3 Mango Bay Read Free Page A

sites, each with full hookups and a private parking area. Amenities in the park included a swimming pool, a tennis court, a covered picnic area, and a small boat dock on Lemon Bay.
    Satisfied that I wasn't really heading into a clothing optional campground, I heeded Anna's advice and took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes.
    After my shower, I packed up the motorhome, freshened up Mango Bob's litter box and unhooked from shore power.
    The only thing left for me to do was to bring in the slide room. But before I could do that, I needed to find Bob.
    Mango Bob is the cat that started all this. He's the reason I'm in Florida and the reason I've been able to park my motorhome in the old boat yard for free.
    Officially, Mango Bob is Sarah's cat. She'd found him as an abandoned kitten and taken him in. They had lived happily for two years until Sarah's new boyfriend gave her an ultimatum.
    “ Either the cat goes or I do. Choose one.”
    Sarah chose the boyfriend, and Mango Bob was shuffled off to live with Sarah's sister in Arkansas.
    Not long after, Sarah discovered she'd made the wrong choice. She should have kept the cat and dumped the boyfriend. She wanted Mango Bob back.
    That's where I came in.
    The deal offered to me by Sarah's sister was simple. “Deliver Mango Bob to Sarah in Florida and you can live in your motorhome for free in the old boat yard.”
    I'd never owned a cat before and wasn't sure about traveling cross country with one who might try to escape at every stop. But living in a motorhome near the beach in Florida sounded pretty good. So I accepted the offer.
    Traveling to Florida with Mango Bob turned into a real adventure. Bob tested me throughout the trip, trying to see what he could get away with. At one point he was able to escape, and it was only with the help of some very kind folks that I was able to get him back. 
    But in the end, it turned out alright. I was able to deliver Mango Bob to Sarah, and as promised, she let me live in my motorhome in the old boat yard.
    Three months later, Sarah closed her business and took a job in Venice, moving into an apartment where they didn't allow cats. She asked me to take care of Mango Bob until she could work out better living arrangements. Bob has been with me in the motorhome ever since.
    The funny thing is, he seems to like living in the motorhome. He's got his special hiding places and he knows where his food and litter box are. And even though it took some work on his part, he's got me pretty much trained to do his bidding.
    One thing that surprised me is Bob likes it when we travel. He'll come up front, sit in the passenger seat and talk to me as I drive down the road.
    I'm never exactly sure what he's saying, but I generally agree with him.
    The point is, Bob's been living with me for three months now, and I've kind of grown attached to him.  And that's why I need to find him before I bring in the slide room in the motorhome.
    See, when the slide room comes in, it brings the driver's side exterior about three feet into the motorhome, and if Bob were nearby, it could be very hazardous to his health.  So I never do it without first finding and locking him in the bedroom where he'll be safe.
    To find Bob, I picked up his food bowl and gave it a shake. “Bob. I've got something to show you.”
    From behind the couch I heard, “Murrph”.
    He had heard me, but wasn't ready to come out just yet.
    I rattled the bowl again. “Come on Bob, we're going on a road trip. You know what that means.”
    Again, I heard Bob say, “Muurrph?”
    He was getting interested but he wasn't coming out just yet. So I put the bowl down and went up to the front of the motorhome and pretended not to be interested in what Bob might be doing in the back.
    A few moments later, Bob came out and I could hear him crunching a bit of kibble. When I turned to check on him, he yawned, then trotted back to the bedroom.
    This was exactly what I wanted him to do.  I closed the