The Housekeeper's Daughter [Elvis]

Chapter 3 - The Colonel

I would have to do this every day? Not much dust was going to accumulate in just a day. I honestly thought that Elvis didn't care one way or the other if every shelf, picture, or whatever surface was dusted. He put Momma in charge of the cleaning, though, and she liked things clean. She had been that way all my life. We never had a dirty house. She would be appalled with how I left it before I came to the mansion.

"I really asked for it, gettin' this job," I muttered to myself as I dusted the mantle above the fireplace with a feather duster. "But I'm bein' paid for it."

I thought for a second. Speaking of being paid... if I said that he could do it, Elvis would have called the Manhattan School of Music right after my mini-concert earlier. He was a good man, abiding by my wishes. He was that impressed with me. I grinned. I was accepted as a musically talented person by The King of Rock 'n' Roll.

My heart jumped when the doorbell rang. I let out a breath. "Golly, that scared me, doggonit..."

I looked over at the entryway and saw Momma come up to the door and then open it. I heard her say, "Colonel Parker, so nice to see ya again."

A man of around forty-something, and maybe about as tall as Elvis, walked into the entryway. He wore a cream-colored suit and a brown fedora hat. He reminded me of one of those New York gang thugs but in a light suit, and with an old-fashioned tie around his neck, not a normal one. "Yes, it's been a while, Mrs. Brighten," he said in an accent, and it sounded maybe European of some sort. I wasn't sure from where.

"I trust that you had safe travels and a splendid time in Germany?" She shut the door behind him.

"More or less, yes," he breathed. "It was too stuffy over there, and I didn't like the food much."

Momma nodded. "I see. Well, I will go up and fetch that star of yours. Please, make yourself comfortable."

"He's more my ward," he said, and my mouth flattened at the tone he used, as well as what he called Elvis. Momma left and went up the stairs. Colonel Parker came into the living room, and I quickly turned around and dusted the mantle a little more, even though I just did it. I moved on to the piano room and started dusting the piano off as well. Since when had I not been comfortable around a person without even meeting them?

"Miss," I heard behind me. I turned around to face Elvis's manager. The man had his hands in his pockets as he was standing in the middle of the room, standing out in the beauty of it.

"Yes, sir?"

"It's Colonel Tom Parker, miss." He took a few steps closer to me but was still maybe ten feet away. "You're a new face."

"I am. I started just yesterday. I'm Mrs. Brighten's daughter."

His bows rose under his hat. "Is that so? Well, I see the resemblance. Are you a fan of Elvis?"

There was a reason why he instantly asked me that. "Very much so, Colonel Parker."

He nodded, his mouth a flat line. He seemed very displeased. I could feel it. "I see. Well, aren't you a lucky girl, then?"

"I'm here to save up for music school," I defended myself.

"Music school, huh?"

"Yes."

I saw someone get off the stairs. It was Momma, but followed after her was Elvis. He came into the living room, and I noticed that he had on loose black slacks and a blue polo shirt. The man would look breathtaking in anything he wore.

"Colonel."

The man turned around. "Ah, you finally came down. What have you been doing all day? Taking a cat-nap?"