Jolani stared out the bus window that morning, lost in her own thoughts. Last night had been like a dream. Every time she thought about Nate and his warm smile, she felt her entire body shudder.

She could hardly wait to get to school and find Nate. He was quite an interesting fellow. They had talked at length the evening before about their deceased parents and their religious beliefs. Jolani went into limited detail about the massacre of her people. She had explained that she hadn't seen much, but heard nearly everything that had been going on. She never did discuss her mother's rape... what little she had saw of it. It was something from her past that she had only shared with her therapist and her adoptive parents.

She recalled the time when she was eight years old, and blocked memories were trickling their way into her mind. She had stripped down her Ken and Barbie, throwing Barbie to the ground and slamming Ken on top of the other doll. She remembered that she had begun to scream in a high pitched voice "No no! Dear God, please stop! Please don't do this to me!" Her voice had then changed, and in a deeper voice began to chant in her native language.

When her adoptive mother had spied what she was doing, she immediately ushered her to the car, leaving her baby brother in her grandmother's care.

Doris had rushed her to the hospital and thus began to demand that the receptionist phone Jolani's therapist. This began six months of one hour sessions twice a week, every week. Between word association, picture drawing, and role playing, the therapist learned much about Jolani's situation.

As the bus stopped in front of the elementary school, she was brought out of her thoughts as she hugged her brother good-bye. As the bus rolled pass toward the high school, Jolani stopped her thoughts of the past and brought her mind back to last night. She had been shocked by Nate's embrace, but did everything she could to try and savor the feeling. After they had went back inside and finished their dessert, she challenged him to a game of checkers as her mom and pop and his dad got better acquainted over cups of coffee. That was when their conversation had turned to their beliefs. She had found Nate's views quite interesting. Despite the differences in their denominations, their central beliefs were pretty much the same.

One thing had broken her heart though. That was the fact that he said he wanted to become a priest. She knew in that case they could never be more than friends. No matter how much she admired him, she would have to fight her feelings for him with all she had. She silently prayed that she could be content to be just his pal, unless by some chance he would ever change his mind. Of course, even if he did change his mind, he wouldn't likely be interested in her. After all, she was a freshman and he was a senior. After this year, he would be headed off to the monastery... or college. Who was to say she'd ever see him again?

The only bright spot in the whole situation was that he had acknowledged her at all. He wanted to be her friend. Surely it wasn't just because their fathers were co-workers. He seemed genuinely kind and truly interested in what she had to say. No boy had ever taken an interest in her like that. Perhaps, God willing, there would be something more in store for the two of them.

...

Nate sat on a picnic bench with a couple of guys from his physical education class. They were involved in conversation about their dates for the weekend, a conversation that automatically excluded Nate. In fact, he hadn't been invited to sit with them at all, but rather asked if he could join them. As the two other boys carried on about the moves they were going to make on their girlfriends, Nate tuned them out. Instead, his mind began to concentrate on his new friend, Jolani.

She was very mature for a fourteen year old. She was wise, witty, and a very deep thinker. He recalled the tales she had told him about the attack on her people, the feeling of running through the jungle with all of her might, and rowing across the ocean. He could almost feel her fear and he wondered how one little girl had endured so much. When she had told him of her guardian angel, he became even more intrigued. What did he say? What did he look like? How many times had she seen him?

"Hello," a voice said, drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Jolani standing in front of him.

"Oh, hello," he said in front of the other boys. The two boys looked at him strangely.

"Curt and Tom, this is Jolani Grumby. She's a friend of mine," Nate said proudly. Jolani was touched. Instead of being embarrassed by her presence, he was actually glad to see her.

The boys immediately started to chuckle. "No blood! No blood! Get it off!" Curt yelled in a high pitched voice, mocking Jolani's upset on the first day of her first cycle.

Nate had no idea what Curt was talking about, but whatever it was, had upset Jolani to the point of tears. Anger rose up within him as he felt his body stiffen and his face and ears getting hot. There was no way he would allow Jolani to put up with this treatment a second longer.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Nate declared, getting right up into Curt's face. "I don't know what this is all about, but she didn't do anything to you!"

"Whatever," Tom said as both boys walked away from the area.

Jolani looked at the ground, tears trickling down her face.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," Jolani said. Nate's heart went out to her. What could he do to make her feel better? Slowly, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He smiled at her, saying he was glad to stand up for her. Her tear misted eyes focused on him, as the sunlight shone on her silky, black hair. A strange sensation came over Nate, as his heart skipped a beat.

Oh God, she's beautiful! He thought to himself for a fleeting moment before he dismissed it. She was a couple months from her fifteenth birthday, yet she didn't seem like a girl... she seemed like a woman... a woman with a heart of gold and the countenance of an angel.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Nate prayed silently.

"Come on, let me walk you to class," he said as he led Jolani by the arm.

...

When Saturday had come, Jolani sat in the car with her father as they made their way to the Marina. Judy's slumber party had been cancelled due to a death in the family. Jolani had wondered what was going on when Judy hadn't been to school on Friday. That evening, Jolani received a call from Judy, saying that her great-grandmother had passed away. Two hours later, as Doris dropped Isaac off at Mary Ann and Gilligan's, they also dropped off a casserole at Judy's house as they gave the family their heartfelt condolences and prayers.

"You don't mind me coming along, do you dad?" Jolani asked.

"Of course not," the Skipper said, "you're always welcomed on my boat. One day, when I'm called home, the boat will belong to you and your family." Jolani rolled her eyes at her father's comment.

"Oh dad! Don't talk that way! It's grim and I don't want to think about a life without you or mom. It's bad enough I lost my biological parents."

"Sorry sweetheart," the Skipper said, as he began to park the car, "I didn't mean to be insensitive. Just keep in mind that whenever something does happen to one of us, the separation will only be temporary. Really, what I should have said was you don't need my permission to be aboard the Islander. It belongs to our entire family."

As both of them exited the car, the Skipper noticed that Sam and Nate were already there, getting the Islander prepared for the passengers that would be by later. Jolani smiled and walked on ahead as Nate waved to her from the bow of the ship. The Skipper sighed, almost regretting that he had Jolani come along. His daughter was in love, and that was something he wasn't prepared for. He thought back to the days on the island when Jolani was just a little girl. He'd hold her in his lap after she'd had a nightmare, and would tell her stories until she would fall back to sleep. He thanked God when the nightmares had finally ended. It had been a very trying time for him, Doris, and most of all, Jolani. He looked up and saw that Nate and Jolani were already engaged in conversation. Both were smiling and laughing, completely enjoying each other's company. Nate threw back his head and laughed at something Jolani had said. The boy had a certain look in his eye, the Skipper observed. The Skipper knew that look. From the time he had met Doris, he had looked at her with those same eyes every day. No matter how much that boy wanted to be a priest, the Skipper had a feeling that Nate's heart would lead him in a different direction... one that more than likely included his daughter.

...

"Captain Grumby," Sam addressed him as he saluted, "compass is in working order, all instruments have been tested, wheel is oiled and turns easily. Nate is swabbing the deck, and Jolani is preparing tea and sandwiches for the passengers."

"At ease, Sam," the Skipper said, "please, call me Skipper. You've done a terrific job, but you need to relax around me. I know you've not been out of the Navy long, but things are a little more relaxed here."

The Skipper appreciated the respect, he had to admit it. However, he felt strange about Sam treating him as if he were his superior officer. Of course, he was the Captain and Sam was the First Mate. While the Skipper had expected Gilligan to salute him and call him sir was just merely the fact that Gilligan needed the discipline. Over the years, that became less and less as Captain and First Mate became like brothers and best friends. The sharp contrast in authority blurred as they became more like equals. Yes, he and Gilligan had some very good times together... still did. He thought about how Gilligan always did his very best to do what he was told, even when he didn't get it right. He was honest to a fault too... letting the Skipper know when he had goofed something up, even if it meant getting swatted with the Captain's hat for correcting his superior. The Skipper appreciated that Gilligan now. Sam was more of a "yes" man, a "by the book" man. He was fun and terrific company off of the clock, but was rigid and all business during the working hours.

"Yes Captain... er Skipper," Sam said, "I'll try to remember that."

...

As five passengers boarded the Islander, Nate and Jolani both played the part of host and hostess as they welcomed each tourist aboard, offering them a deck chair and a cold drink. One passenger was a hairdresser from New Mexico, another an elderly lady from Vermont, the last three made up a family. The dad was a Sergeant who had fought in Vietnam, the mother was a Veterinarian who specialized with farm animals. Their son, who looked about Nate's age, was tall with brown hair. As he boarded, he gave Nate a smug look, then winked at Jolani.

The boy's wink wasn't warm and friendly like Nate's had been. His wink gave Jolani a very unsettled feeling inside. She tugged at her shorts and pulled up on her already conservative neckline, as she had the feeling the boy was undressing her with his eyes.

The Skipper didn't miss a beat. He had seen the way the young passenger had looked at his daughter. His eyes followed the boy, giving him a disapproving glare until the boy had taken a seat several feet away from Jolani.

Once everyone had made themselves comfortable, Sam rose the anchor and started up the engine. As the Skipper flipped a few switches and started out of the docking bay, Sam got on the microphone to welcome everyone aboard.

"Thank you, Sam," the Skipper said, "would you mind going deck side and interact with the passengers? They usually have lots of questions."

"Be glad to Skipper."

"Oh, by the way, that young fella with his parents... keep an eye on him, will ya? I don't like the way he's looking at Jolani."

Sam looked out the port hole of the engine room to spy what was going on. There Jolani stood by his Nate, peering out at the sea and pointing out the sea gulls. He smiled at the sight.

"You have no reason to worry, Skipper. I'm certain Nate will keep an eye on him too."

...

The Islander had been out to sea for about an hour. The sky was clear and the air was clean. The wind tousled Jolani's hair as she unsuccessfully tried to push it behind her ears.

"I think I'm gonna get me one of those sandwiches. Do you want one?" Nate asked.

"Sure, I'll take chicken salad if there are any left. I used grandma Hansen's recipe and I want to see if I did her creation justice. However, it looks as if they went well," Jolani said, as she watched the other passengers enjoying their sandwiches.

"Ok, I'll be right back."

As Nate walked away, Jolani focused back on the ocean. She could taste the salt in the air, her face moist from the mist that came off of the water. The sun's reflection on the water looked like sparkling jewels. The thrashing of the water and the sound of the sea gulls and sand pipers were like music. It was no wonder that her father and Uncle Gilligan loved the sea so much. It was a completely different world out at sea... one didn't have to deal with the hustle and bustle back on land. One could just enjoy God's aquatic creations... animals that most people never usually gave a second thought to. As she was pondering this, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a voice behind her.

"Sure is a nice day."

Jolani turned around, startled, speaking politely, but not overly friendly to the teenager. "Yep." She looked back out to the water, trying to ignore this boy that made her feel so uncomfortable. It had to be the way he was ogling her that caused her to become disengaged.

"A girl like you makes it that much nicer. So, where are you from?" He scooted closer as he spoke, and Jolani backed away.

"Minnesota."

"I'm from Illinois myself. Name is Keith Walters. " He scanned Jolani up and down as she began to increasingly feel more uncomfortable. She fixed her gaze on the ocean, ignoring the boy.

"You sure are pretty. What's your name?" He received no answer, yet pressed forward regardless of her cold reaction.

"Your little boyfriend isn't too smart leaving your side. Someone is liable to snatch you up. Say Honey, does this boat have a Captain's quarters?" His insinuation made Jolani's blood run cold. She was gripped with fear, as he slid an arm around her. She was just about ready to slap him when she heard someone clearing their throat from behind them.

The boy turned too, staring wide-eyed and frightened at the man who stood before him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Um... er...just talking, that's all."

"It looked like more than just talking to me. She's a minor, son."

"Just a little harmless flirting. She seems like a nice girl."

"You're darn right she's a nice girl, and she wants to stay that way! Oh yeah... that nice girl is my daughter, get it!" The boy gulped as the Skipper continued.

"Get out of here, and if I see you near my daughter again, I'll tell your parents what you were trying to do!"

As the boy scurried away, Jolani collapsed into her father's arms, crying tears of relief.

"Thank you daddy," she said, "he was a creep."

"It's alright sweetheart," the Skipper replied as he comforted his daughter, "it's all over with now. I'll always be here for you."

Nate stood in the background, witnessing the scene before him. He felt guilty, but he wasn't sure why. Was it because he had left Jolani alone, or was it because he hadn't stepped in and came to her rescue?