Three weeks later, we gathered in my motorhome to celebrate the sale of the park.
Surprisingly, I wasn't the new owner.
Before the deal closed, Buck and Polly had come to me and presented a convincing argument why they should buy the place instead of me.
Not only did they have enough money, between them they had lived in Serenity Cove for more than fifteen years, and felt they would be better stewards of the property than me.
While I disagreed with them on the stewardship aspect, I could see several reasons why they would be the better choice.
Chances were good they'd live in Serenity Cove for the rest of their lives, while it was likely I would eventually chase an adventure that took me elsewhere.
For that reason alone, it made more sense for them to own Serenity Cove instead of me.
Tonight we were celebrating their purchase. My motorhome was filled with friends. Anna was there, and so was Lucy. And of course, Buck and Polly, along with Oscar the wiener dog.
During the celebration, Polly announced that based on advice from their attorney, they would be changing the name of Serenity Cove to something else.
Polly said she wanted to name the place 'Oscarville', to honor Oscar the wiener dog.
But Buck had protested. “Nobody wants to come to Florida and live in a place called Oscarville. Nor do they want to live in Wiener Town.”
So he offered the only logical alternative, “Mango Bay,” he said. “As a tribute to Mango Bob.”
Bob, dozing on top of the couch, heard his name. He lifted his head, blinking with sleep and said, “Murrph.”
Polly nodded her agreement and Buck said, “I never liked the name Serenity Cove. Sounds like a cemetery. Or a home where old people go to die.
“Mango Bay – now there's a name that suggests excitement, and some major adventures ahead.”
And he was right.
We never learned what happened to Darrell. According to Agent Harris, his people would deal with him and we were off the hook. That was good enough for us.
Eddie called to ask about his part in the movie Buck had mentioned to Edith. He was disappointed to learn that there were no movie roles for him or Edith. At least not yet.
Polly offered Eddie a job doing maintenance and clean-up work around the park. With Edith's encouragement, Eddie took the job, but soon decided he liked cleaning the bait tanks at the convenience store better.
Buck finished the movie script he was working on, and started shopping it around to different Hollywood studios. There'd been some interest in it, but so far, no buyers.
Buck wasn't worried. “It's got a wiener dog, a boat name Toot Toot, a cat named Mango Bob, and takes place in a trailer park in Florida. The perfect combination for a hit movie.”
Maybe he was right.
Lucy and I were still seeing each other occasionally, but it didn't look like it was going to get serious any time soon.
Anna was still selling real estate, and her recent sale of Serenity Cove had pushed her into contention for the top agent in Englewood for the year.
My life in Serenity Cove, now known as Mango Bay, had finally settled down a bit. No more visits from Homeland Security and no damsels in distress.
However, I did buy the Escape Artist from Polly, and started making plans for a trip down to the Keys.
All and all, life was good. Nice and peaceful.
But as I was about to find out, it never stays that way for long.
Follow the adventures of Walker and Mango Bob in the Mango Bob series of books found at Amazon.
Find photos, maps, and more from the Mango Bob adventures at http://www.mangobob.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MangoBob
If you liked Mango Bay, please post a review at Amazon, and let your friends know about the Mango Bob series.
Other books by Bill Myers:
Mango Bob
Mango Lucky
Buying a used motorhome without getting burned
Metal Detecting Florida Beaches
Table of Contents
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the...
CHAPTER ONE“
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN“
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY “
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY SIX
CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
The adventure continues . . .