Disclaimer: Gilligan, the Skipper, (Jonas Grumby) too, the Millionaire (Thurston Howell the Third) and his Wife, (Lovey Howell) the Movie Star (Ginger Grant), the Professor (Roy Hinkley) and Mary Ann (Summers) are the brainchildren of Sherwood Schwartz. Alas, I own them not, nor do I make any profit from this piece of fan-fiction.
My thanks to Leese and Kathy, for cheerleading and some good ideas, to Andy on the IMDB Gilligan board, who helped me figure out what Roy Hinkley's two missing degrees were that were counted (he had six) but never named in the series (only four were), to others on IMDB who offered other ideas, to callensensei, a new GI writer, who has convinced me that really great GI fan-fic is not a lost art (the board has been really quiet lately) and to all the fans that have kept this show alive since it's debut, September 26, 1964. (I think I have mentioned everyone!)
As for my inspiration for this story, (P/MA, by the way, and fluffy!) you've no doubt been e-mailed some version of the Q & A in this tale at some point. A friend of mine on the Perry Mason board (Pen Name, Gratefullydead) received one, and it inspired a cute FF story. Then another friend of mine, (Pen Name, Melchy) read the PM story and wrote two FF stories also, for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and The Bionic Woman and they are great, too. All totally different, but with a common theme. I urge you to look them up as well.
For this story, assume that the reunion movies never happened. My castaways may still get rescued some day, but their lives will be very different! Reviews are appreciated, but please go gently with my first attempt at a GI fan-fic!
Thank you for reading!
How Well Do You Really Know Me?
April 5, 1968
Professor Roy Hinkley glanced up at the clear, blue, almost cloudless, tropical sky. The night before, he and his fellow castaways had suffered through the worst storm to hit their small island in easily a year, but it was gone now, replaced by a perfect, sun-washed morning. All that remained was the debris along the shoreline. It was a perfect day for beach-combing; one never knew what one might find that was interesting, useful, or edible. This morning, turtle eggs had been in abundance, and his hand-woven basket was over half-full. In addition, he had found several perfect seashells that he knew would be a great addition to the collection Mary Ann had started, shortly after their shipwreck.
The Skipper, Jonas Grumby, and his first mate, Gilligan, were gathering driftwood farther up the shore in the opposite direction of where he and Mary Ann were exploring, and Ginger Grant was busy laying out a cold breakfast of pineapples, bananas, grapefruit, and dates that would be ready when the beachcombers returned. The Howells, as usual, were still in their hut, asleep.
"These eggs will make a fine omelet," he smiled, "As long as Mary Ann is doing the cooking!" Ginger had improved in her culinary skills a good deal in the three-and-a-half years they had been stranded on their little island, but she still had a long way to go to come close to Mary Ann Summers' talents, if ever. He quickened his steps. "I can't wait to show these shells to her," he said to himself. "I hope she likes them!"
Approaching the lagoon, he glanced first at the shoreline, and then across the water. It was at that moment he eyed the young woman that had been occupying his thoughts, not on shore, as he had expected, but in the water, still dressed in her shorts and midriff top, swimming toward some large object, floating about twenty yards out.
"Mary Ann!" he shouted, putting down his basket, and cupping his hands to his mouth; making a 'megaphone' so his voice could be heard across the water. "What are you doing? I thought we were all going to go swimming tomorrow!"
"Help me!" she yelled back. "There's something here! A box, or crate or something! I saw it from shore! The waves last night washed it into the lagoon! Help me land it, before it drifts out to sea again!"
"You're going to hurt yourself!" Roy protested. "Don't worry about it! Nothing is worth that!"
"But, I have it!" she answered back as she reached the crate, "Get a vine, or rope, or get out here, and help me! We can't lose this!"
"But…" Roy started, then stopped, and with a sigh, kicked off his well-worn canvas tennis shoes, and dove into the water. A few minutes later, he had reached her, and together, the Professor pulling and Mary Ann pushing, they managed to land the large wooden box. Roy shook his head. "I can't believe you did that, Mary Ann!"
"Did what?" she looked bewildered.
"Go in after this thing… by yourself."
"Couldn't let it get away," Mary Ann winked as she shook out her hair, trying to remove some of the water from it.
"You were alone, and you could have gotten a stomach cramp, or something," the scientist protested. "As you did that time the Skipper had to rescue you—"
"—and Gilligan," Mary Ann smiled. "But, Professor, I'm a better swimmer now, and really, we couldn't let this go. I can't wait to see what's in it!"
"You'll have to wait a little," Roy Hinkley smiled at her eagerness. "Everyone should be back at camp, it's almost breakfast, and—"
"I'm not that hungry," the brunette shrugged. "Can't we just bring it back now? With us? Together? The sun is drying our clothes already, and all we'd need are some rollers. You know — like when the Skipper and Gilligan found that pirate chest. The one with the cannon balls in it?" She paused. "Come to think of it, you don't. You were exploring caves on the other side of the island, and didn't make it back until the morning after, and speaking of which — if you can explore alone, I can swim out to get one silly crate."
The Professor smiled and shook his head at the woman's excellent logic. "I see your point. You promise not to do that again and…" He swallowed carefully. "Your other comment makes a great deal of sense. Maybe you would like to go exploring with me sometime? It would be nice to have the company."
"I would," she answered, flushing slightly.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, and then the Professor turned businesslike again. "Well, then, all right. You are starting to look chilled, and I know I am. I suggest then, we find a small tree and make the rollers? It's good thing I brought a mini-saw with me."
"Right," the young woman nodded. "I'll get our baskets, too." As she bent to the ground for them, she let out a small cry, and held up one of the shells her companion had found. "For me?"
"Well, there it was," he grinned back at her, and you collect them, so logically, you should have it."
"Logically," she frowned slightly. "Yes."
"We better get moving," he repeated, and headed toward a small group of trees, Mary Ann following him.
XXX
Working together, it didn't take the two long to get the large box back to where the rest of the castaways were just starting to eat breakfast.
"We were just wondering what happened to you," the Skipper began, and then noticed their still-wet clothing. "Hey! What DID happen to you?"
"Couldn't wait to go swimming?" Ginger gave the brunette a look.
"Did you fall in the water?" Glligan asked, looking first at the Professor, and then at Mary Ann. "I thought I was the only one who did that."
"Did we miss a spring shower? Thurston Howell asked, vaguely, still munching on a banana. "I never heard of it raining only at the beach."
"None of the above," the two answered, almost simultaneously.
"Mary Ann found a crate floating in the lagoon," the Professor was finally able to say. "She dove into the water to get it, and naturally I helped her. We managed to get it landed, and left it over there." He pointed to a small cleared area, about ten yards from where the group was seated.
"Great! Let's go see," Gilligan half-shouted, rising from his bench at the table.
"No, little buddy," the Skipper laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We should finish breakfast first."
"Not before Mary Ann gets some dry clothes on," Roy Hinkley cut in. "I… we don't want her to get sick!"
"I could say the same," Mary Ann smiled, and lowered her eyelids slightly.
The two left for their respective huts at that point, and the talk around the breakfast table continued, everyone getting more and more excited.
"Gee, I hope it isn't radioactive seeds, or more of that plastic explosive stuff," Gilligan sighed, as he bit into a breadfruit muffin, liberally covered with guava jelly.
"I think we're safe on THAT." Ginger answered. "I guess there's no use hoping Rock Hudson or Cary Grant is inside?" she added, jokingly.
"I'd just be happy if it isn't coconuts, like last time," the Skipper growled, "Not that it wasn't nice not to have to gather them, for once, but, well, I think a box full of frozen steaks would be really good!"
"Or French-fries, or ice-cream, or a motorcycle," Gilligan added, excited, "Or a color TV!"
"No use for a TV," Ginger put in. "There's nowhere to plug it in! And we have no place cold enough to keep that much beef from spoiling either, for that matter, and that box isn't big enough for a motorcycle, Gilligan!"
"A million dollars is always good," Thurston Howell put in his 'two dollars' worth. "Or diamonds and gold!"
"Negotiable stocks and bonds, or fur coats," Lovey Howell added.
"But you have enough of those things, and a transmitter would be more to the point!" The Skipper spoke again. "Or, perhaps a great, big blow-up raft? Anything that could finally get us rescued!"
"But one that won't sink," Ginger added, wincing slightly as she remembered how the group's lust for gold had sunk the last raft they had found.
"Gold, what?" Professor Hinkley asked, returning to the table, having now changed into dry clothing.
"We were just talking about what could be inside that box," Mrs. Howell answered. "It was awfully clever of you to find it."
"Mary Ann was the one with the sharp eyes," the teacher insisted, as the young woman also returned to the table. Getting up, he held her chair out for her.
"Thank you," she murmured, sitting down. "But really, getting it was a joint effort."
XXX
Breakfast was finished in record time, and a half-hour later, the castaways were in the clearing; prying out the nails holding on the lid of the crate.
"That's it!" the Skipper shouted, as the last nail was removed, and saved for further use, "We're there!" He reached to open the lid.
"Wait," Mr. Howell stopped him. "I think the Professor, or Mary Ann should do the honors."
"I agree," Mrs. Howell nodded. It's just too bad we don't have a bottle of champagne, domestic, of course, to break over the crate before we open it!"
"It would be a waste of the bubbly," her husband shook his head. "Professor, Mary Ann – open it!"
"Before I die of curiosity!" Ginger added.
Glancing at each other, the two stepped forward, and with one movement, the lid was removed. At the very top, sitting on straw that covered the box's contents, was an envelope with a Hawaii address, and inside, a smaller envelope, addressed simply:
'To Amanda and Peter.'
"I suppose we should open that," Mary Ann said quietly.
"Indeed," The Professor nodded. "We may have ended up with this box, but the contents really were intended for someone else. The least we can do is save this, just in case the day comes that we can thank the sender, or the send-ee." Opening the envelope carefully, he read the short note out loud:
"Dear Amanda and Peter:
We hope you like all the enclosed goodies. Your dad and I had no idea how expensive little luxuries one takes for granted in the lower 48 states are in Hawaii, and we decided this would be the most creative housewarming present we could think of — a mish-mash of everything! Anything you can't find a use for, I am sure someone can!
A trip next year sounds like a wonderful idea – we are already saving money for the airfare! In the meantime, there are always letters and phone calls!
We miss you already. Please telephone as often as you can and let us know as soon as you have the baby. THAT package is coming under separate cover, as soon as we know if it is a boy or girl. We can hardly wait to see our first grandchild!
All our love,
Mom and Dad"
Mary Ann's lower lip trembled. "At the rate we're going, their baby will be born and in high-school by the time we can tell them what happened to their package."
"Now, now, we have to think positive," Roy answered, patting her arm. "Let's see what is inside." Carefully, he started removing the straw and putting it in a pile. It could be used later for something, as would the crate itself.
Ginger Grant let out a gasp. "Clothes!" she cried, and started holding them up. "New clothes! Fantastic! What a pretty blouse! It will just fit me! And look! Sandals!"
"Here is another lovely outfit!" Mrs. Howell reached first for a red silk top and then a long skirt.
"It looks like there is something for us guys, too," the Skipper said, pulling out two pairs of men's canvas tennis shoes. "Elevens! Super! My shoes are shot!" He glanced at the size on the other pair. "Tens… guess they weren't sure of Peter's size. Too small for me…"
"And too big for me!" Gilligan went on. "I wear nines. Mr. Howell?"
"I'm fine, boy," Mr. Howell smiled. "It pays to travel with extras. I won't worry until my golf shoes wear out."
"You wear tens, don't you, Professor?" Mary Ann asked. "And you need a new pair."
The scientist shook his head. "Your memory is remarkable, Mary Ann. Yes, they are my size. And this would look very nice on you." He held up something pink. "It's your color… whatever it is."
"I think it's an all-in-one-shorts-set," the young woman flushed again. "Thank you." Feeling a bit self-conscious, she reached into the crate again, past the clothing, pulled out a large tin and opened it. "Look!" she almost squealed. "It's coffee! REAL coffee! Not fish-coffee!"
"Ohh! Ohh!" Mrs. Howell reached into the crate. Here's another tin! More coffee? No… It can't be…"
"It is!" her husband answered, "Chocolate! A five-pound tin of assorted Godiva chocolates! Oh, Lovey! Our favorites!"
"Mine, too," Gilligan answered, reaching deeper into the crate. "All chocolate is my favorite! Wait, I feel a case of some kind. Just a sec…" With a yank, he pulled it out. "Hey! It's a guitar! And there are extra strings in the case pocket, too." His face fell. "I don't know how to play it — just drums. "Anyone know? I guess we can learn…"
Almost everyone shook their heads and then the Professor looked at Mary Ann, who was not. "Are you familiar with this instrument, my dear?"
"As a matter of fact, I am," she nodded. "I haven't played in years, though."
"I thought you didn't know how to play any musical instruments," Gilligan scratched his head. "Remember our orchestra? You said…"
"I knew how to play a guitar, I just didn't have one to play, so I settled for the saw," she answered. "It's a lot harder to make a guitar, than say, the recorder that the Professor carved."
"Then by rights, this should go to you," the scientist answered, taking the instrument from Gilligan, and gently placing it in her hands. "I can't wait for your first concert!"
Before she could answer, or protest, Mrs. Howell had retrieved a well-stocked first aid kit, a large sewing kit and several new-looking hardback books, Mr. Howell uncovered several more articles of men's clothing and some phonograph records. Ginger, with another squeal, took out a gift basket filled with shampoos and soaps, and other toiletries, including razors, and Gilligan three large packages of deluxe cookies. The Professor had just uncovered six reams of blank and lined writing paper and a box of pre-sharpened pencils when Gilligan spoke up again.
"There's more straw down here. Guess we are about at the bottom. I hate to see the end. This has been like an extra Christmas!"
"Wait a minute… Professor Roy's eagle-eye had caught something. "There's more under the straw, Gilligan. Flat things. More books?"
"Magazines! The Howells, Skipper and Ginger all shouted at once.
"And comic books!" Gilligan went on, "and, hey, look! MAD Magazine! My favorite! Dibs to read MAD first!"
"You can have it," Thurston Howell sniffed. "I just found a copy of Forbes, and the New York Times. No one is going to get these out of my hands for love OR money!"
"Maybe for love, Thurston," Mrs. Howell gave him a look.
"Of course, Lovey-Dear."
"They all look to be from March and April of this year," the Professor said, "Here's a National Geographic — and a brand new Scientific Quarterly! You're right, Gilligan! It IS Christmas!"
"I found a copy of LIFE," Mary Ann spoke up. "It will be nice to see pictures of a few things we've only heard about on the radio, and — Redbook! There has to be a new recipe or two in there I can try, even with only what ingredients are available on the island."
"They've changed the format on Cosmopolitan Magazine, I see," Ginger added. "It says here at the front that a woman named Helen Gurley Brown is the editor now. I've got to sit down and read the rest of this, though! The fashion layouts are out of this world!"
"A lot of these magazines are out of this world," the Skipper answered, slowly perusing a copy of Playboy. Mrs. Howell gave the captain a look over her lorgnette, and then opened Harper's Bazaar. The big man flushed for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "They have great articles and short stories in this magazine!" he added, defensively, and Roy Hinkley gave the man a "yeah, sure" look.
"Look! Look at this!" Gilligan interrupted, "The Tomb of Dracula, and Amazing Tales!
Thurston Howell, still reading Forbes, smiled for a moment, and then stomped both feet on the ground. "Aw, Lovey! Now this just isn't fair!"
"What is it, Mr. Howell? Mary Ann asked, concerned.
"Good and bad news," the millionaire pouted. "I see here in this article that one of my business rivals has gone bankrupt…"
"That's the good news, I assume?" Roy Hinkley interrupted. "For you, not him."
"Yes," Mr. Howell frowned. "But further down here, it mentions Stafford Krebbs – I went to school with him, at Harvard, you know. Bottom of his class. "He's running a multi-billion dollar corporation! It's not fair! He couldn't add two and two when I knew him!"
"Money isn't everything…" The Professor started.
"Bite your tongue!" the millionaire snapped back.
"The magazines seem to be the end of our treasures," the Professor changed the subject. "There's nothing here to get us rescued, but I can't think of a better surprise. Thank you again, Mary Ann, for finding it at all."
"You're welcome, Professor," the brunette nodded. "Thank YOU for helping me!"
XXX
About a half-hour later, the Skipper cleared his throat. "Folks, I hate to break up the party, but don't we all have work to do? Gilligan, you and I need to start gathering coconuts, and we have lobster traps to check and reset, and later we need to start working on the fish nets. They are full of holes again."
"I want to try on my new clothes," Mrs. Howell nodded. "Ginger, I can tidy our hut today, and then maybe you can help me fit a few of the clothes from the crate?"
"Sure, Mrs. Howell," the redhead nodded, "And it's my turn to make up Mary Ann's and my hut, and sweep up the area, and I want to try on that aqua dress I found in our goodie box. Mary Ann, will you be free to put in a hem, later?"
"Would it not be more logical for all three of you women to go through the clothes together?" The Professor queried. "That way you all get a fair…"
Mary and interrupted him with a quick shake of her head. "Sure," she nodded. "But first, I need to get the breakfast dishes out of the way, and try to get a menu plotted for the next few days. And I have laundry to do, too."
"Morning siesta for me and Teddy," Mr. Howell nodded. "I'll just take my magazines with me…" He and Mrs. Howell were off a moment later.
"That's our cue," the Skipper nodded. "Gilligan, we can break up the crate for firewood this afternoon, after we finish taking out the nails. Come on, little buddy, time to get moving!"
"Okay, Skipper. Super breakfast, Ginger," the young man answered, "You make great bananas and pineapples. I mean… well you know…" he broke off, and the two departed.
"Guess I should get going, too," Ginger said, putting her Cosmopolitan down on the table. "Let me know if you need anything, Mary Ann." She rose, and started sashaying toward the hut they shared.
"I suppose I should resume my work on the food preservative I have been working on," the Professor sighed. "It's been rather slow going."
"Anything I can do to help you?" Mary Ann asked.
"I don't believe so," the scientist answered regretfully. "I think perhaps I might be on the edge of a breakthrough. Maybe another time, if my idea doesn't work out?"
"Sure," the girl nodded. Picking up the stack of dishes that the other castaways had left from the table, she started toward the clearing where the communal sink was, and then turned back to face the scientist. "I'm doing laundry later. Can you make sure your dirty clothes are out in front of your hut, and remind anyone else you see to do the same?"
"I can manage that, of course."
"Thank you, Professor."
XXX
About an hour and a half later, Ginger Grant wandered back to the common area where the castaways had eaten breakfast. Silently congratulating herself on finishing her chores so quickly, she picked up the Cosmopolitan she had been reading earlier, fanned herself with it, and then opened the magazine. The day was warm and getting warmer every minute. "These dresses are so beautiful," she sighed, looking at a long, sequined gown in just her shade of green. "I wonder if I will ever get a chance to wear anything like this again? Well, no use thinking about it, unless some day Mary Ann finds a crate of fabric floating in the lagoon!" With another small sigh, she turned the page, read the top line, and gave a small grin. "This should be fun!" she murmured, and grabbing one of the new pencils that had been left on the table, she stretched out on the chaise lounge and began to write on the open page.
Thirty minutes later, she was startled to hear Mrs. Howell's voice. "Oh, there you are, Ginger! Be a good girl, and come help me look at my new blouse and skirt. Something isn't quite right with them, and I know Many Ann does more sewing, but you can pin a hem! I've tried to do it myself, but it isn't right and Thurston is no help at all… Besides, he isn't interested in ANYthing but his new magazines!"
"Of course, Mrs. Howell," Ginger nodded, placing Cosmo face down, but open, on the small table by the lounge chair. "I'd be glad to help you."
"Oh, thank you, my dear!" the older woman smiled. "You're a lifesaver. It isn't often I get something new to add to my wardrobe, and I thought maybe I could wear my new ensemble to dinner tonight."
XXX
Shortly after Ginger and Mrs. Howell's departure, the Professor exited from his hut, rolling his shoulders to get out the kinks he had from bending over his Bunsen-burner and test tubes. He strolled out to the deserted common area, eyed the chaise lounge and sighed. I need a break, he thought. Just a few minutes to charge up my batteries. I'll just stretch out for a minute… matching his actions to his thoughts, he did just that, then, glancing over at the small table next to the lounge, he spotted Cosmo, exactly as Ginger had left it. He smiled at the winsome, dark-eyed brunette on the cover. She looks a little like Mary Ann, he thought, and picking up the magazine, he spied the page Ginger had been writing on. He began to read:
HOW WELL DO YOU REALLY KNOW ME?
Subject: Mary Ann Summers
From: Ginger Grant
1. Where did you and I first meet? Taking a three hour tour on the S.S. Minnow.
2. Your first impression of me upon meeting me/seeing me? I was glad that I wasn't the only girl on the boat!
3. Take a stab at my middle name: Ann, I guess. I mean, your name is Mary Ann, right?
4. How long have you known me? Around three-and-a-half years since landing on this island.
5. When was the last time that we saw each other? Breakfast.
6. What is the biggest risk I ever took? Um… I don't know! Competing against me in our Miss Castaway contest? Still think I would have won, but I guess Gilligan's idea was really good, actually!
7. What is the love of my life? Ha… I know the answer to this! Betcha didn't know that, even if you won't get up your nerve and DO something about it and say something – and NOT to G,TH3 or JG, either! You know exactly who I am talking about!
8. Am I funny? Yes. Sometimes sarcastic, too, but not in a bad way!
9. What is my favorite kind of music? I don't know… Rock? Like those jerks, the Mosquitoes.
10. Can I sing? Not to do it for a living, but yes, you can!
11. What is my best feature? You're a creative cook. And I guess I would be in rags if you didn't know how to sew better and faster than I do!
12. What do I want to do more than anything? See question seven. Now when are you going to do something about it? I've dropped as many hints as I can since I figured it out!
13. What is one thing that you think I should do? See question twelve and seven!
14. How many places have I lived? Just Kansas and here, I think.
15. Would you call me average, sporty, glamorous or something else? Sporty. You always seem to be running around, doing something!
16. Have you ever hugged me? I don't think so. But it doesn't mean I don't like you, roomie!
17. My favorite food: I know you like the Professor's herb salad a lot. Or maybe it's the cook you like!
18. If I were anyone other than me, who would I be? Someone else just as nice.
19. If there was one good nickname for me, it would be: I don't know… when I first met you, sometimes I used to call you "Kansas," but only to myself.
20. Your favorite memory of me: Being our leader when we left the guys to teach them a lesson and we built our own hut (even if it did end up being more like a tent than a hut!)
21. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what would I bring? We're here, so I don't know! A cookbook with all your favorite recipes? But I think you have them all memorized, anyway!
22. What is one of my annoying habits? Looking so great in the morning. Takes me longer to get myself put together. But you tell anyone that, I will deny it to my grave!
23. Who are my best friends? Here?You get along with everyone, though sometimes I don't know how!
24. Where will I be in 20 years? Rescued, like the rest of us, but by then my WISH for you is to get married to you-know-who, (you can do that here) live in Cleveland, Ohio and have at least four kids! (Or still be living here and STILL have four kids!)
Shaking his head in disbelief, Roy Hinkley frowned and then grinned. Did I just read what I think I read? he wondered; could it be that… no… yes! Swallowing hard, he sat up straight in the lounge chair and read Ginger's answers again, and then, standing up quickly, he rolled the magazine in his hands, and made a bolt for his hut. Arriving, he sat down at his desk, and hurriedly swept it clean of all other papers. Carefully un-bending the magazine, and opening it to the quiz, he grabbed a piece of paper and started to write.
XXX
Some time later, a light knock on the door of his hut startled him, and quickly Roy folded the paper he had just finished writing in half and clutched it tightly.
"Professor?" Mary Ann opened the door, slowly. "Lunch is about ready. Are you coming?"
"Uhh… sure, Mary Ann," the scientist answered. "I'll be done here in a few minutes."
"Don't be too long," the brunette smiled, "Or Gilligan will inhale everything."
"Just a few more minutes," the man insisted.
"Okay, don't work too hard," she smiled. "I'll save some crab salad for you."
"Mary Ann, I…" he started, but the woman was gone. Frowning, Roy smoothed out the paper, folded it twice and put it in his pants pocket. Picking up Cosmo, he headed for the common dining area, putting the magazine back where he had found it on the way.
XXX
Lunch was a happy affair. Among topics discussed, Ginger and Mrs. Howell reported that they had finished pinning the hem in her new blouse, and Mr. Howell, greatly pleased, said that his holdings were all doing well, and that his favorite stock, Apex International, has split. "I told you I was right to hold on to it!" he boasted.
"I thought we'd open the chocolate and have a piece each at lunch," Mary Ann announced, "Just a taste, and then some more tonight?"
"Yippee!" Gilligan shouted. "We might as well eat it fast. "It will melt, soon, hot as it gets here!"
The treat was passed around the table, everyone "oohing" and "ahhing" at the delicately sculpted pieces. Then, as Mary Ann took the chocolate box from the Professor, she lost her grip, and her hand slipped. She made a wild grab, rescuing the sweets, but knocked Roy's glass of guava and papaya juice directly into his lap.
"Oh, my, gosh! I'm so sorry, Professor!" the girl moaned, her face getting redder by the minute. Roy's entire lap was wet.
"No harm done," he smiled. "I needed the wakeup, and didn't hit my chocolate!" He winked, holding up the confection, and then popping it in his mouth.
"But… your pants," the girl blushed. "They're a mess!"
"My other pair should be fine by now," he smiled. "I hung them up to dry after our dip in the lagoon this morning. Really, Mary Ann, there is no need to concern yourself."
"I'm not usually such a klutz," she stammered.
"That's MY department," Gilligan cut in. "You don't get mad at me, Mary Ann, so we won't get mad at you."
"Right — it was just an accident," the Professor went on. "I'll rinse them out this afternoon."
"I still have the laundry to do," Mary Ann remained flustered. "Just give them to me, and I will get them done, first thing."
"Then it was providence it happened today, instead of yesterday, then," the scientist smiled, "No harm done!"
"You're sure?" Mary Ann turned her large brown eyes toward him.
"Very sure," he nodded, placing another canvas napkin in his lap to blot up the last of the juice. He smiled. "No crisis at all. Why don't we all have one more piece of chocolate to celebrate this glorious day?"
"Sounds good to me," the Skipper nodded, reaching for the box. "Professor, Gilligan and I could use a hand mending the fish nets this afternoon… just for a while. Think you can help us?"
"Absolutely," the scientist nodded. "I am running into some more roadblocks with my food preservative experiments, anyway."
"I found a great article you need to see in Cosmo, Mary Ann," Ginger grinned. "Just for fun, take five minutes out and read it!"
"I will if I get time," the other woman frowned. "I still have that washing to do, which reminds me, has everyone gathered their clothes and put them where I can find them?"
"Everyone but me," Roy teased and winked at the girl, and Mary Ann blushed once more. Lunch was over soon after, and the castaways headed for, or back to their various projects.
Reaching his hut, Roy changed his clothes, and as he had promised Mary Ann, he went to the common area and dropped his dirty clothes, including the stained pants he had been wearing, as is, into the large hand-woven laundry hamper Mary Ann had made and placed by the barrel washing machine, and headed down to the beach to join Gilligan and the Skipper.
XXX
Mary Ann Summers smiled as she finished the Cosmo quiz Ginger had insisted she read and headed toward the washing machine with a few more miscellaneous articles of clothing. For someone who worked in Hollywood for ten years, she's nothing but a romantic, the girl thought, remembering some of Ginger's answers, which nailed her feelings about a certain man square on the head. I thought I was hiding the way I feel about HIM pretty well! I don't mean to think about him as I do, and he certainly hasn't said anything definite to me since he sponsored me in the Miss Castaway contest, but there have been times that he… Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she reached the laundry area, and pulling all the clothes out of the basket, she began to sort them.
I don't know how Mrs. Howell and Ginger can wear so many clothes in one day, the girl sighed to herself. At least the guys are simple. Shirts, socks, pants… easy. Just have to remember to check the pockets… Gilligan's the worst! Seashells, rocks, his diary… five times now I've found it… Pencils and bits of plants in Roy's… I mean the Professor's… Her face grew warm as she picked up the teacher's stained pants. I need to pre-wash these with extra soap, or that stain will never come out, her thoughts continued, and then with a start, she pulled out a piece of damp, folded paper from one of the pockets. "Great, I probably ruined something important," she said ruefully. "Maybe I can get it to dry…" But as she unfolded the paper, having put her thoughts into action, her eye caught something written on top; her name.
HOW WELL DO YOU REALLY KNOW ME?
Subject: Mary Ann Summers
By: Roy S. Hinkley
11:17 a.m.
1. Where did you and I first meet? I feel like I have known you forever, but actually on the dock in front of the S.S. Minnow.
2. Your first impression of me upon meeting me/seeing me? What a lovely speaking voice you had — and still do!
3. Take a stab at my middle name: Hmm… I believe that would be Ann, as in Mary Ann, unless you have a name between Ann and Summers, or one before Mary. If you do, I would love to know what it is!
4. How long have you known me? Three years, six months, one week, five days, and ten hours at this writing — give or take a few minutes.
5. When was the last time that we saw each other? This morning, over the breakfast table; a very pleasant way to start the day, may I say?
6. What is the biggest risk I ever took? You told me once it was coming on this trip to Hawaii you won, instead of turning it in for cash — it being a trip for one, not two.
7. What is the love of my life? Speaking romantically? Something I read VERY recently has me wondering. I'm just glad it isn't Horace Higginbotham. Actually, that is something I want very much to talk to you about.
8. Am I funny? Yes, absolutely. You have a delightful sense of humor.
9. What is my favorite kind of music? Classical music. You hum it a good deal when you are working — tending your garden, cooking and so forth. Did you know that? You seem to like Beethoven the best. You also seemed to like the Mosquitoes' songs.
10. Can I sing? You sing beautifully, but not enough. I think you let Ginger Grant take center stage too often. "You Need Me" is my favorite. I like the idea — of you needing me.
11. What is my best feature? I can't pick just one: there are too many things I love about you. Your sweetness, your warmth, the way you care for everyone around you, your fantastic brown eyes, and yes, I love your cooking!
12. What do I want to do more than anything? Besides get rescued? You have mentioned something once or twice about wishing you could have gone to college — that being a clerk in a general store in Kansas wasn't where you wanted to spend the rest of your life. I could assist you with that, if you really mean it.
13. What is one thing that you think I should do? See above. There are good schools in Cleveland, Ohio… and since I live there, well…
14. How many places have I lived? Only Kansas, I believe, until we all landed here. You said once you had never been away from home before.
15. Would you call me average, sporty, glamorous or something else? None of these words fit the real you. But I can't stop with just one, so I suppose this is something I would love to talk with you about… in private. Perhaps take a walk with me, and we can discuss it?
16. Have you ever hugged me? Yes – and I can recount the where's and when's, of every single time, if you wish!
17. My favorite food: You like hot fudge sundaes. Something very difficult to find around here! Kiwi fruit, which is a little easier, and my herb salad, which I only just learned about today. Knowing that, now, I will endeavor to locate the herbs more often.
18. If I were anyone other than me, who would I be? I wouldn't want you to be anyone but you, but there is a hint — just a hint, mind you, of Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz about you — not because you come from Kansas, but your enchanting, wide-eyed wonder facing all that is new and different here.
19. If there was one good nickname for me, it would be: I abhor nicknames — I prefer names like 'My Dear,' or perhaps 'Darling' when said to the right person!
20. Your favorite memory of me: I'll never forget it. Remember when Gilligan found that piece of cat's eye; The Eye of the Idol, Skipper called it? Everyone else was ready to be wished right off the island and back to Hawaii, but when I said I wasn't going (because none of us were) you elected to stay behind with me so I wouldn't be alone. Quite candidly, I have always wished that Mrs. Howell hadn't told Mr. Howell he had to stay and chaperone us. That started a chain reaction! I have wondered more than once, what if Mrs. Howell hadn't gotten that idea in her head… What if!
21. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what would I bring? Now this question is amusing! We are stranded on a desert island! If you knew it was coming, I think you would have brought a cat or two — you talk about the ones you left behind on your farm once in a while. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the mice around the huts.
22. What is one of my annoying habits? Trying to do too much for the rest of us and wearing yourself out.
23. Who are my best friends? Back home, I know you have mentioned a girl named Cindy. I think here, we all are, because we have to be, but I know one person who would like to be more than just a friend to you...
24. Where will I be in 20 years? Well, if we aren't here on this island, I hope… Well, that's something I would love to discuss with you, too!
XXX
Mary Ann Summers read the Professor's answers over three times. There was no mistaking his meaning. She felt her face turn warm and she tucked the paper down the front of her midriff top, near her now wildly-beating heart. Quickly she put the rest of the clothes in the home-made washing machine to soak, and headed back toward the common area between the huts. The dining table and the chaise lounge were vacant. No one, including the Professor, was anywhere to be found. She reached the hut she shared with Ginger, praying fervently that her room mate would not be there, but a quick look inside her quarters assured her that Ginger was elsewhere. Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil from the vanity that Roy Hinkley had made for them some time back, she sat down and started to write.
XXX
Mary Ann read her answers over one last time and stretched her fingers out, relieving the cramps in them. She stood up and peered outside. Still not a soul to be found. She fingered the list she had just finished. Now what do I do with it? she thought, and finally, retrieving the list he wrote, she took both her list and his and folded them together. Going outside, she made her way to the Professor's hut. Taking a deep breath, she knocked timidly on the doorway entrance, but there was no answer. Opening the door, she crept inside, and left the folded lists on the table where he did all his experimenting, where he would be sure to find it. Then she bolted out the door and headed down the well worn path to the beach. She needed to think.
No sooner than Mary Ann had gone, then Professor stepped into the area, coming by way of the other beach path. The net mending had gone more quickly than they had expected with three of them, and finally, the Skipper suggested that he go back to working on his food preservative — he and Gilligan would finish. Roy Hinkley sighed as he opened the door to his hut and stepped inside. Truthfully, science just was not on his mind at the moment! A moment later, he spotted the paper on his work table. That looks like… he thought, and automatically he reached down into his pants pocket, where he had put the quiz he had filled out for Mary Ann, only to find no paper. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Still standing and holding his breath, he started to read her answers.
HOW WELL DO YOU REALLY KNOW ME?
Subject: Roy S. Hinkley
From: Mary Ann Summers
1. Where did you and I first meet? On the dock in front of the S.S. Minnow. I remember wondering why you were carrying all those books. I can't read on anything moving — I get sick!
2. Your first impression of me upon meeting me/seeing me? I thought you had great-looking hands, and — don't laugh — I liked the back of your neck, and your eyes. You have really great eyes.
3. Take a stab at my middle name: You said it once. It's Scott. Professor Roy Scott Hinkley.
How long have you known me? Just a little over three-and-a-half years.
5. When was the last time that we saw each other? At the time of this writing, at lunch. And referring to your answers, you aren't hard to look at over a coffee pot either!
6. What is the biggest risk I ever took? To be honest, I don't think of you as a risk-taker. You think everything through! But based on what I have learned about you, I would think maybe the time you spent in Egypt with the mummies? I can't imagine being so far away from home for that long on purpose.
7. What is the love of my life? Teaching. You wouldn't still be doing it over research if you didn't love it. And you are good at it. I find out something interesting from you every single day. And on that subject, I think I have learned something very new and wonderful today!
8. Am I funny? You can be, but sometimes you are when you don't know you are. Someday soon, I will explain what I mean!
9. What is my favorite kind of music? You are a show tunes kind of guy. I listen to you hum, too. Also you love opera, and know your '3 B's' backwards and forwards.
10. Can I sing? Yes, after a fashion. You can carry a tune, but I think you are afraid of people really hearing you. But I do!
11. What is my best feature? How kind and patient and gentle you are with everyone around you. HA! You thought I was going to say your intelligence, didn't you? You are smart, brilliant, even, but without the other you would be just another Lord Beasley. No awareness or… tenderness toward anyone else.
12. What do I want to do more than anything? Get rescued, and then go back to Ohio and teach, invent things, write the story of our life here, and now I am wondering if there is not something else? And I would love to be one of your students. We could start now, if you are so inclined.
13. What is one thing that you think I should do? Try to remember to relax and have fun and not carry the weight of this whole island on your shoulders. You act like that sometimes. Take a walk and look at the sky and then the birds and the flowers without labeling them. And I would love to take a walk with you.
14. How many places have I lived? Well, let me see… Egypt, with the mummies. Cleveland, Ohio, Los Angeles, California, Dallas, Texas, probably Fort Worth, Texas. Those I know for sure.I have probably missed a few!
15. Would you call me average, sporty, glamorous or something else? None of these words fit the real you. But I can't think of just one, so yes, I would love to talk about this further in person… privately.
16. Have you ever hugged me? Yes — and I believe I can tell you when also — you give great hugs!
17. My favorite food: Halibut with Kumquat sauce.
18. If I were anyone other than me, who would I be? I can't imagine you not being you.
19. If there was one good nickname for me, it would be: I'm not a nickname person either. Your answer to this question sounds good to me.
20. Your favorite memory of me: When you told everyone that I was "The most beautiful (girl) in the world and sponsored me for Miss Castaway. And re: your answer, I wish Mrs. Howell had kept quiet about chaperones, too.
21. If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what would I bring? As you said, we are already here, but I think if you could magic something here, it would be your typewriter, and even MORE paper.
22. What is one of my annoying habits? You don't have many, really, though sometimes you get so excited with your thoughts that you start speaking and nobody can keep up with you!
23. Who are my best friends? Back home, I have never heard you mention anyone in particular, except your friend, the Dean. However, I DO know someone around here that would like to be more than friends, too… and really; I am open for that walk...
24. Where will I be in 20 years? Ideally, not here, though suddenly it doesn't seem so very bad at all. I think we have a whole bunch of new possibilities open, and I want to talk to you, too. Is it a date?
A millisecond later, Professor Roy Hinkley went tearing out the door.
XXX
Mary Ann dallied on her walk toward the beach where the others were, no doubt, still gathered. Suddenly, she froze in her tracks. He didn't GIVE me the quiz… she thought wildly. He changed his mind!I just found it and assumed… I've made a complete fool of myself… a second later she was running back toward the huts as fast as her feet would take her. Maybe I can still get the quiz before he sees it, her thoughts went on, and she closed her eyes in embarrassment, thereby not seeing Roy Hinkley as he rounded a corner, also at a dead run.
"Umphhh!" They both cried as they smacked together. Mary Ann started to fall toward the ground but the Professor caught her, and she was soon standing steadily in front of him.
"Hi…" she said finally, very softly.
"You found the quiz… and my answers?" he questioned her gently.
She nodded. "They were in the pocket of your pants… the ones I spilled the juice on at lunch." She blushed again. "I didn't mean to read what you wrote, but I was trying to dry the paper, because I thought it might be important, and I saw my name, and…"
"Stop," he said tenderly. "Mary Ann, I was GOING to give you my answers, but you startled me. I wanted to read them over again, make another draft; check it all over, maybe compose another, even better version, and…"
The brunette shook her head. "They're perfect, just as they are. I just had no idea that you felt about me the way I felt about…" she stopped and swallowed carefully. "…You. Did… you read my answers?" Tears were standing in her eyes.
"I most certainly did. I loved them. And you really did like mine?"
"I loved yours," she nodded. "All of them. Especially questions five, seven, ten, twelve, fifteen…" She broke off helplessly.
"The same," Roy murmured, now holding her close. "Two… and five…" He kissed her right eye and then her left. "Seven…" He placed another kiss on her turned up nose, "Twenty…" She sighed as he nuzzled the tender skin at the base of her neck, behind her ear. "Twenty-four. I loved twenty-four…" Suddenly, his mouth was on hers, and for the next few moments they were lost in each other's arms.
"Wow," she said softly, finally breaking their kiss; but her arms were still around his waist, as his were around hers. "Whatever happened to "kissing on the mouth being far from sanitary," and it "leading to all sorts of bacterial transfer"?" She giggled.
"Well, I…" he answered, flustered. "Gilligan told you about that?"
"No, Ginger did."
"Oh, well, that was just to get her to calm down a little... besides, that's not who I wanted to kiss…" He gazed at the woman in front of him meaningfully. "Not even then."
"Really?"
"Really."
"And Erica, Tiffany Smith?" Mary Ann frowned, remembering.
"That was a snowball effect, and we were trying to get rescued, and I did NOT marry her."
"Hmm…" Mary Ann let the subject pass. It wasn't important anymore. "And how accurate was I, my dear Professor?"
"Better than I ever could have imagined, or hope anyone could know me." Taking one of her small hands in his, he squeezed it. "I did live in Colorado one summer, working on a dude ranch, but I don't think I have ever mentioned it before. How did you know I lived so many places?"
"I just listen," Mary Ann shrugged slightly. "And there are your degrees, of course. Your BA and MS from the University of Southern California — Los Angeles. Your MA from Southern Methodist University — Dallas. Your BS and MAT from the University of California — also Los Angeles, and your PHD from Texas Christian University — Fort Worth. You DO need to establish residency in the same city as the universities you attend! And you told me you were born and grew up Cleveland, Ohio, and about living in Egypt for two years."
"I understand. Quite logical."
"You know, Prof…"
He placed his index finger softly over her lips, stopping her from speaking. "Don't you think it's about time you started calling me Roy?"
"I'd… like that… Roy." She smiled. "Wish I could have started calling you that a long time ago! You know, maybe we can talk about the quiz a little later? Right this second I can think of other things we could be doing…"
"Going on that walk, perhaps?"
"That, yes, but there are many other possibilities, too…" she answered, gazing into his eyes.
"Hmm. I see…" Roy Hinkley regarded the young woman for a moment, and then, gently, he tilted her chin up toward his and leaned over slightly to meet her waiting lips. A second later he had pulled her into another kiss and both of them were oblivious to everything but each other.
A few moments later, Gilligan, the Skipper and Ginger wandered up the path from the lagoon, carrying the nets they had mended and some very full lobster traps, and Thurston and Lovey Howell emerged from their hut, where they had been taking their after lunch siesta. At a momentary loss for words, they all regarded the embracing couple.
"FANTASTIC!" Ginger almost shouted, "They finally got it together! I thought it would never happen!"
Mrs. Howell clasped her hands together. "Oh, how sweet! They're in love!"
"This calls for a celebration!" Mr. Howell declared, "I wonder if I can find that bottle of bubbly I hid for something really, really special?"
"Maybe a little later, darling," Mrs. Howell answered, tucking her arm in his and laying her head on his shoulder.
The Skipper took off his cap and scratched his head. "I don't understand… the Professor and Mary Ann? What brought this on?"
The movie star smiled and threw a well-shaped arm over his shoulder. "You've been on this island too long, Skipper. I'll be glad to tell you about it."
"Yeah, Skipper," Gilligan nodded, "Or I'll explain it to you…"
"You'll explain it to me?" the Skipper asked, cocking his head, Gilligan was not always at his best, explaining things.
"That's right, big buddy," his first mate grinned. "Don't you know? It's all about finding the right person, and love, and a little what you told me about birds and bees…"
"Birds and bees?"
"Aye-aye," Gilligan answered, nodding his head again, "But mostly, it's all about "Happily-Ever-Afters!"
THE END