The Curious Journey of Ulysses Paradeece After a Hurricane Ai (bio) “It’s your imagination,” said Mama Paradeece. “You can’t feel nothing below your knees.” “That may well be,” I answered, “but I still feel something tickling me.” She said, “son, doctor done cut off your legs, you may as well accept it now and go on.” “Anyhow, you don’t listen to mama. You never did, smoked that dope, run out on your wife and kids, now look at you laid up, black and alone, ain’t got nobody, homeless, penniless and old.” I said, “Mama, I ain’t black, I’m Creole like you. She said, “that ain’t the way the world sees you might as well get used to it, I did, anyway, your white blood ain’t going to save you today. “What you talking about?” I asked. But Mama Paradeece had disappeared, leaving me alone in the hospital hallway After awhile, the wind howled like a dog, walls shook, lights went out and it took all my strength to raise up and look down the hall where I seen water pouring through the doorway and a nurse’s aide wading toward me, a strange look on her face. She said, “Mr. Paradeece, I’ll get you out somehow, but I could see she didn’t know what to do so I said, “save yourself, cause they done black tagged me. I’m hopeless and that’s the truth it’s no use trying to rescue me, but she said, “take this old man. “What is it?” [End Page 93] “Ain’t you never seen a life jacket before? It’s from my boat. My husband brought it to me, but he drowned, ‘cause I couldn’t hold him. Now I got to go.” As she waded away with a sigh and a faint goodbye, I knew I was going to die, so I closed my eyes. Lord have mercy, I’m still alive. I thought, as I floated into the street beside the body of someone familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember who, then it came to me. It was the nurse’s aide, now bloated and as dead as Mama Paradeece. How long had I slept, I wondered, holding on to the lifejacket, as I bumped up against a tree whose branches snagged my robe and tore it off me, but I held on to the lifejacket anyway and kept on drifting down the street. I heard somebody call to me, but I couldn’t open my mouth without swallowing water. I couldn’t let go of the tree either so I just held on until it got stuck on something and broke me free. I kept going, when a water moccasin swam up to me I swear I heard him speak. . He said, “do you believe in Jesus?” And I said, “occasionally.” “You gonna bite me?” “What happened to your legs?” He asked. “I got diabetes, doctor had to amputate below my knees.” “Why you want to live then? “Why don’t you let me put you out of your misery?” That’s when I heard a shriek as a big old bird, look like a hawk, or something sank its beak down on that snake. I couldn’t help myself, I screamed and the filthy water liked to drown me when suddenly two arms wrapped around me and pulled me up onto a porch. When I caught my breath, I saw a man with a flashlight bending down to look at me. “That a dress you got on?” I asked. “See,” he said to a chihuahua in a fruit basket, “what happened to this old man, lost his legs in this cruel storm.” [End Page 94] “Naw, they gone a long time before this,” I whispered. but I don’t think he heard me. “Come on, old fellow, we got to get you a beer. How’s that sound?” I nodded, as he held a beer can to my mouth and I just about choked. “Ain’t you got no water?” “Not to drink,” he answered. “Lemme rest a minute, then “II take me another drink,” I told him...