Author's Note: This story is also quite off-canon, but in my defense not much is really known about Ginger's past except her list of screen credits. Also, to my knowledge, there is no such town as Torrance, Idaho. Hope you all enjoy; this one has so far been the hardest to write. One more to go...
The Woman Who Can Do Anything- Ginger's musings on Mary Ann
When I first broke into showbiz with Merlin (the magician), I buried my hometown roots behind me and became "Ginger Grant." It may surprise you to know that this is not my real name, well, at least part of it is not. It's not unusual for actors and actresses to change their names; we often don't want fans to know who our real families are. Besides, often our names aren't conducive to stardom. When I was young, I lived in Torrance, Idaho, and my full name was Caroline Ginger McCollum. I grew up like any other child; in a happy home with my mother, father, and extremely practical older sister.
Well, it was almost a happy home. Ever since I was young, I constantly heard my mother saying, "Why can't you be like your sister, Kristy?" "Kristy does all of her chores when she gets home, why do you have to be nagged?" "Kristy gets good grades in school, why are you struggling?" The list of comparisons would go on and on! I think it would have been better had Kristy have been a brat about the whole situation; then at least I'd have some foundation for hating her. Yet, Kristy was perfection in action, always kind and loving to me when it seemed no one else was. If you've ever been the younger child in a sibling rivalry, you know exactly what I'm talking about. She gave me no room to even compete with her, and I could find no complaint. I began to grow bitter.
While my sis was off being Miss Goody-Two Shoes, I developed a wild streak. Not that I'm complaining about that; that wildness has helped me develop into one of the world's favorite glamor queens! But it was hard to develop that streak under the watchful eyes of my parents, which in the end probably saved me, for I channeled all my frustration into the only avenue acceptable to both my parents and I: acting.
The word still sends shivers down my spine. I LOVE acting! To be someone else, if just for a little while, is so therapeutic. To have someone else's problems and have them solved in a day... that's what I wanted for my own life. My teachers saw that I had talent, and they quickly moved me into better roles. I became the first lady of all my high school's productions by sophomore year. While my sister won contests in home economics, I was receiving standing ovations! Yet, I don't believe I ever saw my mother or father in the audience during a single play... acting was acceptable to them, nothing else.
When I became eighteen, I took off and never looked back. I had arranged to live with my Aunt in California, where I hoped to make my start breaking into showbiz. I tried to tell my family of my plans... but I never did get up the gumption. Finally, I told Kristy on the day I was leaving. How she cried! I had never expected that, and for a moment my resolution wavered. But then I remembered all the times I had been compared to her, and I took off anyway. I was too young to know how I'd hurt her.
I found a talent scout right away; I knew I had to be in the right places and hang around the right crowd. I ended up as the beautiful assistant for Merlin the Mind-reader. The first rehearsal he gave me my stage name.
"Caroline McCollum is a name for a prairie woman, not a glamorous assistant," he sneered. "Tell me, have you come up with a stage name?"
"Well, my middle name is Ginger," I began hesitantly.
"Ginger," he said with a smile. "Ginger. I like it! It has a playful ring to it. And now, your last name? What shall we call you?"
I thought for a moment, then looked at a poster decorating the small theater's walls. It was for an early movie of Cary Grant's, and suddenly I had my new name. Merlin must have thought the same thing, for we looked at each other and said, almost in unison, "Ginger Grant!" Thus, my new life and career had begun.
I never told anyone about my past. I always used to keep reporters guessing at my history, leaving misleading clues about humble yet unusual roots. A reporter once wrote, "Ginger Grant is a star that just burst into Hollywood like a flower bursts into bloom; where her roots are planted, no one knows for sure. One thing is certain, though. She enjoys keeping us guessing!" I miss reporters. They are fun to play with, if you enjoy attention.
And now, I am stuck on this island, every day loosing hope that I'll be rescued in time to resume my career. Unless you are really good at trolling the Hollywood scene, being an actress is a short-lived career. If you are out of people's minds for too long, you are forgotten! So, I try every day to practice my acting. Everyday, I stand out on the island for glamor and beauty... and every day, I feel like I am loosing just a little bit of value.
The funny thing about being stuck on this island is that I am stuck here with a woman who is almost an exact copy of my sister, Kristy. Her name is Mary Ann. It's funny; Mary Ann simply adores me. She's younger than I am (though, in my defense, not by much), and in many ways I appear to be her big sister. Yet she reminds me of my big sister every day! And as the days go by, I begin to realize that growing up, I... missed something.
Mary Ann is amazing! She knows how to do so many things, things I would know too if I had paid attention while growing up. She's not book-knowledgeable like the Professor, nor is she worldly like... well, like me. She's wise, in an old-world sort of way. She knows how to grow things; there are flowers in bloom all around the huts, flowers she gardened herself. She knows how to cook and how to sew. She even knows how to care for those around her who are sick (although she doesn't really like this job, and usually lets me be the nurse. I won't complain about that; usually, when someone is sick, the Professor is involved in the cure. That means I get to work with the Professor, and he sure is cute!). But the most important thing Mary Ann knows is how to lift up another's spirit.
Growing up on a farm must be hard, because Mary Ann knows how to keep a bright outlook even in the most dire of circumstances. Not only that, but she helps me keep up my own outlook. When I feel like I am losing value, Mary Ann suggests we rehearse a scene from a play. We'll be cooking dinner, and as we cook we'll do a scene from a movie I was once in. I'll get carried away and take the stage, only to find out an hour later the cooking is already done. Yet Mary Ann never complains, but applauds and asks for more! Her passion for taking care of us all is very much like my passion for entertaining, and I have come to realize that though we are both polar opposites... we are a lot alike.
As the days pass, my admiration for Mary Ann grows, and I know that I am proud to call her my friend and surrogate sister. Knowing Mary Ann has also made me realize how important family is, and I know that if I ever see Kristy again, I'll be able not only to apologize to her, but to understand her as well. In the meantime, I'll strive to try and learn a lesson or two from Mary Ann, the woman that can do anything.