Mango Crush

by Bill H Myers

  When I finally got to the kitchen, Abby pulled out her phone, pointed to it and said, “I need to make a call. Why don't you go out on the deck and see if you can fire up the grill?”

  She wasn't asking; she was telling me to do it. She wanted some privacy while she made her call. Taking the hint, I headed out onto the deck.

  Looking around, I saw an old gas grill tucked under the eave. Probably put there to keep in out of the rain. It was covered with a tarp, and I was worried that under it I'd find a rusty grill on its last legs.

  Seeing how this one was left sitting out in the elements, less than fifty feet from the salt spray of the gulf, I was worried the condition of the grates and burners would make it unusable.

  But when I removed the tarp, I was pleasantly surprised. The grill hiding underneath was a Weber and looked to be in good condition. Opening the hood, I saw that the porcelain grates were rust and grease free. This was good news because it meant I didn't have to clean anything. Just wipe the dust off the grates and fire up the burners.

  I went back inside to get a paper towel from the kitchen. Abby was still on her phone, in a heated discussion with whoever was on the other end of the call.

  When I walked in, she looked up at me, pointed to the door and mouthed the word, “Out.”

  There was no question she didn't want me to hear what she was saying. I could understand. She had dealings with people in South Florida, some with shady reputations who valued their privacy.

  Abby wouldn't want me to overhear anything that might raise questions after the call.

  I grabbed two paper towels and headed back out to the grill. After wiping the grates, I checked the propane cylinder to make sure it was full and turned on.

  It was, which meant everything was set for me to light the burners. I turned the burner control knob to the start position and pressed the red button. When it clicked, I could see a spark jump across the burners and watched as they fired up.

  I set the controls to high heat and closed the grill's lid then took a seat in one of the recliners Abby and I had sat in the night before.

  A few minutes later, she came out on the deck with her phone in hand. Apparently, the call she didn't want me to hear had ended.

  I nodded toward her phone. “Was that about Bob?”

  She shook her head. “No, not that one. But I am getting a lot of calls from people who’ve seen the flyer. Most wanting to sell me a Bob look alike or to foster a stray they had taken in.

  “So far, the calls have been a waste of time. But eventually we'll get the one that leads us to him. I'm sure of it.”

  She pointed to the grill and said, “Looks like you got it going. How long before we can put the steaks on?”

  I pointed to the thermometer on the front panel and said, “When it reaches four fifty, it'll be ready.”

  She checked. “It's almost there. I'll go make the salad and bring out the steaks.”

  I started to follow her in, but she said, “No, you stay out here. Watch the grill.”

  I wasn't sure why she didn't want me to go inside with her, but judging by the way she kept looking at her phone, I thought maybe she was expecting another call.

  Fifteen minutes later, she came back out carrying a plate with the raw steaks and a set of grill tongs. “You ready to cook?”

  I nodded, took the steaks and put them on the grill. I pointed to the plate where the raw steaks had been and asked, “Okay if I go in and get a clean one?”

  “Sure, they're above the sink.”

  I headed for the door. When I stepped inside, I heard her phone chime with an incoming call. Maybe this time it would be someone saying they had found Bob.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When I came back out, Abby was still on the phone. She saw me and held a finger to her lips, meaning she didn't want me to interrupt her.

  She turned away to face the gulf, hoping the sound of the waves would keep me from hearing what she was saying.

  The steaks needed to be turned over. I walked to the grill, close enough to hear Abby say, “Look, he either talks to me or this goes the other way. Your choice. You've got twenty-four hours to decide.”

  She ended the call and turned back to me. “Those steaks about ready?”

  I nodded. “Just about. Give me a minute. I'll plate them up.”

  She nodded. “Bring them inside when you're done. I'll have the salad ready.”

  She didn't say anything about the call, and I wasn't going to ask. Whatever she was working on she didn't want me to know about it.

  That didn't bother me. She had other things going on in her life beyond me.

  I checked the steaks, and when they were done to perfection, I plated them up and turned off the grill.

  Inside, Abby had set the table with salad plates and silverware. She had poured herself a glass of wine. There was a bottle of water on my side. Clearly, she was determined to be the doctor's enforcer.

  She put the steaks on our plates, and we started in on dinner.

  Between bites, I said, “I guess that latest call wasn't about Bob either.”

  “No, it wasn't. It's business. The people I'm dealing with are playing hardball. They think I'm a pushover and I'll give in to their demands.

  “But I won't. They'll realize that if they don't agree to my terms, it could really hurt them. Give them an hour, and they'll be calling me back, ready to deal.”

  I smiled. “So an hour, huh? You know that for sure, do you?”

  She nodded. “I do.”

  A few minutes later, her phone chimed with an incoming call. She looked at the display and said, “It's them.”

  Instead of answering, she let it go to voice-mail. She didn't even bother to listen to the message they had left.

  “Aren't you even going to check?”

  She smiled. “I'll do it later. I already know what they said.”

  Having seen her 'gift' in action, I didn't doubt her. She probably did know.

  We continued to eat, talking about the places we had visited and the plight of all the animals we had seen in the shelters.

  That led to a discussion about Bob and where he might be. I told her what the deputy had said about looking in the woods behind CVS where the feral cats hung out. Abby had already heard about the place and said she had added it to her list.

  “You have another list? Mind telling me what's on it?”

  She took a sip of wine and said, “Tomorrow we'll start by visiting the three shelters in Englewood. Then we'll swing by CVS and see if Bob is hanging out there. If we don't find him, we'll leave a flyer with Bob's picture on it, so the woman who's feeding the cats will know we're looking for him.

  “Then we'll go to Cat Depot. It's a small rescue shelter about a mile north of CVS on Forty-One. We'll see if Bob is there and leave them a flyer if he isn't.

  “Then we'll grab lunch and head north to check out the shelter in Nokomis and post more flyers. After that, we'll come back this way, stop at Winn-Dixie and stock up on food.”

  It sounded like she had our day planned out well. The only thing I couldn't figure out was why she thought we needed to stock up on food. As far as I could tell, the fridge was full, and we really didn't need anything else.

  She surprised me with her next question. “You think you can do without me for a day or two, starting the day after tomorrow?”

  I didn't see any reason I couldn't survive without her, as long as there was food in the house. I wouldn't have a car and wouldn't be able to go anywhere, but I've survived much worse. “Are you going somewhere?”

  She pointed to her phone. “I need to go deal with the people I've been talking to. It's something I have to do in person. It's a two-day thing. I feel bad about having to leave you here alone, but it's something I have to do.”

  She continued. “That's why we're going to Winn-Dixie tomorrow. So you won't starve.”

  She paused then said, “If something comes up while I'm gone, and you need to get to the hospital
, call an ambulance or Uber. Otherwise, stay here, enjoy the ocean and rest. Think you can do that?”

  I nodded. “I can. But it'd be a lot easier if I had a computer and an internet connection. Being alone for two days, I could sure get a lot done and catch up on things I've missed.”

  She shook her head. “Remember what the doctor said? No TV, no internet, nothing that might stress you out. We're going to keep it that way.

  “You still have your burner phone. It doesn't have internet, but you'll be able to survive without it. Or without me.

  “And if you're a good boy, I'll bring you back a present.”

  I smiled. “A present? I like the sound of that. Tell me more.”

  But she didn't. She just said it would be something I liked. I tried to get her to tell me more, but she wouldn't.

  I changed the subject and asked where she was going and what she would be doing the two days she was away.

  She just said, “It's a business thing. The less you know the better.”

  We cleaned up the kitchen, and, like the day before, we moved out onto the deck to listen to the waves and watch the stars above. About two hours later, we went to our separate rooms and prepared for bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The next morning, Abby let me sleep in. When I finally got up, it was just after eight. I found her sitting at the kitchen table, holding her phone.

  She looked up at me and said, “They left a message. It was pretty much what I expected. They agreed to my terms and are ready to go forward as long as I visit them in person.

  “I'll be leaving in the morning. I'll be gone for two days. I wouldn't be going if I thought you weren't well enough to be on your own. But you have to promise to stick with what the doctor said. No drinking, no TV no internet, and no sex. At least until I get back.”

  I smiled. “The no sex part? Is breaking that rule going to be my present?”

  She stood and said, “You'll just have to wait and see.”

  After eating breakfast, I changed into clean clothes and was ready when Abby said, “It's time to go.”

  We loaded into the minivan and headed to the first place on her list, the Suncoast animal shelter in Englewood.

  Pulling into the parking lot, we could hear dogs barking as soon as we got out of the car. Inside, it was much like the shelters we had visited the day before. Underfunded, under staffed, and overcrowded with dogs and cats.

  We walked through the cat section, checking all the cages, but Bob wasn't in any of them. Before leaving, we gave the woman working the front desk a few of our “lost cat” flyers. She promised she would put them up and give us a call if Bob came in.

  From there, we headed to EARS, the Englewood Animal Rescue Sanctuary on Dearborn Street. Unlike the other shelters, EARS only had a few animals on hand, and the ones they did have lived in a much more comfortable environment.

  Instead of the noisy, smelly, stressful conditions we had found at other shelters, entering EARS was like entering someone's home. Everything felt comfortable. The animals were constantly attended to, and the staff were very helpful.

  We showed them the flyer with Bob's photo, and the woman who looked to be in charge said, “We've got one that looks like him. It's probably not the one you're looking for, but he will be someday.”

  Before she could continue, Abby said, “I want to see him!”

  The woman smiled and said, “Okay, follow me.”

  We were led into a small glassed-in room just beyond the front office. Soft music was playing, and in the corner of the room, we saw a mother cat with four kittens. One looked exactly like Bob when he was young.

  Abby asked, “Can I pick him up?”

  The woman whispered, “Yes, but be gentle.”

  Abby went over and spoke softly to the mother cat, petted her head, and then petted the kitten that looked like Bob.

  The kitten yawned and squeaked at the same time. He looked up at Abby with his deep blue eyes and meowed softly. Then he started purring.

  Abby gently petted him while whispering something. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but the kitten seemed to like it.

  When Abby moved her hand away, the kitten tried to grab it and bring it closer. Abby smiled and said, “You're the one.”

  When she stood, the kitten yawned and snuggled up against its mother. Both were purring.

  Abby came back to where we were standing and asked the woman who had led us into the kitten room, “Is he ready to be adopted?”

  “No, not yet. He's too young. Florida law says he needs to be at least eight weeks old before he can be taken from his mother. He's that now, but we like to keep them a little longer, another week or so.”

  Abby nodded, and we left the room, heading back out to the office area.

  The woman looked at our lost cat flyer and asked, “How did you lose him?”

  Abby pointed to me and said, “He was in the motorhome with this guy when it was hit last week. We haven't seen the cat since.”

  Hearing this, the young woman sitting behind a computer on a desk off to the side perked up. She came over and asked, “Were you the one driving the motorhome? The one in the YouTube video?”

  I nodded. “That was me.”

  She turned to the other women and said, “You know that video I showed you? The one with the car flying through the motorhome? This is the guy who was driving.”

  She turned to me and said, “I'm Roxanne, and I can't believe you survived. I thought you'd be dead for sure.”

  I laughed. “I'm not dead, at least not yet. I did get banged up a bit and spent a few days in the hospital, but I'm mostly better now. I just need to find my cat.”

  She smiled and said, “I’m sure you’ll find him. I’ll even help if you like.”

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. She wrote something on the back, handed it to me, and said, “I'm pretty good at finding cats. If you want me to go out with you, give me a call.”

  I thanked her and put the card in my pocket.

  We left a stack of flyers and went back out to the car. After we got in, Abby asked, “You like that girl? Roxanne? That her name? Because it sure looked like she was into you.”

  I shook my head. “Abby, I think she felt sorry for me. That's all.”

  Abby smiled. “That better be all. You don't want me finding out that you got together with her while I was gone. That would not be a wise thing to do.”

  “I promise. I'm not going anywhere near her. I can't because I don't have a car.”

  Abby looked at me and laughed. “You're a funny man. Maybe me being away from you for a few days will be a good thing.”

  The visit to the remaining shelters ended the same way. No Bob. We left plenty of flyers and felt good that even though he hadn't been found, there was an army of people out looking for him.

  We grabbed lunch at Zeke's on Dearborn. I'd eaten there before and knew they had the best burger and rings in town. I ordered both, and they didn't disappoint. Abby had one of their salads. She said it was good but kept stealing my onion rings.

  From Zekes we went to Winn-Dixie where Abby let me stock up on whatever I wanted to eat while she was away.

  Since I didn't feel like cooking, I picked out four frozen dinners, some Pop Tarts, a box of Raisin Bran, a quart of lemonade, a loaf of rye bread, and a half pound of sliced turkey.

  I wanted to get mustard and mayonnaise for the sandwiches, but Abby assured me there were full bottles of each in the fridge.

  Satisfied that I wouldn't starve while she was gone, we paid at the register and headed back to the beach cottage we were calling home.

  Abby continued to get calls from people about Bob's flyer. But, as before, most were offering to sell a replacement cat. Some had free kittens to give away. One said he had found a cat that looked like Bob, but when he texted the photo to Abby's phone, it was clear the cat was not him. Wrong color, wrong size, wrong tail.

  The cat in the photo looked clean an
d well groomed and probably was someone's pet. Maybe it belonged to the caller. A thousand-dollar reward will make people do that. Try to sell the family pet.

  With so many calls coming in, I asked Abby how she would handle them while on the road. She said that since most of them were a waste of time, she wouldn't bother me with them. If a call came in that sounded promising, she'd forward the call to my burner.

  I could follow it up, and if it sounded like the caller had actually found Bob, I could arrange to meet him in a public place. Since I didn't have a car, I could call a cab or Uber and have it come get me.

  The only problem was the burner phone could only make calls or send text messages. It didn't have a camera and didn't have a way to view photos. It was just a phone, not much more.

  Before the wreck, I had relied on my real phone to stay in touch with the rest of the world. Calls, texts, photos, and everything else a smartphone can do.

  When Abby got back from her trip, I'd put getting my broken phone replaced at the top of her list.

  She hadn't talked about how to handle the reward money if someone showed up with Bob. I figured she knew I had cash stashed in the safe from my motorhome and I could easily cover it. She was right. I had the money, and I'd be more than happy to give it to anyone who brought my Bob back.

  Abby had gotten a rotisserie chicken while we at the store, and that evening, we had a chicken Caesar salad. My job was to cut the breast meat into small chunks without cutting myself.

  That was important. I didn't want to get injured the day before she left on her trip. I didn't know where she was going, but the trip seemed important to her, and I didn't want to mess things up.

  After dinner, we relaxed out on the deck, enjoying the cool breezes coming off the gulf. I asked her about her upcoming trip, but all she would say was, “When I get back, I'll tell you more.”

  She quickly changed the subject. “You've still got a few days before you need to call the hospital about your insurance. Might be a good idea to hold off until I get back. Maybe I'll figure out a way to cover it while I'm on the road.”

  I nodded. I liked the idea of waiting as long as possible before I had to deal with the hospital bill.