First mate's log:

December 1, 1972

Mr. Brady is going to be gone for about a week, coming back next Saturday. He has to go check on the Honolulu project, but this time he's going by himself, without his whole family. (Or me, the Skipper, and Mary Ann.) I promised to look in on his family more while he's gone.


Carol Brady's diary:

December 2, 1972

Mike has returned to Honolulu to see the progress on the building he designed earlier this year. I would've liked to have gone, but Mr. Howell didn't want to pay for the whole family this time, and of course it would've meant the children missing school, unlike in the summer. And, yes, I could've left Alice behind with all the kids, but I knew Mike would be busy with work, so it wouldn't be like a second (or third, or fourth) honeymoon.

Mike teased me about making sure no crises breaking out in his absence, since it does seem like something happens in this family every week or two. So of course hours after we saw him off at the airport, I came back from grocery-shopping on Blenford (with the girls, while the boys stayed home with Alice), to find that Mike's favorite lamp was broken!

Even worse, it had been clumsily repaired. Yes, I immediately thought of my favorite vase. I couldn't help wondering if the boys were playing ball in the house again. I didn't want to accuse anyone though, so I asked Alice if she could tell me what happened. I doubted she was responsible, since, unlike the children, she has permission to be in the den without asking. And if she broke the lamp, she would've confessed about it, not tried to cover it up, while leaving one shard missing.

I could see she knew, but she was very reluctant to tell me. I insisted on her telling me, so she hemmed and hawed and then admitted that Greg and Peter were throwing a frisbee and it ricocheted into the den. I understand that she's fond of the boys and didn't want to get them in trouble, but I needed to know.

I'm withholding both boys' allowance until Mike returns. Obviously, that won't cover the cost of replacing (or even better repairing) the lamp, but I do understand that it was an accident rather than a malicious act. Still, the boys aren't happy about being punished at all, but I had to make a point about both their carelessness and their dishonesty. Also, I need to see how upset Mike is when he finds out.


December 3, 1972

The Brady kids are all mad at Alice. I know, they love her like family, but they feel like she's turned against them. She finked on first Greg and Peter and then Marcia. She told the guys that their mother put her on the spot about who broke a lamp, and she claims she didn't even know why Mrs. Brady asked who was using the stereo.

"Alice really cares about you kids. She wouldn't deliberately hurt you."

Greg shook his head. "You don't live with her, Gilligan."

Marcia nodded. "You don't know how she's changed since Dad left."

Mr. Brady hasn't even been gone that long. Maybe Alice has always been like this, but she didn't want to show it around him. I don't know what to think.


December 4, 1972

I'm so upset! Alice is leaving us! And this came out of nowhere, or at least that's how it feels.

She's going to help her Uncle Winston in his dress shop. The current manager is leaving. It's a wonderful opportunity for her, and I don't want to stand in her way. It's just, I'm going to miss her terribly. In some ways, she's my best friend.

I'm surprised she doesn't want to wait until Mike's return. She doesn't even want to wait until the kids come home from school! She wants to catch the next plane out of Blenford. I offered to take her to the airport, but she plans to take the ferry and then the bus.

As for the kids and Mike, she promised to send a letter when she settles in. After all these years, including being with Mike and the boys since before Bobby was born! I don't understand how she can just walk away like this.

I wish I could talk her out of it, but she seems very determined. And I'm going to have to break the news to the kids somehow. I've decided not to tell Mike unless I have to. I mean, obviously I'll have to explain when he returns, but I'm hoping Alice will change her mind after a few days. There's no point in calling Mike in Hawaii and upsetting him.

She's packing right now. She told me she's not going to take much, since she can get new outfits at an employee discount.

I do know she's leaving her blue uniform behind. She said, "Maybe your new maid will be my size."

I nodded, but I'm not in a hurry to replace her. She did suggest that her friend Kay could fill in during the day, until we get a new live-in, but I told her I can manage until Mike gets back and I can discuss this with him.

I expect the kids to pitch in of course. And it's only for a few days, whether or not Alice returns.


December 5, 1972

Alice left! Not just the Brady house, but the islands! I saw her on the ferry yesterday morning, and she said she's going to manage her uncle's dress shop.

I wonder if that's why she's been acting different with the Brady kids. Maybe she felt guilty, knowing she'd be leaving soon. Or maybe she hoped they'd miss her less if they were mad at her. I know I'm going to miss her a lot myself. It's not everybody who can be that funny and that good a cook. Plus, she's so sensible, too.

I wonder what advice she would give me if it was somebody else leaving like this, but I guess I'll never know. And, yeah, I feel bad that I promised Mr. Brady I'd look after his family this week, and I couldn't stop his loyal maid and old friend from leaving.


December 6, 1972

I really miss Alice, even though it's only been a couple days. And, no, not just because I'm doing all the cooking now. I really regret our silly competition about the jam. We didn't have very many disagreements, fewer than I had with Mike actually, although maybe that's because Alice was my employee. Still, I think it had more to do with the fact that Alice was very easy to get along with, willing to listen and compromise. And she made me laugh even when things looked bad, like during the hardest times of being marooned.

It's even worse having her gone at the same time as Mike. It's hard being the only adult in the house. Gilligan has dropped by a couple times, and he's a sweet boy, but I don't feel I can confide in him. (All right, yes, he's almost thirty, but he's always been young for his age.) And I still don't know what I'll tell Mike if Alice isn't back before he is.


December 7, 1972

The Brady kids really miss Alice. Yeah, they were mad at her, but they were really hurt that she left without saying goodbye to them, just to their mom. (Well, and me, but I didn't tell them that of course.)

They feel guilty that maybe she wouldn't have gone to work for her uncle if they'd been nicer to her lately. They admitted to me that they've been giving her the cold shoulder because she's been finking on them. But they never thought she'd actually leave. And now it's too late.

I wish I could help them, but all I can do is listen.


December 8, 1972

Alice is back! She told me that when she got to her uncle's place, it turned out that he'd hired his new girlfriend to manage the dress shop. She was too embarrassed to come back to us, although she did fly back to Blenford. Then she got a job as a waitress in a diner.

I wish she had called me, but I think she also felt unwanted, in a different way than when Mike and I were newlyweds and the boys were turning to me for things they used to go to her for. I've sensed a tension in the house ever since she told me about the broken lamp, and about Marcia leaving the stereo on all one night. But no one wanted to say anything about it to me directly, not even Cindy!

The kids planned to go to a movie on Blenford, but they had time to kill beforehand, so they went to that diner, not knowing Alice would be there. I burst into happy tears when they brought Alice home with them. She insisted on cooking, and it was diner food, but nobody minded.

And, yes, I'm especially glad this got resolved before Mike's return tomorrow.


December 9, 1972

A couple days ago, the Skipper and I wanted to try the new diner on Blenford. Yeah, we both love food, but we also wanted to see if they were competition for Mary Ann. (Yeah, she focuses on pizza and preserves these days, but still. She does see her share of tourists, although, yeah, it's mostly the local kids and teens.) We were very surprised to find Alice there, not as a customer, but as a waitress!

She confessed that she made up the story about the dress shop. She was heartbroken by how the Brady kids treated her, so she just wanted to get away. But she couldn't bring herself to go any further away than Blenford.

"I guess maybe I hoped things would change. Like, when Mr. Brady gets back, he could sort everything out."

The Skipper asked, "Why didn't you tell Mrs. Brady?"

"I feel like she has enough on her plate," Alice said, balancing full plates. "And please don't tell her."

We promised not to, but she didn't say anything about not telling the Brady kids. So I told Greg that there's a great new restaurant on Blenford and "you can get anything you want at that restaurant." And I said there was a special for under-eighteens the next day, yesterday. I didn't say Alice's name, but I dropped enough hints that I think he got it.

In any case, Alice is back with the Bradys, where she belongs. Oh, and the diner food is OK (I had their fried chicken and mashed potatoes), but I don't think they're any real threat to Mary Ann.


December 10, 1972

Mike is back! My family is complete again. I did tell him about Alice, but not the minute I met him at the airport. I waited until we were in the boat going home. (I was sure Cindy would spill the beans as soon as we walked in the door.) He said he wished I had called him the minute Alice said she was leaving, but he's happy that it all worked out.

As for the lamp, which is more serious than having to replace a phonograph needle, well, Mike isn't happy about it of course. But with Christmas coming up, he didn't want to withhold any more of Greg and Peter's allowances. So instead, he's giving both boys extra chores until Christmas vacation.