One of the interesting things about living in a tropical paradise is that fact that lizards make their way into your home or car. I’ve had anoles surprise me in the shower, scurrying on my car floor mat, and hitching rides on the outside of my vehicle. We once had a very small gecko hiding out under a floor lamp. And, when I thought we had an unusual albino gecko on the wall of our terrace, I learned that the lizards will actually stay stuck when they die. Not albino, just dead. Recently, I made a new friend in the Publix parking lot.
On a relatively uneventful trip into Publix, I opened the hatch to load up my groceries. A sound I heard made me think the cart hit my bumper, but I noticed it had not. I looked down and, in the back corner, a gecko was looking back at me. As I said, “What are you doing in here?” he jumped over the back seat. I then realized some blonde chick at her BMW was staring at me, probably wondering who I was talking to. I felt no need to explain.
My next stop was Winn Dixie and I figured my passenger would jump ship once I got there or he might jump into one of my bags and I could free him at home. No such luck. Great, all I could picture was that dead gecko stuck to the wall. And, I had a major road trip to Indiana in a couple days.
I didn’t really want to invite his friends to join him in my car, but he needed to exit. I tried poking under every spot I could with my big umbrella while leaving all the doors and hatch open. No luck. I decided to crack the back windows open just enough for him to sneak out and hope that he would overnight.
Needing to run an errand the next day, I listened for any movement while I drove. Maybe he had snuck out! But, back in the hatch, a tiny turd (black with a white tip) gave evidence to the contrary. I tried explaining to him, “Dude, you do not want to come to Indiana with me.” I was planning on leaving at 4 AM the next day. I pondered “borrowing” any variety of small dog from a neighbor to maybe chase him out. Then, I thought if I could make it uncomfortable enough without killing him, maybe I could coax him out. So, I sprayed the inside of the car down with Lysol spray and sealed it up for a while. Later, I opened everything up, did some more poking, and hoped for the best.
Loading the car at 4 AM revealed no new turdlets. (Of course, there was nothing to eat in there to produce them…) Maybe he did sneak out. No matter what, there was traveling to do and the overnight stop in Kennesaw, Georgia was on the agenda.
Just in case he was still in there and listening, I explained there would be plenty of stops in Florida (it is an eight hour drive from Key Largo to the Florida / Georgia line). He had plenty of opportunities to exit if he chose. No sound, no evidence, he was probably gone.
No gecko tearing out of the vehicle during various stops. No jumping out with overnight bag unloading. Silly me for talking to myself along the trip! Turned in early for another 4 AM departure the next morning glad that my gecko friend was probably back in Key Largo munching on insects.
Another early start came way too soon. Loaded up the bag in back. Opened the back door to deposit my backpack. With a quick, quiet plop, my little friend landed on the ground and ran under the car and off to who knows where. Guess Georgia has a new resident gecko. Hope he likes it there. At least he knew he didn’t want to go to Indiana!
Recharting at a new latitude 