CHAPTER 7

ANNIVERSARY

Mary Ann wanted an extra special dress. She took one of Ginger's dresses and tailored it to fit her. Normally, Mary Ann wouldn't dream of wearing the kind of dress that Ginger preferred, they were a little too provocative. But since Mary Ann was more petite than Ginger, she had enough material to make the dress more modest while remaining glamorous. Running her hands down her sides, she knew this dress was much more sophisticated than her homemade clothes. It made her feel more mature.

Upon hearing Roy's knock, Mary Ann hurried to open the door. Roy's mouth literally dropped open. His eyes traveled from her head to her feet and up again. Mary Ann was wearing an off-the-shoulder silver evening gown. And boy did it fit.

The flowers he had brought slipped from his hand and landed next to his feet. Roy couldn't take his eyes off her. Oh my, was all he could think.

Mary Ann waited several moments while Roy stood in the doorway, dumbfounded, before picking up the flowers herself. She suddenly felt very self-conscious. "Roy, is everything all right? Is it the dress? It's the wrong style for me, isn't it?"

Roy shook his head, snapping himself out of his trance, and tried to pull himself together. "Wrong? No. No, Mary Ann, you look... like a dream."

Mary Ann lowered her eyes as her cheeks turned red. "Oh, I was worried if the style was too mature on me. Ginger's dresses are much more sophisticated than anything I've ever worn, but I wanted to wear something special tonight."

"Ginger never made any dress look that good. All I can say is...WOW!"

Mary Ann felt like her cheeks were burning. "Well, you look pretty handsome yourself."

Roy pulled at his collar, "I don't enjoy wearing a tux, but since it is the anniversary of our shipwreck, I felt I should dress for the occasion. After seeing you, I'm thankful I did." He held out his arm for Mary Ann. "Shall we?"

Mary Ann arranged the white flowers Roy had given her on the table. She stepped back to admire the elegant setting. She turned on the radio before walking over to Roy, while he boiled the crab.

"It seems kind of silly to celebrate the anniversary of our shipwreck."

"On the contrary," Roy contradicted. "It is much better for our mental health to make it into a joyous occasion. We don't want to become depressed."

"I suppose that's true. It's a perfect night for our party, clear skies, and perfect weather."

Roy looked out over the water. "Yes, unlike the day we took our three-hour cruise."

A voice crackled over the radio. "Here's Dean Martin, singing 'Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime'."

"Shall we have a dance while we wait on the crab?" Roy asked.

He took Mary Ann into his arms, and they swayed to the music.

"You know, I disliked dancing as a teenager," he confessed. "I tried my best to get out of the lessons. But my mother insisted. My father said that eventually, I would be thankful that I had learned. I didn't believe him. My mother and sister taught me at home. At least I didn't have to go to the dance studio like my classmates."

"My mom taught me too. I love to slow dance. Of course, where I grew up the boys didn't really care to slow dance, so I rarely had the chance." She looked up at Roy. "Were you finally thankful that you learned?"

"Not really." He smiled down at her. "At least not until recently. Now it is my favorite extracurricular activity."

The song ended, but they stood gazing into each other's eyes for a few moments longer. They reluctantly let their arms fall away from each other.

They sat down for their celebration dinner with the bottle of Mr. Howell's bubbly. The meal wasn't anything special, they had eaten crab many times. But their new clothes, champagne, and the white flowers adorning the table made it feel special. Roy and Mary Ann took their time with their meal.

"For dessert, I have a surprise," Mary Ann said.

"Ahh, banana cream pie."

"This is made with apple bananas," Mary Ann explained. "I didn't know there were so many varieties of bananas. I'm so thankful you pointed them out to me."

"No, I'm thankful that you enjoy making pies." Roy scooped the first bite into his mouth. "Mary Ann, you outdid yourself, this is the best pie I have ever eaten."

"Thank you."

"Even better than my mother's pies, but don't ever tell."

"I promise, your secret is safe with me," Mary Ann chuckled.

"Take your girl in your arms and hold her tight, because here's a favorite," the voice over the radio announced. "The Righteous Brothers, 'Unchained Melody'."

"I think a little exercise is now in order," Roy said as he held out his hand.

Between the bubbly and the feel of Roy's arms, Mary Ann felt like she was floating.

When the sun set Roy added more wood to the fire and lit the tiki torches. They took a break from dancing to stargaze as they had on many nights.

Mary Ann looked up. "You know, when I won the Hawaiian vacation, I would have spent my birthday in Honolulu. Back home we didn't do much for birthdays, usually just a cake after supper. This was to be my best birthday ever, even though I would have been spending it alone. I had the whole day planned out. I have to admit, tonight has been the best night of my life, even better than what I had planned for my birthday." After a pause, Mary Ann continued. "Am I a bad person for having such a good time after our friends have disappeared and we have no idea where they are?"

"No, you're not a bad person. The human race is very adaptable to change. After a time, the hurt becomes less. I'm sorry you missed your big celebration. I tell you what, when we get back to Hawaii, I will help you celebrate your birthday with everything you had planned."

"Really? Thanks. It would be much more fun to have someone to celebrate with me."

They danced well into the night until Mary Ann raised her hand to hide a yawn. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it is getting late."

As Mary Ann reached to turn off the radio, she heard the announcer's voice again. "Here's Doris Day, singing 'Sentimental Journey'."

"Oh, I love this song. One more dance, please. Then we'll head to the hut."

Roy gladly took her into his arms once again. He felt Mary Ann shiver. "Are you cold?"

"Just a little, but I'll be ok."

Roy let go of Mary Ann to take off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Oh Roy, you don't need to give me your jacket."

"I'll be fine, Mary Ann. I don't want you to get chilled." Roy wrapped his arms around Mary Ann's waist to make sure the jacket wouldn't fall off, but more importantly, because she felt perfect in his arms.

Mary Ann wrapped her arms around Roy's waist and laid her head on his chest while he rested his cheek atop her head. She loved the feeling of being in his arms.

Neither wanted to move away from the other. One last dance turned into four before they finally resigned and went back to their hut.

Like the last few nights, Roy picked Mary Ann up and laid her in her hammock.

Neither one of them had suggested lowering the hammock to make it easier for Mary Ann.

Tonight, instead of a kiss on the forehead, Roy gently kissed her lips. With a smile, he stepped around the 'wall' and got into his own hammock.

"Was it worth all those hours as a teenager learning how to dance?" Mary Ann asked.

Roy smiled. "More than worth it."