Swapping Around

Chapter 15

"Where exactly is the damn place supposed to be?" Red West griped. "Did we pass it?"

Elvis snorted. "I don't think it's somethin' you drive past without seein' it."

"Wanna see Etta now," Little Elvis complained from the backseat. It was early June, and they had taken a plane from Memphis to Nashville but still had to drive out to Loretta's home in Hurricane Mills. Loretta was taking some time off to be with her family and while Elvis and co were there primarily for pleasure, he would also be recording at RCA for some of the time.

"It's probably a little further," Elvis said, bending over the map Red had spread out on the dashboard.

"You're never gonna find it," Roxanne said glumly.

"If we don't we're gonna get back to the hotel and call her to get us."

Red laughed. "You don't wanna embarrass yourself like that do you?"

"Drive all the way back?" Roxanne exclaimed as though that were the end of the world. "That's gonna take forever."

"That's what we'll do if we got to," Elvis said. They drove for another few moments, the children complaining all the while, until the house came into view. Elvis ducked down, making sure that he was completely out of view, which was quite a feat considering his size. He resurfaced when they were parked in front of the sprawling mansion. Roxanne was out of the car before either of the adults. She grabbed Little Elvis under his armpits and placed him on the ground, allowing him to take off toward the house.

"Vissy!" Elvis scolded. "Come back!"

The front door was opened when they barely even reached it. Little Elvis wasted no time throwing himself at Loretta, nearly knocking her over in the process. Elvis was just about to scold him again, but Loretta only laughed before scooping him up into her arms.

"Come in," she said, ushering the group inside and closing the door behind her. She managed to hold on to Little Elvis with relative ease through it all, not that there had been any need as he was latching onto her like a spider monkey.

"You move pretty good with a baby on your hip," Elvis teased.

"Hey." Loretta gave Elvis a one armed side hug and a peck on the cheek. She also greeted Red West before focusing on Roxanne. "Hey, baby. What a pretty dress you got on."

Roxanne beamed. "I know! I wore it for you cause I knew you was gonna like it."

She had worn a light blue dress with puffy sleeves and a ruffled skirt, along with matching ribbons for her pigtails, especially for Loretta.

Roxanne made her way over to where Loretta stood and wrapped her arms around her middle.

A smile twisted its way onto Elvis' face when two identical little girls joined them, looking outraged by the fact that two unfamiliar children were currently clinging to their mother.

Elvis automatically bent down to their level. "Well, who do we got here?"

"I'm a twin," one of them said.

"I can see that. You're mighty pretty little twins. Just like your mama."

One of the girls proceeded to cling to Loretta's leg. "You're my mommy."

Loretta laughed softly. "I am your mommy. And you didn't want nothin' to do with me at all till the two of them got here."

Meanwhile, the other twin stared from Elvis to Red and back, big blue eyes taking in every detail.

"What's your name, little twin?" Elvis asked, glancing over at Loretta when the girl wasn't forthcoming.

"That's Peggy and the one clinging to me's Patsy," Loretta said. "But most people can't tell so if you say 'twin' they're both gonna listen." She looked down at Little Elvis in her arms and asked, "You wanna meet Peggy and Patsy?