Playing House Away From Home

Chapter 4

The next four days of filming went much more smoothly than the first. The Colonel still spend most of his day complaining about one thing or another that didn't suit him but at some point nobody paid him any more mind. That, of course, irritated him to no end but he was for the most part reduced to standing in a corner and chain smoking his beloved cigars.

They came at seven am and didn't leave until past midnight most days. No one kept track of just how many hours they actually spend working beyond making sure that the children worked no more than eight hours a day.

They didn't film on the weekends, but neither Elvis nor Loretta really did have their first weekend off. They both spend the two days on other commitments as the movie had been squeezed into both of their schedules on rather short notice. It was grueling, in a different way than touring and though it hadn't been too long since Elvis filmed Change Of Habit, he was no longer used to it.

Getting there in the mornings was the hardest part, but once the morning hours had passed he found himself almost enjoying the whole process. There were many friendly people around- extras, countless members of the crew. Elvis was glad to speak to anyone as long as they were not unkind and he found that Loretta was the same way.

It was peculiar how in as little as six, seven days, one could fall into a pattern. They would rehearse together when they got there, working with the children if needed. There was a silent agreement between them that they would take a special interest in the children to make sure that they enjoyed their time in California. Clayton and Maybelle's parents weren't with them; they couldn't leave their jobs in Kentucky and never thought that their children would be chosen which was why no arrangements had been made. No other family member to accompany them could be found so it all ended with Arthur Hillbrook personally appointing a governess.

The man knew what he wanted for his movie and was going to get it by any means necessary.

Elvis sat on the stairs of his trailer, his face propped up in his hands as he watched Clayton and Maybelle running around, their laughter filtering through the air.

He raised one hand in greeting when he saw Loretta striding toward him, her script clutched in her hand.

"Are you lookin' to torture me?" he asked with mostly faux glumness.

"You're dagum right I am." She took a seat beside him. "We got a fightin' scene today."

"And you're nervous about that?"

"Well, it actually requires me to act."

"No more than anything else we did so far. Just pretend that you're fighting with your husband." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, "I mean all couples fight. I sure as he-I sure fight with my wife."

"Usually he'll do somethin' to get me mad before we start a fight."

"Want me to get you mad so it'll be easier for you to yell at me?"

"I'll figure it out if we just practice." Loretta squinted down at the script in her lap.

"Instead of starting to talk about whatever comes to mind..."

"This actin' business is more work than I thought it would be."

"Loretta Lynn complaining." Elvis shook his head from side to side, displaying what he hoped looked like an expression of disappointment. "And there I was thinkin' you don't do that."

"I don't much. Not like some folks that belly ache all day long about everything."

Elvis would know, considering that he lived with one of those people. He didn't mention it though. They didn't speak about their spouses, at least not beyond meaningless little mentions. It was another unspoken agreement as well as something they had been told by Arthur and the co producers.