Mango Bob (11 page)

It'd already been a long day. I decided a short nap might be in order. I locked the doors, turned on the overhead fan, went to the back bedroom and stretched out.

I was sound asleep in minutes.

Some time later my phone chimed with an incoming call. It was Jack. They were getting ready to leave.

“If you want to see how to dump your tanks, meet me at the park dump station. We're heading over there now.”

“Give me five minutes. I'll meet you there.”

I went outside and did a quick walk-around to make sure I was ready to travel. Compartments locked, slide room in, TV antenna down, electricity and water disconnected. Good to go.

When I got to the dump station, Jack was waiting. He had the door to his utility compartment open, and was wearing long rubber gloves.

I'll spare you the particulars, but dumping the tanks is actually pretty easy as long as you securely connect one end of the dump hose to the coach sewer connection and the other end to the sewer tank in the ground --
before
you pull the dump handle.

Do it in the right order, things go smoothly.

Miss an important step, and you'll end up standing in a pond of poop.

Jack was an expert at these things, and all went well. He dumped his tanks and we were on the road to Walmart in less than ten minutes.

26

Jack was in front of me in his coach. I followed in mine. A convoy of two identical looking motorhomes.

It was obvious Jack wasn't in any hurry. He started off slow, drove below the speed limit, and kept plenty of room between his coach and the cars in front of him.

I did the same, making sure not to follow too close, giving him plenty of room.

When we arrived at Walmart, Jack drove to the far corner of the parking lot. Far away from the main parking lot entrances and in the general vicinity of two other motorhomes.

I pulled in beside him, leaving two empty parking spaces between us.

Jack got out of his coach, walked over to mine. “Let's go in and talk to the store manager. Usually there's no problem, but I always like to let them know we might be staying overnight. It's good to get their permission first.

“Once they know we're here, they'll advise us of the best place to park. And they'll let their security people know we've been approved.”

Inside Walmart, we went to the service desk where Jack explained we were traveling in RVs and wanted permission to rest a few hours in the parking lot.

The woman behind the counter smiled, “No problem. You'll want to park at the far right corner of the lot near the trees. That way you won't block our delivery trucks and won't be bothered by traffic all night.”

“If you have leveling jacks, please don't use them and don't extend your slides. We don't want our parking lot damaged or looking like a campground.

“Our store is open 24 hours, so if you need anything during the night, we'll be here for you.”

We thanked her, and walked back to our coaches.

Jack pointed at the sky, “This is the perfect time of year for boon-docking at Walmart. It's not so hot that you need to run your generator and air conditioning. And not so cold that you have to run a heater.

“During the hot summer months, it's usually better to stay at a campground with shade trees and full hookups. But tonight, the weather is perfect. All you'll need is a fan to mask the traffic noise and you'll be good to go.

He paused, “Jean and I plan to leave at daybreak. Our goal is to get just beyond Mobile.

“That's a five hundred mile drive, and if we start at sunrise, we should be able to make it before dark.”

“If we get that far, we plan to spend the night in the Bass Pro parking lot. It's the first exit beyond the Mobile Bay tunnel.”

I looked up, “I'm heading in the same direction. Do you mind showing me the route you plan to take?”

Jack smiled, “No problem.”

I pointed to the Love Bus, “I've got maps and a GPS inside. Come on in.”

Jack hesitated, “I'll be over in a few minutes. Got to let Jean know we got the OK from Walmart to park here tonight.”

I went to the Love Bus, got out my maps and waited for Jack.

True to his word, he came over and showed me the route he planned to take.

“When we leave in the morning, we'll take I-40 to Little Rock, then I-30 to the Pine Bluff turnoff, then 530 south to state highway 65.

“We'll stay on 65 to Lake Village and follow the levees along the Mississippi river through Louisiana to Tallulah.

“Most people get off of 65 at Lake Village and take the new bridge to the Mississippi river at Greenville, where all the Casino's are.

“But we don't like the traffic around Greenville. We like the back way, staying on 65 all the way into Louisiana.

“This route usually gets us into Vicksburg around noon. From there, it's another 240 miles to Mobile. If we average 60 miles per hour, we arrive in Mobile before dark.

“We stop for fuel in Richland, Mississippi. They have the cheapest fuel prices you'll find on the trip, so we always top off our tanks there.

“The worst part of the drive will be I-20 between Vicksburg and Jackson. That section of road is built on swampland. It's like a roller-coaster. Anything not bolted down is going to bounce off the walls.

“The best thing to do through there is just slow down. Don't let traffic intimidate you, and you'll do fine.

“I'd invite you to leave with us in the morning, but two motorhomes traveling together on a two lane highway can create a rolling road block. So it'd be best if we were separated by a few miles.

“If you want, I can call you when we get up in the morning. That way you can get on the road bright and early right after we leave.”

“Yeah, I'd like that. And with your permission, I might give you a call from the road if I run into any problems or get lost.”

“Don't worry about getting lost. You only have about four turns from here to Mobile. As long as you get on 49 south at Jackson, you'll be on track.

“I've got to get back to Jean. We're going to eat and then get to bed early. Long day tomorrow.”

I thanked Jack for his advice and hoped I'd see him again during the trip.

I put the maps on the dinette table and spent a few minutes programming the route into the GPS.

If Jack planned to reach Mobile tomorrow night, I'd make that my goal as well.

I needed to call Molly and let her know I was ready for her to bring the cat over.

I touch dialed her number, and after the third ring her voice mail picked up. I left a message.

“Molly, this is Walker. I'm at Walmart. You can bring the cat over whenever you like. I'm parked next to another motorhome that looks exactly like mine.

“I'll tie a blue towel around my driver's side mirror so you'll know which is which.

“If you can't make it or your plans have changed, let me know. I'm leaving at daybreak tomorrow.”

I checked my watch. 7pm. She's probably eating dinner with her husband and kids.

Three minutes later, my phone rang. Molly.

“Walker, got your message. I've just packed Bob into the car and I'll be over there in ten minutes. I'll have my husband and kids with me. We won't be staying long. See you in a few.”

Molly showed up with a car full of kids ten minutes later.

The first thing she said was, “Good to see you're still here. I was afraid you'd change your mind and leave without Mango Bob.”

“Nope, not leaving without the cat. I'm afraid you'd hunt me down if I did that.”

Molly pointed over her shoulder, “Let's get his litter box and food first, then we'll get Bob.”

She lifted the rear hatch on her car and handed me a bag of cat food and litter. She grabbed two bowls and a small litter box.

“Better get these set up before we bring Bob over. He's a little nervous with all the kids in the car and might need to use his box soon.”

I opened the door to the Love Bus and led the way to the bathroom.

“Put the litter box in the shower stall. Put the food and water bowls over by the sink.”

Molly approved, “You've had a cat before?”

“Yes, a long time ago. I still remember the basics. Food, water, litter box.”

“Good, let's go get Bob.”

Back at her car, Molly handed me a small plastic bag. “These are Bob's toys. Hold onto them until we get Bob inside.”

She reached into the car and came out carrying a large soft sided pet carrier. Inside was one very pissed off cat. Growling and hissing.

“This is Mango Bob. As you can tell, he's not very happy. He doesn't usually growl like this, but the kids and all the cars in the parking lot have him upset.

“When we get him inside, give him a few minutes to settle down. Then after I leave, unzip the top of this carrier. He'll jump out as soon as he sees an opening.

“Make sure all your doors and windows are closed, because when he gets out, he'll start exploring. Looking for a way to escape.

“After a few hours, he'll settle in and won't be a problem.

“He normally sleeps all day, and patrols at night. As long as there's food in his dish, he'll eat when he's hungry.

“There is this one thing. When Bob needs to use the litter box, he likes to announce it by crying for about five minutes. Usually in the middle of the night.

“Just ignore him and he'll find his box and use it. Any questions?”

“Yeah, does he bite?”

“Only if you grab him when he doesn't want to be handled. For the most part, just leave him alone. When he wants your attention, he'll let you know.”

“What if he gets car sick?”

Molly laughed. “Don't worry about Bob. If he get's sick, he'll throw up. Then he'll be fine.

“For the most part, Bob's pretty low maintenance. Just make sure he has food and water and a clean litter box and he won't be any trouble.

“If you're only on the road for three days, you won't even need to clean his litter box. But he'll probably appreciate it if you do.

“That plastic bag you're holding has a litter scoop and some catnip. Use the scoop to clean out the litter. And give him some catnip before you go to bed. It'll settle him down.

“All you really need to worry about is not letting him get out when you go in and out the doors. He'll probably try to escape, and if he does get out, you'll never see him again. And that'll break my sister's heart.

“Speaking of my sister. Here's a card with her name, phone number and address on it.

“You'll want to call her early the day you expect to get there. She's usually out on the water after eight in the morning and not back until after three in the afternoon. So call early.

“If something comes up and you can't reach her, call me. I'll probably be home taking care of the kids until after Christmas. Any questions?”

I thought for a moment, “Sounds like you covered it all. I'll be leaving in the morning. Hoping to make Mobile tomorrow night.

“The people parked in the RV next door are the ones I told you about. Jack and Jean.

“They've been sharing their expertise with me and have given me the best route to Florida. Really nice people.

“One other question. Did Harvey Tucker call you back asking about the Love Bus?”

“No, haven't heard from him since this morning. If he does call back, I won't tell him where you are or give him your phone number.

Molly reached out and touched my arm, “Walker, I really appreciate you taking Bob to my sister. I hate to see you leave Conway, but I kind of envy you going on this grand adventure.

“Tell my sister I miss her. And tell her to be nice to you.

“One last thing about Bob. He doesn't have a tail. He was born that way. Kind of makes him look like a bobcat.

Molly looked over her shoulder toward her car, “I've got to get back. The kids are driving my husband crazy.”

She gave me a hug and walked back to her car.

That would be the last time I saw her.

27

I watched Molly drive off.

Back inside the Love Bus, Bob was singing. And not a happy song. No doubt he was upset about being confined in his small carry cage.

I wanted to let him out, but not before I went to Walmart and got something for my dinner. Maybe a fresh salad from the Subway sandwich shop at the front of the store.

When I left the coach, I locked the door behind me. Didn't want anyone breaking in and stealing Bob.

Inside Subway ordered a salad to go. No need to eat in the store when I had my private dining coach back in the parking lot.

As I walked back to the Love Bus, I could hear Bob complaining. He wanted out. Now!

I unlocked the door and put my salad on the table, then went back and unzipped the top of Bob's carrier. Almost immediately, a large cat jumped out and ran for cover.

Mango Bob.