CHAPTER 5
THE CAVE
Roy turned off the radio. "Well, that confirms it. The tropical storm is headed our way."
"I guess we better get everything up to the cave as soon as we can. How long do we have till it hits?" Mary Ann asked.
"Four days. Three if it picks up any more speed," Roy replied.
"I'll start packing up right away."
"That's a good idea. While you're doing that, I'll begin moving the supplies."
Mary Ann scooped up the last of her turtle egg omelet. Immediately following, she got to work packing the kitchen into baskets and clothes into suitcases.
It took them the next three days to move their camp into the cave, which was far away and up the mountain. They were forced to make several trips, reusing the baskets each time. They spent more time gathering what fruit and fish they could store, not knowing how long the storm would last. By the time they were moving the last of their supplies into the cave, the sky had darkened, and the intense wind threatened to blow Mary Ann right off the trail.
Roy and Mary Ann stood at the mouth of the cave, watching the wind bend the trees.
"When do you think the worst will hit Roy?" Mary Ann asked.
"Any moment now. I'm thankful we were able to move everything so quickly," Roy said.
"As strong as the wind is today, I don't think I could survive another trip, much less carry anything."
"We're lucky to have found a cave in a safe location."
Turning away from the storm, Mary Ann looked around the cave. "And such a large one. We could easily fit twenty people in here." Noticing a stack of bamboo shoots and a large pile of vines, Mary Ann asked, "What is all that for Roy?"
"Well, we could be here a while. So, I decided to work on a few projects. I thought I'd build us a set of table and chairs to leave here in case we ever need to use this cave again."
"That would be much better than sitting on a rock or the floor."
"I'm also making straps to attach to these baskets. Then we'll be able to carry them on our backs."
"Oh, that will be nicer for our food gathering. Thank you, Roy. You're always building something new. Who needs department stores while you're here?"
Roy chuckled. "I'm glad I can help. But, for now, the department store is closed. I'm exhausted. Perhaps we should turn in for the night."
Throughout the night the storm grew violent. In the distance, they could hear palm trees crashing to the ground over the sounds of the wind just outside their cave.
"Roy, I'm afraid if I wash your trousers anymore, I'll scrub a hole right through them."
"Since we don't have any fabric to make new clothes, we will need to look at other alternatives. I have a book that instructs how to make cloth out of bark."
"Well... I thought since Mr. and Mrs. Howell aren't here, I could tailor some of their clothes to fit us."
Roy nodded thoughtfully. "That would be the logical thing to do. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
Mary Ann jumped up and handed Roy a shirt and a pair of trousers. "Good, I'm glad you agree, because I need you to try these on. It will give me something to do while we are here."
#
With a pained expression, Roy tried to hold perfectly still. Now I know how Ginger felt when she modeled clothes. I don't know how she could have enjoyed this. "Ouch!"
"Stand still and you won't get hurt," Mary Ann admonished him.
"How much longer?"
Mary Ann stuck one more pin in the shirt. She patted him on the arm. "Done. Now be careful taking them off so the pins don't stick you."
When Roy came back with his own clothes on, he noticed Mary Ann wearing one of Mrs. Howell's dresses.
"If you don't mind, could you put a couple of pins in for me?" Mary Ann asked.
Roy felt anxious as he slowly walked toward Mary Ann. "Uh, sure."
"All I need you to do is put the pins in the way I did," Mary Ann explained.
Roy picked up a pin with a shaky hand. He looked at the dress, unsure where to begin.
For the next hour, Mary Ann tried her best to guide Roy on how to pin the dress. First the shoulders, then the hem. When he got to the side and bust of the dress his hands shook so badly that he kept dropping one pin after another.
"Thank you so much, Roy, I really appreciate the help. I may have to ask you to pin a couple more dresses later."
"Er… sure. No problem," Roy mumbled as he hurriedly turned away. He walked over to stand at the mouth of the cave. Good lord, I'm glad that's over. He took calming breaths to stop his hands from shaking. The wind cooled his flushed cheeks. If my colleagues could see me now, they would be stunned. A professor with six degrees pinning a dress. Roy couldn't help grinning. Pinning a dress on a very beautiful woman.
The rest of the day passed quietly, except for the ever-constant wind. Roy worked on building the table and chairs while Mary Ann sat and sewed.
Mary Ann handed Roy his new pants and shirt, "Here Roy, let me know if they don't fit right and I'll fix them."
"You finished them already?" Roy asked. "Thank you. I'm sorry for all the extra work."
"Oh, don't be, I enjoy sewing."
"Well, you're very good at it."
Mary Ann smiled. "I'll patch your old clothes with the scraps. With different colored patches, they may not look great, but they'll be fine for work clothes."
Roy nodded. "Good idea. Thank you."
As Roy and Mary Ann laid down that night, they listened to the storm raging outside.
"Mary Ann, are you having trouble sleeping?" Roy asked.
"Yes, it's the wind." Mary Ann replied. "I've never seen a storm this bad, and the constant wind is a little unsettling."
"It can certainly make one perturbed. Don't worry, this cave is the safest place we could be."
"Thanks, I guess it was getting to me. There is no way the storm could blow this cave apart. I must be getting cabin fever. I'm not used to being so confined."
"I understand that." Roy hesitated. "Mary Ann... will you give me an honest answer to a question?
"Of course, I will always be truthful to you."
Roy took a deep breath and released it, slowly. "Are you sorry that you stayed with me and didn't go with the rest of the castaways?"
Mary Ann's head shot up off her pillow. "Of course not! Why would you ask that?"
"Well, if they really did make it back, you could have been home by now." Roy fidgeted with his fingers.
"I know, but I couldn't have left you here all alone."
"To be truthful, I feel guilty that I might have convinced you to stay," Roy confessed. "I know how much you want to go home."
"There's no need to feel guilty. I honestly didn't believe the eye of the idol would work either. I hoped it would, but I didn't think so."
"Is that what you really believed?"
"Yes. I guess I'm too practical to believe in magic. Maybe you're rubbing off on me," Mary Ann teased. "And besides, I would have worried that you were alone with no one to take care of you."
"No need to worry, I would have been just fine," Roy assured her.
"Oh really? And how many times have I had to drag you away from your experiments to make sure you ate something because you got so wrapped up in an experiment that you lost track of time."
Roy laughed. "A few times, and if you couldn't get me to stop, you brought supper to me. You even stayed with me to make sure I ate it all."
Mary Ann shook her head. "I don't know what you did before you were shipped wrecked. You get so focused that you don't know if it's day or night. When we make it home, you'll have to hire a cook to make sure you eat."
Roy smiled in the dark. "I'm glad you stayed. Not glad you're still marooned, but if someone had to stay with me, I'm glad it was you."
"You're just glad I'm here to cook for you," Mary Ann said teasingly.
They laughed together.
"I must admit," Roy said. "That is a huge bonus. If I didn't say it before, thank you for caring enough to make sure I eat."
"You're welcome." Mary Ann nervously stroked the ends of her hair. "I'm glad it is you I'm marooned with too. I love Mr. & Mrs. Howell, Skipper, Gilligan, and Ginger, but I can't imagine one of them here in place of you. Besides, I think we work well together."
"I agree. We do make an excellent team."
"Good night, Roy. Sweet dreams."
"Good night, my dear. Sweet dreams"