As Gilligan and Mary Ann returned from a productive afternoon of fishing, Ginger and the Professor saw them return from inside of the latter's hut.
"Darling, they're back. Should we call Gilligan in now?" Ginger asked.
"Yes, dear. Let's bring him in," Professor Roy answered.
As Mary Ann and Gilligan replaced the radio from the girl's hut they used to listen to while in the lagoon, Roy called Gilligan over.
"Say, Gilligan, do you have a minute?" the learned man asked.
"Sure, professor," Gilligan responded. He then turned to his Mary Ann and said "let me go see what the Professor wants and I will catch up with you later."
"Okay, dear," Mary Ann said, quickly kissing her Gilligan on the lips, as she entered into her hut to change out of the short shorts and red halter top she had been wearing earlier at the lagoon and into her baby blue gingham dress. Meanwhile, Gilligan walked over towards the Professor's hut. As he approached, the door opened.
"Hello, Gilligan," Roy smiled, as he held the door open for Gilligan to enter through. As Gilligan passed through, he was in for a surprise.
"Hello, Professor," Gilligan smiled in response as he went inside. Once inside, he was surprised to learn of another occupant inside of the hut.
"Hello, Gilligan," Ginger said.
"Oh, hi, Ginger. This is a pleasant surprise," Gilligan said.
"Please, have a seat," Roy said, gesturing Gilligan to sit across from him and Ginger. Ginger was sitting there wearing a white laboratory overcoat with her red hair pulled back and a pair of horned rim glasses over her immense, green eyes—her clinician's look, indicating therapy—though it would be as much as that for the occupants in the hut as the invited Gilligan, who removed his hat, and placed it in his lap, as he took his seat.
Once the three of them were seated, Ginger crossed her big, beautiful, shapely white legs and started talking.
"So, Gilligan, tell me how your day has gone so far?" she asked.
"So far, so good. Mary Ann and I had a great day fishing down at the lagoon. We even caught a ridiculously huge fish which she reeled in," Gilligan answered.
"That is great, Gilligan," Roy said,
"Yes, Gilligan. Wonderful," Ginger said.
"Thank you," Gilligan replied.
"You're welcome," Ginger answered.
"You and Mary Ann, we have noticed, do look happy together," Roy said.
"Yes, we do, Professor, very much," Gilligan answered.
"That is great, Gilligan," Roy replied.
"Thank you. So, what did you want to see me about?" Gilligan asked.
"Well, Gilligan," Ginger started, "I wanted to say I am sorry."
"Sorry?" a stunned Gilligan replied, "For what?"
"I owe you an apology…for the way I have treated you over the years while we've been here on the island," Ginger said.
"Okay…but…why are you telling me this now?" a puzzled Gilligan asked.
"Because of everything that has happened, I feel the time has come to make a confession," Ginger said, "a confession you deserve to hear."
"Okay…but what is it you feel you need to confess to me about?" Gilligan asked.
"Well…everything," Ginger said, her eyes watering so much that she found herself removing her glasses as the incoming tears were beginning to steam them up. Then, she continued.
"First off, when we were shipwrecked, I thought you were quite inept. You could not do anything right, I made light of you when you broke your nose to appease you, and even never thought of you, enough to give you a modicum of respect I ever thought you were even entitled to," Ginger said through her tears.
Even from here, thinking back to those days, Gilligan suddenly had a sad look on his face.
Even Roy began to shed some tears. In part for his woman. In part for his own culpability.
Ginger continued talking through her tears. "And when you walked away when he got that crate of magic materials, I never thought you would do that. You were so quick to volunteer for the disappearing cabinet trick…that I never thought you would really disappear. I was very struck with a tremendous amount of guilt," she said.
"You should have been. All of you," Gilligan said, pointing to Roy, who described him as a pest when that had happened—something which hurt Willy to no end at the time. Even his Mary Ann was against her now-boyfriend on that one. "I know I mess up and I have made more than my share of mistakes—maybe even more than others. Yet, there have also been times that I have been blamed even when it was not all entirely my fault…" Gilligan coming to break down, unable to hide his hurt, covering his eyes with the right sleeve of his brother's red shirt, clenching his teeth to keep his sobs from coming out.
As Roy continued to weep, Ginger's tears were so intense that her striking green eyes were heavily contrasted by the redness of her eyes from crying so extremely hard.
"You're right," Roy said.
"I am?" Gilligan asked.
"Absolutely, Gilligan," he answered. "For the longest time, often, we took our frustrations out on you for our being on this island as we have been. You were the only other crew member here, besides the Skipper, and since we all had too much respect to ever blame him for our misfortunes, we found it easier to take our frustrations out on you, following his lead in blaming you…rather than maybe looking more at ourselves…or maybe not standing up to him for you when we should have."
"You are so right about that," Gilligan said. "I wish someone would have stood up for me more often. Yes, I was so sad—and at times, angry—that even after I served out whatever punishment I was doled out, for whatever I did, I often ran away…and stayed away. Except for maybe Mary Ann, and there were even times I could not be around her, for those same reasons. I often kept to myself unless it was time to do my chores and came around to eat when the time came. It's like that song I heard on the radio the other night, Crying All By Myself, I would go off and cry so that others would not hear my hurt and pain."
Ginger, still streaming tears, yet stunned by that revelation (regarding the Steve Cropper/Booker T. Jones-penned song), as was her boyfriend (for that very same reason), with whom she shared a quick revelatory glance at, also, responded, "Gee, Gilligan, we had no idea you felt that way."
"That's because you never bothered to ask…let alone believe in…me for anything. Usually, I have been talked at…instead of being talked to, like any other person here. After all, there is a difference. Remember, I too, am a human being. And I, too, cry, breath, and bleed as much as anyone else on this island…or anywhere else, for that matter!" a now angry and hurt Gilligan replied, no longer hiding his tears.
"Yes, Gilligan, you are," Ginger confessed. "And I am so deeply sorry you did not receive the attention and consideration you deserved. I wish I had seen it sooner. And I am even sorrier it took Kincaid to come around."
"Kincaid!? What about him?" Gilligan asked.
"Well, when he selected you for his hunt," Ginger said, "I thought you were not going to make it."
"Really?" Gilligan, now disappointed, asked how come?
"Because I did not have the confidence that you could evade him," Ginger confessed.
"I thought you trusted me more than that," Gilligan said.
"At the time, I did not," Ginger confessed. "But as the hunt went on, you were still out there, uncaptured, and by morning time, I thought maybe you'd have a chance. That is when my attitude towards you started to change."
"It did?" Gilligan asked.
"Yes," she answered.
Gilligan turned to Roy, who answered. "It's true."
"How?" Gilligan said, turning back to Ginger.
"Well, when Kincaid returned to pull Mary Ann out of the cave, that is when I started to maybe realize, if Gilligan has a chance to survive this ordeal, this is how he will do it," Ginger confessed.
"And how did that change things for you?" Gilligan asked.
"What it did was made me realize: what is the one thing that Gilligan has to live for…but the love of his woman?" Ginger smiled through her tears.
"Yes. I love Mary Ann. She is always worth loving and fighting for," Gilligan said.
"That is when I knew you were going to win," Ginger admitted. "You were ready to risk it all for your Mary Ann. Then I said a silent prayer, saying, that if Gilligan gets out of this, I will come clean and do right by him going forward."
"You did all that for…me!?"
"Yes, Gilligan," Ginger said.
"That she did, Gilligan," Roy retorted. "In fact, we all came together to pray for your safety…and then, when you won, we prayed a prayer of thanks for your deliverance back to us."
"And that you did. And when I saw that Kincaid took off in his helicopter with Ramoo after you vanquished them…and we were freed…I was never so happier to see you in my life," Ginger admitted.
"Really!?" Gilligan asked.
"Yes, dear," Ginger told Gilligan.
"What made you change from not having confidence and respect in me to suddenly having confidence and respect in me?", Gilligan wondered.
"Well, it was surviving the Kincaid ordeal. That was one thing," Ginger said. "The other was displaying the courage to evade a big game hunter who so wanted you dead. And when you stood up to him…when you were willing to risk it all…for the woman you love…I was never happier for…or prouder of…you…than in that moment."
"Me, neither" Roy concurred.
Gilligan sat there, with an agape look on his face, over what he heard. He was very stunned by this amazing turn of events.
"Then, answer this me this," Gilligan asked, "if you did not have this much confidence in me then…how are you seeing all this confidence in me now?"
"What I see, Gilligan," Ginger answered, "is your confidence these past few weeks. How you are looking like you have never looked before. You have clearly grown in stature. I see it in your walk…and your talk…as if you are a brand-new man. And you seem so much happier than I have ever seen you in our years here on the island."
"Yes, Gilligan," Roy added. "I also noted how you are very happy with Mary Ann…especially when I see the two of you together, doing chores, sitting down at the table eating, or even whenever a song comes on over the radio and you both respond to it so well as you do."
"Really?", Gilligan asked.
"Yes," Ginger smiled. "We saw the two of you down at the lagoon, earlier, having fun as you two were working while listening to the radio."
"Thank you. That is great. Speaking of which, I have one question to ask," Gilligan said.
"Yes, Gilligan," Roy responded.
"When we were talking earlier, I mentioned a song, called, Crying All By Myself. When I brought that up, you both looked surprised at me as if I know that song—which I do. Have you been listening to the same radio station Mary Ann and I listen to when we are together?" Gilligan asked.
"Sometimes," Ginger answered.
"You don't say?" Gilligan replied, with a sly look coming over his face. "And when exactly do you two tune in?"
"Gilligan, a lady never tells," Ginger said, winking her right eye with her index finger over her mouth in a shush mode.
"Neither does a gentleman," Roy concurred, with a sly grin of his own.
"Yeah…well, Ok,' Gilligan added with a knowing smirk. "Then is there anything else you wanted to say to me on what we have talked about?"
"Yes," Ginger answered, taking Gilligan's hands in hers, while uncrossing her big, beautiful legs and bringing her knees together in the process…as Gilligan sat his hat in his lap. "If you have any questions, issues or concerns on anything, you know you can always ask me. I will try to be more approachable and respectful of you from here on. I would like to try and be a better friend to you than I have been and am ready to work towards earning your trust. I have come to see you as a little brother as much as I see your girlfriend as a little sister to me. "
"I already trust you, Ginger," Gilligan replied. "And if you have any questions, issues, or concerns on anything, you can do the same, too. All you have to do is ask. There is no need for any kind of seduction games or anything, as you played with me before when we were shipwrecked. Just, please ask me. And just take me more seriously as you do all the other men on this island, and as you do Mrs. Howell and my Mary Ann. I am always ready and willing to help."
"You got it," Ginger smiled through what were now tears of joy.
"Please. Just talk to me. Like a person. That is all I ask," Gilligan said.
"You got it," Ginger said.
"And I will try to do my part, too, Gilligan," Roy said.
"You really have a lot going for you, Gilligan," Ginger smiled. "And I bet your life is about to get a whole lot better, and interesting, too."
"Thank you…even though we are still stuck on this island," Gilligan wondered.
"Yes," Ginger answered, "because, even though we may still be stuck on this island, you now have a newfound confidence about you which is not only noticeable with Mary Ann, but also in the way you carry yourself, which works anywhere. And this also works in the way you have carried on this conversation with us, too."
"Which also reflects on your newfound maturity, as well, Gilligan," Roy added.
"Really?" Gilligan said.
"Yes. And it is a well-known fact that one thing that turns a woman on to a man is…confidence," Ginger added with a smile.
"Well, that is great to know," Gilligan said, smiling.
"Yes, it is," Roy added.
"So, what do you say, Gilligan? Friends?" Ginger asked.
"Always," Gilligan replied.
On that note, both Gilligan and Ginger stood up and briefly kissed each other…on the lips.
After a brief stunning pause, the two of them shared an emotional embrace holding each other with muted sobs.
Roy stood by, watching as his eyes watered once more, seeing his girlfriend and Mary Ann's boyfriend bond as friends themselves.
Good friends who were about to happen.
After their embrace ended, Ginger held Gilligan in her arms to ask him one more question.
"One more thing," Ginger asked.
"What's that?" Gilligan asked.
"May I please call you William?" she replied.
"Yes, you may," William smiled. Looking towards Roy, he then added, "you may too, if you like."
The three of them then came together in a group hug which lasted for nearly a minute. Nary a dry eye was in the embrace. For Roy, this was a much of a bonding with the younger first mate, also, as it was for his Ginger. He, too, now had a newfound respect for Gilligan he had not intended on seeking. But he had…and was now glad about and for that, as well.
"Great. Well, if there is nothing else, I would like to go check in on Mary Ann," William said.
"You do that," Roy said. "Thanks for stopping by."
"You're welcome. And thank you for seeing and talking to and with me," William said as he turned to leave.
"You're welcome, William," Roy answered.
"We love you, William," Ginger replied.
Having replaced his hat, which had fallen to the ground during his initial embrace with Ginger, back on his head and nearing the door William turned around with a smile and replied, in kind, "I love both of you even more."
Roy and Ginger stood there, in unison, hands held, and slack jawed, in awe, as William exited the hut.