PARADISE
Professor and Mary Ann took their time hiking on the familiar path up to the waterfall. As they strolled the Professor picked some mango and jack-fruit for them to eat later. The Professor thought how lucky they were to have such an abundance of food on the island and with Mary Ann's cooking every meal was a treat. Besides all the fruit there was large colorful flowers everywhere they looked. It was a kaleidoscope of colors. Red, yellow, blue, purple and white. Mary Ann loved them all and they smelled heavenly. She smiled dreamily as she remembered when she and Roy were first getting to know each other in a romantic sense. The castaways would relax on Sunday and the Professor and Mary Ann more times than not would go for a walk together. But first thing almost every Monday morning the Professor would lightly knock-on Mary Ann's hut door before she had time to come out to make breakfast. He would stand in the doorway shyly holding a bunch of flowers, stating he wanted her week to start off as happy as possible even though they were stranded on the island. Sometimes he would bring only one color of flowers and other times a burst of multiple colors. Mary Ann thought for such a logical man he learned very quickly how to express his romantic side.
The Professor and Mary Ann would spend time at the waterfall when it was hot but mostly, they went there because they wanted to escape the prying eyes of Mrs. Howell and Ginger. One thought they needed a chaperon and the other just wanted to know any new gossip that happened. You couldn't really blame Ginger because rarely did anything new happen on the island, but it was hard to "date" when five pairs of eyes were always watching. It was hard to date anyway, since being stranded limited their activities. Roy couldn't drive up in his Rambler to pick up Mary Ann so they could drive into town for dinner and a movie. That was fine by Mary Ann because she didn't need all that fancy stuff. They had more than enough fun on their picnics and walks around the island.
After being together for about six months Ginger and Skipper surprised them with a romantic evening at the lagoon. Skipper had set tiki torches on the beach to give off light glow after the sun had set. Ginger set a lovely table with a beautiful centerpiece of white flowers. As the Professor and Mary Ann sat down, they could hear soft music playing on the radio.
Skipper had cooked lobster while Ginger made a salad and fruit for dessert. They discreetly left after Ginger had served Mary Ann and the Professor dinner. After they finished eating the Professor gently drew Mary Ann into his arms and they danced under the stars for hours. They didn't make it back to their huts until the early hours of the morning. It was a very special night.
Every time they hiked up to the waterfall, they would stand in awe from the sheer beauty of it and the surrounding foliage. The waterfall looked like a fifty-foot shower and it always felt so refreshing. The Professor and Mary Ann walked under the waterfall to wash off the sweat from their hike. On the other side of the waterfall hid a large cave. When they were through with their shower, they slid down a natural rock slide that dropped them about 5 feet into a pool of water. The water was cool and perfect on a hot day. Unlike when they were at the lagoon, they leisurely swam and floated in the water. As they floated, they watched colorful butterflies and birds fly every which way above them. It was the perfect place to relax and to enjoy the peace. Once the professor and Mary Ann tired, they slowly walked out to sit on their favorite rock to dry off. Mary Ann started to comb her hair before it completely dried.
The Professor grabbed the comb from Mary Ann. "Here let me do that." He slowly and gently ran the comb through Mary Ann's hair.
Mary Ann closed her eyes and smiled. "You spoil me. You don't know how soothing that feels."
The Professor bent and kissed her shoulder. "I know how much you enjoy me combing your hair and it's almost therapeutic for me."
While they sat on the large rock they talked about many subjects, except for one, science. This was a day for the two of them to relax and celebrate their love, not to examine or analyze anything. The view looked like paradise, from the brightly colorful birds and butterflies, the waterfall, to the flowers and the ferns. Everywhere they looked was nature at its best.
Mary Ann sighed, "It looks how I would imagine paradise to be. I mean everywhere you look it's so beautiful."
Professor looked around, "Yes Dear, it does look like paradise. If we were going to be shipwrecked, we couldn't have picked a better place."
"We couldn't have picked better people either."
"Yes, my Dear, especially the people."