that this man was Anthony, but why he was just like him? She didn´t know, what to think anymore…
“If he had somehow survived the accident… Then why didn´t he contact me? Why he was in England? And above all, how come he ended up being a fisherman?” all these questions came into her mind.
John:“You look at me as if you didn´t believe me”
Candy couldn´t say anything, so she just nodded to him. John smiled to her sympathetically and then got up. He was heading towards the door of the room they were in.
John:” It looks like we´re going to have a long night ahead of us, when I convince you that I am not Anthony. I`ll make us something to eat, you must be hungry after running from those men…”
Candy was about to get up from the bed, when he stopped her. “No, no. You just stay in bed and let me do the cooking. After all, you´re my quest here.” He said and went to the kitchen.
Meanwhile Candy looked around her. She was in a small bedroom, with no more than a bed and a small table next to bed. There were no pictures or paintings on the wall. The only pictures were at the table. She looked them closely: There was a picture of a little brown haired girl with ponytails. The same girl was in other pictures too, and in one picture there was a dog. “Who is that girl?” Candy thought.
Candy got up and went to the living room. It was as empty as his bedroom: nothing on the walls and only few furnitures. It had hardly any decorations. The room was neat, but empty somehow. This was clearly a home for people, who didn´t have much money to spend. “Why would Anthony live in a place like this? And furthermore, who was that girl in those pictures?” She wondered.
Soon John came back from the kitchen carrying a tray full with bread with butter, cheese, crackers and a teapot and two cups. “I hope you like bread and cheese, that´s all we have, I´m afraid. I made us tea or would you like some coffee?” He asked.
Candy:“Tea is fine, thank you.”
John put the tray on the table and they started to eat.
Candy:“Candy.”
John:“What?”
Candy:“My name is Candy, Candy White.”
John stared at her gently. He had never seen more beautiful woman than she was. “Candy….What a beautiful name…” he said to her. Then, he was quiet for a moment and then continued:“You´re beautiful.”
Candy smiled. She was so happy to be with Anthony again even when he didn´t remember her. She had no idea of how it was possible for Anthony to be here…Maybe she was dreaming…or could this really be true? She closed her eyes and opened them again to see if he had vanished…
Candy:“No, still here!”
John:“What? Are you all right?”
Candy laughed: “Yes! Everything is just perfect!...But tell me, who is that girl in those pictures?”
John:“The girl…is my daughter.”
Candy was surprised and didn´t know what to say.
John:“Like I said, I´m a fisherman and I live here with my father and daughter. This is our home during winters and when the summer comes, we move to our island further away from the coast. There´s much better opportunities for fishing…” He was about to tell her more about their island, when he noticed, that Candy looked upset.
Although Candy had heard every word John said, she was still wondering about the fact that he had a daughter…“He has a daughter!...Is he married?” She thought and looked at his finger, but could not see a wedding ring.“And the way he is talking about fishing…it sounds like he has done that all his life…It´s impossible…“She thought.
John:“You look upset. Are you sure you´re all right?”
Candy:“You have a daughter?!”
John got up and went to get a picture of her and then he returned to Candy. He showed her picture to Candy.
John:“Here she is at the age of three…Her name is Penny and she was born in 1912.”
Candy:“she´ll be seven?!But that´s impossible! She´s too old to be your daughter!”
John:“I know her age, I´m her father.”
Candy:“It´s just impossible! You cannot have a daughter of that old! You were with me that time!”
John:“No, Candy…I never seen you before in my life…Candy, believe me, when I tell you, that I´m not your Anthony. I have always lived here, in this town with my family. I´m a fisherman, my father is a fisherman and so was his father. We are all fisherman in our family…except for my brother. He lives in London right now.”
Now Candy was even more confused. How could it be possible, that he had a daughter of that age…and a brother? Anthony was the only child…So, this man wasn´t Anthony after all…He had to be older than Anthony. He even had a British accent…Besides: how could it even be possible for Anthony to be alive, when Candy was there when he died? “This man isn´t my Anthony after all…I could have swore that he was Anthony, but the facts speaks against it. He just looks like Anthony, that´s all.” She thought.
Tears fell down her cheeks, when she realized the truth…Anthony could never come back to her. John took her into his embrace and held her tight. “Poor Candy…this must be difficult for her” he thought.
Candy:“I´m sorry that I troubled you…I really thought you were him.”
John:“It´s all right. I´m sorry, that I upset you.”
Candy:“No, you couldn´t know…”
John:“The sun is rising…” He looked out of the window. Rays of light came through the window and started to lighten up the room.
John:“It´s for the best, if you would try to get some sleep now. There´s still few hours…Take my room and I´ll go to my father´s room. He´s away for a while.”
Candy:“Thank you! You´ve been so kind.”
John:“Don´t mention it. Call me if you need anything. In the morning I´ll cook us breakfast and then I´ll take you back to your hotel. Isn´t that, where you live?”
Candy:“Yes. I’m on vacation here with my friends. I´m from America.”
John:“That´s what I thought, from your accent... Good night, Candy.”
Candy:“Good night.”
Candy went to sleep, but she couldn´t get any sleep at all. She was still confused and didn´t know what to think. John was exactly like Anthony, but yet couldn´t be…
John couldn´t sleep either, because he thought about Candy. He had mixed feelings towards her…In his mind she was an unhappy lady with troubles in her love life. He felt sorry for her, but that wasn´t the only feeling he had for her…“That kiss felt wonderful, even when it was meant for another man” he thought, but at the same time he knew that their relationship would be impossible. First, she was in love with another man and secondly, they were from very different classes: he was a poor fisherman and she was a fine lady…
In the morning when Candy got up from her bed, John was already up and had made breakfast for them. They ate the breakfast together while talking. They had a lovely morning together, but it didn´t last for long, because Candy had to get back to her hotel. John went to escort her…then it was time to say goodbye.
Candy:“I forgot to thank you for rescuing me last night.”
John:“I´m just glad that I happened to be there.”
Candy:“So am I.”
They stared at each other for a moment. Candy saw that same sad, empty look in his eyes again and she couldn´t quite figure it out, what was it…Then he put his arms gently around her waist and they kissed goodbye. They both knew they would never see each other again, not ever.
John:“Goodbye, Candy. Take care of yourself.”
Candy:“Will I ever see you again?”
John:“No. You will leave back to America and I´ll go to my island.”
John walked away from her with tears in his eyes…Why was he crying over a woman he never met before yesterday?
Candy looked at his back while he walked away…Why did he have that empty look in his eyes? Why did she felt sad, when they parted?
