Dear all,

Here is a brief account of my meeting with Keiko Nagita aka Kyoko Mizuki.

This Wednesday, March 13, it was very beautiful day in my beautiful southwestern country, and daffodils had bloomed in advance in my garden. I had to fly to Paris in the afternoon. I knew I would not meet Nagita for another two days, but I thought it might make her happy to receive a bouquet of daffodils, knowing the importance these flowers represent in her eyes since they are regularly mentioned in the novel as well as in the Epilogue. I asked my son, who was playing in the garden, to pick some of them. And without much hope that they would survive the trip, I made a little bouquet, taking care that it was well hydrated. I wrapped it in transparent paper and tied it with a knot from “my little box” (for those who understand . . . 😉 ). This bouquet did not look great. It was not bought at a florist, but it had been made with the heart, and that was the most important thing for me.

On the plane, my bouquet was hanging out of my purse under the amused eyes of the passengers and the flight crew. I watched over it regularly to make sure it did not wilt. The flowers did not seem to suffer from the trip and did not change, I was relieved. Arriving in my hotel room, I was happy to discover that it had a small balcony where I could keep my flowers for the next two days, cool and sheltered from the wind and rain.

On Friday, March 15, I received an email from Pika giving me the address of the private meeting organized by the publisher. I went to the famous Ladurée macaroons shop on the Champs-Elysées and waited in the hallway with other people of all ages. When the door opened, I saw a little frail person, and recognized her immediately! Keiko Nagita herself was 50 cm in front of me!!!! I was paralyzed by emotions. My heart was beating fast, I did not know what to say or what to do. So much emotion overwhelmed me! Then, she turned to me and smiled. I smiled back and I saw in her eyes a genuine kindness, but also a real joy to be here.

Finally, we were invited to go upstairs to one of the private rooms of the pastry shop. We were welcomed in a nice room which walls covered with windows, and the woodwork transported us immediately to the nineteenth century. A beautifully set table was waiting for us, with several trays filled with delicious macaroons in the front, and before each seat, a plate containing a lovely pastry. (I can attest, Ladurée pastries are excellent!!!) We were also each given (yes, no boys on the horizon …) a bag containing the book of Keiko Nagita, Ladurée rose marshmallows, and another macaroon-shaped bookmark. Needless to say, I could not eat or swallow anything because my throat was dry and I was so tense. I did not know anyone there, while everyone seemed to know each other. I quickly realized that my new friends were bloggers specializing in children’s and young adults’ literature. So I was the dinosaur at the meeting! ^^

Mehdi Benrabah (pictured left), the chief editorial of Pika Editions, a gentle, rugby-like person, came to us and asked if anyone wanted to go to the next room to meet the author. I got up immediately, carrying my bouquet and my book, then walked around the partition. She was waiting for me, sitting behind a table with her translator. I smiled, greeted her and handed her the bouquet. At first, she showed an expression of surprise. Then seizing the bouquet, she cried: Terry !!!! I, in turn, was suffocated by surprise, because I did not expect her to express so openly this symbol that connects these flowers to our handsome aristocrat. While she sat down and handed the bouquet to her daughter, her translator told me that she was very touched because these flowers have a very special meaning for her. On my part, I was moved and touched.

I introduced myself to her [Nagita], told her how much Candy’s story had marked my life even after all these years, how much it was an honor to meet her to share my emotions and gratitude. She listened to me, shaking her head as her translator translated my words. She seemed very touched. She took my hand and I felt my tears rising. I could not stop stammering: “I am very moved, I am very moved,” while holding back my tears. I still do not know how I did not cry. Maybe Candy was there to tell me, “Come on, do not flop, hold on!” Then, I was told that I could ask questions, so I asked her a few questions such as: Why were there blank pages in Volume 2 [of CCFS in Japanese]? Was Candy, a Western girl, actually Japanese in her personality? Did she intend to write more about the other characters, such as Terry or Albert?  (The answers will be on my site soon.) Then finally, knowing that she would never reveal Anohito’s identity, I asked her, “Is Terry happy at the end of the book?” She nodded vigorously. “Yes, he is,” her translator told me, and then she added, “They are all happy.”

It was not enough for me to join my light hearted girlfriends at the table. Nagita hugged me tightly and asked for a picture. She grabbed the bouquet [of daffodils] and we both posed as “old good friends”. I must admit that I spent the next hour on a cloud. I was so emotional that I did not have the strength then to join my friends at the ICI bookstore, where Nagita had to go next for the first book meeting and book signing event with her fans. When I learned later that she arrived there in the room with my bouquet in her hand, I was very touched because it meant that the flowers had pleased her. . .

. . . when I saw Nagita at the book fair [the next day], she recognized me and called me by name. I was surprised and touched. I had brought chocolates and we laughed a lot (it’s a private joke between her and me that made us very conspiratorial for a moment). Then her translator told me that she was still grateful to me for the bouquet, that she had it in her hotel room and that she took great care of it because, as she had already told me the day before, these flowers symbolizes many things to her. . . I am especially delighted that after three days, my flowers were still presentable and that they could stay with Nagita for a certain time.

Long live Candy Candy, and thanks again to Nagita for taking the time to meet her fans and listen to their requests. Is this not the most important?

All my thanks and gratitude to the entire Pika team, who gave me this extraordinary moment, and of which I will cherish forever in my memory. Thanks to them too for this long-awaited and wished for translation!