The Skipper was in his hut, sprucing things up a bit. It wasn't such a hard task, now that Gilligan didn't live there anymore. He looked out the window at his best friend, whom he had always called Little Buddy, and his wife of almost one year, Mary Ann. She was hanging off of his arm and chatting, as her husband sanded down the ends of a Bamboo cradle he was making for their child.
Wow, in a few weeks, we'll have another Gilligan around here. I sure hope Mary Ann doesn't have twins. How many Gilligans can one person take? The Skipper thought to himself with a smile. He couldn't believe how much Gilligan had grown up in the last year and a half. He wasn't quite the klutz he had always been and he thought a little bit before opening his mouth. The thing that had changed the most was his attitude towards women. He had always been so shy, and he had relished his bachelorhood very much, until he started to fall for Mary Ann. They had become a couple after a Valentine's date, when Gilligan revealed to Mary Ann how much he loved her. Four months from that day, the Skipper had pronounced them husband and wife. Now they had a little one on the way.
He shifted his eyes to another couple, Ginger and the Professor. He had performed their nuptials just three months ago. She was sitting in his lap, kissing him. There was a look of sheer delight on his face, as he ran his fingers through her long red hair. The Skipper shook his head, Newlyweds, what else can you expect?
He spied the Howells, sitting in there deck chair, discussing another opera season had come and gone and they hadn't been a part of it. The Skipper thought how wonderful the Howells lives must have been before coming to the island. Except for Thurston's business transactions, they must have done all sorts of things together: operas, parties, high society social obligations. It wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but at least they had each other to share thoses things with.
The Skipper suddenly became melancholy. He wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him. Wasn't he happy for his friends? Of course he was. Was it possible that he was beginning to realize that being a bachelor wasn't all it was cracked up to be? Definitely. He began to feel like a seventh wheel. Of course, everyone there loved him, but it was different. Gilligan sure didn't have the time to shoot the breeze with him much anymore. The Professor, well, it seemed his obsessions of trying to find a way to get them off that island had been curbed somewhat as well. The Skipper and the Professor had spent many hours together, trying to work on rescue plans. The Professor was the brains, and he was the muscle that made sure the plan was carried out. Or perhaps, the Skipper was just plain jealous of all the happiness around him. Worse than that, and more likely than anything, he was just plain lonely.
Alone, he thought, I'm always going to be alone.