*Just wanted to say, this chapter is going to jump back to the previous evening, starting off where the Professor asked Laura to the awards banquet. Finally, the Howell's are being introduced to the story. They pick up on the same evening . Anything involving Gilligan and the Skipper will be the current afternoon, where Doris is napping and Jolani and aunt Helen are cooking. Sorry to line it up like this. I should have continued Professor's scenario before moving on. Hopefully it will make sense when you read it.*

The previous evening...

Laura stood there staring at her employer. Had he, a man married to a very prominent star, actually ask her to accompany him to a very important awards banquet? What should she do? What was she going to say to him? All of this had taken her off guard. While it was true that they often shared friendly conversation together, the truth was that their relationship went only as far as an employee and her boss. Things were completely platonic with him, even in their discussions.

Though, she couldn't deny that she loved being in the Professor's company. He was such an interesting man. She could literally listen to him talk for hours, and he wouldn't even scratch the surface of the various things she was interested in. Laura loved learning, and the Professor loved sharing his knowledge. In fact, before she had taken the position with the Hinkleys, she had attended many of his seminars... just for the purpose of learning something new.

However, he was married. She didn't think it would be right for her to attend this event with him.

"I don't know," Laura replied nervously, "what about Mrs. Hinkley? I'll be honest sir, but frankly I'm not sure you should be asking me to attend this event with you. What will your colleagues think?"

Laura swallowed hard, every muscle tense as she awaited the Professor's reply. It hadn't been easy for her to tell a man of such brilliance, her idol in many ways, that he might be making a mistake. Would he reprimand her for standing up to him? Would he laugh at her? Perhaps she had assumed the worst without getting all of her facts straight. Had she been presumptuous in believing that this whole invitation was a means for him to get closer to her? Did she really believe that Roy Hinkley Jr. had feelings for her?

"I understand your concern," the Professor said calmly, "but I assure you my request is completely innocent. You see, Mrs. Hinkley won't be home in time for the banquet. So that leaves me with an extra ticket. I want to give it to you, because I know how much you appreciate science. Not only will awards be given, a couple of guest speakers will be sharing what innovations they have happened upon in the last year. Also, I do have tickets for the children as well. I was hoping you could keep an eye on them while I'm giving my speech."

So, he did have innocent intentions after all. Laura felt silly for jumping to conclusions. Of course, she was really tempted to attend this event. When would she ever have a chance like this again... to be in the same room with some of the most brilliant minds in California; to dress to the nines in a formal and get her hair done up.; and to spend a little more time with two of the sweetest children she'd ever met. Still, it made her nervous to even think that others might get the wrong idea, specifically if Mrs. Hinkley got the wrong idea.

"Of course I'll attend with you," Laura replied against her better judgement, "I'm pretty sure I have something appropriate to wear. I'll call my parents tomorrow and have them check my closet. For now, I do think I will turn in... that is if you're done speaking with me."

"Of course, good night Laura," the Professor said. When Laura had disappeared up the stairs, the Professor immediately begin to berate himself.

What's wrong with you, Roy? It's no wonder Laura thought you were asking her out. That's exactly how you made it sound.,

"You fool," the Professor said out loud to himself, "that's exactly how you wanted it to sound and you know it! You only pulled back because you didn't want to sound silly to Laura. You don't want to admit your invitation was given out of spiteful aggravation at Ginger's delayed return. What a stupid thing you've done!"

Little Dexter, who had gotten up to use the restroom, had stopped at the banister just in time to hear his father inviting his nanny to the awards banquet. While only being eight, he was old enough to understand that there wasn't something quite right about his father's request.

"Doesn't daddy love mommy any more?" He pondered.

...

"Lovey, oh Lovey darling, didn't you hear me?" Mr. Howell said as he tried to get his wife's attention. Lovey hadn't been acting like herself lately. She was forgetful, getting dates and events confused. Also, like at this moment, she seemed far away as those around her tried to get her attention. Presently, Mr. Howell had been trying to explain that she had missed a very important ribbon cutting ceremony. All the while, Mrs. Howell had been preoccupied with a rabbit that was hopping around in their lighted garden.

"Do you think Jenkins needs a raise?" Mrs. Howell had asked out of the blue, referring to the Howell's old head butler. Mr. Howell wanted to cry. He knew something was terribly wrong with his wife. Not only had they not been discussing the help's wages, but Jenkins had passed away while they had still been on the island.

"Lovey, Jenkins is fine with his wages," he said, patting her hand, "now, let's discuss how you happened to miss the ribbon cutting at the children's hospital."

"Did I miss that?" Mrs. Howell asked with a confused look. "When was it?"

"Yesterday, darling. Mrs. Burrows even called to see if you were still coming. She said that you told her you had to look for something to wear, but you never showed up," Mr. Howell explained.

Mrs. Howell felt foolish, and quite embarrassed that she had to admit to her husband that her reason for missing such an important charity event was strictly due to her not being able to remember where she was suppose to be.

"Silly me," Mrs. Howell said, "it was so strange, Thurston. I must have looked through a dozen outfits. Then when I finally picked one, I couldn't remember why I had been looking through my clothes in the first place."

"Lovey, let's take some time to get away," Mr. Howell sighed, "I think you're tired and taking on too many projects. You're wearing yourself to an absolute frazzle.

Mr. Howell's heart stung with pain. He knew he was lying to himself. Mrs. Howell wasn't tired and she wasn't too busy either. Lovey was losing her faculties. His own mother had went through a similar process. How long would it be? Months? Years? How long would it be before Lovey forgot how to take care of herself? How long would it be before she didn't recognize those she knew? How long would it be before she stopped recognizing him completely? The thought frightened him. It was hard to think about his wife not even knowing who he was. What was most frightening of all was wondering how long it would be before she didn't even know her own self.

...

When Doris awoke from her nap, dinner was nearly ready and the children's homework was almost done. She stretched and made her way to the kitchen to see what was going on.

"Hi mom," Jolani said, giving her mother a peck on the cheek.

"Hi sweetheart. Did you make dinner?" Doris asked as she took a nibble of mashed potatoes.

"I did most of it, but aunt Helen helped. It was also her idea for us to go ahead and make dinner for you."

"Thank you both," she said, "I really appreciate it. So, how was school today?"

"I found out that Clint was a big jerk. I'm glad dad told me I couldn't go out with him. Can you believe he wanted me to act like he never asked me out? It was all because of what happened yesterday," Jolani replied.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Doris said, embracing her daughter. Her heart went out to Jolani. It was the first time a boy had been interested in her, and she had been excited about it. Doris knew the rejection couldn't have been easy for her. She had been a girl once herself and had gotten her heart broken... several times. The two instances that stuck out in her mind was the time her fiance had cheated on her, and when she had met Jonas as a new young sailor, only for him to be shipped over seas only two months into their budding relationship. "How was the rest of your day?"

"I... um... I have detention tomorrow. I was late for Chemistry," Jolani said sheepishly, as she fished a detention slip out of her backpack.

"Jolani, why?"

"Please don't tell dad. I'll still have time to come home and clean the garage. I just have to go to Judy's party. It's the first party I've been invited to since we've moved here."

"Jolani, why were you late?"

"I was crying because Clint called off the date and was hiding out in the empty Choir room." Jolani conveniently left out the part of listening to her "dream man" playing the trumpet. This was not the time to discuss boys with her mother, not now when so much was riding on her weekend plans. Perhaps if her mother had the impression her tardiness was solely based on nursing her broken heart, she may just be merciful and let this one screw up slide past.

"Ok, I won't tell your father... this time. Just don't let it happen again. Marriage is built on more than love. It's trust and communication too. I don't feel right keeping things from him, especially when it involves you or your brother."

"Thanks mom, you're the best," Jolani said, hugging her mother tightly.

...

The Skipper sighed in frustration as he looked under the hood of his car, broken fan belt in his hand. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. The Skipper knew a small repair like a fan belt wouldn't set them back much money wise, but it was the principle of the matter. Sometimes, a major repair meant the difference between Jolani going to therapy for the week or not. Jolani's therapy sessions were a sacrifice that both he and Doris agreed would never be an option. They did her good, and she needed them. He finally decided not to be too upset. Being behind for one week wouldn't be the end of the world. Perhaps he would put in a bit of overtime.

"What's the matter, Skipper?" Gilligan asked.

"Fan belt broke," he sighed and he stuffed the item into his pocket.

"You want a ride home?"

"No thanks, Little Buddy. Sam already offered to take me home. He's just waiting for his son to show up. They're coming over for dinner."

Gilligan couldn't believe his ears. His family hadn't been invited over to Skipper and Doris' house since they moved to Honolulu. Sure, they had gotten together at a restaurant a couple of times, and his family had been over to their house... but he and Mary Ann hadn't been invited over to their house as of yet.

"How come Sam gets an invitation to dinner?" Gilligan said in a jealous tone. "You've not had my family over yet. What gives?"

"Little Buddy, I only invited Sam and his son because he is taking me home. Besides, Sam's a widower and not the best cook from what I've heard. They've been eating burgers and pizza since they got into town," the Skipper explained, "plus, you are going to be spending Thanksgiving with us, remember? You can't say you've never been invited. You and Mary Ann and the kids don't need an invitation anyway. Come by whenever you want."

"Well, you never said that,"

"I thought it was understood. Since when do you not come around when you feel like it? You always did on the island... always coming over, interrupting private moments, delaying work projects..."

"Well, if I'm such a nuisance to you, I guess you shouldn't call me Little Buddy anymore. I'm not some kid, you know. I'm not you're flunky anymore," Gilligan said, in a convincing angry tone. Deep down, it killed him to request that Skipper not call him Little Buddy. He loved that name. Deep down, he knew it was a term of endearment.

Gilligan's comment took the Skipper off guard. Did Gilligan really believe that he thought of him as just some flunky? Surely not. Gilligan meant the world to him, and in spite of all the times he had reprimanded Gilligan, he was fairly certain he had conveyed to Gilligan how much he thought of him as a sailor and a man. He was hurt, but he wasn't going to show that to Gilligan. Oh, the Skipper knew it was wrong to show his pride, but he wasn't about to show Gilligan that his feelings were hurt.

"Gilligan, I'm not in the mood for a petty argument. What the heck is wrong with you anyway?"

"Well, I just think you're already treating this new guy better than you've ever treated me."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, I've been around all day and you've not once yelled at him, called him a name, or smacked him with your hat. In fact, it's been happy go lucky all day with you two. Just talking and laughing the whole time in between tours." The Skipper sighed in frustration. Gilligan was being ridiculous in his opinion. Had Gilligan not noticed that he hadn't yelled at him once in years?

"Gilligan, for one, this is Sam's first day. You've got to be gracious on a man's first day on the job. For another, he's not done anything wrong. What you don't realize Gilligan, is that Sam has years of experience. Up until last year, his life was mostly the Navy. He's made a career out of it, just like I did. The reason that he's not a Captain with his own ship right now is because he can't afford it. He's a single father, who's just moved, and still paying hospital and funeral bills from where his wife died."

Gilligan felt like a first class louse. He knew that Sam was a widower, but hadn't considered the financial burden he must have been carrying. Was he jealous of the Skipper's friendship with Sam, or was he jealous because he really believed that Sam was turning out to be a better First Mate than he had been? Gilligan considered how hard he was being on himself and immediately thought of his daughter Abby's sour attitude. Could it be the apple didn't fall far from the tree?

"I'm sorry Skipper, it's just... well, all those mean things you used to say to me and do to me...I've never gave them another thought until I saw the kind way you've reacted to Sam. It made me wonder if I was really that less of a person that I deserved so much ridicule. That perhaps if another man ever made the same screw ups he would be treated differently." Gilligan teared up a little as he spoke. This in turn caused the Skipper to tear up as well. He knew he had asked God to forgive him for all the times he blew up at Gilligan, but maybe he had forgotten to ask for Gilligan's forgiveness. Sure, he had apologized to Gilligan before on numerous occasions, and had asked Gilligan to forgive him. However, those had been times when he was trying to pull Gilligan out of a funk... or to get him to do whatever Gilligan had refused to do because his feelings were hurt. Now the Skipper knew the repercussions of his actions. Once he had prayed that all his fits of rage hadn't broken Gilligan's spirit. In a way, it had done just that.

"Gilligan, I am so sorry you feel that way. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You are not less of a man. You are one of the most wonderful people I know. Haven't you noticed that I've not yelled at you once since I've moved back here? I'm much different than I used to be. That bad temper of mine was partly my personality and partly the military side of me that had to be tough. It never should have carried over on the island. We were both civilians long before that. I guess I didn't know how to quit... especially when whatever mistake you made had to do whether we got off that island or not. It wasn't your sole responsibility to make sure we got off that island, and I never meant for it to seem like that. Can you ever forgive me? God's been so good to me, I've no right to be angry... with you, with Sam, or anyone really."

Gilligan looked at his best friend, who had now shed a few tears and was extending a hand of friendship to him. Gilligan had to admit that the Skipper had changed quite a bit, but the changes had been subtle. It started off when he had married Doris, then they had lost the child they were expecting. Soon after that, they found Jolani, and he and the Skipper had traveled to the girl's island to see what had happened. The complete desolation and destruction they encountered had caused a change in the Skipper. He began to admire these people he didn't even know, treating them as heroes for standing up for what they believed in. Of course, after being rescued they never got to see each other very often. The biggest surprise had come when Gilligan received a phone call one Sunday afternoon. "Guess what Gilligan. Doris and I are getting baptized. We've accepted Christ. If it's good enough for our daughter, it's good enough for us." Gilligan was confused. Accepted Christ for what? Was a priest going to sprinkle holy water on them, or were they gonna get dunked in a lake, like Gilligan had seen on a movie once? Even after almost an hour of the Skipper explaining what he meant, Gilligan still hadn't been sure he understood completely. What he had understood, though, was that his very best friend had chosen to call him to share a very important part of his life with him. That had thrilled Gilligan greatly.

"I forgive you,Skipper. I'm also sorry too. Things are so different between us now. I guess in a way I was hoping you would try to find a First Mate that reminded you of me... that perhaps you missed the old days. Sam is so much like you,... well, I thought you had found yourself a new best friend."

The Skipper chuckled, "Oh Gilligan, you're my Little Buddy and always will be. A guy can't just go around replacing great friends like you. Besides, there is no one like you, not even Jimmy."