First mate's log:

March 5, 1973

Oh gosh, I made an impact on Marcia, but not the one I was hoping to! No, no, she doesn't have a crush on me after all. This is even worse!

I got to the Brady house a little early, so Peter and I started throwing around a football in the back yard, to pass the time. You know I'm not an athlete, but it wasn't like we were actually playing football. Then I missed one of his throws, just as Marcia came outside to say that the painting party was about to start. And the ball hit Marcia in the face!

OK, I guess Peter technically made the impact, but I didn't stop him. We both feel really guilty about it, even though it obviously was an accident. And it turned out Bobby was watching from the boys' bedroom window, because he yelled, "I'm gonna tell Mom and Dad!"

I was scared, even though they aren't my parents.

Peter muttered, "He acts like he's the Safety Monitor at home, too."

We went over to Marcia, just as the rest of the Bradys, and Alice, started running outside. Mrs. Brady took a look and said that Marcia has a swollen nose. Mr. Brady went to call a doctor.

I remembered the time my nose got swollen, because I fell out of a coconut tree. The swelling did go down after a few days, but it was awful while I was waiting. Anyway, the painting party was obviously canceled, so Mr. Brady sent me home.

Carol Brady's diary:

March 6, 1973

Poor Marcia got hit with a football yesterday! No, she wasn't playing. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm almost comfortable with the idea of Greg playing football this Fall, since he'll be a senior and he's bigger than he was when he got tackled and his rib was fractured. Obviously, I wouldn't want Marcia playing football, even though I support girls' rights to try some things that boys do.

It was a little bit my fault. I asked Marcia to call Peter and Gilligan in from the backyard, so we could start the painting party. Obviously, I didn't know that the timing would work out that Marcia would walk right into a missed catch. Peter was throwing, and he feels terrible about this. Even though they weren't playing ball in the house, he keeps mentioning the time he broke my favorite vase.

He didn't break Marcia's nose, but it is swollen, very big and blue. Dr. Porter, who made a house call (sparing Marcia some embarrassment), says the swelling should go down in a week at most. Marcia isn't in as much pain as she was yesterday, since I've given her ice packs and aspirin, but I'm letting her stay home from school today. She probably will have to go back though, before her nose completely returns to normal.

I don't know what she'll do about her date with Charley. I think he would understand if she had to postpone again, since he's such a sweet boy. But obviously, I'm not going to bring it up to Marcia just yet, since she's hyper-sensitive about her appearance right now. She's as bad as Gilligan when his nose was swollen, although at least she's not yet considering plastic surgery.

March 7, 1973

Well, I talked to Marcia. No, she's not mad at me, or Peter. She understands it was an accident. Besides, now she feels guilty herself.

"I had to go back to school today because I had to take a big History test. But I felt really self-conscious because of my nose." Even with me, she was talking with her head down, her long hair partly hiding her face.

"That's rough. I remember how embarrassed I was when I had a swollen nose."

"I remember that, too, although I was pretty little then."

"Yeah. How did it go at school?"

"Well, I did OK on the test, even though I was distracted. I felt like everyone was staring at me."

I nodded, remembering how it felt like everyone thought of my nose when they saw me.

"And then I ran into Doug. Uh, do you know about Doug Simpson?"

I frowned. "Yeah, Jan told me."

She looked like she wanted to say something about Jan blabbing, but she knows that her siblings confide in me and I keep secrets, including hers. Instead she said, "Well, you probably know I told Charley that 'something suddenly came up.' "

"Uh, yeah." I decided to protect Charley and not admit he confided in me, too.

"Well, I tried to hide my face at a drinking fountain, but when I had to look up, Doug looked shocked. I told him I had a little accident."

I again felt guilty, but that still didn't make me forgive Marcia for what she did to poor Charley. "Did you tell him how it happened?"

"He didn't ask. He said he had to break our date for Saturday, because 'something suddenly came up.' "

"Ouch!" I did feel a little sorry for her then.

"Yeah, I probably deserved it though, after dumping Charley for Doug."

"Well, maybe, but that's still a rotten and shallow thing for him to do."

"Do you think I was rotten and shallow?"

"Well, you had your head turned by a handsome face, but if you were really rotten and shallow, you wouldn't feel guilty now."

"I guess. I mean, my ego is hurt, but mostly I feel sorry for hurting Charley."

"Have you told him that?"

"No, he still doesn't know why I broke our date, and he's still so nice to me when he sees me. I don't want to hurt him more, or make him hate me."

"Yeah, but he deserves the truth. And he might find out anyway, especially if Doug tells his friends."

She winced as if she hadn't even thought of that. I didn't point out that they go to a small high school on a small island, where everyone knows Marcia and her family. To be honest, I'm surprised no one has told Charley yet.

She sighed and said, "I'll find a way to talk to Charley, maybe when he brings over more paint."

She didn't say anything about the painting party being rescheduled, and I'm not so sure I'd want to go. Still, I'm glad I got the chance to talk to her. I feel like we're friends again, and that matters to me.

March 8, 1973

We've painted the bedroom, luckily not in blue, since Marcia is still sensitive, physically and emotionally, about her nose. It looks better than it did a couple days ago, and Dr. Porter assured me that there was no break, so it certainly could've been worse. But Marcia is a sixteen-year-old girl, and a very pretty girl at that, so obviously she's embarrassed to have a swollen nose.

We didn't invite Gilligan back, and he didn't offer again. But it still went pretty fast with nine people, even if it got very messy. It's a sort of ecru, light but not too "feminine" for Mike. And it won't dominate the decorations and furniture.

While I was all right with the paint fumes during the painting, I know I won't be able to sleep in our bedroom until they fade. And Mike doesn't want to sleep in there without me. So we're both going to bed down on the sofas in the den tonight, and maybe tomorrow.

This'll be the first time we haven't shared our bed in this house. We were apart when he's traveled for work without me, and there was the time I went to take care of my Aunt Mary. Still, it will feel different to be in the same room and be apart. Yet it'll be better than not being in the same room.

Of course, we didn't get sentimental about it, and we joked that it'll relieve the monotony. (I'll leave you in my usual hiding place in the bedroom of course.)