Mango Lucky Page 5

  The rain and thunder didn't worry me. I'd been out in in worse conditions many times before. But the lightning was a real concern.

  Being the tallest thing on the beach, and carrying a metal detector and a four foot metal scoop, I had become a walking lightning rod.

  I knew I needed to get off the beach as quickly as possible, but I also knew the only way off was the way I had come.

  There were no structures on this stretch of the beach, no houses or shelter of any kind to get under. Just the sandy beach in front of me, the Atlantic ocean to my right, and mangrove swamps over the dunes to my left.

  My only option was to continue north toward the fishing pier. And into the rapidly advancing storm.

  To reduce my lightning profile, I hunkered over, moved closer to the dunes, and drug the metal scoop on the ground behind me.

  As I walked, I started thinking what it would have been like to be one of those survivors of the Spanish fleet caught up in the hurricane of 1715.

  They washed up on this same beach. And under similar conditions. Driving rain, heavy wind, thunder and lightning.

  But it would have been much worse for them. They were in an unknown environment, exhausted and banged up from fighting hurricane enraged seas. Dumped on a desolate section of beach with no chance of rescue.

  They had no food, no fresh water, no marked trails to follow, no protection from the elements.

  In comparison, I had it good.

  All I needed to do was to continue walking north, and I'd eventually reach the end of the beach, and from there it would be just a short walk to my campsite where I had dry clothes, plenty of food, and a shelter from any storm.

  I trudged onward, feeling slightly better about my situation.

  The rain continued to come down hard, the wind blew stronger, and I got wetter and wetter.

  I'd given up any attempt to clean the sand off my shoes. It was a losing battle. So with each step I was carrying what felt like ten pound weights around my ankles.

  Finally in the distance, through the rain and mist, I could see the flashing lights on the fishing pier. This meant I was getting closer and closer to my destination.

  My spirit buoyed, I picked up my pace and eventually made it to the slippery rocks that marked the edge of the beach and the path leading back to the campground.

  The path led me under the north A1A bridge. And that's where I paused to take temporary shelter. Resting for a few minutes, I took the opportunity to clean the sand and mud off my shoes.

  Being under the protection of the bridge, I was thinking I could stay here, and wait for a lull in the storm before I ventured back out.

  But the storm seemed to be getting stronger. The lightning strikes were coming more frequently. And if the storm continued to increased in intensity, I might get stuck out here through the night. In wet clothes, no food, and a chilling wind. It wasn't something I was looking forward to.

  If I continued on though the rain and lightning, I'd soon be back in the warm shelter of my motorhome. And could have a hot meal soon after.

  That sounded a lot better than spending the night under the bridge. So it was decided. I was going to move back out into the storm. And get back to the Love Bus.

  Leaving the protection of the bridge, I trotted across the now flooded parking lot, and made my way to the road leading to the campground.

  I kept my head low, moving as fast as I could.

  Just as I reached the center of the road, a huge clap of thunder sounded directly overhead. And almost immediately, I could feel the tingle that signaled an imminent lighting strike.

  Looking in front for immediate shelter, I saw nothing. The heavy rain obscured my vision. I was about to turn back for the safety of the bridge, when a loud car horn sounded directly behind me.

  I turned to see an older white Toyota Land Cruiser wagon. It pulled up beside me, the passenger window rolled down and the driver yelled, 'Get in!'

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  The driver was a woman. She looked to be in her mid thirties. Black ball cap on her head. Green rain jacket, black cargo shorts, hiking boots.

  Smiling, she said, "You looked pretty miserable out there."

  I nodded, "Yeah, I was. Thanks for stopping. I was afraid the lightning would get me."

  The driver introduced herself. "I'm Anna. And it looks like you're here for the same reason I am."

  She pointed at the metal detector I'd put in the back seat.

  "Yeah, I was hoping to find some treasure. But no luck today."

  She laughed. "No, it's not a good day for detecting. And it's not the right beach for it either. They've just re-nourished it."

  "Re-nourished it?" I asked.

  "Yep, the county paid millions of dollars to dump two feet of new sand on that part of the beach. That means if there were any treasures to be found, they're now under another two feet of sand."

  I nodded. And then started to shiver in my cold wet clothes.

  "You need to dry off. You camping here or do you have a car nearby?"

  "I'm camping. Staying for a week."

  "So am I. Where's your campsite? I'll drop you off."

  "First row, overlooking the river."

  "I guess that makes us neighbors then. I'm on that row too. "

  I nodded. Too cold to respond.

  Anna slowly drove into the camping area, the wipers frantically trying to keep up with the rain. As she got close to my site, I pointed, "Over there. In the motorhome. "

  She pulled up and said, "You haven't told me your name."

  I held out my wet hand, "Walker."

  She smiled, "Glad to meet you Walker. Like I said, I'm Anna, And I'm camping over there. In the tent.

  She continued, "Tell you what. Before you go back out on the beach, come over and I'll give you some tips on where to find treasure."

  I nodded, "I'll do that. And thanks for picking me up. I was drowning out there."

  I dug into my pocket for the keys to the motorhome, grabbed my metal detector and then instead of climbing out, I asked, "Are you allergic to cats?"

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  "Allergic to cats? No. Why do you ask?"

  "Well I was thinking of asking you over for dinner tonight. But I've got a cat with me. And some people are allergic to cats . . ."

  Anna laughed, "Hold on hot shot. You're asking me to dinner?"

  "Sure, why not? You just saved my life. And we both have to eat, and I've got plenty of food, and it'll be dryer inside the motorhome than in your tent."

  I waited for her reply.

  "Anyone else in there with you?"

  "No, just me."

  "You married?"

  I shook my head, "Nope. Single."

  "You running from the law?"

  "Again, no. None of that. I just thought since you rescued me, it would nice to invite you over for a meal.

  "But it's okay if you say no. Me and Bob will just eat alone. Inside, where it's warm and dry."

  "Who's Bob?"

  "He's the cat. His full name is Mango Bob. And he's quite the character."

  Anna smiled, "So let me get this straight. You're a single guy, living in a motorhome with a cat. And I'm not supposed to think that's strange?"

  I shivered in my wet clothes and reached for the door. "Anna, I'll be eating dinner around six. You're welcome to join me."

  I opened the door, grabbed my things and made a run for the motorhome, the rain coming down hard.

  Anna was still sitting in the idling Land Cruiser as I unlocked the motorhome and stepped inside.

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  Coming in from the rain, the first thing I did was pull off my soggy, sand encrusted shoes. No need to track muck throughout the Love Bus.

  Next, I stripped off my clothes, left them in a pile at the door, and padded back to the shower. I moved Bob's litter box out of the stall and turned on the hot water heater.

  A few minutes later, I climbed into the shower and let the warm water roll down my body.

  If you've
ever lived an extended period of time without running water or without the availability of a hot shower, you know that hot showers are one of the greatest luxuries in life.

  Ask anyone who has gone without, and they'll agree.

  I stayed in the shower until the water changed from hot to warm, then climbed out and dried off.

  Remembering that I might have company coming over for dinner, I shaved, changed into clean clothes, and tidied up the bathroom.

  Still weary from hours of metal detecting, I flopped onto the couch, and rested for a bit. While laying there, I realized I hadn't seen or heard from Bob since my return.

  A clap of thunder from the storm overhead reminded me why. Bob does not like thunder, and at the first rumble, he'll run for cover.

  I'd have to look for him later to be sure he was okay.

  I was tempted to call Sarah and let her know how the treasure hunting trip was going, but decided against it. She had told me she needed time to herself, so calling her might not be such a good idea.

  My stomach growled, reminding me I had missed lunch. So I got up and prepared a turkey and swiss sandwich, and washed it down with a bottle of cold water.

  After eating, I picked up the pile of wet clothes I had dropped at the door, and put them in a laundry basket in my closet. I'd deal with them later.

  I then took a few moments to clean up the rest of the motorhome, just in case Anna decided to take me up on my dinner offer.

  It would be three hours before I knew whether she was coming or not. I used that time to locate Bob (he was under the covers on the bed), check my inventory of frozen food, and take a short nap.

  The sound of rain on the roof of the Love Bus quickly lulled me to sleep.

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  A knock on the door woke me. It took me a moment to realize where I was and who might be knocking.

  Crossing to the door, I found Anna standing in the rain, with an umbrella in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

  She smiled, "I decided to take you up on your offer. Now be a gentleman and invite me in."

  Opening the door to it's fullest, I said, "Glad you made it. Come on in."

  As soon as Anna was inside, she removed her raincoat and handed it to me. "Take this and hang it up somewhere. And take the umbrella too."

  I took both back to the bathroom and hung them on the shower rod.

  Turning back to the front where Anna was standing, I got my first good look at her.

  Five foot six, dark red hair, a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Slightly muscular build, well tanned arms, nice legs. No makeup.

  "So", said Anna. "You sure look better now than you did earlier."

  I smiled, "Yeah, a hot shower, clean clothes and a short nap will do wonders."

  She looked around, "This is a pretty nice place. Is it new?"

  "No, it's a few years old. It's new to me though. I just got it three months ago. Been traveling in it ever since."

  Anna handed me the wine bottle she'd brought in with her, "I didn't know what we were having for dinner. But I had this wine, and thought maybe we could share."

  I nodded "Wine sounds good. Have a seat, and I'll get glasses."

  Instead of sitting, Anna asked, "Okay if I check out the rest of the place?"

  Before I could answer, she walked to the back of the motorhome, checked the bedroom, then peeked into the bathroom.

  It looked to me like she was checking to see if anyone else was here. Probably a smart thing to do when visiting a stranger.

  Satisfied that we were alone, she returned to the dining area and sat at the table where I had placed two wine glasses.

  I opened the wine and poured us each a glass.

  Lifted my glass, I said, "To being rescued by a beautiful woman."

  Anna smiled, touched her glass to mine, and took a sip.

  Looking around, she said, "So, where's this Bob you mentioned? I didn't see him anywhere."

  "Oh, he's hiding in the back, probably under the covers on the bed. He's kind of shy. Not used to seeing many people. He'll come out eventually."

  Anna stood, "I'm going to go back and see if I can find him. Make sure he's not some kind of imaginary cat."

  "Okay," I said, "but Bob isn't really good with visitors. If you try to pet him he might not like it."

  Of course, Bob proved me wrong.

  From the back I could hear Anna speaking in a soft voice to Bob. "You sure are a handsome kitty. I bet the girl cats follow you everywhere."

  I expected Bob to duck and run, but instead I heard him purring loudly.

  A few moments later Anna returned to the table.

  "I found Bob. He let me pet him. Even purred a bit. But what's the deal with his tail?"

  I laughed, "He was born that way. They tell me he's an America Bob tail. A short stub for a tail is just the way they are."

  Anna smiled, "Kind of makes him look like a bobcat." Then she said, "Oh, I get it. Bobcat, as in 'Bob the cat'. Cute."

  I agreed, "Yeah."

  She took another sip from her glass, then said, "So Walker, you promised me dinner. What's on the menu tonight?"

  I smiled. "We have a variety of choices. We could have spinach and goat cheese pizza, or chicken parmesan, or cajun style chicken, or sweet and sour chicken. Your choice."

  Anna smiled, "I'm impressed. You can cook."

  "No, not really. I can microwave. And I've got a freezer full of frozen dinners. All varieties.

  "Tell me what you want, and we'll have a hot meal in about five minutes."

  Anna thought for a moment, then said, "Let's have pizza."

  "Good choice. The frozen pizzas actually come out pretty good in the microwave."

  I went to the fridge and pulled out two organic cheese and spinach individual pizzas, unwrapped them, and put the first in the microwave.

  When that pizza was done, I sliced and plated it, then put the second pizza in to cook.

  I carried the two plates to the table, put one in front of Anna and said, "Your dinner is served."

  She smiled, "This looks pretty good."

  We were both hungry, and it didn't take us long to go through the pizza. Fortunately, just about the time we finished the first two slices off, the bell on the microwave dinged, announcing we each had two more slices to eat.

  After we'd finished those, Anna said, "That was pretty good. Not at all what I expected from a frozen pizza."

  "The secret," I said, "is in choosing the right pizza and not over cooking it. Being single, I've become an expert at this kind of thing."

  Anna smiled, "So how come someone as handy in the kitchen as you, is still single?"

  I laughed, "Well, I was married. Then one day, the wife decided it was over. She filed for divorce, and I've been single ever since."

  "Divorced, huh? A lot of that going around. In fact, I've been down that road myself. What a mess."

  I nodded knowingly.

  "So Anna, tell me about treasure hunting. Any chance I'm going to find gold on the beach after the storm?"

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  "Yes," replied Anna. "If you're real lucky, and you hit the right beach just after the storm, you just might find some gold. But more likely, you'll find silver.

  "And that's not bad. Finding old silver coins is pretty exciting. A lot of them are still out there. And some can be quite valuable.

  "And even if you don't find gold or silver, you'll probably find something from the treasure fleet. Old iron nails, copper and brass fittings. Even broken pottery.

  "And if you're really lucky, you might even find an emerald."

  "An emerald?" I asked. "With a metal detector? How is that possible?"

  "Well," she replied, "while the Spanish were mining for gold and silver in South America, they found emeralds. Knowing they were valuable, they put them on the ships to send back to Spain.

  "When the ships went down, the emeralds went down with them. They'd get encrusted onto metal objects in the ship's debris field. They'd wash up o
n the beach, and every once in a while, people would find them. Even with a metal detector."