Mrs. Howell was on her way to the supply hut with Thurston's teddy bear, when she heard the sound of crying coming from Doris' hut.
What in the world? She wondered. She went to the door and knocked.
"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Doris had screamed at the door.
"Doris dear, it's Mrs. Howell. Can I please come in?" She asked kindly.
"Sure," Doris said, sitting up and wiping her eyes. Mrs. Howell entered the little hut and sat down beside the weeping woman. "What are you doing out so late?" Doris asked.
"Thurston forgot his teddy," she said, blushing. Sometimes, deep down, it slightly embarrassed her that her husband slept with a teddy bear. However, she put up with it because she knew how much the bear meant to him. "I'm sure he's not getting a wink of sleep without him."
"He sleeps with a teddy bear?" She had asked.
"The bear is very special to Thurston. You see, his father got him that teddy bear. Teddy bears were named after president Roosevelt, and that is who his father had gotten the bear from. His parents were always busy with trips, transactions, and business deals. He was practically raised by nannies. So, teddy makes him feel like his father is nearby," she explained.
"Oh," was all Doris could say.
"What's the matter, dear?" Mrs. Howell looked at her with sympathy, placing a hand between Doris' shoulder blades.
"The Skipper... he was acting like an idiot. He made a pass at me... kept calling me baby. I've never felt so cheap in all my life," Doris said through her tears.
"You have to know the dear man didn't mean those things. Why, that's not the Skipper we know at all. He's always such a gentleman to us ladies, and very helpful," Mrs. Howell said.
"He pulled me down on his hammock. I don't know what he was thinking, or maybe he wasn't. All I know is that I'm angry...angry with myself, for trusting him to be a decent guy," she had said, and then began to sob. Her mind went back to her first day there. He seemed kind, gentle, fun, respectful. Deep down, she still felt those qualities were still there, but the side she had just saw was something less than desirable.
"Please give him a chance. He was drunk. He didn't know any better. I can promise you that he doesn't make a habit of being foolish. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him,or anyone else on this island, drunk. I'd still have fingers left to count." Mrs. Howell had said, pleading the Skipper's case.
"Really," Doris replied, perking up a bit.
"I promise you. The Skipper is a true leader, wise thinker, and responsible human being. What you saw was a celebration that got out of hand," Mrs. Howell went on,. "To be honest with you, I was probably too hard on Thurston. Here the others said degrading things about their wives bodies, but Thurston mentions something about my teeth and I get angry about it. Why, if he had mentioned my bosoms or my hips, I would have been horrified."
"You know," Doris stated, "I ran into your husband before all the men turned in. He told me that your smile makes his heart patter, and he wished that is what he would have said instead." This made Mrs. Howell smile. Her straight-laced, conservative, get straight to the point, husband was not in the habit of making such intimate remarks about his wife in public. It sort of made her feel special that he had said something so sweet in front of the others. He may not have realized that he had said it, given that he was drunk... but she was sure that he had meant it. Thurston had told her many times before how much he loved her smile. Mrs. Howell wished he would say it as often as he use to.
"Thank you Dearie," Mrs. Howell told Doris, "I'm glad you told me that. It's just what I needed to hear. On the other hand, keep in mind that the Skipper probably didn't mean to hurt you either. He cares about you, dear girl. I've noticed when he glances your way, his eyes light up. He's been so lonely, especially the last couple of years since everyone else has finally paired up. I'm given the impression, just from stories I've heard, he had quite a way with the ladies. I can't imagine being use to all that attention, and then going for years with no one being interested in you. You were an absolute Godsend. You made our dear Captain smile again."
Doris thought about that for awhile. He made her smile too. It's not that she wasn't happy with her life back home. Her friends were all single like she was. However, if Dwight, Angela, and Collette would happen to find their true loves, she would probably feel the same way as the Skipper had felt. She wanted to forgive him, but she wanted to be mad at him too. He deserved a little bit of wrath, she had reasoned. He had been a real pig and made her feel like garbage. She also knew deep down that Mrs. Howell was right. His drunken nature was not consistent with what she had seen over the last few days, nor did it match up with what Mrs. Howell's opinion of him was. Of course, it was more than obvious that Mrs. Howell's agenda was to get the two of them together. However, she felt sure Mrs. Howell wouldn't want to fix up just any two people. She was keen to the chemistry she saw between the two of them. No, if the Skipper was a scoundrel, she was sure Mrs. Howell wouldn't even bother with trying to convince her what a "so-called" great guy he was. After all, Mrs. Howell knew him better than she did. One simply didn't live day in and day out every single day for five years with someone and not know them.
"I'll... I'll try. I need to sleep on it though. However, am I suppose to just forget about what he did?" She had asked.
"No, you have every right to be angry. That was a disgusting thing the Skipper did. You let him know he was wrong and how it made you feel, then you forgive him and move on," Mrs. Howell said, "besides, something tells me you're having a hard time staying mad." Mrs. Howell said with a grin on her face.
"Well," Doris confessed, "maybe a little bit. You're the one who's making him sound like he's the salt of the Earth. How am I suppose to stay mad at someone like that?" She giggled at her comment, and Mrs. Howell laughed with her. She truly liked being around this woman. She was still quite a bit younger than herself, but the age difference wasn't quite as drastic as it was with Ginger and Mary Ann. When she talked to Doris, she felt like she was advising a younger sister or a good friend. With Ginger and Mary Ann, it was more like mothering. It wasn't that she wasn't pleased with the relationship she had with the two younger women, it was just a different kind of relationship. Mrs. Howell felt happy that she could get to know this woman who had joined their happy little family just days before.
"Doris, I've a favor to ask of you," Mrs. Howell had said as she fidgeted with the pearls around her neck.
"Sure! What can I do for you?" Doris asked with enthusiasm.
"Well, you see the girls always call me Mrs. Howell because they see me as a mother figure. I'm sure they do it out of respect. It's the same reason I'm sure that Gilligan and the Professor call me Mrs. Howell. The Skipper calls me Mrs. Howell because I'm an older, married woman. It's the proper thing to do. Well, as much as I appreciate the respect, being called Mrs. Howell all the time is rather impersonal. Would you mind calling me either Eunice or Lovey?" She asked.
"Well, I thought Lovey was your pet name," Doris said.
"It sort of is... but it's more a nickname. My closest friends back home would call me Lovey as well," she explained.
"I'd love to. I kind of like Eunice. You look like a Eunice... it suits you," she had said with a smile.
"Oh thank you!" Mrs. Howell had said, overjoyed. She wrapped Doris in huge hug. "It's so nice to make a new friend. I'm so glad you're here. When we get rescued one day, we'll have to definitely keep in touch on a regular basis."
"I'd like that, Eunice. I'm honored to be you're friend. Thank you for coming to talk to me. It helped a lot," Doris said, hugging her new friend back.
"Anytime," Mrs. Howell replied.
