by Bill H Myers
She wanted to know how long we'd known each other. How we met. Whether we were dating or not. And whether we were thinking of getting married.
I laughed and said, “Callie, Doctor Joy probably doesn't want me saying anything about her private life. If you really want to know the answers to questions like that, ask her.”
Callie got the message. No more questions about Doctor Joy.
She did ask me about the job at Mango Bay and whether I thought her grandfather would like the place. I told her the people there were nice, the owners were easy going, and, yes, I thought he'd be happy there.
When we got back to the campground, I was glad to see that both Lori and the motorhome were still there. When she saw us drive up, she came over to greet us. “So, you made it back. I was afraid you two might have run off together, leaving me to deal with all these cats.”
Callie smiled. “Oh, it was tempting. But Walker said he'd be lost without you, so I had to bring him back.”
I nodded at the motorhome. “Everything ready?”
“Yes. The panthers are in the back and Bob's under the couch hiding. Everything is put away and ready for the road. All we need is you in the driver's seat.”
Lori turned to Callie. “When you get to your grandfather's place, find out if he's interested in the job. If he is, call Walker and he'll set up the interview.”
Callie nodded. “I'm sure he'll be interested. I'll call later this afternoon and tell you what he says.”
After saying their goodbyes, Lori and Callie hugged and promised to stay in touch. While they were doing this, I did a quick walk around to make sure the motorhome was ready for the road.
The slide room was in, the TV antenna was down, shore power and water lines were disconnected and stowed. We were good to go.
After thanking Lori again for all her help, Callie got into her minivan and left. As she drove off, Lori turned to me and asked, “What do you think?”
“About what?”
“About Callie. What do you think about her? Is she a good kid or is she hiding something?”
I thought for a moment before I answered. Then I said, “From what I can tell, she's intelligent, a hard worker, and cares about her grandfather. Other than maybe being a bit too trusting with Kenny, she seems to be on the right track.
“But as you know, when it comes to women, I'm easily fooled. I mean look at me. I'm in the middle of the Everglades with a strange woman and a motorhome full of panthers.”
Lori laughed. “A strange woman? That's how you describe me? If that's what you think, it'd be best for us to end this conversation and get on the road.”
She stepped up into the motorhome, and I followed.
I checked to make sure Bob was inside then climbed into the driver's seat and started the motor. I let it warm up for a couple of minutes while Lori got herself comfortable in the passenger seat.
Upon hearing the motor, Bob came up front and joined us. He jumped up onto Lori's lap and settled in for the trip.
Chapter Sixty
It was nearly ten thirty when we left the campground. Later than Lori had planned, but it worked out for the best. We avoided the morning rush hour through Naples and Fort Myers, missing most of the problem drivers and accidents.
From Fort Myers north, it was smooth sailing. The weather was good, and we had a breeze pushing us forward. Only once did we have a close call and that was near the Peace River Bridge outside Port Charlotte. A driver in front of us decided at the last minute to try to make the airport exit. He was doing at least seventy when he slammed hard on his brakes.
It was a bad decision on his part. He was suddenly going much slower than we were, and we were quickly closing in on him. It looked like we were going to run right over him.
At the last second, he looked in his rear view mirror and saw us bearing down. It scared him enough that he gave up his plans to take the exit, and instead he hit the gas, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke in his wake.
It had been a close call. Had we hit him, it would have been difficult to explain to any police arriving on the scene why there were four panthers in the back of our motorhome.
Luckily, we avoided having to deal with that kind of problem.
We arrived at Big Cat Rescue in Venice well ahead of schedule. Lori had told me they were a privately owned facility specializing in the rescue and rehabilitation of large cats—panthers, bobcats and mountain lions.
The plan was for the mother panther to be housed separately from the kittens until the sedating drugs had cleared her system. When she was healthy enough to begin nursing, the kittens would be reintroduced to her.
After that, the mother and kittens would live together in a semi-wild habitat at Big Cat for six weeks or as long as it took for the mother's leg to heal.
When the panther was healthy enough to be returned to the wild, she along with her kittens would be fitted with new radio tracking collars and would be reintroduced into the Florida Panther Wildlife Reserve.
When we pulled into Big Cat Rescue, the facility manager met us. She spoke with Lori and then made a call on her walkie talkie. Moments later, members of her staff arrived with a rolling cart. They were there for the mother panther.
Before we let them inside the motorhome, I put Bob in the bathroom and closed the door. I didn't want him in the way or to take a chance he might get spooked and run off.
With Bob secure, the staff of Big Cat came and got the mother panther's crate and carried her out to the rolling cart. They then came back and got the kittens.
Before they rolled them away, the facility manager came over to Lori and had her sign papers documenting the legal transfer of the animals into their care.
When Lori got back into the motorhome, she was crying. I gave her a hug and went back and let Bob out of the bathroom. He followed me back up front and jumped up into Lori's lap. She smiled through her tears and started petting him. He purred.
Chapter Sixty-One
After dropping the panthers off at Big Cat, I took Lori back to her home in Venice. She thanked me for my help and said we should get together soon.
She grabbed her small suitcase and medical bag, gave Bob a parting pet, and got out. I watched as she walked up her driveway until she was out of sight.
I drove back to Mango Bay and backed into my assigned parking place. I ran the slide room out and hooked up to shore power and water. I was finally home.
The motorhome had a distinct panther smell, so I opened all the windows to air the place air out. In the back bedroom, I cleaned up the area where the panther cage had been. I put my mattress back where it belonged and stripped the sheets and bagged them along with my dirty clothes from the trip.
After making sure Bob had food, water, and a clean litter box, I grabbed the dirty laundry and my cell phone, and headed to the Mango Bay laundry room.
While my clothes were washing, I went over to the office to see Polly. She was on the phone when I walked in.
Seeing me, she smiled and whispered something in her phone that sounded like, “He just walked in, I'll call you back later.”
She ended the call and looked up at me. “Walker, I see you made it back. Tell me all about it.”
I told her everything.
***
When Polly had asked me to do a favor and drive her friend to the Oasis Ranger Station, I never imagined it would turn out as it did. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would drive across Florida with four live panthers in my motorhome.
Few people would believe me if I were to tell them the story. Luckily, I took plenty of photos.
***
After gathering up my laundry and taking it back to the motorhome, I was about to check my email when my phone chimed. I didn't recognize the caller ID but answered anyway.
The caller said, “I need you to take me to Key West.”
I didn't recognize the voice, so I asked, “Who is this, and why do I need to take you to Key West?”
The caller
replied, “Walker, I just spent three days cooped up with you in that motorhome, and you still don't recognize my voice?”
It was Lori, but she sounded different, and we had a noisy connection. I asked her about it.
“What's all that noise in the background?”
“I'm on my car phone. Sitting at the Panda Express drive-through in Venice. I'm bringing you dinner. I'll be over in about twenty minutes. You still have plenty of wine?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Good, twenty minutes. I'll be there. I've got something for Bob. And something for you too.”
She ended the call.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Twenty minutes later, Lori pulled up and parked in front of my motorhome. She stepped out of her car with a smile on her face. She said, “You thought you got rid of me didn't you? But here I am, back again. With food.”
She pointed to the takeout bags in the passenger seat. “Would you grab those?”
I went over and got the three bags and headed to the motorhome, but she stopped me. She said, “Wait, there's more.”
She reached into her car and came out with two bottles of wine. “I wasn't sure you had enough, so I went ahead and got these.”
I smiled. “You planning a party?”
She nodded. “I am. A celebration of sorts. And you're invited.
“Take the food inside then come back out and help me with the rest of my things.”
I didn't know what she was planning, but I wasn't going to complain. At the very least, I was going to get a hot meal, a little wine, and some companionship.
When I got back outside, she had placed the two bottles of wine on the hood of her car along with her medical bag, a small suitcase, and a white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it.
She handed me the box. “This is for you. But you can't open it until after we eat. I've got something for Bob too.”
She grabbed her medical bag and suitcase and said, “Let the party begin.”
We went inside, and she stowed her suitcase and the medical bag in the back bedroom. She washed her hands in the bathroom and came back up front to see me.
Seeing the unopened wine bottles on the counter, she said, “Open the wine while I set out the food.”
Ten minutes later, we were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying our meal. Lori was on her second glass of wine. I was still on my first. Based on her wine consumption and the little suitcase she'd brought, it was pretty clear she was planning to spend the night.
That was okay with me. She'd spent three nights in the motorhome and, other than the panthers, things had gone well.
When she finished her meal, she handed me a fortune cookie. “Open it. See what it says.”
I cracked open the cookie and pulled out my fortune. It read, “You are about to take a trip with a mysterious woman.”
I read it aloud, and she laughed. “I suppose I'm the mysterious woman and you're about to take another trip with me.”
I shook my head. “You might be mysterious, but I'm not sure about another trip.”
She smiled. “We'll talk about that later. But right now, I'm going to read my fortune.”
She cracked open her cookie and pulled out the slip of paper. Her eyes widened in surprise as she read it silently.
She quickly folded it and put it away.
“What'd it say?”
She shook her head. “I'm not going to tell you. It was just silly.”
“Let me see. I want to read it.”
She shook her head again. “No. I don't want you to read it. It'll spoil the mood.”
I decided to let it go.
She handed me the white box with the red ribbon. “This is for you. A small gift to help you remember our first adventure together.”
I pulled the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a black T-shirt. On the front were the words “Skunk Ape Research Center” with an image of skunk ape below.
“Do you like it?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I do. I'll think of you whenever I wear it. Where did you get it?”
“At the Skunk Ape Museum. While you were taking the van back, I went in, saw the shirt and thought it was something you needed.”
I smiled. “I really like it. Thanks.”
“I've got something for Bob too. Where is he?”
“He's in the back, hiding. He's still a little skittish.”
She nodded. “That's what I figured. So I brought something to calm him down. See if you can get him to come up here.”
I called his name, and, surprisingly, he came trotting out of the bedroom like he had been waiting for me to call him.
When he saw Lori, he ran to her and began rubbing against her ankle. She said, “Bob, I've got something for you.”
She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a small bottle with a rubber eye dropper on top. She pulled the eye dropper out and filled it part way with liquid from the bottle.
She bent over and slid the eyedropper into Bob's mouth and squeezed the bulb. Bob reacted by licking his lips as the fluid ran down his throat.
“What are you giving him?”
“Rescue Remedy. It'll calm him down without making him drowsy. He'll like it.”
Lori got up from the table, went over to the couch and sat down. Bob jumped up beside her and curled up in her lap. He didn't seem bothered at all that she had just stuck something in his mouth and squirted fluid down his throat.
After a few minutes, he jumped down and headed to the back. We soon heard him crunching kibble from his food bowl.
Lori smiled. “It's working. He's eating, which means he's not so stressed.”
She turned to me. “What about you? Are you stressed?”
“No, should I be?”
“Maybe. I did kind of drop in on you unexpectedly. After spending the last three days with me, you might need some alone time.”
I laughed. “Alone time, I get plenty of that. But if I need some, I'll let you know. Right now, all I need is to know why you think I should drive you to Key West. What's that all about?”
She smiled. “I'll give you the answer in the morning. Tonight I'm going to see if you qualify to move up from pretend boyfriend to boyfriend-in-training. Are you game?”
I was.
Epilogue
The following day, Callie showed up with Carlos, her grandfather. He met with Polly and Buck, the owners of Mango Bay.
After giving him a tour of the property, they sat down and talked about what his duties might be if he chose to come aboard.
Carlos listened and after the discussion asked to have a private moment with Callie. After speaking with her, he told Polly and Buck he would be happy to work for them at Mango Bay.
Polly and Buck agreed to pay him a monthly salary, provide him with the tools he needed for his job, and provide living quarters. He could start as soon as he wanted. The only problem was they didn't have an empty trailer for him. That was when they called me.
“Walker, we have a problem we think you can solve. We need a place for Carlos to live until we have a vacancy in one of our trailers. It looks like it'll be a month before one becomes available.
“So here's what we were thinking. You have the houseboat you bought from Polly. It's sitting out there in the Lemon Bay mooring field not being used.
“We thought you could bring it over here and dock it at Mango Bay. We could hook it up to shore power, and Carlos could live in it until a trailer becomes available.
“We talked to him about living on a boat, and he said he’s spent most of his life on a boat, and he would enjoy living on one as long as he doesn’t have to go out to sea every day.”
“So what do you think? Would you let Carlos live in your boat until we get another place for him?”
For me, it was an easy decision. The Escape Artist, the 36-foot houseboat I had purchased from Polly, wasn't doing me or anyone else any good anchored out in the mooring field.
If I brought it in and docked it at Mango B
ay, Carlos could live in it, and I wouldn't have to worry about something happening to it out in the bay.
So it was agreed. I'd move the Escape Artist to Mango Bay and Carlos would live in it.
Little did I know how much that simple decision would change my life.
***
Three weeks after Carlos moved to Mango Bay, he visited me in my motorhome.
“Walker, I am so grateful for what you did for my Callie and me. I don't think I can ever repay you. But I have something I want to give you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. He handed it to me. “Take this.”
I took the coin and looked at it. It was silver and quite old. The face was worn, but I could read the date. 1797.
I knew what the coin was. A U.S. draped bust silver dollar. One of the first ever minted by the United States.
“Where did you get this?” I asked.
He smiled. “You like it?”
I nodded. “I do, but I can't accept it. It's too valuable. You have to keep it.”
“No Walker, I want you to have it. Please. It would make me very happy if you accepted it.”
“Carlos, I can't accept this. It's too valuable.”
“Walker, please take it. I have two more I will keep for myself.”
“You have more? Where did you get them?”
He smiled. “I will tell you, but only if you agree to accept the coin as a gift from me.”
I didn't want to take the coin; it was too valuable. But not accepting it would be an insult. So I took it.
“Carlos, thank you for the coin. I will treasure it.”
He smiled. “Now I will tell you how I came to have these coins.
“My son and I had been hired to salvage derelict vessels in Charlotte Harbor after Hurricane Charlie. Many old boats had blown up into the mangroves, and we were contracted to remove them.
“We got paid for each boat. Our agreement let us keep anything we found on the boats we were salvaging. Most had nothing worth keeping, but we always checked.
“One day, we found a boat with diving equipment; tanks, masks, belts and air compressors, unfortunately nothing usable. But along with the diving equipment, we found a small, plastic box.