3 Mango Bay

by Bill Myers

  “Most people wouldn't get involved. But not you. You took charge. You almost wrecked the Jeep trying to keep the guy from getting hit. Then you got out and saved his life.

  “Mom thinks you're an under cover cop. Maybe you are. I can't think of anyone else who would do something like that.”

  I shook my head. “I'm not an undercover cop. Not a cop of any kind. But that guy needed help. And you just don't walk away when someone needs your help.”

  I changed the subject. “I like the Jeep. What's the asking price?”

  Lucy smiled. “We weren't talking about the Jeep. We were talking about you. Where did you learn first aid? At the Police Academy?”

  I shook my head. “I've never been to the police academy. But I was in the military. Did two tours. And saw a lot of action.”

  We rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Lucy spoke. “Seventeen thousand. That's what the sales manager told me to tell you. Seventeen thousand for the Jeep.”

  Before I could reply, she continued.

  “Blue book retail price would be about thirteen five. Add in the hardtop and the tow bar, and you're up to fifteen. But I think I can get you into it for fourteen. With sales tax, title and fees, you'll be fifteen five out the door.

  “And we can finance with 20% down.”

  I liked the Jeep. And I liked Lucy's honesty about the price. I probably would have paid the higher price, but the lower one was better.

  “Fifteen five out the door sounds good to me. I'll take it.”

  “Great! When we get back to my mom's, I'll write up a sales contract. And tomorrow, I'll take you to our Venice sales lot and we'll finalize the deal.”

  When we got back to Polly's trailer, Lucy pulled a sales contract out of her purse and said, “I'm going to go inside and let Mom know we're here. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back.”

  Before she got out of the Jeep, she reached over and took the keys out of the ignition.

  I laughed. “You don't trust me?”

  She shook her head. “No offense, but I don't trust anyone until I have a signed sales contract and a check in my hand.”

  With that, she went into her mother's trailer while I waited in the Jeep for her return.

  A few minutes later she came back out with the sales contract, and after I looked it over, I signed it.

  “Mom wants you to join us for dinner. And she said I couldn't take 'no' for an answer.”

  I smiled. “Well in that case, I guess I'll be eating dinner with you. But I need to clean up first. I'll meet you over there in a few minutes.”

  I went back to my motorhome, washed up and changed into some clean clothes. Then headed over to Polly's.

  Lucy was waiting for me at the door and escorted me to the dining table.

  Over dinner, Lucy retold the story of how, in her mind, I had single-handedly saved the cyclist's life. I tried to explain that I hadn't done anything special, nothing heroic.

  But Lucy wasn't having any of it. She told her mom that had I not been there, the man would surely have died.

  Upon hearing the story, Polly was more convinced than ever that I was an undercover cop.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The next morning I was up early. Mango Bob hadn't slept well and had patrolled the motorhome all night. Every once in a while he'd let out a worrisome howl, telling me things looked different outside.

  This was to be expected.

  Bob and I had spent most of the last six months camped out in the old boat yard where we were completely surrounded by an eight foot privacy fence. At the boat yard, Bob's view was limited, there were no other people, no pets and no cars to be seen.

  But here at Serenity Cove, Bob could see a new landscape out every window. There were trees above us with birds and squirrels. Motor homes beside us with people and pets. Cars, golf carts, and bicyclists on the driveway in front of us.

  All this new activity required that Bob be on full alert.

  So while neither of us had slept well, Bob's appetite hadn't suffered. By early morning, his food bowl was nearly empty and he felt it important to make me aware of this. He did so by jumping up on the bed and tapping my ear with his paw until he got my attention.

  After getting up and filling his bowl, I ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal drowned in white grape juice. My normal breakfast. Easy to make and easy to clean up.

  Lucy had told me to expect her around eight and I wanted to be ready. So I took a quick shower, shaved and put on clean shirt and shorts.

  Right on schedule, Lucy showed up with the Jeep. She was wearing cargo shorts, a powder blue Columbia fishing shirt, sunglasses, and a dark blue ball cap pulled over her pony tail.

  When I stepped out to greet her, she had a big smile on her face and dangled the keys in my direction.

  “You want to drive?”

  I shook my head. “Not this morning. I think I'll let you drive while I enjoy the view.”

  “Suits me. But before we leave, make sure you have your driver's license, your insurance card, and your check book.”

  I patted my back pocket where I carried my wallet. “Got it all. I'm ready whenever you are.”

  “Good. Give me a minute to talk to Mom, and I'll be right out.”

  While Lucy visited her mom, I locked up the motorhome and then did a close inspection of the outside of the Jeep.

  While it had looked pretty good the previous evening, it looked even better in the early morning light. No scratches, dents or blemishes. Even though it was several years old, it looked new.

  It was clear the previous owner had taken good care of it. And I was happy to be getting it.

  From behind me, I heard my name. It was Polly, Lucy's mother.

  “Walker, after you get done with Lucy, come by and see me. There's something I want to talk to you about.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Lucy drove us to the Truck Depot lot in Venice, and introduced me to Ed, the sales manager. She presented him with the sales agreement I had signed the night before.

  At first Ed smiled, then he shook his head. “She let you have it for fourteen? That's crazy. I would've never done that. Should have been a couple thousand more. You got a steal.”

  We went into Ed's office where he started preparing the documents needed to close the deal. “So, how much do you want to put down?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. I don't want to finance it. I'll write you a check for the full amount. If that's okay.”

  I pulled out my checkbook and waited.

  Ed smiled. “Paying in full does make it easier. Is it a local check?”

  “Yes, drawn on Sun Trust bank. There's a branch across the street if you want to see if it's good.”

  “I'm sure it's good. Make it out to Truck Depot. Here's the amount.”

  Ed slid the sales agreement across his desk for me to see. At the bottom of the form, he had added in sales tax, title and license fee. The total was just over fifteen thousand five hundred dollars.

  This amount was right in line with what Lucy had said it would be. I wrote out a check for the full amount and slid it over to him.

  Ed picked up the check and smiled. “I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.”

  He left his office and walked over to Lucy. I could see him pointing at me and asking her a question, to which she replied, “Yes”.

  He shook his head and walked away.

  A few minutes later he returned to the office and closed the door behind him. Smiling, he reached out to shake my hand, “Congratulations. The Jeep is now officially yours. Lucy has the keys.”

  I thanked him and went outside where Lucy was waiting.

  Smiling, she handed me two sets of keys and a folder with sales documents. “Walker, it's good doing business with you. If you need anything, just let me know.”

  She handed me her business card. Turning it over, I saw she had written her phone number on the back.

  I started to get into the Jeep then remembered it didn't have the to
w bar that was supposed to be included.

  “Lucy, where's the tow bar?”

  “Glad you remembered. It's at the Sarasota sales lot. I'm going over there this afternoon and I'll get it for you. I'm picking Mom up for yoga on the beach tomorrow morning and I can drop it off with you then if you'd like.

  “Yeah, that works for me. As long as you stop by and say 'hi'.”

  “Will do. Now be safe in your Jeep. And don't get hurt playing super hero.”

  She was smiling as I drove off.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  My drive back to Serenity Cove took me by the offices of Beach Realty, where Anna worked as a sales agent. Anna had been the one that had gotten me into Serenity Cove and I'd promised her I'd call as soon as I got checked in.

  I'd forgotten to call and that wouldn't sit well with Anna. But since I was out and about in the Jeep anyway and since her office was just ahead, I decided to stop in and thank her in person.

  Pulling into the Beach Realty parking lot, I saw Anna's white Land Cruiser, which meant she'd probably be inside working at her desk.

  Parking in the open space beside her Cruiser, I climbed out of the Jeep, and went inside looking for her.

  This wasn't the first time I'd been inside Beach Realty. In fact, I'd been there many times before with Anna. She'd been my real estate agent for two months now, and I'd stopped in at her office many times to confirm appointments, review listings, and just shoot the breeze.

  Today when I walked in, Janet, the cute receptionist behind the front desk, greeted me.

  “Walker, you're looking good today. Life must be treating you well.”

  I smiled. “Can't complain. Is Anna in her office?”

  “Yes, she's back there. I'll let her know you're here.”

  Janet tapped her computer keyboard, then spoke into her headset. “Anna, you have a visitor. Your friend Walker.”

  Janet nodded, then spoke into the headset, “I'll let him know.”

  “She'll be right up.”

  From the back offices, I could see Anna coming my way. Wearing Florida business casual. Light tan capri pants, a sleeveless white blouse, a smile on her face.

  “Walker, I've been wondering what happened to you. You were supposed to call and let me know about Serenity Cove. I was worried maybe you didn't get in, maybe you were living in the Walmart parking lot.”

  “Anna, you know better than that. Before I'd camp at Walmart, I'd move in with you.”

  “In your dreams. So why didn't you call?”

  “Totally my fault. After I got checked in, the woman in the site next to mine asked me to take her to the drug store, and that took a lot longer than I expected.

  “Then we went out and looked at her boat. Then she introduced me to her daughter.”

  Anna stopped me. “Let me get this straight. Minutes after you move into Serenity Cove, you met a woman and went out with her? That's moving pretty fast, even for you Walker.”

  “Anna, it's not like that. The woman is old enough to be my mother. And she needed someone to drive her to the store. So I volunteered. And yes, I forgot to call you. So to make up for it, I'm here to take you to lunch. In my new Jeep.”

  Anna looked surprised. “You broke down and bought a car? Finally spending some of that money you keep stashed away?”

  Anna knew about the settlement I had received from the company I previously worked for. To her, me having money was no big deal. She'd also come into a comfortable sum – and she too was keeping a low profile about it.

  “So where's this Jeep you bought? Is it new?”

  I pointed to the door. “It's right outside. And you know me better than to think I'd buy a new one. It's definitely used.”

  We went outside and I pointed out the Jeep.

  “Wow, looks like a new one.”

  Anna walked over to the driver's side door, opened it and climbed in. “This is nice. I can see you driving the back roads of Florida in this.”

  She put her hand on the six speed shifter. “Glad to see you didn't wimp out and get an automatic.”

  After checking out the interior, she got out and smiled. “Walker, you did good. This Jeep suits you.”

  I nodded. “I think I'm going to like it. The previous owner set it up so it can be towed behind a motorhome. So you want to go for a ride? I'll buy you lunch.”

  Anna shook her head. “Not today. I'm supposed to show a house in about fifteen minutes. The client is meeting me here. Maybe some other time.”

  I nodded, and started to get into the Jeep.

  “Wait. Tell me about Serenity Cove. What's your first impression of the place?”

  I thought for a moment, then said, “My first impression wasn't good. The office building is run down and the office manager is a real jerk. But once you get past the front office, it's pretty nice. The sites are large and level with plenty of space between them. There's palm trees everywhere and plenty of shade. The place has a nice old Florida vibe.

  “I checked out the park's wifi system. It definitely needs work. Most likely one or more of the repeaters need replacing. Not real expensive though. I can probably fix everything for less than three thousand dollars.”

  Anna nodded. “I'll let the owner know about the wifi. But we won't say anything to her about the park manager just yet. Maybe he was just having a bad day.

  “One more request. I'd like you to keep a list of the things you'd do if you were the owner of the place. Improvements you'd make, personnel changes, park rules and regulations – that kind of thing.

  “It doesn't need to be a formal write up. Just a list of notes and ideas about making it a better place.”

  “I can do that. Anything else?”

  “That's pretty much it. Just keep an eye on the place for the owner. If anything serious comes up, let me know. But don't get the police involved.

  “And Walker, guess what? I've got a date tonight. One of the agents I met on a home tour asked me out. He seemed nice, so I said 'yes'.”

  I smiled. “I hope the guy knows what he's getting into.”

  Anna punched me on the shoulder. “Walker, if you're lucky, one of these days I'll show you exactly what he's getting into.”

  She turned and walked back into the Beach Realty office, leaving me in the parking lot wondering what I might be missing.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After leaving Anna's office, I headed south on state road 776 toward the Publix grocery store at Dearborn street. I needed to stock up on food for me and Mango Bob.

  The Publix in Englewood is different than most grocery stores. It's not that the building is different, just the people who shop there. With Englewood being a retirement town, just about everyone who works in the Dearborn Publix is over fifty, and a lot of the people shopping there are over seventy.

  This creates a kind of slow motion shopping experience. No one moving too fast, no one in a hurry, no one talking too loud. Just a peaceful place to shop.

  Of course if you are in a hurry, this kind of place can drive you crazy. People here will strike up conversations with total strangers and talk for twenty minutes, not realizing they have created a roadblock for other shoppers.

  It could be worse though. If you visit the Sams Club down in Port Charlotte on the day they are handing out food samples, it's kind of like standing in line at a senior citizen buffet. No one's in a hurry and everyone is making sure they don't miss out on any of the free food samplings.

  Compared to that, shopping at the Publix on Dearborn isn't bad at all.

  On this day, it only took me about twenty minutes to roll my shopping cart up and down all the food aisles, stocking up on supplies while dodging senior citizens who sometimes stop and seem to get stuck in place.

  Since I wasn't in any hurry, none of this bothered me.

  I was living the good life in Florida. I had money in the bank, a motorhome parked near the beach, a Jeep to get around in, and some interesting friends.

  From Publix, I headed back to
Serenity Cove. I had bought six bags of groceries and as I was taking the last load inside, I heard a door close nearby.

  It was Polly, my neighbor in the Airstream next door. Oscar the wiener dog was with her, pulling at the leash Polly was holding.

  “Walker, glad to see you're back. Oscar and I are going for a walk around the park. Would you like to join us?”

  “A walk sounds good. Let me get these groceries put up, and I'll join you.”

  As we began our walk, it was clear that Oscar was calling the shots. He'd drag Polly from one side of the road to the other. Sniffing out spots marked by other four legged guests at Serenity Cove.

  As we walked, Polly pointed out the features of the park and provided me background info about some of it's more colorful residents.

  “That big motorhome over there belongs to a famous Hollywood actor. They say after his fifth divorce, the only thing he had left was the motorhome. He was too old for Hollywood so he moved to Serenity Cove, threw away his toupee, and has been living here for almost ten years.

  “Next door to him is the former mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio. He only lives here during the winter. The rest of the time he's back in Ohio. Some people say he's gay, but I don't know about that.”

  She pointed out another motorhome.

  “The people who live in that older Fleetwood are from Minnesota. They have two cats and seven grand children. The cats they keep with them, the grand kids they leave back up north.”

  As we continued our walk around the park, Polly filled me in on the different people living here. She'd point out a trailer and say, “The man who lives there is a writer.” Or “that couple is from Canada where they own a string of beauty parlors”, or “that man's wife died last year”, or “the woman who lives there is a famous artist.”

  Polly said for the most part, people kept their trailers or motorhomes here year round. Even those who went back up north during the summer months would leave their trailers here.

  For them, it was easier and less hassle to know they had a reserved spot in Serenity Cove than to call around to all the different RV parks trying to find an available space.