DeadMule Ain't Dead No Mo'

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Last week, DeadMule.com, a literary e-zine that focused on southern literature, announced it would no longer be accepting submissions. It was the first literary magazine to accept one of my stories, Waiting for Lisa. The site will remain up and is well worth checking out. (see links)

There are a lot of us, both writers and readers, who will miss the old Mule.

Bayou Bill

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Waiting for Lisa
by Bill Fullerton

The rain told a familiar story in a soft voice, and I was listening.

I’m a good listener; always have been. Especially at Christmas.Especially here inside the cemetery-just sitting and listening to therain, hearing the story, and waiting for Lisa.

We don’t have white Christmases in north Louisiana-just wet ones.Seems like every Christmas it’s rainy, cold, dreary. Good weather fordeer hunting but not fit for much else. And I don’t hunt, notanymore.

But Christmas, not the whole holiday thing, but the day itself,became my favorite day because of Lisa. She lived a couple hours awayand was here with her mother visiting relatives. I was driving homeafter wasting my morning down in the bottoms trying to get that bigbuck just about everybody, including me, has seen at one time oranother.

A car, an old Plymouth Fury, was pulled over on the shoulder ofAswell road just about in the middle of nowhere. Two women were outin the rain trying to change a flat. I stopped to help.

That's when I met Lisa. She and her mother were going somewhere tosee somebody, but I don't remember where or who. What I do rememberis that even in an old raincoat, Lisa, she said her name was LisaCollins, was about the prettiest girl I'd ever seen.

Mrs. Collins had a cold and got back inside the car while I changedthe flat. Lisa stayed out in the rain, holding an umbrella over me,and we talked. She was a junior in college. I told her I'd justgraduated and was teaching English at the high school. That night, Itook her to a movie.

After that, one thing seemed to just naturally lead to another andthe next Christmas, I asked her to marry me.

We didn't wait another year to get married, but Christmas alwaysmeant something extra special to us. And now, it's just the day Ikilled her.

I'd been hunting and she came to pick me up but I was late and shewalked into the bottoms heading for my deer stand and for just asecond I thought I saw that big buck and then, and then, that's whenI killed her.

Each Christmas since then I come out here to listen to the rain andthe voice that tells the story and wait for Lisa. I keep the motorrunning so the cab will be warm when she comes. And she always comes.We sit together, here inside the cab, and talk and listen and cry,and then she has to go.

But she's late this year. Or maybe I got here early. I'm not sure.Time doesn't mean much anymore.

The thing is, I'm getting a little sleepy. So maybe I'll close myeyes, but just for a minute. 'Cause Lisa and I will be together soon,like we always should be, only it'll just be here in the cemetery,inside my truck, in the rain, on Christmas day.

Your Senior Year

Gratuitous pin-up photo of Diana Rigg in her "Mrs. Emma Peel" leathers from the '60's TV show, The Avengers.

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This questionnaire was posted recently on the USADeepSouth (see links) moderated message board, "The Front Porch." Feel free to come up with your own answers. And no, I would not appreciate anyone doing a background search on me to check out the validity of my answers.

Bayou Bill

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YOUR SENIOR YEAR:

What year was it? 1964-65

What were your three favorite bands or musical artists? Beatles - Roy Orbison – The Uniques

What was your favorite outfit? On me. blue jeans and button down shirts. On females, short-shorts were nice, but nothing was special, so to speak.

What was up with your hair? Crew-cut in h/s, Beatles cut in college, the skin head look in the Army, falling out now.

Who were your best friends? George, Kirk, Milton

Where did you work? Dean's Gro. & Mkt. (plus feed, seed, gas & oil)

What did you do after school? Work at Dean's Gro. & Mkt, play or practice football/basketball/track, malinger

Did you take the bus? Sometimes, but they always made me give it back.

Who did you have a crush on? The last girl I'd seen.

Did you fight with your parents? My mother was Irish while my father had been a Golden Gloves and semi-pro boxer. What do you think?...

Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on? Diana Rigg (The Avengers)

Did you smoke cigarettes? In college. It was a form of self-defense

Did you have a 'clique'? There were two social classes in my h/s: kids from families that got commodities, and kids from families trying to get commodities. But the two groups did mix.

What was your favorite 'hangout'? The Azalea Motel, Café, gas station and bus stop.

Admit it, were you popular? Don't know. But I was more-or-less tolerated...

Who did you want to be just like? Since 99 44/100 percent of the world's population seemed way cooler than me, practically anyone but Jerry Lewis.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A lawyer (I had very low ambitions)

Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now? Waiting to get an early release based on time served and good behavior.