First mate's log:

December 10, 1969

Cindy Brady just invited me and the Skipper to see her in the play that her class is putting on at the school a week from Friday, sort of a pre-Christmas thing, although it's not holiday-related. The kindergartners are going to do a dance number, but the first- to third-graders are going to do The Fairy Princess and the Frog Prince. Even though she's only a first-grader, she got the lead! (As the princess of course, not the prince.) Bobby is playing a rock and he doesn't have any lines, but he seems relieved that he doesn't have to memorize anything and just has to sit there and shake his head. (He did ask me how a rock would do that, but I just shook my own head and suggested he ask the director, his teacher, Mrs. Engstrom.)

The older kids aren't going to do anything, at least not this year, which disappointed Greg, who's getting interested in playing rock music, I mean modern rock and roll, not music about rocks like Bobby.

Anyway, the Skipper and I will of course go, and the rest of his crew can handle that last Friday run. The Bradys are like our relatives, and we want to show our support, especially for little Cindy, who should make a very cute fairy princess. And I'm sure Bobby will be the bedrock of the production, ha ha.


Carol Brady's diary:

December 11, 1969

Even though I don't play favorites, I can't help being so proud of Cindy. She got the lead in her school play! She's going to be the Fairy Princess a week from tomorrow, even though she's only a first-grader and was competing against not just the kids her age but the second- and third-graders, who of course are mostly better readers. I'm helping Cindy with her lines, explaining and helping her pronounce the words she's not familiar with. Bobby is "just a rock" in the same play, so he doesn't have any lines, but he's happy for Cindy.

In fact, the older kids are really proud of her, and Marcia and Jan volunteered to make wings for the costume that Alice is sewing, while Greg and Peter rigged up a "flying machine" on the laundry line with their belts! Yes, that part worried me when I heard, but I am glad that even her step-brothers support her acting ambitions.

And now a professional actress is taking an interest in helping Cindy! When Ginger heard the news from Mary Ann (who heard it from Gilligan), she apparently said, "Oo, this must be due to growing up with my example since she was a baby." I don't know about that, since I've done a little amateur theater in my time (and not just on the island, but back in college and high school), but I suppose living in a tiny community with Ginger might've had some influence. Anyway, Ginger is coming over to the island this weekend to coach Cindy. (Mary Ann will put her up and put up with her, like old times she says.) I just hope that Ginger doesn't change Cindy's natural charm and try to make her like a "child star."


December 13, 1969

Wow, Ginger is actually taking time away from the BITV studio! She's here this weekend to coach little Cindy. However, Bobby tells me there's a problem, a problem that Cindy doesn't know about yet. He overheard Mrs. Engstrom talking to Miss Brooks yesterday and there's not enough seating in the new auditorium at the school. There are about forty kids performing on Friday, and they can only invite one guest per family. Those two teachers are going to let their students know on Monday, since they didn't want to spoil the weekend.

Bobby feels like he and Cindy should invite Mrs. Brady, because she's his stepmom and she was willing to run away with him. Also, Cindy is her youngest daughter and she never got to see Cindy in a school play before, unlike Marcia, who was a snowflake in her winter play as a first-grader.

"But won't your dad want to see both of you in a school play?"

"Nah, dads don't care about junk like that the way ladies do. He can go next year, specially if I have lines."

I'm not as close to Cindy as I am to the Brady boys, so I don't want to be the one to tell her the bad news, when she's hoping that her whole family, plus, me, the Skipper, Mary Ann, Ginger, and I guess the Howells and the Professor can go. As for Bobby, I told him to talk it out with Cindy before they give the bad news to the family.


December 17, 1969

Cindy has been acting very strangely this week, and at first Mike and I weren't sure why. She asked the two of us, separately, if we were sure we still wanted to go to the play on Friday. We each reassured her that we were looking forward to it very much, for her sake and Bobby's. (Bobby seemed to have no such concerns, but again, he has a much smaller role.)

Well, today Mrs. Engstrom called and asked how Cindy's ankle is. I of course had no idea what she was talking about. It turns out that Cindy claimed she couldn't be in the play because she sprained her ankle. Cindy seemed to be fine when she came home from school an hour earlier. The teacher said she was suspicious because Cindy forgot which ankle was supposed to be sprained.

I talked it over with Mike and we thought that Cindy was faking her injury. We asked Bobby about it and he said Cindy is fine except sad that each family of children in this Friday's show can only ask one guest. Mrs. Engstrom neglected to tell me that, but maybe she thought I already knew.

"You don't mind not goin', do ya, Dad?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, Bob, I might have to go over to Blenford for a business meeting that evening, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings or Cindy's by not attending."

"Gee, that's neato, Dad! Uh, I mean, I'll tell Cindy the bad news."

After Bobby ran off, I shook my head and said, "Mike, you shouldn't have lied to Bobby."

"It doesn't have to be a lie. I could go over to Blenford on Friday."

"What if we hosted the play in our back yard?"

"I don't think we could host more than fifty people. Not to mention that we'd only have a couple days to set up the stage."

"What if the Howells hosted it?"

"Hm, that's an idea, but I don't know if Thurston would go for it. After all, his nephew is in the high school class and they're not performing. And there's no financial profit in the production."

"I'll ask Mrs. Howell. She's very fond of the children. And she may be able to talk her husband into it."

"All right. And I'll help how I can with the sets."

I'll go over to the mansion after dinner.


December 19, 1969

The Howells hosted the primary school production, so we all got to see it tonight, all the friends and families of the kids involved. We were all real proud of Cindy, and Ginger of course took some of the credit. Mrs. Howell thinks Cindy could be the new Shirley Temple. (The old Shirley Temple is middle-aged now and a delegate to the United Nations.) I was the only one to give a standing ovation to Bobby's performance, but I think he appreciated it, even though he had to stay stone-faced.


December 20, 1969

The play went very well, even with having to move everything over to the Howells'. And he's going to donate some money to build a bigger school auditorium. "Don't thank me, My Dear," he told me. "It's a good tax write-off."