So, I realized that Elvis dyed his hair black a little later than I thought, not the day after he got back. I darkened his hair in the pic above so it would make more sense to the story. Also, I'm not one hundred percent positive on this, but I'm pretty sure that this picture was taken as Elvis was standing on his front stoop watching people bringing in a few TVs a short time after he returned home from the army.
~ ~ ~
What a day! The Colonel and I spent literally the whole day in the recording studio. There were a lot of records that needed to be cut, and each record took at most forty-five minutes, mainly if it needed to be re-sung or the recording didn't turn out very well so it would have to be cut again. We were there the entire day, yet there were still more records that needed to be cut. We would do that in the coming days. As for now, it was time for a much-needed rest. Thank goodness I could sleep in a little since I had to leave the house at around nine - there was no need to be at the studio earlier.
Thankfully, I wouldn't spend every day cutting or making records. I had a few interviews and conferences coming up, mainly ones where I had to talk about my military service, and some fan meets and appearances at a couple hospitals to start fund raisers. There would be a couple concerts thrown in there, as well as traveling to California to start planning a movie, and all of it would be before planning the television show with Frank Sinatra. That was two months away in May.
It was incredibly exciting, that I would meet and sing with one of my favorite singers. Meeting his daughter Nancy in Germany was neat, but the prospect of meeting him made me both excited and nervous. He was one of the best singers of the twentieth century so far, and I admit I would be a little starstruck when meeting him. Stars had their favorite stars, too. Also, it would be really something for people to see one of the most popular singers of the last generation meet and perform with one of the best of the current generation - that was the idea, anyway, even though I didn't really consider myself one of the best. It would make history, according to what I was told.
The house was really quiet when I walked into the entryway. A lamp was on in the living room, giving a dim lighting to the space, including some of the entryway. I smirked, knowing that Mary was considerate and left a light on for me so I wouldn't come back into darkness. The dining room light wasn't on, but there was light coming into it from the kitchen. Curious, and thinking that Mary accidentally left the light on or did it on purpose since before, I liked getting a snack before bed, I headed to go turn it off. When I came in, my heart lurched, and not only from the surprise of a person being in the kitchen, but because that person was Mary. She was pouring coffee from the tall chrome coffee pitcher, and she had on a fluffy baby-pink robe and pajamas of the same color coming out of the robe and meeting tan slippers. What made my heart speed away like a race car, though, was seeing her shiny golden hair down and wavy and going passed her shoulders. She was slightly turned to me, so I could see her hair framing her face and how small her waist was with the robe tied in the right spot, showing off her figure. I stood there, stunned.
She turned her head, and she let out a loud gasp and fumbled with the coffee pitcher, but thankfully didn't spill any coffee outside of her blue mug. The room smelled of the coffee as well as Mary's perfume. "Oh my heavens, Elvis!" She set the coffee pitcher down on the counter, let go of her mug and put her hand to her heart. "Golly gee, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
I couldn't help but snicker at her reaction to seeing me. "I'm sorry, Mary. I just came home and saw the kitchen light on. Thought you left it on by accident, so I was gonna turn it off."
She let out a breath in exasperation, probably to calm down her speeding heart from the surprise. She took up her mug. "I didn't even hear ya come in. I guess I have a lot of things on my mind, and that's why I couldn't sleep. How was your day?"
I leaned against the counter with my hip and folded my arms. "It was busy. I was in the recordin' studio all day cuttin' and makin' records. Goin' back tomorrow to do some more of it."
She nodded. "I see. I wish you could get a break from everythin' for at least a week before jumpin' back into your work."
I shrugged. "It is how it is. How was your day?"
She took a sip, and I couldn't help but stare at her, mainly her hair. I've seen her with her hair down before, and I had seen her in pajamas like what she had on, but it did nothing to me, mainly since I didn't have feelings for her then.
"It was fine, I suppose," she said. "Right after you left, Sandra called. She really wishes she was able to come and greet ya, but she had a test to take, so she'll be here sometime this week."
I smiled, thinking about Sandra. She was a pretty girlâa really pretty one who had sleek blonde hair like her motherâbut I forced myself not to go after her since she was like a sister or another family member. It was nuts that I developed feelings for her mother before I did for her. "Really? I'm lookin' forward to it. I miss 'er."
"She misses you, too. Be prepared for a bear hug."
"I'm ready for it."
Mary took another sip, and she noticed me staring at her. When she did, heat rushed into my cheeks, and I looked away, embarrassed. I had my gaze on the white countertop across from us when I heard, "Yeah, I know. I'm a sight, aren't I, just in pajamas?"
My brows creased, and I looked back at her, bewildered. Did she just call herself not attractive? How could she think of herself as not attractive? "Mary, I've seen you in pajamas before, so don't be self-conscious. Plus, you are a sight, just not in the way you're meanin'."
She halted her slipping and held the mug there as she stared at me this time. More heat flamed my cheeks when I realized I just called her beautiful. "Elvis..." she started in disbelief.
"It's a fact, Mary. I really don't see how you could see yourself as not attractive."
This was the first time I commented on her appearance, or more specifically her beauty. Before, I had said that she looked nice before going out to church on some Sunday's, but that was it. And I was only being nice then, not saying it because I was attracted to her.
"I guess..." she mumbled, and she put her mug down on the counter and folded her arms, pushing up her chest a bit. I forced myself not to react to that or focus on it. "Well, not hearin' it for the past several years causes a woman to not have that opinion about herself."
Her eyes saddened, and I realized what she was telling me. For a second time, I was incredibly irritated with a guy who I had lengthy conversations with and even played pool with. "Randall never called ya beautiful in the past several years?"
She gulped hard. "Not once. I guess he was starting to become disinterested in me because I was gettin' older and he saw younger girls as more attractive, hence his affair with a girl only a few years older than his own daughter."
A tear escaped her right eye, and that made my heart plummet. I leaned off of the counter and came up to her. She looked away from me. "Hey," I said gently as I stood there in front of her, and she looked up at me with those spectacular green eyes. "Beauty doesn't diminish with age, ya know. If he couldn't see your beauty, or he just didn't wanna see it, then that's on him and not your fault. Okay?"
We held that gaze, and her cheeks flushed pink, and mine probably looked no different. My whole body was tingling from being not three feet from her.
I waited for her to respond, desperately holping she would believe me. After a few seconds, she sniffed and wiped her eye with the palm of her hand. "Golly, Elvis... you have always been very sweet."
I smirked. "I'm only tellin' the truth. I'm so very sorry you went through what you did with Randall. Honestly, yeah, I saw that you two had your rough bouts, but I always thought it would pass. Again, I'm sorry I wasn't here through it all. I wish I was."
She smiled, and I was relieved when I saw it, but she still had sad eyes. "Even if you were, you would have more important things to worry about."
"I don't think anythin' could be more important than tryin' to make someone you care about happy."
Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my cheek. Mary's green eyes were glistening, but no tears were falling, and I could see the gratitude in her eyes. "You're such a dear, Elvis. I'm sure if you were around through the thick of it all, you would've done all that you could. You always hated seeing people sad or going through a hard time, especially those close to you."
Not stopping myself, I took her hand and held it in mine, and it remained on my cheek. I gulped hard, recalling a very hard time - coming home to be with Momma before she passed. "You're right."
That gaze held, and I found myself looking down at her pink lips. My heart pulsed when I realized I really, really wanted to lean down and touch those lips.
Her hand slid out from under mine, and she took a few steps away, her back to me. My true opinion of her slipped out...
"You're beautiful, Mary."
She was silent for a moment, and my heart wanted to pound out of me. I could hear a clock tick somewhere.
"Thank you, Elvis. That's sweet."
"Like I said - I was just sayin' the truth."
She nodded, and it made her hair shine in the above light. "Elvis... can I ask you somethin'?"
"Anythin'."
Again, she was silent. I heard her take in and let out a deep breath. "Never mind." She turned around to face me. "I think we both should get to bed. Both you and I have an early mornin' tomorrow."
"I don't have to leave 'til 'round nine, so it's not early for me. And... sleep in, okay? Don't set an alarm. Just sleep until your body wakes up on its own."
She smirked, and that made me do the same. "Well, it may be only six o'clock if I did that."
"It's better than 4:30. I want ya to be well and happy, and that means gettin' enough sleep."
"I can say the same about you, but you have to be places early sometimes. Just sleep in when you can, okay?"
"I'll do that. Or at least I'll try. Sleep well, Mary."
"You, too. I'll leave first."
"Of course. Ladies first."
She giggled, much like a girl half her age or younger would. "Ever the gentleman. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She left the room, and I let out a large breath and leaned against the counter and ran a hand through my dark hair.
"Oh boy... you were about to kiss 'er. That would've been bad."
Would it have been, though? Ever since I came home, she was acting like a blushing girl who was talking with her crush.
Maybe that was what she was doing. Mary definitely was reacting to me, every time I was around her. She had feelings for me, a boy she knew like her own child.
Well, if I was right, which I was pretty sure I was, she didn't see me as such anymore. She probably would have let me kiss her. The thought made my head whirl and fingers tingle with numbness from my rapid pulse. All this was a lot to swallow. Better get to bed.
I left the kitchen and hiked up the stairs. As I did so, I wondered... What was she going to ask me?
~ ~ ~
I chickened out, but he probably had an idea of what I wanted to ask him, considering the situation were in at that moment. It was nuts to think or even wonder for a second, but... was he going to kiss me? Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about seeing him the next morning since by the time I got up and had gone downstairs, he was gone. Yes, I slept in, a lot longer than I thought I was capable of. Elvis would be happy about that.
He was gone a lot later than I anticipated him being. I stayed up until eleven, and he still wasn't back. I was up late not because I was waiting for him, but because I just wasn't tired and continued on with doing other things. Most of the day, I was sitting on the sofa reading a book or watching the television since a lot of the chores were done, including watering the garden outside.
My clock hit midnight, and I knew that since I glanced over at it and saw it was a few minutes passed. I was trying to fall asleep, but my mind raced with wondering where Elvis was. A few more minutes passed. I heard the front door open downstairs. My heart went into overdrive. He was home. Finally.
I heard footsteps on the stairs and in the hallway, a hallway that headed in the other direction from mine and to his room. The only noise he was making was his footsteps. He always tried to be quiet after coming home late.
As the footsteps faded, I allowed my heartrate to slow down a bit. Was it the mother in me that was worried, or was it the anticipation of the object of my affections arriving home? I hated to admit it, but it felt the same way when waiting for Randall to come home from work when we were first married... first married, living together...
"Oh, Lord!" I exclaimed, appalled that I let my mind go that far, and turned over and pulled the blankets up to my chin. "I'm his housekeeper and a family friend. That's why I'm here."
But I wasn't wrong. Technically, we did live together, at the same residence, just not as a married couple.
"Just go to sleep now," I ordered myself. "And no sleeping in past eight."
I set my alarm to seven, but I could turn it off and go back to bed. I turned over again and attempted to fall asleep. Finally, I was successful, and my alarm eventually woke me up. Groggily, I turned it off and sat up. The spring sun shined into the room, but through the white curtains hanging over the window. After saying my prayers, I got up and opened the curtains, and that allowed bright sunlight to enter the room. It was a beautiful spring day, but there was a commotion. I looked down and saw a truck, a moving truck.
"Oh, wait..." I muttered, squinting at the company name on the side of it. "That's right. Vernon told me that Elvis bought a few televisions to put into the house."
He already had one in the living room. Apparently, he wanted more. Something about wanting more televisions than the president or another famous person.
I stepped away from the curtain and got ready for the day. As I put my hair into its bun, I thought about Elvis's complement to me...
He thought I was beautiful, and judging from his previous stares, he thought so even when I had my hair up. I leaned in closer to the mirror at my vanity desk. He had told me before that I had the greenest eyes that he had ever seen. That played into it, too, I was sure, since Randall was drawn in after seeing my eyes at the beginning of our relationship. They matched my dress perfectly and were accentuated by a thin line of black liner, the only makeup I wore, aside from some mascara on my blonde eyelashes.
"Okay, I should get down there to help out a bit," I said and left the room. I immediately heard the commotion downstairs. I checked my watch. It was a little before eight. I brushed my teeth, and as I stepped down the stairs, I saw Vernon and another man hauling in a decently-sized television, one that was twice the size of the one in the living room. I stepped off the stairs right as he set it down in the entryway.
"Wow, that was heavy," Vernon said, and then he saw me. "Oh, good mornin', Mary."
"Good mornin', Vernon," I said and came up to him as other men were unloading another television, maybe the last one since there was another one in the living room, aside from the one that was already in there and the one that was just brought in. "Goodness, does Elvis have enough television sets, now?"
"There's two more comin'."
My brows shot up. "Really? That means he's gonna have five total."
"Yes, and that may not be the last of 'em, too. He wants one down in the den near the kitchen, the billiards room, upstairs in his room, and others in various other rooms. This house will be full of TVs."
"I think so. It gives me more surfaces to dust."
He chuckled as the men struggled with getting another television out of the truck. We heard Elvis out there, offering to help, but the men said it was alright. Of course, they didn't want one of the most famous men in America to hurt himself. It was loony to think that a person as famous as him was feeling something towards me. There were enough hints to please Sandra.
Vernon excused himself to go and help, and I followed him onto the front stoop. There stood Elvis, dressed in a cream-colored suit coat and blue shirt underneath that was showing some of his chest. He watched as his father, manager and a few men helped with the next television. I came up next to Elvis innocently, like the special moment we had the other night never happened. He noticed me and beamed like the bright morning sun.
"Hey, good mornin'! Long time no see."
"Yes, I know. And good mornin' to you, too." I nodded my head to the four men carrying the large box television up the stairs and huffing as they did so. "A rather crazy mornin' I might add."
"Ain't that the truth?" We stepped out of the way as the men came up and hauled their load through the front door. "So, I never saw ya yesterday. You slept in."
"Yes, I did, a lot longer than I anticipated - until nine. I haven't slept in that long since... well, I can't remember since. And the whole day, I was pretty lazyâreadin' books, watchin' television, goin' out and tendin' to the garden..."
His smile remained, and I tried not to focus on it, but at the men coming out of the house and down the stairs again. Colonel Parker passed me without a greeting, but one of the men, looking like the oldest of the bunch, glanced at me and smiled.
"Well, I'm so glad that you had a restful day," said Elvis. "You need to have more of those."
"Rather than spend their days in idleness, they should labor abundantly... I don't want to waste my days way."
He smirked at my use of a scripture, mainly because he probably heard it before since his family was religious. "Takin' a day or two out of your life to rest and enjoy yourself isn't idleness. It keeps ya sane, or mentally healthy another words. Maybe even physically healthy, too, since you're not go, go, goin' all the time and wearin' your body out. It's one of the reasons why one of these beauties is goin' in your room."
My eyes widened, and I looked over at him, shocked. "Elvis, one of those large televisions is goin' into my room?"
"Yeah. I don't know why I never put one in there before."
"Because it isn't necessary. If I have a television in my room, I'm gonna waste so much time and not get anythin' done 'round the house."
The men commenced getting the last television out of the truck. Hands in his slacks pockets, Elvis turned to face me, his look serious. "Mary... you have done so much for me and my family by bein' a good friend and keepin' the house clean. This is just a small gift of my appreciation."
His blue eyes were so sincere and, honestly, beautiful. How could I say no to this? "This is so kind of you, Elvis, but I honestly think I'm gonna turn into a lazy cat with a television in my room."
He smiled somewhat playfully. "I count on it."
The men brought the last television up the stairs, and once it was through the door, Elvis and I went into the house. The men were stretching out their arms. Elvis came up to them and started talking with them about moving them to various places in the house. They all got going on that, and I figured I would go into the kitchen to start on some breakfast. By the time I was finished with the smorgasbord of pancakes, bacon, jam, toast and orange juice, the men were done with the moving, on account of them talking in the entryway, and several of them commented on how great the house smelled. Before I could take another breath, Elvis came in and saw what I was working on. He grinned.
"You and I were thinkin' the same thing. I'll go tell 'em breakfast is on."
He left, and I heard him announce, "Hey, how 'bout a hearty breakfast for all your hard work, huh? Made by my lovely and hardworkin' housekeeper."
I smiled at that, grateful for the complement. As the men consented, I took out the plate of pancakes that had two stacks on it, twelve in each stack. There were four workers, plus Vernon, Elvis and Colonel Parker and me. I made sure I made enough.
Elvis and Vernon helped out with setting the table, or more placing the plates of food on there, plus a stack of plates and silverware. The large pitcher of orange juice sat by eight glasses in a bunch. It was set up more like a buffet. Grace was said, and the party started. Leave it to Elvis to make a party out of a furniture company bringing over television sets.
My plate in hand, I chose to sit on the end of the sofa, so I was nearest to the entryway. All the men stood around talking, with two of the workers who were near Elvis's age talking to him and looking as if the three of them had been friends forever. That was also just like Elvis - very personable and sociable, regardless if he was giving out autographs or eating breakfast with his company. It was more almost brunch since it was after ten. Did they go into my room to set up the television? What if they did?! I left out certain unmentionable things. I hadn't thought about that!
Heat seared my neck as I sat there, plate of food on my lap, and mortified that at least a couple of those men saw those items of clothing. "Oh, dear..."
"Everythin' alright, ma'am?"
I looked up and saw the oldest of the group, a man maybe older than myself by five or so years, nearing fifty most likely. He had graying brown hair that was mostly gray, and he was a rather handsome man with a square jaw, kind hazel eyes and broad shoulders. He was the man who smiled at me earlier. What if he was in my room?!
"Yes, yes, I am."
"Mind if I sit with ya?"
"Not at all."
He did so, and I noticed Elvis look over at us. My gaze didn't linger on him since this man said, "Earnest Bridger. It's a pleasure."
I shook his hand that wasn't holding onto his plate full of food. "Mary Pendleton. The pleasure's all mine."
His eye twinkled as he smiled at me rather attractively. "So, this is quite the surprise, Elvis Presley allowin' us to stay for breakfast after movin' in his television sets."
"Yes, he's just that type of person. He loves havin' people around, and really, he can make a party out of anythin'. He's been that way as long as I've known 'im. He's a good soul with a good heart."
Earnest nodded as he took a bite of his pancakes and swallowed. "You've been workin' for 'im for a while?"
"I met his mother Gladys back in '55, and we became good friends. I was there as Elvis became really famous and eventually bought this beautiful home for his family. I was in need of a job at the time, so he offered to have me work here. I had no objection to it, neither did my husband or daughter."
His brows shot up. "Oh, you're married?"
I purposefully brought my left hand into few to show how empty it was. "No, not anymore."
"I'm sorry. Do you mind me asking..."
He was a perfect stranger, yet I felt comfortable telling him this. "We got divorced last year."
"I see. I know how it feels. My ex-wife and I separated five years ago."
This man isn't married, too! My heartrate kicked up a bit, and I suddenly felt self-conscious, the very thing Elvis told me not to be. Well, a woman couldn't help but be such around a handsome man, whether he was older or younger.
"I see," I said. "It's hard. Do you have any kids?"
"I do - three. Two girls - twins - and one boy. You mentioned you have a daughter?"
"Yes, Sandra. She's in her first semester of college at the moment. It makes one feel, well... old."
He laughed heartily. "I hear ya. My youngest, Roger, my boy, is in the same boat, while his two older sisters are newly married, both twenty-three years old. It makes a person think, doesn't it?"
"It sure does."
We chuckled with one another, and we got to eating our meal. All the while, I could see in the corner of my vision Elvis making constant glances at us.
~ ~ ~
I had gone steady with a few girls, and was interested in a few others, so I knew what jealousy felt like. It made me second-think allowing these men to a little breakfast party. The moment Earnest - I learned all of the guys' names before they started hauling in the TV sets - caught sight of Mary, he had hearts in his eyes. I didn't know the man was single until I heard him mention it as I was half paying attention to his and Mary's conversation and the conversation I was having with Bill and Jay, the guys around my age. My chest pricked, hearing Mary and Earnest laugh with each other while talking and eating. He was a handsome guy, and he was closer to her age than I was going the other way, maybe close to fifty.
"Yeah, my girlfriend isn't gonna believe this," said Bill, a guy with brown hair close to my dyed color, but his was most likely natural. "Me deliverin' TV sets to Elvis's house, and then we have breakfast at his house as well."
"Yeah, my kid-sister will die when I tell 'er," said Jay, then asked me, "Do you think we could get a picture with you or somethin', Elvis, and maybe an autograph?"
I smiled. "Of course that would be okay. I was gonna mention it, anyway, before you guys leave today."
"That would be wonderful."
I glanced at Mary and Earnest again. They were smiling away as they ate their breakfast with each other, and they talked about their children. At least that was what they were talking about and not other things that a man and woman could be talking about, like plans to meet again.
The party went on, and eventually, all the guys left with at least an autograph. One lingered after all the guys, though, and that was Earnest. He stopped right at the door as Mary stood there to close it.
"So, can I maybe meet ya again?" he asked as I stood near the foot of the stairs, my arms crossed, and I tried my hardest not to show that I was far from thrilled that Earnest was wanting to meet her again, the very thing I hoped they wouldn't talk about. Mary blushed and seemed sheepish.
"Well, um..."
"The company has Graceland's phone number, and a little birdy said that you're the only one who answers the phone here."
What little birdy was that? Maybe it was Mary herself. Or did I mention it at some point when the guys first arrived? "Indeed, I'm one of the people who mainly answers the phone," Mary said.
"I'll make sure to call, then." He winked, then he looked at me. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Mr. Presley."
I came up to him and shook his hand, giving him a polite smile. "Elvis, please. And it was my pleasure. Take care now."
"Will do. Goodbye."
He glanced at Mary once more and left out the door. She shut it, and as soon as she did, she turned around and let out a large sigh in exasperation.
"Thanks for makin' all of that food, Mary," I said as I stepped up to her. "You're a real trooper, you know."
She smiled, despite probably feeling drained. "It wasn't a problem. I was happy to do it."
"Now, I think you need to rest a bit, huh?" Dad suggested as he came up to us. "We placed your television in the hallway near your room, just so you wouldn't be uncomfortable with those guys goin' in there."
Her mouth opened in surprise, and she glanced at me, then at Daddy. "You didn't go into my room?"
"No, ma'am."
She blew air out of her mouth. She seemed relieved that none of those guys went into her room, more specifically Earnest. I said, "Just say the word, and Daddy and I can move it in there for ya."
"Um..." she started, then looked up the stairs and pointed. "You can do it now, just let me go in there first and I'll tell ya when to come in."
"Just do it fast," the Colonel piped up as he joined our little group. "We have to get out of here, Elvis, and in the next twenty minutes."
He glanced at his watch. "Let's get to it, then," I said, and Daddy and I followed Mary up the stairs. We stopped in the hallway leading to her room and saw the large box television sitting there in the hallway next to Mary's room, the only other bedroom on this floor. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at the thing.
"Oh my heavens, Elvis!"
I laughed. "You like it? It's yours."
"You really didn't need to buy me a television set."
"I wanted to."
Our gazes held again, and Mary suddenly cleared her throat. "Well, I'll be right back."
She left into her room and shut the door, and Daddy and I stood in the lit hallway after he turned on a light. He snickered, and I looked over at him. "What?"
"You know what, Elvis. You think I haven't noticed?"
My heartrate immediately started increasing, and I shoved my hands into my pockets. He had that sly look. "When d'ya notice?"
"When you first came home. It was the look you had on your face when you were huggin' 'er, and every time she was in your sights, you would blush like a fool."
As it had been throughout my life, Daddy never missed anything. I let out a sigh. "Yeah... Daddy, I don't know what happened. I mean, I'm usually attracted to younger girls like Anita and Priscilla... This caught me wildly off-guard."
He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, and I saw his blue eyes sadden. "Well, sometimes love catches us off-guard, son. It's the way of things."
I knew he was thinking about Momma and when they met. She was a few years older than him, yet they still got married. "So... I told the Colonel, and he thought I'm just clingin' to 'er because Momma isn't here, and I'm mistakin' those good feelin's for somethin' else."
He squeezed my shoulder as I felt my throat constrict from missing my mother so much, and my heart hurt. "Hey, Elvis..." I met his gaze, and he was a bit blurry. "I wanna tell ya somethin'... I've seen the way you've looked at all those girls that you were goin' after and goin' steady with, and I have to say, you weren't starin' at them in the way you've been starin' at Mary, especially down there when all those guys were here. You were lookin' at her the way I looked at your momma after we first met."
I stared at my father, shock coursing through my system, making my fingers numb. "Daddy... are you serious?"
"Yeah. You were pretty smitten with those girls you went on with, especially that girl Priscilla in Germany, but I think Mary takes the cake. At least, that's what it looks like to me."
It was really blowing me away, having my father tell me something like this. "You don't think it's nuts that I feel somethin' for Mary? The Colonel thought I was outta my mind. Well, he didn't say it exactly like that, but that was basically what he was sayin'."
Daddy patted my shoulder and removed his hand. "Oh, yeah, I think you're nuts, but I'm not judgin' ya in any way. Mary's a great woman. She's beautiful and is healing from a massive heartache like the rest of us are."
I smirked and wrapped my father in a hug, and I smelled his cologne that he had worn all my life. "Thanks, Daddy."
He patted my back. "Not a problem, son, and... it's a crazy thing, but I think Mary's impacted by ya as well. I don't blame 'er, though."
We came out of our embrace, and my expression turned hopeful. "You think she feels somethin', too?"
"Judgin' by how she acts around ya as well, yeah. But... just be careful. She is nearly twenty years older than you."
"Don't I know it."
Mary came out of her room, and she halted when she saw both Daddy and I staring at her. "What?"
"Nothin'," I said, not wanting her to suspect that we were talking about her. "Let's get this thing moved into your room."
Daddy and I took either side of the heavy television and carried it through the slender doorway, and I tried to avoid one of the antennae as it was pointed near my face. The moment I entered the room, I smelled that perfume that I noticed on Mary before. It played with my nerves pleasurably. We came to an empty space in front of her bed, passed her brown wooden dresser that went up to my chest. I noticed pictures on it, but I wasn't able to have a good look at them.
"Okay, here?" asked Daddy, and Mary agreed. We set the TV down in that empty space on the tan carpet. Daddy knelt down and turned it on, and we heard static, but as soon as he fiddled with the antennae a bit, some gray show came on. It looked like a family show since it showed a mother and father in a kitchen and kids were at the table.
"Hey, there we go!" I exclaimed. "It works."
"You wouldn't buy a faulty television set," Daddy quipped with a chuckle, and he stood up.
"Thank you both for bringin' it in," said Mary.
"No problem," Daddy said. "I'll see ya tonight, okay, Mary? I'm lookin' forward to the roast you're makin'."
Oh yeah, it's Thursday, the day Mary makes her roasts. I forgot about that.
"I'll be sittin' on the table when you boys get home."
Daddy was going with me and the Colonel for the day since he was the manager of Elvis Presley Enterprises. He was kind of like my manager in the army when it came to non-military duties, like meeting fans and singing small scheduled concerts. He said goodbye to Mary and left, leaving just me and her in her room. I felt heat on the back of my neck.
"Thanks again for this, Elvis," she said. "But really, I'm going to waste so much time watching this thing."
We watched the little show on the gray screen for a moment, then she came over and turned it off. She stood up and ran a hand over the tan wood of the box, smiling. I told her, "I'm glad you like it, and I'm countin' on you watchin' it for hours."
She giggled. "I know I will."
She brushed dust of something off the top as I gazed at her. The sun shining into the room from the window made her skin shine on her face and made some of her age appear, like the little wrinkles here and there. She most definitely looked good for her age, looked like she could be in her late thirties instead of her early forties. She was a beautiful sight, especially with the sun making her hair shine gold in places and illuminating the few grays she had.
I cleared my throat, trying to move on with the conversation. "So... Earnest seemed mighty interested in ya."
Her gaze moved to me, and I stood there with my hands in my pockets, and my tan suit coat was moved out of the way a little as I did so, revealing the blue shirt underneath, and the black belt I had around my waist for an extra bit of flair. Mary's face flushed pink.
"Oh, um... well, I suppose so."
"You gonna meet 'im again?"
She folded her arms and pressed her lips together for a moment. "Mm... I don't know. Maybe."
That made my heart drop, and I felt that uncomfortable jealous pricking feeling again in my chest. "I see. He seems like a swell guy. And single."
"He told you that?"
Guilt rose on my face, and I knew she noticed it. "I... sorry, but I happened to catch some of your conversation with 'im earlier. I was standin' pretty close."
She came over and adjusted one the pictures on the dresser, and I moved out of the way so she could do it. It was a color picture of Sandra, beaming a beautiful smile, and her wavy golden hair was framing her face. She took so much after her mother.
"Don't be," Mary said. "We weren't exactly talking quietly. It's just... odd, I guess, knowing that it's okay for me to talk with a man who seems interested in me."
She's doing that same thing right now. "It takes time to adjust."
"Yeah."
We both looked all over the pictures, and my gaze landed on a gray picture, one of a young woman who looked a lot like Sandra but didn't seem to be her. My heart lurched when I realized it. I pointed to the picture in a wooden frame to match the dresser. "Is this you, Mary?"
She stepped closer to me, and she smelled of the breakfast we just ate. Made sense since she spent the good part of an hour making it while the guys moved all the TVs around. "Yeah, it is, golly. I was pretty close to your age in that picture, actually. I was twenty-three. This was taken when Randall and I were engaged."
I stared at the pictures of her and Sandra though all stages of Sandra's life, honestly taken aback at how unbelievably beautiful Mary was when she was younger, especially near my age. That would've been around 1940, the time of World War II. Randall got out of it because he had a heart murmur. At least, that was what he told me. I didn't see proof. Now, after being in the army, I was really curious.
"I don't know why I've never seen pictures of you when you were younger," I said.
"You've never asked."
I chuckled. "I guess that's a good reason."
"I sure looked different in that time."
Hurt that she said that, I looked at her and saw longing in her eyes, like she was longing to look like that again. "Hey, what did I tell ya the other night, huh?"
She nodded, remembering. "I know, it's just... that was a time when Randall called me beautiful all the time, and then it just died a little as we aged, and then eventually died completely."
I turned and rested my arm on the top of the dresser, near the pictures of her and Sandra, and maybe pictures of her parents, both of which were still around and in a care facility. "Mary, I told ya... you're beautiful. I meant it. You know that."
Without looking at me, she mumbled, "Thank you. Um, Elvis..."
"Yeah?"
"I think we should talk about something..."
I could see that blush in her cheeks deepen, and my pulse rose when I realized what she wanted to talk about, and maybe what she wanted to talk about a couple nights ago. "Okay."
She opened her mouth to start saying something, but at that exact moment, the Colonel shouted from downstairs, "Elvis, you done up there?! We have to go!"
Mary let out a breath, and I heard annoyance in it. "How 'bout we talk tonight, huh?" I asked.
She nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll start on cleaning up and doin' the dishes."
Now I felt rotten. "Aw, man... I wish I wasn't leavin'. I would help ya with that."
She let off a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, but it's okay. Doing the dishes is therapeutic for me in a way."
She had told me that before, before I left for the army around when she first became the housekeeper, and I thought the notion of doing the dishes as something comforting was insane. I nodded. "Okay. Then I'll see ya. We'll be back in time for dinner, and nothin's goin' on after." She nodded again. "Have a good day, okay? Enjoy your present."
"I will."
Reluctantly, I left the room and headed on downstairs, very much anticipating this conversation we would have. It would take me the whole day to prepare for it.