"Gilligan's Acres" Chapter Ten
Title: "Gilligan's Acres"
Chapter 10
Author: Karen/kirsdarke
Pairings: Mary Ann/Gilligan, Ginger/Professor
Rating: PG
Summary: A friend of Mr. Howell's rescues them from the island, then leaves them a surprise when he passes away.
Disclaimer: Sherwood Schwartz owns Gilligan's Island and the castaways, not me.
Note: Comments are much appreciated!
Chapter Ten
Love and Elbow Grease
The rain began to fall as the castaways followed Jimmy on the drive to Mr. Friedman's farm. By the time they pulled up to the house, they were in a downpour. The castaways looked out the windows of the limousine. The house seemed to hardly be standing. The white paint had faded and chipped so much that it was hard to tell if it had been painted at all. A few of the front steps were missing, and the porch rail was broken in half.
"This must be a mistake," Mr. Howell said.
"I don't think it's that bad," Gilligan said.
"Sure," Skipper said. "Nothing a little elbow grease won't fix."
"Don't you think nails and paint would work better?"
Skipper sighed and didn't bother to respond.
Mary Ann looked out the other window at the field. It was horribly overgrown, but nothing a lot of work couldn't fix. Once she- or whoever- got all the weeds up, there could be good land under there.
Jimmy ran up onto the porch and waved at them.
Mr. Howell sighed. "It's now or never, I suppose," he said. "Come, Lovey."
The Howells led the way as the castaways ran through the rain and mud, over the broken steps, and onto the front porch.
Mrs. Howell looked down at her feet. "Oh, Thurston, my shoes!" she cried.
"Don't worry, Lovey," he said. "I'll buy you a new pair as soon as we return home. Will you let us in, James?"
"I'm working on it, Mr. Howell," Jimmy said. He had the key in the lock and was jiggling the key and pushing the door. Finally, the door jerked open and he stumbled into the house. "Here we go," he said, holding the door open.
The castaways walked slowly into the living room. The wallpaper was peeling, the paint was chipping, and the roof was dripping. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs.
"Lovey, I think I'm going to faint," Mr. Howell said with a hand to his chest.
Mrs. Howell looked around wearily. "Is the rest of the house like this?" she asked Jimmy.
"I don't know," Jimmy said. "I haven't been in here since Mr. Friedman left. It was a lot nicer when he was here."
"I should hope so," Mr. Howell said.
"Oh, I don't think it's all that bad," Ginger said.
"Sure," Mary Ann said. "It just needs a little love."
"Boy, it's no wonder this place is falling apart," Gilligan said. "If it was built with love and elbow grease."
"Well, it'll never sell in this condition," Mr. Howell said. "We'll have to hire somebody to fix everything. And I mean everything."
"Oh, Thurston," Mrs. Howell said sadly. "We can't just hire somebody."
"Well, not locally, obviously," he said with a laugh.
"No, Thurston," she said thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to stay and do it ourselves."
Everyone looked at her in surprise, including her husband. He gave a nervous chuckle and touched his wife's arm.
"Let's speak privately for a moment, shall we, darling?" he said. He led her away from the others. "'Do it ourselves,' Lovey?"
"Thurston, I just don't feel right turning Frederick's home over to a stranger," she said. "I want to stay here and watch over it."
"But darling, we don't know anything about fixing houses."
"Patti and me'll be happy to help," Jimmy said.
"Stop eavesdropping, boy!" Mr. Howell shouted, but Mrs. Howell smiled at the young man.
"Skipper and I'll help, too," Gilligan said.
"We will?" Skipper asked.
"Why not? We don't have anything else to do."
"Gilligan!"
"Well, we don't."
"Those fields will need some work," Mary Ann said to the Howells. "I'll be happy to help you with that."
"I might be able to help you with that, Mary Ann," the Professor said. "A colleague of mine shared some interesting agricultural theories with me that we might be able to apply here."
"I should've walked further," Mr. Howell said to himself.
"Oh, wonderful," Mrs. Howell said happily. "I'll call Francis in the morning. He's our decorator. He did Frederick's place in Palm Beach, too. It was absolutely darling."
"I'll be happy to stay and help you with the decorating, Mrs. Howell," Ginger said.
"Then it's all settled."
"It is?" Mr. Howell asked.
"We'll get started first thing in the morning."
"We will?"
"Gilligan, will you go get our bags out of the limousine?"
"I will?" he asked, glancing at the rain outside.
"Thank you, darling," she said with a smile.
"Sure."
Gilligan looked at the window and sighed before heading outside into the rain.
I'll try to return sometime soon with another chapter.
<3
Chapter 10
Author: Karen/kirsdarke
Pairings: Mary Ann/Gilligan, Ginger/Professor
Rating: PG
Summary: A friend of Mr. Howell's rescues them from the island, then leaves them a surprise when he passes away.
Disclaimer: Sherwood Schwartz owns Gilligan's Island and the castaways, not me.
Note: Comments are much appreciated!
Chapter Ten
Love and Elbow Grease
The rain began to fall as the castaways followed Jimmy on the drive to Mr. Friedman's farm. By the time they pulled up to the house, they were in a downpour. The castaways looked out the windows of the limousine. The house seemed to hardly be standing. The white paint had faded and chipped so much that it was hard to tell if it had been painted at all. A few of the front steps were missing, and the porch rail was broken in half.
"This must be a mistake," Mr. Howell said.
"I don't think it's that bad," Gilligan said.
"Sure," Skipper said. "Nothing a little elbow grease won't fix."
"Don't you think nails and paint would work better?"
Skipper sighed and didn't bother to respond.
Mary Ann looked out the other window at the field. It was horribly overgrown, but nothing a lot of work couldn't fix. Once she- or whoever- got all the weeds up, there could be good land under there.
Jimmy ran up onto the porch and waved at them.
Mr. Howell sighed. "It's now or never, I suppose," he said. "Come, Lovey."
The Howells led the way as the castaways ran through the rain and mud, over the broken steps, and onto the front porch.
Mrs. Howell looked down at her feet. "Oh, Thurston, my shoes!" she cried.
"Don't worry, Lovey," he said. "I'll buy you a new pair as soon as we return home. Will you let us in, James?"
"I'm working on it, Mr. Howell," Jimmy said. He had the key in the lock and was jiggling the key and pushing the door. Finally, the door jerked open and he stumbled into the house. "Here we go," he said, holding the door open.
The castaways walked slowly into the living room. The wallpaper was peeling, the paint was chipping, and the roof was dripping. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs.
"Lovey, I think I'm going to faint," Mr. Howell said with a hand to his chest.
Mrs. Howell looked around wearily. "Is the rest of the house like this?" she asked Jimmy.
"I don't know," Jimmy said. "I haven't been in here since Mr. Friedman left. It was a lot nicer when he was here."
"I should hope so," Mr. Howell said.
"Oh, I don't think it's all that bad," Ginger said.
"Sure," Mary Ann said. "It just needs a little love."
"Boy, it's no wonder this place is falling apart," Gilligan said. "If it was built with love and elbow grease."
"Well, it'll never sell in this condition," Mr. Howell said. "We'll have to hire somebody to fix everything. And I mean everything."
"Oh, Thurston," Mrs. Howell said sadly. "We can't just hire somebody."
"Well, not locally, obviously," he said with a laugh.
"No, Thurston," she said thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to stay and do it ourselves."
Everyone looked at her in surprise, including her husband. He gave a nervous chuckle and touched his wife's arm.
"Let's speak privately for a moment, shall we, darling?" he said. He led her away from the others. "'Do it ourselves,' Lovey?"
"Thurston, I just don't feel right turning Frederick's home over to a stranger," she said. "I want to stay here and watch over it."
"But darling, we don't know anything about fixing houses."
"Patti and me'll be happy to help," Jimmy said.
"Stop eavesdropping, boy!" Mr. Howell shouted, but Mrs. Howell smiled at the young man.
"Skipper and I'll help, too," Gilligan said.
"We will?" Skipper asked.
"Why not? We don't have anything else to do."
"Gilligan!"
"Well, we don't."
"Those fields will need some work," Mary Ann said to the Howells. "I'll be happy to help you with that."
"I might be able to help you with that, Mary Ann," the Professor said. "A colleague of mine shared some interesting agricultural theories with me that we might be able to apply here."
"I should've walked further," Mr. Howell said to himself.
"Oh, wonderful," Mrs. Howell said happily. "I'll call Francis in the morning. He's our decorator. He did Frederick's place in Palm Beach, too. It was absolutely darling."
"I'll be happy to stay and help you with the decorating, Mrs. Howell," Ginger said.
"Then it's all settled."
"It is?" Mr. Howell asked.
"We'll get started first thing in the morning."
"We will?"
"Gilligan, will you go get our bags out of the limousine?"
"I will?" he asked, glancing at the rain outside.
"Thank you, darling," she said with a smile.
"Sure."
Gilligan looked at the window and sighed before heading outside into the rain.
I'll try to return sometime soon with another chapter.
<3