Captain Jonas "Skipper" Grumby sat observing the other inhabitants of the island. Quite a crew they were.
All from different walks of life yet brought together by a vicious storm.
There were the Howells. A rich powerful couple.
Mr. Thurston Howell III was quite a shrewd business man. No one could out do him in the world of high finance and business. He didn't get where he was by playing it safe.
No he took risks. Big risks. Those risks paid off with big dividends.
His empire was worth not just millions but billions. Yes Thurston was most certainly a force to be reckoned with all right.
However beyond his business persona was a wonderful man. He loved his wife of over twenty two years. He showed it time and time again. If there was something she wanted, he would get it for her. There was little he ever denied her.
The rich tycoon bought her all kinds of furs and jewels that made her very happy.
Of course everyone knew that it wasn't just the material things that made Eunice Wentworth happy, it was Thurston's love.
He was also very caring towards the younger castaways. Even had wanted to adopt Gilligan as his son at one time. He felt very highly about the young sailor.
Then there was his friendship with Ginger. He was always helping her with entertaining the others. There was the way he would encourage her to be devious especially with those cosmonauts although The Skipper was fairly certain there was a certain male on the island who was not too pleased with this. All and all Mr. Howell was a fine decent man.
Mrs. Howell was quite a lady. The two younger women took to her like a mother which delighted the older woman. She thought of the two as her daughters.
The socialite took great care of her husband. Always making sure he watched what he ate, making sure he took his medication. She doted on him all the time as it was very obvious to all how much she loved him.
The woman was also very nurturing. He recalled the time when she dyed Gilligan's hair so he wouldn't think he had prematurely aged. She played nurse when the first mate had hurt his nose and thought it broken.
Eunice Lovey Howell was also quite a pistol. Look out if she was angry with you. Just ask Mr. Howell. He felt her wrath from time to time however they always made up.
The Professor. He was very serious but warm towards everyone. Always did whatever he could to help get them rescued off the island.
Everyone came to him when they had an ailment and he did his best to help treat them.
He tore through his medical book and others literature to see what could be done.
All those things he invented on the island to help make life easier were a god send. After all who else would know how to charge batteries for the radio and fix well everything!
If anything needed fixing, it was the Professor they turned to. The man was a genius. Well at most things. Not at other things. Like love.
Jonas was not unaware of the Professor's affection for a certain redhead. He saw time and time again they way Roy Hinkley looked at her and acted around her.
Who else could get that academic to carry a bunch of heavy rocks for a rock garden? Go into a cave in search of the eye of the idol to make her happy. Trench into the lagoon because she thought Gilligan was breathing out of a reed. No one else he would do this for. This the Skipper was convinced of.
Why the Professor did not just go up to Ginger and say how he felt was a mystery. Skipper had to wonder if the man was oblivious to the starlet and her own affection for the academic.
Ginger Grant was an amazing woman. She was from Hollywood used to a life of luxury but here she was pitching out with menial tasks. He was certain she did not do her own laundry back home, probably had an assistant do this for her.
In fact he was sure that she did not perform much tasks being a celebrity but she was more than happy to while stranded on the island.
He was amazed at the time she went though the trouble of "making noses" for Gilligan to pick from when he thought his nose needed to be reconstructed. It was a kind gesture on the redhead's part. Truly who else would do this to make Gilligan feel better?
And there was the way she tried to sweet talk the tribal man from throwing the spear at Gilligan when he was to marry that tribal girl who took a liking to him. And how she attempted to drug Kincaid so he would black out and Gilligan could escape being hunted. Pretty darn brave on her part he would say.
It was clear to everyone (although he was not sure about one man) that Ginger had a thing for the Professor. She lit up like a firecracker when the Professor once declared to her "Ginger you don't look like you have a deficiency of anything."
She always had that look in her eyes whenever that science man appeared. She smiled at him differently than she did the other men. And he heard her once telling Mary Ann about how the Professor came rushing into to sniff her perfume and ended up nuzzling her neck. Jonas knew the only one that Ginger would ever allow to get away with that was the man of science. If he tried that, she would be horrified and show him the door. He learned that when he had amnesia. He had made an advance on the movie star and she rebuked him very quickly. No the one she wanted was Professor Roy Hinkley Jr.
Mary Ann Summers was a sweet girl. Very sweet. Took to his buddy Gilligan in no time.
She hung out with him all the time. And had a sister like relationship with Ginger. The two were like best girlfriends. Talked and gossiped all the time.
The farm girl was very helpful on the island. She was a wizard with a needle. Whenever he needed his pants mended she was more than happy to do it. And she was a great cook.
Not to say Ginger wasn't because she most certainly was but Mary Ann added that down home on the farm touch to her meals. It was nice. He enjoyed the soups she made and the lobster she prepared. If only they had steak, boy he bet she could really fry that up good!
Like with Ginger with the Professor, Skipper knew that Mary Ann had a major crush on Gilligan. Her eyes brightened when she saw him. Made him pies all the time. All the time. If Mary Ann made a pie it was meant for Gilligan and Gilligan only. Don't be trying to swipe a piece.
The farm girl did have a way of supporting Gilligan above all others (even himself he had to admit) and encouraging him. Like when he was testing Gilligan to see if he could be in charge. Mary Ann believed in him and tried to give him a shot of confidence.
She was the most upset when the sailor was invisible and Ginger had got a fright when he just entered their hut all wrapped up like a mummy. She did not know her brush was caught and it unraveled the first mate. Mary Ann was in tears thinking Gilligan was going to stay that way.
The brunette was smitten with his buddy and she probably did not know how to tell him as he would be scared off. That was the most likely scenario.
Gilligan. His Little Buddy. Pretty much the only family he had. His own parents died years ago. He was engaged once but she broke it off as she could not deal with his naval life. Ended up marrying a big time attorney. Never had any kids of his own. That was the ony thing he was sorry about. But when he met Gilligan that changed. Sometime he thought of him as his own son other times he was like his little brother. Either way he loved him. Gilligan was the most trustworthy loyal friend anyone could hope to have.
Yes he drove him crazy with his clumsiness and his habit of trying to make things better but only making it worse. Like the time with Wrongway Feldman's plane. He told him to check the wheel to see if it was loose and the sailor pulled the entire thing off.
The Skipper said that they needed something to hold up the plane and the first mate went to get a rock but couldn't move it and then asked the Skipper to help him while he was busy holding up the plane. He had to shake his head at that.
He supposed being stuck 24/7 with Gilligan on this island would get to him. There was not way to "escape" him. Not that he really wanted to "escape" Gilligan but every once in a while it would be nice to be able to go somewhere without him being underfoot.
It wasn't like Gilligan was a doormat. He was quite feisty at times and would argue back with him the Skipper. Although he didn't like it deep down he was proud of the sailor for sticking up for what he believed.
No matter what he would always love his little buddy and would not trade him for anyone else. He was still touched that Gilligan though he was the bravest man in the world.
In his heart, Skipper felt Gilligan was pretty darn brave too.
There was one thing Gilligan was not brave about. His own feelings for Mary Ann.
Skipper knew his pal well enough to know that he was head over heels in love with that girl from Kansas. He was just too darn shy and timid to tell her.
Maybe someday he would. He hoped it was soon. Gilligan deserved a nice girl like Mary Ann Summers.
Yes they were an amazing bunch of people. They all came together and managed to be a family. He couldn't ask for anything better.
The End!