Mango Lucky

by Bill Myers

  I nodded, "Cool. So tell me, how long have you been detecting on the Treasure Coast?"

  Anna paused, then said, "I've been coming to these beaches for years. Usually on weekends or whenever I could get a few days off from work."

  "And I've been pretty lucky. I've found a few old Spanish coins, some jewelry and lots of small iron artifacts.

  "But no gold. That's what I really want to find. And I'm thinking this storm might be the lucky break I've been looking for."

  I nodded, "So you've found some Spanish coins? What was that like?"

  "Pretty exciting. At first I thought they were just iron chips because they were heavily encrusted and so small. But when I got home and looked at them closer, I realized they were Spanish Reales, pieces of eight.

  "The small ones I've found really aren't worth a lot, but it's always exciting to find a three hundred year old coin."

  Anna took a sip of her wine, then asked, "So what have you been finding with your detector?"

  I laughed, "Today was my first day using a metal detector. And after five hours on the beach, all I have to show for it is a few lead fishing weights."

  Anna smiled, "At least you found something. Proves your detector is working the way it should.

  "If you hang around until after the storm, you'll do better. Especially if you search the beach I'm going to."

  I waited for her to tell me more about her special beach, but when she didn't, I changed the subject, "You mentioned getting days off from work to search the beach. So what kind of work do you do?"

  She shook her head, "Until recently I worked for the power company as a meter reader. But now that they've put in smart meters, they don't need people like me to go house to house to read the meters any more. So I'm out of a job.

  "But I'm not worried about it. I've got a little money saved up, and a couple of job offers I'm considering.

  "What about you Walker? What do you do for a living?"

  I smiled, "I guess you could say I took an early retirement.

  "See, the company I worked for closed their plant and moved it to Mexico. They laid me off, and I ended up with this motorhome and a little money in the bank. So I decided to come to Florida and just camp out for a while."

  Anna nodded, "Sounds like fun."

  I agreed. "It has been so far."

  I changed the subject again, "So back to metal detecting and finding treasures. You mentioned you might share some tips with me. How about it?"

  For the next hour, Anna shared her secrets for finding treasures, along with a list of beaches she planned to hit right after the storm.

  Her strategy was to avoid the beaches that everyone else would be detecting, because she felt those beaches would soon be hunted out.

  So instead, she was going to a secret beach access point that most people weren't aware of. She'd had luck at this beach before, and felt it was the best place to start after the storm.

  After telling me of her plans, she said, "If you want to, you can come with me."

  I smiled. "That'd be great. I'd love to detect your secret places with you. But aren't you worried I'll find the treasure that should rightfully be yours?"

  She laughed, "If only it were that easy. The beach we are going to detect is about three miles long and a hundred yards wide. No way two people can cover it completely.

  "So no, I'm not worried about you finding all the treasure. They'll be plenty for both of us. And anyway, it's a lot safer if there's two of us on the beach together."

  Later on, I'd find out she was right.

  26

  Anna and I continued our conversation late into the evening, not realizing the weather outside was getting worse, until a strong gust of wind rocked the motorhome violently.

  "Did you feel that?" Anna asked.

  "Yeah, the wind's really picking up. Maybe we should check the TV to see what they're saying about the weather."

  I used the remote to power on the TV, and we scanned the channels until we found the local news.

  They had a weather warning banner scrolling across the bottom of the screen and the newscaster said the weather report was coming up next.

  Anna whispered, "Good timing."

  We listened as the weatherman described the storm and displayed maps showing its progress.

  According to 'Stan the weather man,' the storm had gathered strength and had also slowed down, meaning it would be churning overhead for at least the next twenty four hours.

  Due to the high wind gusts, the Florida highway department had closed the two bridges leading onto Hutchinson Island as well as the bridge at Sebastian Inlet.

  Citizens were advised to stay indoors, avoid travel, and if travel was necessary, avoid driving through standing water, as it might be deeper than it seemed.

  Anna looked at me, "I guess we're not getting off the island any time soon."

  I agreed, "Yeah, it looks that way."

  She shook her head, "My poor tent isn't going to be much shelter in this storm. I guess I'll be sleeping in the back of the Land Cruiser tonight."

  I nodded, then said with a smile, "It's a shame you don't know someone who has a motorhome with a spare bed. Because if you did, you might be able to stay there. Especially if the person who had the motorhome owed you a favor for saving his life."

  Anna just looked at me. Making sad puppy dog eyes.

  Then she said, "You really wouldn't send me out in this storm and make me sleep in the back of my car, would you?"

  I smiled, "I don't know, Anna. What if you are an axe murderer, running from the law? Would I be safe if you slept in here with me?"

  She crossed her arms, leaned back and said nothing. She knew I was teasing her.

  "Okay," I said, "I give in. You can stay here. The dinette folds out into bed. There's pillows and sheets in the cabinets above."

  Anna stood and said, "I'll be right back."

  Grabbing her raincoat, she headed out the door.

  27

  Anna returned a few minutes later, a gym bag in one hand, a flashlight in the other.

  "Hope you don't mind, but I figured I might as well bring some dry clothes with me. Everything in the tent was already starting to get wet, so... "

  She set the gym bag down, unzipped it and pulled out a bottle of wine.

  "And I thought since we're not going anywhere, maybe we'd drink a bit more wine before we turned in."

  I smiled, "Okay, but just one more glass for me. After that, I'm calling it quits."

  I went to the kitchen and got a box of crackers, a block of sharp cheddar cheese, a plate and a knife. When I returned to to the table, Anna had already poured us both another glass of wine.

  "So Walker, tell me more about yourself. What kind of work do you do? Any kids from your marriage? Girlfriends?"

  Shaking my head I said, "After I got out of the military, I got into computer network security. That's what I was doing until recently. But I don't think I'll be doing that any more. I don't like working for big companies and dealing with corporate politics.

  "And I don't have any kids. And just the one ex-wife. And when it comes to girlfriends, I'm not sure."

  Anna laughed, "You're not sure whether you have a girl friend or not? What's that supposed to mean?"

  I paused, then said, "It means the girl I thought I was involved with, recently told me she needed more time alone. And that we could be friends."

  Anna shook her head, "So you weren't dating? No kissing, no hooking up?"

  "No, nothing like that. I was hoping we were moving in that direction, though."

  Anna reached out and patted my hand, "Walker, it doesn't sound good. When a girl tells you she needs more time alone and wants to be friends, it usually doesn't end well."

  I nodded, "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that. But I'm not giving up just yet. But enough about me, what about you? Any kids? Boyfriends?"

  She shook her head. "No kids. No boyfriend. And no job. Just living the dream here in Florida."

/>   Anna finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle to pour me another.

  Before she could pour, I said, "I've had enough. I'm going to bed."

  Putting the bottle back on the table, she said, "Okay, I've probably had enough, too."

  I stood and cleaned off the table where we'd been eating, and showed Anna how to lower the table and arrange the cushions to make it into a queen size bed.

  From the overhead compartment, I retrieved sheets, a pillow and a blanket and placed them on the bed cushion.

  "Here you go. All the comforts of home."

  Anna picked up her gym bag, unzipped it said, "Walker, before you go back to your bedroom, there's something I need to show you."

  She reached into her bag and pulled out a black leather holster holding a nickle plated revolver.

  28

  "You've got a gun."

  Anna nodded. "Yes, I do. And I wanted you to know about it. I don't want there to be any surprises or misunderstandings during the night."

  She continued, "It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I almost always carry a gun. And I always sleep with one.

  "I didn't want to leave it in the tent or my car tonight, so I brought it here."

  She slid the gun back in her gym bag.

  I didn't say anything.

  "Does it bother you that I have a gun? Would you rather I didn't tell you about it?"

  I hesitated, then said, "I can understand why a single girl camping in a tent might want to carry a gun. But do you know how to use it?"

  Anna nodded, "Yes, I know how to use it. I've taken the safety course, and even have a concealed carry permit, so I'm perfectly legal."

  I sighed, "Well, I'm glad you told me about it. But do me a favor. There's a good chance Bob will try to climb into bed with you tonight. Please don't shoot him.

  "In fact, try not shooting anybody in here, okay?"

  Anna smiled, "It's a deal. And just so you know, I take carrying a gun very seriously. It's not a toy, and not something to play with.

  "I just wanted you to know I had it in here. And if that bothers you, I can go sleep in my car."

  I shook my head, "No, it's okay. I appreciate you telling me about it.

  "And since you're being honest with me, I might as well tell you I have a gun as well. I don't sleep with it, but I do have one back in the bedroom.

  I continued, "So it's settled. We both have guns. We both promise not to shoot each other, and we promise not to shoot Bob."

  Anna smiled, "Agreed."

  29

  "So," I said, "here's the sleeping arrangements. I'll be sleeping in the back, and I'll pull the privacy curtain between my bedroom and the bathroom.

  "We have to leave the bathroom door open because that's where Bob's litter box is. You can close the door when you're in there. Just be sure to leave it open when you leave."

  Anna nodded and I continued.

  "Bob will probably cry at least once during the night. Usually it means he's getting ready to use his box. Just ignore him and he'll quiet down after a few minutes.

  "And I may get up during the night to pee. Please don't shoot me when I do."

  Anna laughed. "Okay, no shooting in the bathroom."

  Smiling, I pointed to the back, "You can find clean towels in the bathroom cabinet.

  "If you get up before I do in the morning, feel free to do whatever you do in the mornings. If you get hungry, there's bacon, eggs, and orange juice in the fridge.

  "Any questions?"

  Anna smiled "I think you covered everything. Except the part about locking the outside doors."

  "Thanks for reminding me. I'll do that now. You can double check later if you like."

  I checked the doors, then said, "All locked. You'll be safe tonight. No one's getting in."

  Pointing to the back, I said, "It's been a long day. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning. "

  Anna smiled, "Thanks for letting me sleep over."

  In the back, I brushed my teeth, then crawled into my small bed and pulled the privacy curtain.

  A few moments later, I heard Anna walk into the bathroom and close the door behind her. Then after a few moments, she opened the bathroom door and went back up front to her bed. She had remembered to leave the door open for Bob. That'd keep him happy for a while.

  With the noise of the storm and the excitement of having a stranger sleeping just a few feet away from me, I didn't expect to fall asleep quickly.

  But I did. It'd been a long day. I'd drank a bit too much wine, and it finally caught up with me.

  I was soon sound asleep.

  30

  I woke to the smell of bacon. And movement in the coach.

  Anna was cooking breakfast.

  Pulling on pants and a t-shirt, I rolled out of bed and into the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair.

  Hearing that I was up, Anna called out, "I hope you like microwaved scrambled eggs, because that's what I made. Your plate's ready."

  Walking up front, Anna greeted me by pointing to the table and asking. "You want orange juice?"

  I nodded.

  She continued, "I didn't find any coffee so I'm guessing you don't drink it. Me neither. Never got the habit."

  I was smiling at her.

  "What are you smiling at?" she asked.

  "I'm smiling because I woke up to someone cooking me breakfast. That rarely happens. Especially someone as cute as you."

  Anna waved her spatula at me, "Don't get used to it. This is a one time thing. You let me sleep on the couch last night, so as repayment, I cooked your breakfast."

  "So, Anna," I asked, "how was it? Sleeping on the couch?"

  "Pretty comfy," she said. "A whole lot better than sleeping in the tent or in the back of the Cruiser.

  "And I didn't sleep alone. Bob slept with me most of the night."

  I chuckled, "Bob slept with you? That makes you pretty special because Bob's careful about who he snuggles up to."

  Anna smiled, "That's hard to believe. Because as soon as I turned out the lights he was up on the bed with me. And he was still beside me when I got up this morning.

  She then pointed outside, "You'll notice it's still raining pretty hard. And the river's come up quite a bit."

  I nodded, "Guess we won't be going out on the beaches today. Maybe we should check the weather."

  Picking up the TV remote, I turned to the same local weather channel we had watched the night before.

  According to the weather guy, the storm had stalled over Hutchinson Island, just north of Vero Beach and would likely dump another four inches of rain before it moved south later this evening.

  The lightning had increased in intensity along with the wind, and residents were being advised to stay indoors. Bridges on the island were still closed due to high winds.

  The heavy rain was causing low lying areas to flood, and those in flooded areas were told to seek higher ground.

  Anna pointed at the radar image, "Looks like we're pretty close to the eye of the storm. Could get messy out there."

  I was just finishing my breakfast when we heard a car pull up outside. A few moments later a knock at the door.

  It was one of the park rangers.

  "Hate to bother you folks, but the park is closing.

  "You can stay here in the campground, but you need to move to higher ground away from the river. Up by the restrooms is the best place."

  The ranger wiped rain from his face and continued, "The rising water means we have to turn the power off to all the campsites. No electricity until the waters recede."

  "And there's a boil order. If you connect to campground water, you need to boil before drinking it."

  "Any questions?"

  I shook my head.

  "Okay then. Move up to the high ground and you'll probably be safe. Don't drink the water and don't hook up to electricity."

  The ranger left.

  I turned to Anna, "Looks like we're go
ing to be moving."

  31

  After the ranger left, we cleaned up our breakfast dishes and I prepared to move the Love Bus to higher ground.