3 Mango Bay (12 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

It's rare that Bob lets me sleep through the entire night without waking me up. Usually around three in the morning, he'll loudly announce his plans to use the litter box. He'll then do his business and spend a few minutes rearranging the litter to bury the evidence.

After he's satisfied that his deposit is sufficiently hidden, he'll run around like a nut for a few minutes, and then settle down on a window sill where he can stealthily monitor the nocturnal wildlife just beyond his reach.

But not tonight.

Instead of making his presence known, he kept quiet all night long and didn't bother to wake me.

I'm not sure whether this was because he knew I needed the sleep or whether he simply enjoyed being cuddled up with Lucy. Whatever the reason, he let us both sleep.

When I finally awoke, the dim light of the morning sunrise was peeking in under the privacy shade of the small window in my bedroom. I hadn't heard Lucy leave during the night, and I wondered if she might still be asleep on the couch.

I crawled out of bed, pulled on the jeans and t-shirt I'd worn the day before, and went out to check.

As I walked up front, the sunlight filtering in through the windows silhouetted Lucy's shape, still sleeping on the couch. The digital clock over the fridge showed 6:45am. I had gotten almost eight hours of much needed sleep.

Bob had moved from under the sheet covering Lucy and was now sitting close to her face, watching her breathe.

He was purring loudly and had one paw raised above her cheek.

I knew what he was about to do, so I whispered, “Bob, don't do it. Let her sleep.”

He looked at me, then slowly placed his paw on Lucy's face, just to the right of her nose. After a moment, he withdrew it. Then he repeated the process, lightly tapping her face with his paw.

With Bob, this was a game. See how many times he could touch her face before she woke up. He had played this game with me before. And I knew how it was going to end.

After the fourth touch, Lucy brushed her face with her hand. Realizing that somebody or something had been touching her, she opened her eyes and saw Bob.

Still laying on the couch, Lucy looked around, and saw me. “What the hell is wrong with that cat? He's putting his feet on my face.”

I tried not to laugh. “It's because he likes you. He wants you to get up and play.”

Lucy looked confused. “What time is it?”

“A quarter to seven. Time for breakfast.”

She sat up. “No, this is wrong. I shouldn't be here. What's my mom going to think? Did they ever get back?”

“Yes, they made it home just fine. Drove up a few minutes after you and Bob crashed on the couch.”

Lucy picked up her shoes. “I can't be here. I've got to go. I've got to get ready for work. Mom can't know I spent the night.”

Before I could reply, there was a knock at the door.

“
Lucy, you in there? Everything all right?”

It was Polly, Lucy's mom.

I smiled at Lucy, then opened the door, “Come on in Polly. Lucy's just getting up. We were talking about breakfast. Would you like to join us?”

Looking up at her mom, Lucy said, “It's not what you think.”

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Lucy was trying to explain. “We were worried. You and Buck weren't here last night when we came back from the restaurant.
We thought you might have had car trouble, or been in an accident.

“
So Walker suggested I wait here until you made it home. I had a glass of wine, and I guess I fell asleep. Next thing I know, it's morning and that crazy cat is tapping me on the face.”

Polly looked at Lucy with a knowing smile. Then she looked at me and said, “You know, before she met you, she wasn't like this. She rarely spent the night with a guy on the first or second date.”

Lucy protested, “I didn't spend the night. Nothing happened. I just fell asleep on the couch.”

She changed the subject, “What about you and Buck? Why'd it take you so long to get back here?”

Polly smiled. “Buck and I had a lovely evening. We talked, we laughed, and we drove around some. And then we came back here, we each went to our own homes and slept in our own beds.  That's more than I can say about some people.”

Lucy picked up a pillow and threw it at her mother. Polly caught it and looked up at me with a grin on her face.

“Walker, thank you so much for arranging my evening with Buck. It's been a long time since I enjoyed myself so much.

“
Buck and I are going out again this evening, and if you'd like to join us, we'd be happy to have you.”

I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer. But after last night with your daughter, I need my rest.”

Lucy pleaded, “Mom, I'm completely innocent. I fell asleep on the couch. That's it.”

Polly walked up to Lucy, peered closely at her face and asked, “Is that cat litter on your cheek?”

Lucy sputtered as she brushed the small grains of clay off her face. “It's that crazy cat's fault. He lulled me to sleep, and then this morning he had his paws on my face.”

She headed for the door. “I'm going home. I've got to take a shower and go to work.”

Polly and I stood grinning as Lucy stomped out the door, shoes in hand.

Moments later she returned. “I meant to give you this last night.”

She handed me a small picture frame, then went back outside, got into her 4Runner and drove off.

Looking at what she had given me, I saw that it was a framed article from the Englewood Herald, the local newspaper. The article headline read, “Good Samaritan Aids Fallen Cyclist”.

Below the headline, the article mentioned a 'mystery man' who had come to the aid of the fallen cyclist and saved his life.

A photo accompanying the article showed me giving CPR to a man laying on the ground. In the background, you could clearly see my Jeep.

I handed the article to Polly who quickly scanned it. “Nice. My neighbor, local hero and good Samaritan.”

She set the frame down on the kitchen counter, then turned to me. “So tell me what really happened here last night?”

I smiled. “It was pretty much what Lucy said. We came back here to make sure you made it back safely. While we were waiting, I got a phone call and went to the back bedroom for about fifteen minutes.

“
When I came back up front, Lucy was asleep on the couch with Bob curled up beside her. I didn't want to disturb them, so I just let them sleep.”

Polly laughed. “This is good. I'll be able to use this for months.”

Then she said, “I was just about to cook up some breakfast. Would you like to come over and join me?”

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

After breakfast with Polly, I went back to my motorhome, showered, shaved and got ready to start a new day.

I'd only been living in Serenity Cove for four days, and already had more excitement than I'd had in the previous two months.

Right now, I just wanted to relax. Spend a few hours catching up on some internet projects I'd been working on. Then maybe investigate some of the problems at Serenity Cove Anna had mentioned when she arranged my stay here.

But first, I needed to take a walk. Stretch my legs a bit.

If you check out the satellite view of Serenity Cove using Google Earth, you'll see it covers of about four acres of land, laid out in a long rectangle. The shortest leg of the rectangle is on West Wentworth street – where the main gate and office building are located.

From there, you take the paved driveway that makes a long loop through the park. As you drive the loop, you'll find all the RV sites are on the left, with the pool, tennis court, and pavilion on the right.

At the very back of the park, the road makes a slow 180 degree turn where it meets the waters of Lemon Bay. Here you'll find a narrow patch of grass between the road and the seawall that keeps the bay from spilling into Serenity Cove grounds.

Right off the seawall is an eight foot wide boat dock, used by residents to fish from and to occasionally dock boats. At low tide, the depth of the water in front of the dock is just over three feet – not deep enough for sail boats, but enough for fishing and party boats.

While there aren't any RV sites on the waterfront, there are parking spots where residents and guests can park and have a picnic or load and unload their cars for fishing and boating.

From the waterfront, you head around the curve past another row of RV sites, then end up back at the office and main gate.

I'd walked this loop several times with Polly and Oscar, but today I was walking it alone.

When I reached the dock on the waterfront, I stopped for a few minutes to take in the view. From my vantage point, I could look across the wide expanse of Lemon Bay, to the white sand beaches of Manasota Key.

The scene of the swaying palms on the distant beach, with seagulls circling overhead and the occasional mullet breaking the water's surface was the kind of view people up north come to Florida to see. Having it here at Serenity Cove made me realize how special this place really was.

Turning around and looking back toward the park, I could see that at one time Serenity Cove had been really nice. Wide RV sites, shaded by mature palms. Pool, tennis court and picnic pavilion. Waterfront on Lemon Bay with easy boating access to the Gulf.

The place had all the right ingredients to make it great.

But years of deferred maintenance had taken its toll. The pool was closed. The tennis court needed to be resurfaced. The office building needed painting and the dock needed new decking boards.

I was thinking about this when a voice behind me asked, “You going fishing?”

I turned to see Buck in his golf cart behind me. In his right hand, he was holding a glass of what looked like iced tea.

“
No, not fishing. Just checking out the dock. Thinking about Serenity Cove.”

Buck pointed back at the tennis courts. “This used to be a first class place. Had everything a person could want. But lately, the owners have stopped doing maintenance. They've let things run down. It's like they just don't care anymore.”

I nodded in agreement. Then asked, “So tell me about last night. Did you have a good time?”

Buck tipped the front of his cowboy hat. “Sure did. Polly is a real peach. Fun to be around and smart, too.”

Buck was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He looked at the caller ID and signaled he had to take the call.

Wanting to give him some privacy, I continued my walk around the park, making a mental list of the things that needed attending to.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Over the next four days, I spent most of my time either working on my computer or walking around the park taking notes. I didn't call Lucy, figuring she might need a few days without me around.

Most days I did see Polly walking Oscar, and on several occasions we walked loops around the park together. Our conversations were mainly about the weather or about Oscar and his desire to chase squirrels.

Polly did tell me that she was seeing Buck just about every day. Usually for breakfast or lunch, depending on what else they had on their individual calendars.

Buck's schedule was fairly simple, mostly revolving around his regular appointments with a chiropractor in Venice.

Polly's schedule was similar, with most of her commitments related to the veterinary needs of Oscar or yoga classes on the beach with Lucy.

Each time yoga came up, Polly invited me to join her, but I always declined. It's not that I didn't like yoga or the beach or a crowd of women, it's just I preferred to exercise alone. A solitary run was more my style.

At the end of today's walk, Polly put a hand on my arm and said, “Walker, I mentioned my houseboat to Buck, and he wants to see the inside. I thought you might want to join us.”

I nodded. “Polly, I would love to see the inside of your boat. But I don't want to be a burden on you and Buck. Are you sure you want me along?”

Polly smiled. “Well actually, we can't go without you.

“See, to get out to the houseboat we have to use my dinghy. It's at Lucy's on a trailer.  And that's where you come in. We need someone to help us hook the trailer up to my minivan.  Then when we get to the boat ramp, we need help getting the dinghy in the water.

“
Buck says he can do it, but I'm afraid he might hurt his back.  But if you came with us, you could do it. That'd keep me and Buck from getting hurt, and you'd get a chance to see the houseboat. It's still for sale, you know.”

“
Polly, I'd be happy to help. Just let me know when you want to go.”

She smiled. “How about tomorrow afternoon? Around two?
We can take my minivan, head over to Lucy's, hook up the boat trailer and then go to Chadwick Park.”

I nodded again. “Sounds good to me. Just knock on my door tomorrow whenever you're ready to go.”

The next day the weather was perfect for going out on the water. One of those Florida spring days, with bright blue skies, light puffy clouds, no humidity, and a slight breeze.

Just before two in the afternoon, Polly was at my door with Buck at her side. They were holding hands. “Walker, you ready to go out on the water?”

“
Sure am. Let's go.”

We loaded into Polly's minivan. Buck and Polly in the backseat with me driving. Before we left, I asked, “Oscar's not going with us?”

Polly shook her head. “Not today. He's not good in the boat, so he's staying home.”

I drove the two miles to Lucy's and as I pulled up into her driveway, Polly tapped me on the shoulder. “The boat's around back. Just drive across the grass. Lucy won't mind.”

I drove across Lucy's lawn and around to the back of her house where the dinghy was stored. It was sitting on a single axle boat trailer, covered with a gray tarp.

Removing the tarp revealed an aluminum v-bottomed boat, with a small outboard motor in the back. Inside the boat were three life jackets, a small first aid kit, and a metal case marked 'flares'.

The boat had three metal bench seats – one back by the motor, one in the middle, and one near the bow. Even though the boat was small, it looked sea worthy.

Polly went to the back of the boat and checked the fuel level of the orange gas tank. “Tank shows almost full. That's good. Means we won't have to stop for gas.
But before we get out on the water, let's see if we can get the motor started.

“
Walker, come back here and help.”

Polly pointed to the rubber fuel line. “Plug that into the motor. Then pump the primer bulb until it gets hard.”

Polly watched as I followed her instructions.

“
Good. Now, make sure the motor is in neutral, and pull out the choke.

“
Then grab the starter rope and give it a good pull.”

On the first pull, the motor coughed, but didn't start.

“
Don't worry, that's what it always does. Now, push the choke in halfway, and pull again.”

This time, the motor started right up. It ran rough for about ten seconds until Polly pushed the choke all the way in. After that, the motor smoothed out into a steady idle.

After thirty seconds, Polly pressed the kill button, and the motor shuddered to a stop. “You got to love these old Mercury two strokes. They start every time and run forever.”

She pointed to a paddle leaning against the back wall of Lucy's home. “Get that. Never know when we might need it.”

With the paddle in the boat, Polly had me back the minivan up so we could hitch it to the trailer.

As I backed up, Buck stood near the trailer and talked me in.

“Slow. Slow. Straighten up. Good. Stop.”

I put the van in park, killed the motor and headed back to hook up the trailer. But before I could get back there, Buck grabbed the tongue of the trailer and pulled it over to the van. He didn't have to move it far, but I could tell by the look on Polly's face, she wasn't pleased.

She didn't want Buck hurting himself. That's why I was here, to do heavy lifting.  But Buck had been quick and lifted the tongue of the trailer and drug it over to the minivan before I could intervene.

When I caught up with him, he was lowering the tongue onto the ball of the trailer hitch.  Once he had it set, he wiped his hands and smiled at me. “She didn't think I could do it. But I can.”

He pointed to the chains hanging from the front of the trailer.  “Since you're here, you can do the rest.”

I knelt down and connected the safety chains and the light harness.  When I got back up, Polly was standing behind me. I smiled and asked, “Anything else?”

She walked around the trailer, inspecting our work. “Everything looks good. Let's go.”

The three of us got back in the minivan and headed to the boat ramp at Chadwick Park.