A/N Hello! This is the writer known as Miss Bridget Sharpe. I created this account so that I could post mostly one shots under. I hope you enjoy this story.
***I fixed the spacing issue. I hope it is okay now***
It was stupid and she knew it. Inventing a fake boyfriend. And of all the men she knows she picks Horace Hickenbothem? The biggest creep in all of Horners Corners. Why did she chose to say he was her boyfriend?
Why did she chose to say anyone was her boyfriend for that matter?
Mary Ann pondered all this as she sat on the warm sand of the beach.
The ocean breeze flowing through her brown hair. Her knees were bent up to her chest and her arms hugged them. It was a silly question to ask herself. She knew why she did it. She was jealous. It wasn't a bitter jealousy more like a sense of loneliness. Ginger had many admirers some of the men on this island would most likely be included in that. Mrs. Howell had Mr. Howell who loved and adored her.
Who did she have? No one. Just once she wanted to experience what it would be like to write to someone and express her feelings of love. So she pretended that she was involved with someone. Of course it all backfired on her.
Gilligan and the Skipper heard on the radio about Horace marrying another girl.
Not one of the male castaways wanted to be the one to inform the girl from Kansas of the fateful news. Gilligan tried but he had ended up chickening out. The Professor attempted to but instead wound up telling her about poisonous mushrooms.
Next thing she knew, Ginger had come up with some crazy plan to make Mary Ann believe that the three eligible men of the island had shown interest in her. The farm girl had been quite shocked she supposed was the word by their actions and went running out of her hut finding her redheaded friend and imploring her to hide herself. The men were acting crazy. Skipper thought he was Matt Dillon. Gilligan though he was Charles Boyer and for some really odd reason the Professor was acting like Cary Grant.
Mrs. Howell told her she had better get back there. The last thing Mary Ann wanted to do was go back to that scene but she did. That is when she heard the men talking about her.
They had been saying how she didn't have long. Or that's what her thinking was.
The brunette had recalled the Professor talking about poison mushrooms and she believed she ate them. She ended up having an awful dream and that's when the whole truth came out.
Now here she was sitting on the beach with the sun shining brightly in the perfect blue sky thinking about how ridiculous she was. Mary Ann was sure they all believed her to be pretty pathetic. She did not blame them. It was pathetic. Pathetic to live in a fantasy world with a boyfriend that did not exist. How lame was she? Writing letters to no one was most likely the strangest thing a person could do.
It was quite comical though to think of all those bottles bobbing in the ocean water with a note written to a pretend boyfriend. Mary Ann heard someone approach her and she looked up seeing it was Gilligan.
"Hello." She smiled at him before turning back to the water.
"Hi Mary Ann." He said sitting down beside her on the sand. "What are you doing out here?"
The brunette shook her head. "I was just thinking about how pathetic I am. A fake boyfriend. What was I thinking?"
Gilligan looked at her. "Mary Ann I don't think you are pathetic."
"That's nice of you to say Gilligan but you don't need to spare my feelings. It was pathetic. Stupid. I bet you all think I'm some kind of crazy person."
"No Mary Ann no one thinks that of you." The sailor assured.
"How can you not think that?" Mary Ann asked. "I made up a boyfriend. A totally fake relationship with someone who I actually think is a total creep."
"Ok." Gilligan said. "I guess it was a little crazy but so what? It wasn't that bad. I bet Ginger makes up half of those boyfriends she has." He said with a grin.
Mary Ann laughed. "I seriously doubt that." She remarked. "Ginger is glamorous and beautiful and charming. There would be no need for her to resort to such a thing. Men fall at her feet. I wish I could be like her." She sighed picking at a sea shell.
"Mary Ann." Gilligan began. "I think you are pretty."
She turned her attention away from the shell and to Gilligan. "What?"
"Sure." He said sitting up more. "You are pretty. I think any guy would be very lucky to have you be their girlfriend. Not only are you pretty you are nice."
"It's a sweet thing to say Gilligan but it doesn't make me any less plain compared to Ginger." The brunette said she looked back at the waves on the water.
Gilligan shook his head. "Why are you comparing yourself to Ginger?"
"Well why not?" Mary Ann asked turning her head back. "Why wouldn't any woman want to be Ginger? Look at what she has. Everything. I want that too."
"But you aren't her. You are Mary Ann. I like you the way you are. Ginger is Ginger. No one can be Ginger but her. Mary Ann you aren't plain at all. There is nothing plain about you. You are sweet. Anyone could see that about you."
"You think I'm sweet?"
"Sure I do. Everyone thinks so. That's why we went through with that plan. We didn't think it was right for you to go through that heartbreak. That is why we acted the way we did. I don't think Skipper was a very Marshall Dillon though and I think the Professor needs to work on his Cary Grant impersonation. I thought I did a pretty good Charles Boyer though. Mrs. Howell helped me with that."
Mary Ann giggled. "You were pretty good I have to admit. Nice French accent." She said with a smile. "I do appreciate what you tried to do for me. What you all tried. It was nice that you all care about me."
"We will always care about you Mary Ann. You are our friend. We are all friends and we look out for each other."
Mary Ann smiled and stood up brushing the sand off her legs and her shorts. She adjusted her red tank top. Gilligan stood up as well dusting off the sand from his faded jeans.
"Thank you Gilligan." Mary Ann stated. "I guess I was feeling pretty down but talking with you. I realize that I was being silly. You all do care about me and I needed someone to point that out to me. Thank you for being my friend."
She gently kissed him on the cheek.
"You are welcome Mary Ann. I will always be your friend."
"How about I bake you a nice coconut cream pie?".
"Oh boy! I'd love that!"
"Come on then." She said leading him back to camp.
Mary Ann thought back to that day. That was the day. The very day her eyes were opened to what was right in front of her. For the first time she finally sees that what she was looking for was there the whole time. Why she had been so blind she did not know.
Gilligan was the kindest person she had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was so caring and extremely generous.
He always thought of the others. Never did he want anyone to be left out of anything. The young sailor was exactly what she had been dreaming of her entire life.
Now she was standing there before him in a white dress that had previously belonged to Ginger.
The movie star and Mrs. Howell had altered the gown so that it would fit the brunette's petite frame.
It had a plunging neckline that Mary Ann was not quite used to but she loved the way it looked on her.
Around her neck was a antique silver necklace of Mrs. Howell's. The millionaire's wife insisted that Mary Ann have it for her wedding.
In her brown hair were white tropical flowers. On her feet were a pair of brown sandals.
True this was not exactly how she pictured her wedding day but for some reason it did not matter to the girl from Kansas. She was about to marry the man she loves.
When she had discovered that Gilligan shared the same feelings as she, the feeling of elation was indescribable. Her heart soared and she felt as if she was floating on a cloud. It had been a memorable day for her as well. It started out like any other day.
She and Ginger fixed breakfast after which the dishes were washed and stored away.
Mary Ann went about her chore of taking care of the laundry. That day Ginger was recruited by the Professor for another of his experiments. What exactly it was Mary Ann did not know but he insisted he needed the starlet's help.
Gilligan then offers to help her out with washing the clothes. She was grateful for his help. There was always lots to do. As the each only had a limited amount of clothing options available, the laundry was important to be kept up with.
So the two had run the clothes through the washing machine that the Professor had invented to make doing laundry easier. Mary Ann and Gilligan took turns on the bike that had to be peddled to keep it going.
As they performed this task, they got into talking. First about how the missed having a real washer back home.
Then onto how they wished there was a store around so they could buy more clothes, they were getting tired of the same old ones all the time.
Mary Ann remarked about the time she and her sister went shopping for a prom dress.
She stated how beautiful the dresses were and then made a comment about how in that very dress shop there were some bridal gowns. "They were so beautiful." Mary Ann had said with a sigh. "We both longed for the day when we could wear such a lovely gown."
Gilligan spoke.. "My sister and her friends used to talk about that kind of stuff too."
"Every girl does." Mary Ann said with a smile as she peddled. "Every girl wants to find that wonderful man to share that special day with.."
"Have you ever found anyone you would like to share that day with?" The first mate asked.
Mary Ann shook her head. "No. I haven't."
"Really? No one?" He had asked. "I can't believe that."
Mary Ann had laughed. "You don't?"
"No. I mean come on, you and Ginger never dreamed about marrying the Skipper?"
At that remark, Mary Ann stopped peddling and burst out laughing. "I think not. He is a sweet man but he's too old for me. I know Ginger is not interested either."
"What about the Professor?" He pressed.
Mary Ann looked at him furrowing her brow. "The Professor? No I never thought... Well we just have nothing in common. I could not see myself with him at all. Ginger maybe would consider it. Me not so much."
"Well." Gilligan said as he approached her, his hand placed on hers.
The spark she felt was incredible.
"What about me?" He asked. "Did you ever consider me?"
"You Gilligan?" Mary Ann said with her heart pounding in her chest.
"I like you Mary Ann. I have for a long time and I had hoped that you would like me the same way."
The farm girl gazed into his blue eyes. She loved those eyes, she could spend all day gazing into them. At that moment they were filled with what Mary Ann would describe as hope.
"Gilligan I, I think you are wonderful and I do like you too."
It was then that he bravely leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips.
Mary Ann recalled her heart rate skyrocketing and her whole body tingling.
Now here she was marrying that wonderful man. The Skipper officiated the ceremony on the raft. It had to be on a raft as it was the only way it would be official when performed by a sea captain.
Ginger stood by in her blue sequin gown as the maid of honor. The Professor was the best man. The Howells watched filled with happiness that two of the young castaways were going to experience the joy of marriage.
The sea captain pronounced them husband and wife. He told Gilligan he may kiss his bride. And kiss his bride he did.
He pulled Mary Ann as close as possible kissing her soft lips. It was quite a sight as normally Gilligan was shy about kissing the farm girl in front of everyone. Not this time. This time he did not care. He loved her and everyone was going to know it. The kiss broke and everyone congratulated the couple.
Mrs. Howell arranged the reception and the newlyweds danced their first dance to It Had To Be You sung by Ginger. Mary Ann insisted she wanted the redhead to sing as Gilligan had stated that he enjoyed her rendition of the song when she had sang it before. He stated she had a beautiful voice. The brunette asked Ginger if she would sing a bit of it for her and she complied. Mary Ann was blown away and quickly stated she had to sing it for them. Ginger was more than happy to do this for them. She was very happy that Mary Ann was marrying Gilligan. The movie star always believed they made a perfect pair.
When the song came to an end, Mary Ann had made a point of tossing her bouquet at the redhead indicating she was going to be the next bride and saying out loud that there was another eligible man on this island who was just perfect for the actress. She gestured towards the Professor as she said this who had pulled at his tie and felt flustered.
Ginger had turned red and said nothing however she did waltz over to the academic insisting to dance all the dances with him as Mr. Howell had begun playing some of his records.
After the reception, the pair made their way to a hut that had been built for them.
It was located just a little bit further than the others but not too far. Mary Ann still wanted to be close to everyone else. Gilligan carried her inside stating it was tradition. He brought her to their bedroom area and set her down.
Mary Ann looked up at him. "You nervous?" She asked.
"A little." He replied. "I..I'm sort of no I am new at this. I never before, did this."
"Me either." Mary Ann said. "But I trust you Gilligan. I love you."
"I love you too." The sailor said he pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers.
The kiss was growing deeper and before Mary Ann knew it, she was wrapped up in her new husband's arms. The amount of love she felt was beyond words. This is exactly where she belonged with this incredible man.
After, she snuggled close to him basking in the warmth he gave her.
She did not know what the future held but she knew that she could face anything as long as she had Gilligan.
Gilligan held his new wife in his arms still in awe that she belonged to him. He had not been so lucky when it came to love. Most of the girls in his hometown didn't pay much attention to him or just thought him clumsy and awkward. He did have one girlfriend whose named Lisa but she broke up with him after she and her family moved away.
When he met Mary Ann everything was different.
For the first time in his life he felt like there was a possibility that someone could actually care for him.
The girl from Kansas was everything that he could have ever hoped for. She was kind and caring. She always listened to his many stories about his friends back home and looked as if she was actually interested. Mary Ann also had a very pretty smile. It was warm and friendly. Just like she was.
He looked down at his wife who was resting her head against his chest.
"Mary Ann." He said.
"Hmmm?" She replied as if she was in a dreamland.
"You remember that time when Duke was here and you and Ginger thought he was really something?"
Mary Ann laughed. "Yes I remember that. Pretty silly of us to think such a thing. I supposed we were just enthralled with his muscles. Now that I think about it he really wasn't all that cute but being on this island and not having that many men around I suppose if someone new comes along you may look at them differently but what a creep he turned out to be. Horrible."
"Yeah." Gilligan agreed. "And not very bright. Hitting his head and getting amnesia and never telling anyone we are stuck here."
Mary Ann nodded. "You got that right."
"Do you remember Mr. Howell's scheme to get rid of him so he wouldn't bother you and Ginger anymore?"
The brunette smiled. "Of course I remember that. You and I would pretend to be a couple so Duke would see us and believe that I was already spoken for."
"I thought it was nice being out there in the jungle with you. I'm sorry about sitting on your lap."
"Oh Gilligan." Mary Ann said sitting up. "That's alright. I didn't mind really. I must admit I enjoyed myself too. Especially your birds and the bees bit." She grinned before placing a kiss on his lips. She then let go. "I'm glad you were there for me."
"I was glad to be there for you." He replied. "I didn't think it was right he would act like that.."
Something else came to the sailor's mind. "Mary Ann um you remember that time when my hair turned white and I thought I was growing old."
"Sure do." She said. "What about it?"
"You said to me that 'It's love. I've known it from the first.' I always wondered did you know from the first?"
Mary Ann sighed pulling the sheet up around her. "Gilligan that was actually a line from a movie that Ginger told me to say. I thought it was romantic."
"Oh I see."
She quickly turned her head towards her husband. "That does not mean it wasn't love from the start. I guess in a way I did know it but I never thought you would, I mean you had always been shy around girls so I suppose I was under the impression that having girlfriend was not something you would want. Did you know from the first?" She asked of him.
"When I saw you on the Minnow I thought you were very pretty. A part of me did wish that you could be my girlfriend. You didn't seem like the girls back home. You were nice to me."
Mary Ann rested her head against his shoulder. "Why is it we were so afraid to just say what we felt? It's pretty silly to hide it don't you think?"
"I do. But we aren't hiding it anymore. We are married!" He said happily. "I'm married to pretty Mary Ann Summers!"
"Mary Ann Gilligan if you don't mind." She smiled.
He pulled her back into his arms and the pair was locked in a deep passionate embrace.
The End
