Author's Note: I just want to say thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Remember this story is AU!
Captain Jonas Grumby and his first mate Gilligan rose early just as the sun came up, preparing the SS Minnow for its voyage that afternoon. 5 passengers had booked their voyage for the noon three-hour tour.
It was Friday and usually weekends were his busiest times. They were excited to show their guests around the island.
It was an early morning and the tour was full, but the two were nonetheless glad to have the work. It's how the sea captain made his money. His dream was to open up a restaurant in the harbor for tourists to enjoy local cuisine.
" Ready for the day, Gilligan?" Captain Jonas Grumby asked his first mate.
" I wish we didn't have to get up so early, Skipper." Gilligan yawned as he tied his shoes.
" If I let you sleep in, you'll miss breakfast. Then I'll have to hear about it until lunch." Skipper said with a roll of his eyes.
" Speaking of, I'm hungry. Is it time to goto the diner now?" Gilligan's stomach rumbles loudly at the mention of the word a second time.
The Skipper responded with a laugh. " I guess so little buddy. Go ahead up. I'll be there just as soon as I get my hat."
After walking down to the marina rather quickly, Gilligan hurried over to their favorite diner. They had just opened up for the day. Flo grinned as she saw the bumbling boy approach the door. He never failed to put a smile on her face.
" Good Morning Gilligan!" Flo called from across the diner, waving to him.
Gilligan waved to his favorite waitress. They always stopped in as much as they could to the diner. Gilligan sat down at their usual table by the window facing the marina and he glanced at the menu while he waited for the Skipper.
Jonas Grumby made his way into the diner about 10 minutes later. He had some things to do. He and Gilligan got their breakfast and he and Flo had their usual morning conversation.
Gilligan sat observing the two as he munched on his waffles. He had inhaled two already and was working on his third.
He noticed his big buddy was quite flustered by her presence every time she came around, that's what Skinny Mulligan always said when someone was in love. Being in love was icky. Gilligan shuddered at the thought.
He couldn't imagine being in that position. Icky. The concept of being in love wasn't for him. It's for married people, and I'm single people, and single people don't think about love.
The sun had started to rise higher in the sky as the two men departed from the diner, indicating that another beautiful day lay ahead for tourists and locals alike. It was going to be a warm day which meant the beaches would be crowded.
Judging by the temperature of that morning, Skipper knew that it would be a wonderful afternoon to set sail. There was a bit of moisture in the air and the weather report had mentioned rain but so far, nothing looked out of the ordinary to him. He would continue on with the tour as planned.
It was anchors away for them in just a few hours. Pretty soon the tour would set sail...
Across the beach, at the exclusive resort, the blue bloods hadn't even begun circulating yet. They had all partied into the wee hours of the morning. No champagne bottle had been left uncorked. The hotel staff had plenty of empties to deal with.
Charlotte sprung to her feet as the wake up call she had been waiting for started her morning off. Her husband was still asleep beside her, but she had to see her friend and tell her of the plans she'd made for the afternoon...
Lovey Wentworth awoke to a knock at her door, she looked at the time and rolled her eyes knowing Charlotte was knocking.
Who else could it be?
She knew her ex husband wouldn't be coming around. Unless it was him and he wanted to let her know he was leaving.
She strode over to the door, clad in her blue fluffy negligee and opened the door ever so slightly, shocked to see her friend standing outside.
Charlotte excitedly pushed her way through the door, clearly very excited about something.
" Lovey! Darling! You've got a date this afternoon and I've arranged the whole thing!" Charlotte squealed, practically knocking her back on her heels.
Lovey's tired eyes shot open. A date? A Wentworth date?
" A date!? But Charlotte, it's only 7:30 in the morning and nobody else knows that I'm not with Montmorency. I don't know how I feel about this. I don't want the whole register knowing my business." Lovey sat down on the edge of her king sized bed, trying to take in the shocking news.
" Oh Lovey deary just trust me! It will all be worth it. I've arranged a tour at noon. It's a chance to see Hawaii and it's quiet." Charlotte couldn't let this fall through. Especially if Lovey found out exactly who she'd been set up with.
Lovey was quiet for a moment as she tapped her manicured fingers deep in thought about the situation. A boat ride sounded wonderful, it sounded like first class accommodations to her. She figured Charlotte would never steer her wrong.
The blonde quickly changed her tune. " Alright," she said with a flick of her hand. " I'll go." Lovey said.
" Great. Meet me in the lobby at quarter to noon. We'll meet the men at the yacht." She winked, and without another word Charlotte left in a flurry, as quickly as she came.
Lovey stood in the middle of the room, " Let's see, what does one wear to a blind date?"
…..
Mary Ann Sommers awoke with a start. Someone was knocking at her door. She hurried over and opened it to find a man from the hotel with a tray in his arms.
" Goodmorning Miss Sommers, I've brought you breakfast. Compliments of the hotel." He said with a smile at the Kansas farm girl.
" Oh! Thank you!" Mary Ann grinned and allowed the man to set the tray down before leaving him a tip.
She had never had room services before, let alone a spread quite like this for breakfast. It was a real treat.
MaryAnn carefully removed the lids to reveal a breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, and toast with jelly and fresh juice to complement the meal.
After quickly getting ready for the day in her favorite gingham dress, she sat down and enjoyed the meal whilst looking out at the beautiful island of Hawaii within reach just outside the balcony of her room.
She was scheduled for a noon cruise around Hawaii as part of her contest winnings and was thrilled to go and really see the island and then she was set to stay at a private villa later that evening for the remainder of her trip.
She flipped through a guide that was left in her room, eager to see the island and ready to depart on the voyage in just a few hours.
….
The Professor had spent his morning in conferences and gathering with all of his scientific colleagues. The others were getting ready to depart on the next leg of their research journey.
While at breakfast with his friend, Dr. Jonathan Hunt, he and Roy were chatting about what their plans for the day were. He suddenly found this conversation welcomed after the morning he'd had.
The other eggheads on the tropical island were all bush with research and studying before the fall term for school was underway so their classes would have a project to work on throughout the semester, and also further develop new medicines and find more uses for tropical plants that grew in Hawaii.
" That little boat tour doesn't sound half bad. It beats sitting through another lecture. I'm eager to get into the field and do more research today." Dr. Hunt said in between bites.
Roy nodded his head. " I figured it would be good to do something relaxing for a change. Ever since we stepped foot in Hawaii, all I've done is research. I think the tour will give me an opportunity to see other islands and help generate more leads on places we can search."
" Clever thinking Roy! I do hope you enjoy the tour. I'll meet up with you again after we all return home and we can discuss how to incorporate our findings in the classroom, perhaps we can get our colleges to allow us to use the research we've done here for a medical study." John said.
Professor Hinkley quickly nodded his head, running a hand through his brown hair forgetting that his time on this island was coming to a close. It was bittersweet after all. He'd spent several weeks here doing research among the very best in his community.
He hoped this tour would prove to be a successful one.
…...
Ginger Grant stood staring out the big windows to her hotel room. She had a grand suite generously provided by the movie studios with nothing but the best views and the best room money could buy.
She spotted her counterpart Rock Hudson, heading down towards the beach with his agent and chatting the whole way, only to be stopped by the fans running up to him.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. She would only allow herself to goto the beach for some peace and quiet at night when the moon was high in the sky.
Of course Ginger Grant loves all the attention and frankly she felt a little jealous standing in her room, all alone, while he was getting all the attention below.
" Your bags are all packed." Her assistant Sarah said, tapping Ginger on the shoulder bringing her back to reality.
" Hmm? Oh thanks." Ginger said with a nod.
" Aren't you going to join him? It's your last day here?" Sarah asked, motioning towards Rock Hudson below.
Ginger only shrugged, not wanting to be mauled by fans for once. The thought of going down to the crowded beach to join Rock for an afternoon of sunbathing sounded far from relaxing.
The boat tour would be her best adventure and a quiet one she hoped.
Sarah quietly left Ginger's handbag on the bed before laying out her clothes for the day. She left the movie star alone with her thoughts and had the bellboy take her bags downstairs so they'd be ready to go once she got back from her boat tour.
Ginger changed her clothes and stood in the big bathroom mirror applying more lipstick, practicing her poses for the cameras she knew would be waiting for her down below.
…
Noon quickly approached and Charlotte and Charlie met Thurston Howell III in the lobby of their fancy resort hotel. Many of the hotel's guests were just waking up after last night's festivities.
Their blue blood was just beginning to circulate after a Bloody Mary and room service.
Thurston had spent the morning speaking to his beloved bear all about this dating business and of course listening to the morning news reports and reading the papers.
Even before the sun had risen high in the sky, Thurston had been doing business with clients in another via a phone call from his suite.
They didn't call him the wolf of Wall Street for nothing.
" Is Lovey going to meet us there?" Charlie whispered to his wife.
" Yes she is. I'm going down. You go ahead and get Thurston in the car. Have our driver take him down. Don't forget his blindfold. It's in your pocket." Charlotte pecked her husband's lips and she hurried outside to Lovey who was waiting for her down at the marina already.
Charlie stood watching his wife, waving to her as she turned to leave.
She hoped her plan would go off without a hitch. Hopefully Lovey won't be too angry with me for this one. She deserves to be happy.
" Ahh Thurston, my boy, sleep well? Nervous?" Charlie asked with a wink as they headed to the shiny black car waiting for them, Thurston's luggage already in the trunk.
After this little tour, he had to be on a jet back to Newport Beach for more business of course.
" A Howell is never nervous, aware yes, nervous, absolutely not!" Thurston replied as he took a sip of the scotch that Charlie had taken with him from the hotel.
Charlie could only laugh. If only he knew who his date was…
" Can't you tell me anything about this woman? She's on the register, isn't she?" Thurston inquired.
" Relax. Charlotte wouldn't set you up with just anyone. She's a great woman. A well known hostess in our group and a pretty one if you ask me." Charlie winked.
Thurston gulped down what he rendered liquid courage and handed the empty glass to his friend.
" Your wife didn't rob the cradle? Remember I'm a Howell and I have a reputation to uphold." Thurston teased.
The car zoomed along, out of the resort towards the tourist filled beaches and marina where the little tour would be departing from.
Lovey and Charlotte were standing in front of the little boat with the car still running. Charlotte already felt as if she was in hot water because the tour was not what was described to her at the hotel.
She was a little frustrated because she wanted this to be perfect and knew Lovey's blind date might have a few objections. Instead of a yacht, it was a little charter boat, barely even first class.
" I do hope Charlie's loosened Thurston up on the ride here." She mumbled under her breath as she walked over to her friend.
" Oh Charlotte don't be too upset. Much around here isn't first class. The captain of the boat seems nice enough and his little first mate is already taking care of my luggage." Lovey put her hand on Charlotte's arm.
" I know, I know. You're so right Lovey, but I was just wanting everything to be perfect. I'm sorry it isn't first class. But it's only for three hours and besides that you can get a glass of bubbly at the airport on your way home. Now remember to phone me once you return this evening, I want to hear all about it." Charlotte winked.
" Of course I'll tell you the minute I get home." Lovey giggles in delight. She felt like a young woman again, nervous and anxious about this blind date.
She hoped she could live out the rest of her life happy, and hopefully find someone to treat her better than Montmorency. She was a lady and deserved to be treated as such. Any man would be lucky to have a Wentworth woman by his side, my darling Eunice. Her mother, Gertrude Wentworth's advice rang in her ears as clearly as it had when she was a young girl of 16 at her first debut into society.
The other passengers taking the tour were already boarding as Lovey stood off to the side awaiting her blind date.
Gilligan startled her from her thoughts as he tapped her arm.
" I loaded all your bags. We are getting ready to set sail. Are you waiting on someone?" Gilligan asks, noting the far off look in her eye.
" Oh thank you dear boy. I- I guess not. If you'll just help me on." Lovey smiled at Gilligan as he extended his arm, helping the rich lady aboard.
Skipper had said society people weren't nice, but he couldn't agree. This woman seemed nice. She seemed different in a way. She reminded him of his mother in a way.
He led her to the front of the boat where she sat alone. Skipper figured it was the least he could do because it wasn't a private tour as advertised by someone at the resort. He didn't want to upset anyone or get a bad review to hurt his business.
Just as he was about to yell for Gilligan to pull anchor, he heard a car come to a screeching halt a few feet from them, causing Gilligan to jump and step on his foot.
The captain could only roll his eyes.
" Gee Skipper look at that fancy car!" Gilligan looked towards the captain.
" I think that's our last passenger. Go tell the others we are getting ready to set sail. I'll go check and see." Skipper ordered.
Gilligan saluted his captain and went to speak to the passengers aboard the ship.
As Skipper made his way off the dock, he noticed two wealthy men, one of which was blindfolded.
" Charlotte didn't warn me about this," Charlie mumbled under his breath at how common this was. Did the driver miss a turn? Where was the yacht?!
At least Thurston's blindfolded.
" Have we arrived?" Thurston asked.
" Yes we have. I'm going to find the captain and have his crew get your things onboard. Wait right here." Charlie patted Thurston's arm before walking towards the marina.
This isn't first class.
Charlie saw the captain approaching and left a blindfolded Thurston standing by the car as the driver unloaded his luggage.
"Hello sir, is this where the tour is or have we gotten lost? I'm afraid we might've taken a wrong turn." Charlie looked around.
" This is the right place. Has your friend already made a reservation?" Skipper asked.
" My wife did for Mrs. Wentworth and Mr. Thurston Howell III."
Skipper nodded. " Yes, she's already aboard ship."
" That's Mr. Howell there. He will need someone to get him on board as well as get his luggage. See to it the old dog doesn't abandon ship. You see, my wife had a brilliant idea to set him and Lovey up on a blind date and I don't want to be here when he's able to see again. Women, am I right?" Charlie laughed before slapping the Skipper on the arm in a teasing manner before walking away.
The Skipper was left speechless before he yelled for his first mate.
" Gilligan! Gilligan!" Skipper called.
" Why is that man blindfolded and why does he have all those bags? Do I have to load them Skipper?"
" That's our last passenger, Mr. Thurston Howell III. He's a very rich man, Gilligan. He's a millionaire!"
" Oh boy a millionaire? How much money does he have?" He innocently asks.
" Well Gilligan he has- oh why do I bother. Just get his bags for me, would you?" Skipper sighed.
" Sure thing, but Skipper, why is he blindfolded?"
" Well Gilligan, because he is supposed to be on a blind date, which means he's not supposed to see her. Remember Ms. Wentworth? His friends set him up and left him. I'll lead him to her. You get his bags and I'll get him on board."
" A blind date? You mean he can't see either? He's a millionaire and he's blind? How sad, Skipper." Gilligan muttered as he went to grab the bags.
Skipper rolled his eyes and was hot on his heels, hoping to get the first word out before Gilligan made a peep.
He hurried towards the first mate and made his presence known to the millionaire.
" Hello Mr. Howell. I'll be leading you aboard ship. My first mate Gilligan will be getting your things. If you'll take my arm I'll walk you." Skipper confidently said.
Thurston raised a brown, but nodded. Although not able to see, something about this plan smelled fishy.
" Tell that Gilligan fellow not to bruise my luggage, it's matched." Thurston said before accepting a hold on the Skipper's arm.
Feels like cheap cotton! What kind of standards does he have? Is he a Yale man! Charlie, the old rascal. Must've put me up to it, I smell collusion!
Thurston wasn't sure what to think, momentarily forgetting why he was taking this tour in the first place, distracted by the cheap shirt the captain was wearing threw him off.
Skipper slowly guided the millionaire onto the ship.
" There now. Safely aboard Mr. Howell. Once Gilligan puts your luggage away we can set sail! Shall I lead you to your blind date? I gave you both some privacy at the front of the boat." Skipper said.
" I'd better get my bearings first. I'll wait until you've started the tour. Just sit me down here for now, Captain!" The millionaire demanded.
" Sure thing, Mr. Howell." Skipper replied.
He sat the Millionaire down and went to go check on Gilligan, making sure his first mate was alright.
Before long, the bumbling first mate approached and he hoisted the anchor.
" Ready to go, Skipper!" Gilligan called.
The crew of the SS Minnow carefully got the vessel into the open waters.
Once Thurston felt he had enough time, he decided to undo the blindfold.
As he undid it, he almost gasped out of fright.
Aha! Just as I suspected, collusion! Has Charlie gone mad!? This is no yacht! It looks nothing like the ones at Sunnybrook Yacht Club! Heavens, I've been skewered! Have I, Thurston Howell, been taken prisoner by some chaps pretending to be a captain and crew just to get my money?
The millionaire's head was swimming. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and get off the ship immediately!
He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard sniffling coming from the front of the boat.
His stomach dropped. He now knew he was on the right boat. He remembered the captain telling him that there was someone waiting for him at the front of the boat, if that's what he could call it.
Thurston slowly made his way around to the front of the small charter boat and saw a blonde woman facing the water. She had her back towards him but he could immediately tell she was a member of his social circle, which put him more at ease.
There was something oddly familiar about her, but he didn't quite notice.
Thurston did what he thought any man would do, which was to be polite and offer her champagne, or did this boat not include such fares?
In a few strides he was closer to her. She clutched her gloves in her hands and he noticed she was crying.
He cleared his throat. " Excuse me, ma'am, are you by chance my blind date?" Thurston figured being blunt might be best in this situation.
Lovey stopped her flow of tears and tried to quickly dry her eyes before turning around and gasping.
Thurston did the same. The millionaire did a double take. He knew who she was.
" Aha! I should've known this was a set up from the beginning. You women and your nefarious schemes!" Thurston spat in utter disbelief.
Howell blood couldn't, no, didn't ever mix with Wentworth blood.
Thurston would be sure to phone Charlie the minute he could to revoke his access to the Howell Hills Annex. After a stunt like this, there was no way his oldest and dearest friend would be living this down.
" Why Thurston Howell!" Lovey gasped. She could not believe just who she'd been set up with.
" So you-you're my blind date?" Thurston still couldn't believe it. He thought she was married.
" You're married to that Vandergaff fellow, aren't you?" Thurston was shocked his friends had tried to set him up with a-a Wentworth, let alone a married woman.
Lovey bowed her head slightly.
" Actually no, no I'm not." Lovey said, shuddering at the thought. She was glad to no longer be married to that man after all he'd done to her.
Thurston felt faint in that moment so he sat down, fanning himself with his checkbook.
" But I-I thought I saw you together at that party!" Thurston argued.
Lovey was quiet a few moments before responding. " We were only together for the ceremony and then he left. I didn't want to give anyone any ammunition the prior evening."
If only he knew how some of them gossip, how much it hurts. If only Charlotte hadn't done this.
You see, some of those in high society couldn't hold their tongue. The women, in particular, could be very vicious towards one another and cordial at times when they need be, but only when their husbands were in attendance.
" Well, I think this blind date is officially over. Have a wonderful day Ms. Wentworth." Thurston found just bearings after a moment and stood to leave only to realize the marina was just out of sight now and here he was stuck on something less than first class with a woman, a part of a family that has long since feuded with the Howells.
Thurston didn't notice right away, but the hurt was evident in her face by the words he'd said to her. He left her standing there and went in search of his luggage and his private stock.
Lovey remained on the front of the little vessel for most of the ride. She sat alone, much like she had been on the trip in Hawaii.
She felt like a completely useless and unfulfilled woman the more she sat alone with her thoughts.
The tour continued on for 5 other passengers all excited to see what Hawaii had to offer.
They all made their way to the front of the ship, minus the millionaire on the second hour of their cruise.
Skipper had continued to slowly drive along as Gilligan told everyone about this and that. He was pretty well versed about the island and surrounding places.
Ginger was staring at much more than the scenery on the boat. While Hawaii was gorgeous, she couldn't help but notice the men! She was glad she had decided to stop by on this little tour.
The science professor had the first mate deep in conversation, while Mary Ann was snapping a few photos on the camera she'd been gifted by her friends back home to take on this special trip.
She couldn't help but notice the woman standing alone. It wasn't hard to tell she looked upset. She was elegant and beautiful and must've been a very rich woman judging by her clothes.
The man that had stormed down below must've been her husband, judging by the way he too had been so elegantly dressed.
She wondered what happened between them, but kept her eyes on the professor as he talked about the rare plant species he had been researching.
" I didn't realize plants could be useful for so many things." Mary Ann said to the Professor. She managed to catch a bit of his conversation with the first mate.
The Professor was quite flattered that someone else had taken interest in his work when it seemed as though Gilligan couldn't quite grasp what he was saying.
He smiled at Mary Ann, making her blush.
" Why yes, yes they are useful for much more than curb appeal. In fact, that's why I'm here. I'm doing more research on plants in the medical business and how we can use them for all sorts of things." Professor responded.
He was glad he had decided to come on this tour after all. According to his calculations, it had proven to be successful.
The skipper moved the boat further down the beaches, showing them inactive volcanoes and more than just tourist attractions.
As they ventured further out, he noticed the waves had become more rough.
It was in that moment he looked up as the dark clouds began to roll overhead.
Gilligan came scurrying over to him, panicked like a frightened child.
" Skipper! These waves are rough!" Gilligan said as the boat rocked side to side. He clutched onto the railing for support.
" Get the others back here. I'm going to try to get us back to the marina before it really gets bad." Skipper worried.
Gilligan hurried up toward the front and helped get everyone below. Thurston Howell emerged and saw the tour had taken a turn. He gulped as he saw the dark clouds over them.
The others were eagerly pushing past him as they made their way inside the tiny cramped quarters below deck.
The others sat and braced themselves as the ship started to toss and turn. Thurston kept his eyes downcast and held onto his luggage.
" I'm too famous to die!" Ginger cried out.
" I'm too rich to be on this boat!" Thurston
Mary Ann sat silently with her eyes closed hoping this wasn't her fate. Her uncle's warning about leaving home echoed in her mind.
The Professor sat anxiously staring out the window wondering if there was anything he could do. At the moment he felt completely useless.
Lovey didn't dare make a peep. She tightly clutched her gloves and hoped the boat would stop rocking and tossing about. She was very dizzy. She felt seasick.
Above deck, Gilligan and the Skipper had their rain gear on, as they tried to man the ship, trying to get it on course.
The ferocious waves continued to knock them about.
" Gilligan! Go below deck and that's an order! As the captain, I'll go down with the ship!" Skipper yelled above the winds and the storm that beat down on them.
" I'm not leaving you! I go if you do! You're my buddy Skipper! We have to protect the others!" Gilligan was determined to save those below.
He and Skipper were share and share alike. If Skipper was fighting until the end, so was he.
Lightning cracked around them. That's when Skipper suddenly felt the need not to be so brave.
Gilligan helped him steer and suddenly a big wave came, knocking them off their feet and unconscious…
…..
The sound of waves crashing and warm sun was enough to startle Skipper awake.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and quickly realized his worst nightmare happened.
His boat had been beached, where was the question?
He had been doing this for years, why now? Why all of a sudden?
He tried his radio only to discover it didn't work.
He was careful not to wake anyone as he stepped foot onto the white sand. He observed the damage done to the boat.
Skipper rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.
" Gilligan!" He called.
" Gilligan!" He called once more, hoping his first mate would wake up.
Gilligan heard his big buddy calling for him. He sat up and felt the warm sun beating down. He looked around and only heard the Skipper's voice calling.
" Skipper? Where are you! Oh no! Don't worry! I'll rescue you! Man overboard! I'll save you, Skipper!" Gilligan leapt off the boat right into what he thought was the water.
Instead he got a mouth full of sand and a pair of shoes right near his face.
Gilligan adjusted his hat only to see the Skipper perfectly fine and dry?
" I'm not drowning, little buddy. We've hit land. I think we might be marooned. I can't get mayday on the radio."
" Marooned? Skipper...does that mean we can go home?" Gilligan asked, nervously clutching his sailor's hat.
The Skipper belted the scrawny first mate with his hat.
" No, Gilligan, I'm afraid we are stuck here, unless I can fix that transmitter." Skipper kept his voice low so the others wouldn't worry.
" What are we going to do?" Gilligan asked as he began to pace.
" Gilligan! Would you quit that and come over here?" Skipper waved his first mate back over.
" Now remain calm little buddy. What matters is everyone is alive and okay. That was some storm. You're going to need to stay calm. I'm going to see if that Professor that was on board with us can help me with the radio. He might know something. I want you to start walking the beach and see if there is any place we can make a shelter. We have to be prepared for anything." Skipper ordered.
" Aye eye, Captain!" Gilligan saluted his buddy and began his descent down the beach.
The Skipper stood, scratching his head unsure of what to do until the others woke up.
Sure enough the passengers on board had all come too and quickly figured out they were beached.
One by one with Professor and Skipper's help, they all made their way off the ship.
Mary Ann and Ginger had become quickly acquainted. The young farm girl had never been so far from home. Ginger quickly reminded her that it wasn't the jungle of Hollywood or New York and with the men, they'd be fine and probably on their way home soon enough.
Thurston Howell's booming voice was enough to scare off even the biggest of predators. My how he yelled. The girls jumped.
" Captain! I demand you get us off this island, right this once!" Thurston ordered, stepping closer and approaching the captain of this so-called yacht his friends had set him up on.
" Look here Howell, I'm doing my best!" Skipper wasn't about to give into the wolf of Wall Street.
" Oh yeah? You certainly did your best getting us marooned on this island. Don't think when we get back my lawyer will be hearing about this! Yacht, blind date…" Thurston muttered before walking to seek shelter from the sun under the palm tree.
" Ignore him. I'll do my best to try and fix the transmitter. Everyone needs to keep a level head. I'm sure once I get this fixed we can radio for help." Professor said.
" Thanks Professor, I don't know what we'd do without you. I'll get Gilligan and we will see about collecting some fruit." Skipper left him to work and went to find his first mate hoping the millionaire wouldn't give him anymore grief over the situation.
Thurston spotted his blind date, Lovey Wentworth, sitting on a rock, clutching her parasol between her hands. She looked as shell shocked as he was; removed from their element and now far away from the comforts of a ticker tape machine or a society gathering.
She was the only one he could relate too, but he didn't have it in him to approach her. After all, the Wentworth family, what they did was unforgivable and Thurston would continue to carry the 60 year old feud to his grave like all the Howell men.
Lovey Howell didn't care about the long-standing feud their families had. Her first real impression of Thurston wasn't a good one. She just wanted to be back in Hawaii enjoying the time away from the life she led, or the one she was trying to keep up appearances about her marriage for.
Maybe now I can get out of that awful event on my calendar for the upcoming week. After all, being stranded is a harrowing experience.
Lovey thought back to the conversation she shared with Charlotte the evening prior. How glad she was to be away from Montmorency and the horrible marriage she'd had to endure. It was awful. She was thankful they didn't have children together because she'd feel just dreadful leaving them behind with their father.
Being on the register meant your family carried a legacy and whomever you married, tradition would follow. Every woman on the register was to be a good society hostess, serve on various boards, and were expected to have children to carry on the legacy and family name.
Eunice Wentworth had seen countless doctors and was told becoming a mother wouldn't be easy. Montmorency didn't like that answer and was quite angry that he'd never have an heir. Lovey was grateful she never gave him one but still never gave up hope to have a family even though most of the women in her circle teased her for never letting the dream rest and for not being able to have an heir.
She was shaken from her thoughts when Thurston began to speak. She was surprised to see him approaching her.
" Charlotte and Charlie will have the last laugh over this situation I'm sure." Thurston said.
" Yes, I suppose they will." Lovey wasn't sure what to say to him. She figured Charlotte would be beside herself once she figured out the situation they'd been put in and how horrible Thurston had been to her.
Her heart had been in the right place, but this match wasn't a successful one. Lovey knew Charlotte just wanted to see her happy, but Lovey thought it impossible to find love again.
Luckily for her, Ginger Grant and Mary Ann made their way over to join her. Seeing as though she was the only other woman on the island, they figured it best to stick together.
Lovey was quite shocked to find herself talking to two people not even on the register, even more surprised at herself because one of the women was a movie star.
My how heads would roll….
" Is that your husband?" Mary Ann had the courage to finally ask.
" No, dear girl. He's actually an enemy of my family. You see, he's a Howell. The only good thing to come out of their family is proper breeding, he went to Harvard." Lovey said as she gestured to the wolf of Wall Street now walking towards the captain.
" Do you think we'll be going home soon?" Mary Ann asked the two women beside her, biting her lip in hope that the answer was opposite of the one she was thinking of.
Deep down, Lovey didn't know what their fate would be. She wasn't sure what to tell the two young women beside her.
She only sighed. " Hopefully the men can figure out something."
Mary Ann's eyes watered. Out of all of them, she was the youngest. She missed her aunt and uncle and just wanted to be back home in Kansas, not stranded on an island.
" Oh I shouldn't have even come on this trip. My uncle was right." She sniffled.
Lovey patted her shoulder gently. " There, there darling. Don't fret. Why don't we make the most of it. After all, we've got a private beach. It's quite lovely."
Mary Ann wiped her eyes and nodded, trying to put on a brave face.
" Relax. I'm sure we won't be here more than a day or two. Besides, they'll send out a search party. If they have any cameras, I'll find them. I always do." She winked, smiling down at the farm girl.
Over at the Minnow, Skipper was pacing around, really looking over their boat trying to figure out if anything could really be salvaged. It didn't look good.
Of all the years, why now. Surely we won't be stuck for long. We couldn't have gone that far off course, could we?
He removed his cap, scratching his head in bewilderment, so perplexed at the situation before him. He had 6 other lives to think about.
The island seemed lush and from what Gilligan had said, there seemed to be some potential water sources and fresh fish and fruit to keep them full if they found themselves here for a week or more.
" Get anywhere with the transmitter yet, Professor?" Skipper asked.
" No- I'm afraid I haven't made much progress. That water must've done a number on it. We need to focus on getting some sort of shelter made. After all, we need the women to be comfortable. I'll see if Gilligan and I can find some bamboo to construct a hut or something that way it'll be done by nightfall."
" Great thinking, Professor. I'll lend you some tools I have on the boat. I'll have the girls start working on cooking something." Skipper replied.
" Shouldn't we ask Mr. Howell to do anything?" Professor asked.
The Skipper turned back on his heels, chuckling a bit. " The only thing I need him to do is stay out of the way." Skipper replied.
The Professor agreed and went to go roundup the first mate.
Thurston Howell took a seat atop the beached vessel and sat searching the waters with his binoculars for any signs of ships.
A Howell stoop to manual labor? Absolutely not. He enjoyed searching the waters and he figured while he was enjoying his leisure time, he could possibly search for a boat or two…
He wiped his sweaty brow with some currency out of his small change pocket and continued on the search.
It seemed for miles and miles the only thing he noticed was the open waters.
Is this it? Have I, Thurston Howell III, being of sound mind and body, been left here, deserted on an island, not even on a yacht? Yikes.
He wasn't sure how to cope with a situation such as this. He brought the binoculars back up to his eyes once more, staring into what seemed like oblivion.
…...
Nightfall came and the men, minus Thurston, had managed to build a crude shelter to get them through the night, or next few nights…
It was one big structure for all 7 of them to sleep in. It wasn't the most comfortable, but what could they do?
Everyone had eaten some fruit and fresh fish Gilligan had caught. They were all full and ready for sleep, hoping that when they all awoke tomorrow they were one day closer to leaving the island.
The island had quieted down. They could hear the sounds of the animals on the island along with the gentle crashing of waves in the distance. It was almost peaceful in a way, despite their circumstances.
As everyone drifted off into dreamland, the Skipper could only lie awake. His mind was racing. Never in all his years on the water had anything quite like this happened before.
Why now? Why does it always have to be me?
He hoped that tomorrow would bring better news and they could be on their way back to civilization. He shut his eyes, finally giving into their heaviness, dreaming about home.
TBC…