Truth Is Like the Sun

Chapter 9

It was amazing to watch them together. Their different genders and even larger class gap along with the complexity of the situation should have hindered them in some way, but yet none of it seemed to matter in the slightest to AJ and Lisa.

It was too good to be true, Carol Ann thought, feeling a little uncertainty churn within her. Elvis' arm around her shoulder was warm and oddly comfortable. Lisa soon got tired of feeding the horses and let AJ chase her across the grass. He caught her, swung her around and then released her.

An hour and a half later they had lost count of the times they had heard the children's laughter and Carol Ann's fear had all but melted away.

"She won't even play with me," Elvis said.

"Aw, but they like each other. Ain't you glad for that?" Carol Ann wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Course I am, honey. I was just hopin' they'd wanna spend more time with me is all."

"There's still time for that. Look in the bright side, now they won't bother us while we're tryin' to barbecue for them."

"That's true." Elvis turned to her with a small smile.

"Well, do you wanna help or do you wanna sit down on the porch and smoke your cigars?" Carol Ann grinned at Elvis dumbfounded expression. "The boy told me all about Elvis and his cigar."

"Did he tell you that he wanted to try and I didn't let him?"

"No, he didn't." Carol Ann looked at the wide expanse of land where AJ frolicked with Lisa. "Guess he don't tell me as much as I thought."

"I told my mama everything. But not...everything."

Letting out something akin to a chuckle, Carol Ann turned toward Elvis with a raised brow. "Whatever in the world that means."

"Well you know there's some things you just don't say to your mama. So you don't worry her and things."

"You better not tell my boy that."

"He'd be a bit too young to understand," Elvis said.

Carol Ann went inside to bring out the food to barbeque, Elvis following her to help. He seemed so normal out here, so ordinary and down to earth. She had seen the pictures of him in his extravagant outfits that cost more than her house, several large rings decorating his fingers. A stark contrast to his younger days, when he was always dressed to the nines but not in clothing that so openly flaunted wealth and stood out among the common folk to this degree. In the days gone by, he simply took it all to a new level with his good looks and the way he carried himself. She used to think that maybe the fame had finally gotten to his head and he'd snapped. Elvis had changed, of course. It would be unnatural for anyone to be the exact same person they had been more than ten years ago, but on a whole he seemed to be the same kind, humble, self conscious man he had been before. Even if he did wear those suits and rings.

It didn't take too long for the barbeque to be in full swing. The smell of grilled meat wafting through the air propelled the children toward the deck. The sun was still gleaming but the temperature was beginning to cool. Grass stains were distributed over AJ and Lisa's clothes and the soles of their feet were surely black as their shoes had been discarded long ago.

"So what do you want?" Elvis asked. "You want a burger?"

Lisa shook her head. "Wieners."

AJ opened his mouth to speak but before he could Carol Ann said, "You kids gotta wash your dirty hands. Aaron, take her to wash up."

AJ heaved a sigh. "Yes, Mama."

He grabbed Lisa by the hand and trotted off toward the kitchen.

"I ain't that great a daddy, huh?" There was a hint of amusement to his voice.