First mate's log:
April 11, 1974
The Hinkleys are moving back to this island! Yeah, I'm surprised but happy. Mary Ann is, too, of course, since in some ways Ginger is still her best friend.
It's not just that the Baroness is making things hard for the Professor and Ginger. She's going through with the development project, and the Professor doesn't think it's safe to live on Blenford anymore. Plus, yeah, they've got kids now so they want to protect the three boys.
They'll be here in a week. The Howells have agreed to host them until they find a place to live. There's plenty of room in the mansion of course. The Professor isn't crazy about this plan, since he likes his independence. (Which has been part of the problem with him and the Baroness, including back when she wanted to marry him.) Still, he'd rather butt heads with Mr. Howell than live on Blenford anymore.
The Skipper says he's going to continue to run the ferry as long as there are people living on Blenford. My life is mostly here, with Mary Ann and now all of my friends, but it's still nice to know that Blenford is there when I want it. For now anyhow.
Carol Brady's diary:
April 12, 1974
I was quite surprised when an FBI man came to our house today! It turns out that Mike has a government contract to design a building in Honolulu. He made the connection at that recent banquet for Mr. Howell. Mike did need government clearance, but he has a very clean record of course. The government pays well, and that will help with the children's college funds.
Yes, I will admit I thought it might have something to do with Tax Day being around the corner, but why would the IRS audit Mike before the 15th? And, no, we're not declaring Oliver as a write-off, since he moved in so recently, but I suppose we would if Jack and Pauline left him with us for longer than they planned.
April 13, 1974
Peter told me that Bobby and Oliver think Mr. Brady is a spy! Peter thinks it's ridiculous, and I decided not to point out that it wasn't that long ago that Peter believed in UFOs. (OK, I sort of do, too.) Not to mention that the odds are very small that all these lookalikes would keep showing up to our small island, but that's happened.
Oh, so it turned out that Peter made Arthur keep the blind date that Arthur agreed to, and it was a big mess but it turned out all right. Jan has officially met Arthur now, since they do go to the same school. I don't know if the other kids know about Arthur yet, but Alice (who was home that night) and Mr. and Mrs. Brady do. (No, I don't know if Arthur's family knows about Peter.)
Anyway, the younger boys claim a G-man came to the house. Greg and Peter didn't see him. Peter thinks it was probably just some guy in a suit.
"I mean, why would someone from the FBI come all the way to our little island, and to meet Dad?"
I'm guessing it's something to do with Mr. Brady being an architect, but you never know.
April 14, 1974
We had a fun Easter, even though Oliver informed me that he's too old to believe in the Easter Bunny. In some ways, he's still a little boy, and in other ways, he's like a little old (or at least middle-aged) man. But he certainly didn't say no to the candy and dyed eggs. Even Marcia didn't, although sometimes she goes on a diet. (Nothing too extreme, since she's still a growing girl.)
April 15, 1974
Yesterday was Easter and today is Tax Day. Yeah, it'll be fun to have a kid of our own to share Easter with in another year or two. We can at least dress up the baby in bright colors. And, yeah, I would dress up as the Easter Bunny or Santa if I had to.
As for Tax Day, Mary Ann and I filed as a married couple this year of course. We had to explain to the taxman that I work for my wife in her own business, because I guess that's kind of unusual. And next year, she'll still own the business, but we'll have a "dependent." Yeah, the Hinkleys have three more dependents than they did in '72.
April 16, 1974
Sam is going to propose to Alice! Well, OK, I don't know for sure and, yes, I was mistaken about the elopement, but it's different this time. Before, Alice knew that it was the Skipper and Joyce, and she was in on the plan.
This time, Alice was in the kitchen with me and Marcia when Sam came over. He said he needed to talk to Mike about a life-changing event, but the time wasn't right to confide in Alice yet. Marcia and I of course assumed that Sam wants Mike's advice on proposing. Alice didn't want to get her hopes up again, but she couldn't help it.
As with the "elopement," I don't know how we'd manage without Alice, but I do want her to have her happy ending. And I don't think they'll rush into it, knowing Sam, so I doubt the wedding will be this June or anything like that.
April 17, 1974
Peter says that now Bobby and Oliver think Sam is a counter-spy!
I joked, "A meat-counter-spy?"
Peter chuckled but then shook his head. He said that the younger boys are convinced that Sam is working for someone named Mr. Gronsky, and trying to steal plans from Mr. Brady.
"Architectural plans?"
"No, secret government plans."
This is getting kind of out of hand, especially since Sam seems like a good guy. I don't have the time to go talk to Bobby and Oliver, but if they stop by the Pizza Parlor, I'll try to talk some sense into them. (And, yeah, I once was handcuffed to secret government plans, but they were from World War I and no longer top secret.)
April 18, 1974
Well, it turns out that Sam isn't going to propose to Alice, at least not anytime soon. He wants to expand the butcher shop, and he has the approval of his landlord, Mr. Gronsky. Alice, Marcia, and I weren't the only ones jumping to conclusions about Sam. Bobby and Oliver thought he was a double agent!
Not only that, they thought Mike himself was a spy! No, they didn't suspect me. It all had to do with Mike's government contract, and Sam's secret. They actually locked Sam and Mr. Gronsky in the meat locker! Bobby should've known better, especially since he once accidentally locked himself and Greg in there.
Luckily, Mike came along a minute later. He was supposed to meet with Sam and Gronsky. He let the two men out of the meat locker, and everyone explained to the boys what was going on. Sam and Mr. Gronsky were more amused than angry. Mike thinks they were also flattered to be mistaken for spies. He was annoyed himself, and also with himself, since he probably should've headed this off before it got out of hand. He did give the boys a talking-to on the walk home from the butcher shop.
(Yes, I'm glad I didn't tell him about our mistake about Sam's secret, although that was relatively harmless.)
Still, I am glad that Bobby and Oliver have become friends, after a rocky start. Oliver hasn't yet made any friends his own age, but I'm hoping he'll connect with Matt, Dwayne, and Steve. The Hinkleys just moved back to our island!
I haven't had a chance to talk to Ginger for more than a few minutes yet, but they were increasingly unhappy on Blenford. And according to Mike, the Baroness's development plans are as unstable as anything that Beebe Gallini could come up with. I'm sure we'll hear more about this later, but I have to be honest, I'm more concerned right now with poor Alice's disappointment.