Swapping Around

Chapter 7

Priscilla didn't know how she made it through the rest of Monday and even more impressively, both Tuesday and Wednesday. Mooney had spend every moment he was home antagonizing her. He kept on telling her how useless she was, how he couldn't fathom that she had a 'man', how much he disliked the way she looked- at one point it no longer hurt.

She didn't interfere with the children any longer. They could do whatever they wanted just as long as it didn't involve her as far as she was concerned.

Somehow the days blended into one big, never ending one. Another chaotic breakfast without Mooney went by. Priscilla didn't even notice when he left but she knew exactly where he was going- not that she cared. Mercifully the children had decided to ignore Priscilla the way she was ignoring them. They had gone off to school now, save for the twins whom the housekeeper had taken with her to go shopping.

But even being alone wasn't the same at this house, not when one had to constantly fear the return of the Lynns, Mooney in particular. There was nothing worse than being on edge, having that unpleasant feeling in ones stomach every hour of the day. Juggling those emotions every day was an arduous undertaking and she didn't even make it halfway through this ordeal.

Priscilla stumbled over to the phone- the Lynns, inexplicably, had only one which was in the middle of the living area. No one could make a phone call without one person or another in the house overhearing the whole thing. Priscilla moved almost on autopilot, dialing Graceland's number. She didn't fully realize what it was that she was doing until an unfamiliar voice greeted her on the other end.

"Is this a new secretary?" Priscilla asked.

"No, it's...Elvis is sleepin' now, I'm sorry. Is there somethin' I can tell him?"

That accent. It sounded like Mooney's. Priscilla's heart skipped a beat when she realized who she was speaking to. Then anger began to bubble up within her. How dare this woman answer the phone, let alone in such a manner after less than a week at Graceland? Did she think that she owned the place already?

"No," Priscilla forced out. "This is Priscilla Beaulieu speaking."

"Oh." It didn't sound like she believed her. "Oh, it is? Hi."

"Yes, it is. I'm at your house." Her laugh was devoid of humor and to her horror, tears slipped down her cheeks. Priscilla suppressed a sniffle. "You really just need to come back home. I mean...this is not working. Is this working for you?"

She hated how desperate she sounded. There was a prolonged silence on the other end. Unable to wait any longer, Priscilla spoke up again, "We should just...break it off. This is not helping any of us and if you want my Elvis then let me tell you that that is never going to happen so you might as well just go on home to your husband and kids. I don't belong here and you don't belong at Graceland so just...please just go home and let me go home."

Priscilla hung up when she heard some sort of commotion outside, her first instinct telling her that Mooney had returned home. It turned out that she had been wrong as Gloria came strolling in with grocery bags, Peggy and Patsy toddling alongside her with suckers in their mouths.

"Hi Piscilla," the twins mumbled, not quite in unison. If she ever heard that again...at least Little Elvis called her Cilla.

"Who called?" Gloria asked on her journey to the kitchen. "Did Mooney call from the bar?"

"No, it was a fan," Priscilla lied effortlessly, the words coming out before she even fully realized.

"We gots new cookies," one of the twins said, as if Priscilla cared.

"I love cookies," the other said, as if that wasn't obvious.

All Priscilla could do was hope that her call had been enough to convince Loretta to return home- that way Priscilla wouldn't be the one who had decided to abort the experiment.