First mate's log:
September 1, 1968
The Brady-Martin wedding is tomorrow, Labor Day. The Skipper and I brought Mr. Brady, the Howells, the Professor, and Mary Ann from Brady's Island on the ferry, but the Howells, the Professor, and Mary Ann will be flying back to the island on a chartered jet, since they can't be away as long as we can. As it is, the construction crew especially objected to the interrupted ferry service, but there will be ships taking the rest of the settlers to Brady's Island, so they can stop at Blenford, which is how the Professor will get back there.
Although I'm not big on weddings, I think it'll be fun tomorrow. Mr. Brady and Mrs. Martin seem right for each other. And there will be lots of food and music afterwards. I don't know if I'll ask Mary Ann to dance but probably. I might even ask Ginger to dance. Yeah, she's going, even though she's living in Hollywood now. The Skipper teases the Professor about it, but it's hard to tell what the Professor's thinking, or I should say, what he's feeling.
Carol Brady's diary:
September 2, 1968
Wow, I am now Carol Brady! Even after an eight-month engagement, it's hard to believe. After so long being marooned, it felt like nothing would work out, and even after our rescue, I had my doubts. Not that the wedding went smoothly, but it did go. Well, the ceremony itself was fine, but it was right afterwards that things got crazy.
Mike had the boys lock up their dog in his rental car. Oh, I should explain about Tiger. While Mike was away, Alice let the boys take in a stray mutt that they've fallen in love with. They really want to take him to the island, although I don't know how practical that would be. Mike is dubious but he was going to let the boys have Tiger at the wedding, until they showed up and I reminded him about my parents' cat, Fluffy. So the boys reluctantly put Tiger in the car, but I guess he's smarter than he looks, because he figured out how to work the automatic windows and climbed out of the car. Then he ran to the backyard, where he chased Fluffy, including onto guests' laps! Poor Mrs. Howell's designer original dress was ruined. (I think it was a Gallini.)
Gilligan was carrying in the huge wedding cake that Mary Ann baked, when Fluffy and Tiger tripped him, and he dumped the cake all over poor Mike! I didn't blame the Skipper for hitting Gilligan with his cap.
As it was, I lost my own temper, yelling at my girls for screaming at the pets. Mike yelled at his boys for chasing the pets. I feel guilty about it. I can still see, in my mind's eye, the children's unhappy faces as we drove away. I want to concentrate on the happier moments, like when Ginger caught the bouquet, to everyone's surprise, including her own, but I keep hearing my own voice scolding my daughters.
I know, if this had happened on the island, I wouldn't have gotten so upset. I'd expect things to go wrong, maybe with a monkey and a bird rather than a dog and cat. But we're supposed to be back in civilization, and the children were acting like savages. Or maybe just like children. I was too harsh, wasn't I? I'll call my parents tomorrow and check in with the girls, let them know that I love them and I'm sorry.
Meanwhile, it's my wedding night, and I don't want to spoil things for Mike. I'll hide my guilt and try to just put on a happy face. I love Mike and this is a special time for us, our first real chance to be alone together, now as husband and wife.
I just had to confide in you (while Mike's taking a shower to get more of the frosting off), before hiding you away in my suitcase. I don't know if I'll continue to keep a diary as a married woman. I did before, but Tim was away much of the time. I probably will, just less, as I grow more comfortable confiding in Mike.
September 3, 1968
Wow, that was some crazy wedding! I hope Mr. Brady and Mrs. Martin, I mean Mr. and Mrs. Brady, aren't too mad at me for dumping the wedding cake on him. I was trying not to step on her parents' cat or his sons' dog when they ran into me. There were some nice moments of course, like seeing everyone again for the first time since the reunion in Santa Barbara. Ginger and Mary Ann were bridesmaids, like they would've been at the island wedding, and the Professor was best man. Ginger caught the bouquet, but maybe she'll marry some Hollywood actor.
The Skipper and I are staying at the Santa Barbara mansion again, this time without the Howells, since they, the Professor, and Mary Ann have already left on the jet. We'll see the Professor on some of our Blenford trips, and of course we'll see the Howells and Mary Ann every day at the diner and other places on Brady's Island. As for Ginger, she'll keep in touch, but we'll probably mostly hear about her on the radio. (Mr. Howell says we'll have TV on the island someday but not right away. I'm just glad about the electricity and plumbing.)
September 5, 1968
Well, the honeymoon is over, but it wasn't exactly a typical honeymoon anyway. Mike and I both felt so guilty that we ended up taking our children to the hotel, along with Alice, Tiger, and Fluffy, because the kids thought it should be the whole family. (The girls invited their grandparents, too, but my dad said it sounded like a crowded wedding night already.) We got two extra rooms, although the desk clerk looked at us as if we were crazy, which maybe we were. Still, it was a fun, if rambunctious few days.
The girls have grown attached to my parents' cat, and the only way I could get them to leave Fluffy behind was to convince them that my parents would be lonely without us and her. Mike has not had as easy a time trying to get the boys to give up Tiger, who would have to go either to a pound or to their great-grandfather, and I can't picture the stodgy if kind old judge looking after a barely tamed mutt. We're boarding the Skipper's ferry today and I have the feeling Tiger will be on board.
It's strange to contrast this voyage with the one four years and a couple months ago. Then, I thought the girls and I were only going on a three-hour tour with a bunch of strangers. Now the Bradys are my family, and the Skipper and Gilligan are like family. And we're going for a lot longer than three hours. But at least my eyes are more open than they were then. No doubt there will be more surprises ahead, but I know we can survive whatever craziness there may be.
