Swapping Around

Chapter 4

There was this game that Elvis played with Roxanne when she got into one of her moods where she was convinced that the sky was falling. That child would kick and scream and bawl but Elvis still wouldn't crack her across the rear, instead they played the game.

Betchya you can't come up with three things that are good about this, he'd say and Roxanne would kick up a fuss for a little while longer while Elvis indulged her before rising to the challenge and successfully naming three things within minutes.

Priscilla thought of that as she was seated at the table at the Lynn ranch at dinner time. She used to think that Graceland was too loud, with the Mafia's roaring laughter, the barking of dogs and Roxanne's constant piano and guitar playing- this house took it all to a new level. There hadn't been so much as a moment of even semi silence since she got here. At least at Graceland one could run from the noise, hide upstairs in Elvis' bathroom if needed.

Even locking herself in that awful guest room wouldn't do the trick here. The children would come upstairs and scream in the hallway, blast music so loud that she felt sorry for the poor record player the sound originated from, run up and down that creaking staircase every few minutes. When they weren't in the house, they were noisy outside instead- and she had only been there for a few hours.

Priscilla looked down at the plate in front of her, which she had yet to take a bite from. She didn't know why Gloria had decided to serve spaghetti of all things tonight but she almost suspected that the housekeeper wanted to get back at her for something.

Ernest was slurping obnoxiously, stopping whenever Gloria reminded him but starting yet again mere seconds later. Peggy and Patsy were making a mess of epic proportions even though their noodles had been cut. Their little shirts were red, so Priscilla could not tell just how much of the sauce had ended up on them.

"You don't like it?"

Priscilla snapped to attention when the housekeeper addressed her, crying out when her knee collided with the table due to the jolt.

"That's gotta hurt," Ernest remarked.

"Yes, it does," Priscilla forced out, somehow outraged that not one person present even bothered to ask her if she was okay.

"You alright?" Of course it was the housekeeper and it sounded more like an afterthought, as if Gloria really didn't care at all but only asked to be polite.

"Yes," Priscilla said.

More conversation Priscilla was not included in followed. It wasn't as though she was dying to speak to them, but she thought that they could at least have the decency to try and draw her into the conversation. Her thoughts drifted back to that childish game.

Good thing number one, Mooney hadn't made it home for dinner. Looking down at her plate, Priscilla twirled some spaghetti onto her fork and forced herself to chew. Her stomach rebelled against it. She wondered if maybe she would find it easier to eat something once everyone had gone off to bed.

Of course she'd first have to bathe and tuck in the twins. Time with the older children was scheduled after that, along with songwriting and music, all separated by a slash.

Her stomach lurched at all the prospects.

"Priscillaaaaaa." Ernest drew the a in her name out until she finally leveled a look in his direction. "Can I tell you somethin'?"

"Of course," she said in what she hoped was a pleasant voice. Maybe there was still a chance to at least smooth things over to the point where she could get these children's cooperation.

Ernest came striding over to where she sat and whispered into her ear. Priscilla froze, unable to believe the vile words coming out of the mouth of a child not yet in high school. Words no child should ever say to an adult, in any context. All the color drained from Priscilla's face and she sat ramrod straight. The other children, with the exception of one twin who was busy mashing her food, stared.