Roy Hinkley couldn't sleep. It had been several days since he and Mary Ann had pulled off their scheme, and they still had yet to tell the others they hadn't actually been engaged. He was reasonably sure that Mary Ann was afraid to say anything, and frankly, though he would have told no one, he was too. But that wasn't what kept him awake.
What kept him tossing and turning were the memories of the kiss he and Mary Ann had shared the night of their ruse. It was like observing an experiment where you have no idea what's going to happen next.
It brought him back to when he was only five. That had been the first time he'd ever seen a vinegar and baking soda volcano, and he was hooked on science from that point forward.
No, it wasn't like watching an experiment. He and Mary Ann were the experiment.
###
Mary Ann glanced over at her roommate, sleeping soundly and became slightly envious.
The brunette walked over to the window and, by craning her neck, could see the full moon. It would be a lovely night to take a stroll and sort out her thoughts. Maybe then she could get some could get a little shut-eye. She left the hut, closing the door quietly behind her.
The sand felt soft under her bare feet. That was something she could always depend on. Mary Ann was grateful for that because everything else had seemed a little uncertain since she and the Professor had put "Operation: Breakup" into action.
The girl had never really thought about her future much. She'd always figured on doing what every young woman in her community did. Get married to a farmer, have children, stay in the home. Even when they'd first been stranded on the island, there were probably still suitors at home, awaiting her return.
But they'd been here for three, almost four years. Nobody would wait that long, especially since Mary Ann had never been as popular among the boys as most of the other girls, like her best friend, Jewell Harley. Unfortunately, Jewell had died when the girls were in seventh grade, long before she would have made anyone a loving wife and gentle mother.
But now that most of the boys from Winfield were probably gone (including that terrible Horace, thank goodness) Mary Ann wondered what her future would hold.
###
The next morning nothing out of the ordinary happened. The Professor and Mary Ann purposely avoided each other, because until they got up the nerve to say something to the others, they were ex-fiancés. Roy threw in an occasional insult about her food for show, but it didn't go any further than that.
While they were doing the breakfast dishes Mary Ann almost told Ginger the truth, but decided against it at the last minute. She just didn't feel brave enough to do it alone. If only she could muster enough strength to just blurt it out. It would make life a whole lot easier, that was for sure.
The Professor had gone to his "lab" after breakfast but so far had accomplished absolutely nothing save breaking three test tubes. He seriously needed to get a hold of himself. Why was that kiss he and Mary Ann had shared so significant? He couldn't be falling in…love. Romantic feelings were against his principles.
It was driving him batty. It was just a kiss, no more than a two way bacterial transfer. It hadn't seemed like that at the time, but in reality it was just that. Nothing more. It had been an interesting sensation, to be the experiment instead of the experimenter, but one had to move on after a successful experiment.
No, he couldn't take the separation anymore. Rivalry, even if it was fake, was something they couldn't have in their community. Everyone might start fighting everyone and they'd only be brought together by one of two things, calamity or rescue.
They had to tell the others about their ruse. Together. If only he could find a way to get Mary Ann alone so they could discuss their plan of action. It would hardly be fitting for him to just barge into her hut. Unless everyone else was too busy to notice…
###
Why? Why did our little scheme get me thinking about my future? Mary Ann wondered. She was hanging out the wash, and found the activity quite therapeutic as well as a bit mechanical, making it a good companion for thinking. Well, obviously because they thought I was getting married to the Professor and that would have been my future. Then I realized that I didn't really have a future. But was there something else there that I missed?
###
The Professor's plan needed only to divert Ginger and the Howells because the Skipper and Gilligan had mentioned at breakfast that they'd be down at the lagoon until dinnertime. The Professor also knew that Ginger and the Howells shared a common ground: money.
So his idea was to say he'd found a diamond mine. He knew Ginger and Mrs. Howell would flock to it because of their love of the gem and Mr. Howell was always looking for a way to make an extra thousand. That would give him at least a few minutes to discuss things with Mary Ann. Then he'd reveal that he'd fibbed about the diamond mine and he and Mary Ann would disclose their ruse.
###
Of course! That's what I missed! Mary Ann thought suddenly. Having finished hanging the laundry, she had been walking back up to camp to prepare lunch. She stopped dead in her tracks. Of course! What was I thinking? I'm in love. I always had a crush on the Professor, ever since we were stranded, but it wasn't until we began working together against a common cause that I…fell in love. Her thoughts while they'd shared that kiss echoed clearly now. Someday, maybe, but not today. Well, this was that someday. She took off at a fast clip toward the scientist's hut.
###
Getting rid of Ginger and the Howells was as easy as rolling off a log. Once they were disposed of, the Professor quickly made his way towards the hut clearing. He became fascinated by a colorful tropical bird and didn't watch where he was going, so he was very surprised when he ran into somebody. I thought I diverted all of them! He thought angrily until he saw who he'd collided with.
He cried, "Mary Ann!" at the same time she said, "Professor!"
"Oh, Professor, I was thinking…"
"Tell me later. I have the Howells and Ginger tied up at a fake diamond mine so we can plan how we're going to confess our breakup scheme."
"Well, what are we going say? We were afraid that they wouldn't believe us so we put on an act?" Mary Ann asked with a trifle of impatience.
"Well, that's what happened, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess so. But they'll accuse us of lying to them and not trusting them. Especially Ginger. Oh, she'll never speak to me again!" the brunette wailed.
"Calm down. Surely they'll understand. As a backup we can always say that it was a trick to get back at them for jumping to conclusions."
Mary Ann smiled wryly. "Oh, all right. But are we going to do about that diamond mine bit?"
"I'll take care of that. After all, I'm fully responsible." He grinned.
"Should we say something at lunch or gather them now?"
"We'll explain our scheme at lunch. I'd better go and clear up the diamond mine thing now or Ginger and the Howells will start noticing something about that place." He trotted off in the direction of the "mine".
Mary Ann walked slowly to the communal table and sat down. Our scheme. It sounded beautiful to her ears.
###
Lunch started out being relatively quiet, although Ginger and the Howells were still grumbling about the "wild goose chase" they'd been led on that morning. Mary Ann and the Professor kept shooting each other looks as if to say, "You get up first and I'll follow you."
Gilligan was the first one to notice something was up. "Professor, do you have something in your eyes?"
"No Gilligan. Why?"
"You keep moving them."
"Oh…" the teacher laughed nervously. He stood up and Mary Ann followed suit.
"Uh…Mary Ann and I have something to…confess." He began awkwardly.
"You know that fight we had a few days ago? Well…it was…planned." The brunette continued, casting a sideways glance at Roy.
"You see, we weren't actually engaged, but you guys were so convinced that we were we figured you wouldn't believe us. So it was all a ruse." He finished bluntly. Both sat down abruptly.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"You could have fooled me!" the Skipper rumbled.
"I…I don't believe it! Thurston, I feel faint." Mrs. Howell exclaimed before quietly swooning in his arms.
"Really?" Gilligan asked in disbelief.
"You both deserve Oscars!" Ginger cried.
###
After lunch Mary Ann and the Professor decided to take a walk.
"Well, we did it!" the Professor said triumphantly.
"Yeah, we did." Mary Ann replied softly.
"Mary Ann, as I recall you were going to tell me something after we bumped into each other at the hut clearing. Would you mind if I said something first?"
"No, not at all."
"Last night, I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss we shared after our scheme worked. It was amazing to be part of the experiment. I've spent so many years watching experiments, but I've never taken part in one. Then this morning I dropped three test tubes. As I was picking up the shards, I kept trying to banish the thought, but I had to come to terms with the fact that… I'm in love with you. And I'm glad I did."
"Oh, Professor!"
"Your turn."
"Well, last night, I was thinking about my future. I never really pondered it the way I did last night. I mean, I always thought I'd get married and live on his farm. But after we pulled off our ruse, I really began thinking. Then, while I was hanging out the wash today, I kept asking myself why our scheme had made me start thinking. I came up with the logical answer, but I also came up with the illogical one. That was, well, that I fell in love with you. And I did."
By this time both of them had stopped dead in their tracks.
"So should we start a…courtship?" the Professor asked a little nervously.
"Secretly. Mrs. Howell would always demand that we be chaperoned."
"Right. You know, maybe them pairing us up wasn't such a bad idea. After all, if we hadn't conspired to stop our own marriage, we might have never learned we cared for each other."
Everything was quiet for a minute.
"Mary Ann, why don't we seal this with a kiss, too?"
Their lips met and the Professor could almost feel the vibrations. The vibrations of a volcano.
The two of them were truly the baking soda and the vinegar.