Playing House Away From Home

Chapter 19

They didn't see Doolittle Lynn again in Memphis that day, but Loretta later learned that he got himself drunk and spend the night in the car before driving back to Hurricane Mills while they traveled to the next location. 

For the months leading up to the movie premiere, Elvis and Loretta didn't talk. That hadn't been a conscious choice on their side though. At times they would call each other's home and learn that the other wasn't there. Elvis had the displeasure of having Doolittle answer the phone once while Loretta somehow escaped talking to Priscilla.

The premiere, they learned, would be in Nashville, which pleased most everyone involved. Everyone but the Colonel. He somehow decided to get involved again and promptly started pushing for a Las Vegas premiere. Luckily his suggestion was laughed off. Even Elvis, who rather liked Vegas, thought that it would be a bad move.

Elvis got to spend a few days at home for the first time in weeks. He slept through the mornings, spend the afternoons with Lisa and the nights with his friends.

Three days in Priscilla came bursting into the kitchen as he was having his breakfast and accused, "You're avoiding me."

"Huh?" Elvis mumbled around a mouth full of food.

"Huh?" Priscilla repeated, then snorted. "Don't you even act like that. You know exactly what you're doing."

Elvis didn't respond. He wished that they could be a happily married couple, wished that they could be a family when he was home, wished that they were in love still. He didn't know about Priscilla but whatever he felt for her wasn't the love a man had for a woman. There was something left, but he couldn't name the sensation if he tried.

"Elvis!" Priscilla screamed his name. "Are you going to keep on ignoring me when I'm standing right in front of you?"

"I'm havin' breakfast," Elvis said.

"Breakfast? How can you call it breakfast when Lisa Marie and I already had lunch?"

"Is it pick on Elvis for everything he does day?" Elvis asked. The cook came bustling in and grabbed his now empty plate. She wasted no time disappearing again. The Mafia, quite predictably, made them themselves scarce as well.

"All I'm saying is that you could at least try to be part of this family when you're here. Now you have your premiere soon-"

"And what do you suggest? That I don't show up? I can't do that."

"Did I say that you should?  I won't show myself there. I'm sure you want people to stop talking about you and her now."

"Unlike you I'm not payin' any attention to that.  It don't bother me, alright?"

"But maybe it does bother me. Did you ever stop to think that maybe it bothers me to have everyone talk about my husband. When I-"

"That's just how it is, Cilla," Elvis bit out. "You knew that before we got married."

"If you want to keep on ignoring me then you can have fun with her and her husband at your premiere. See how much he likes the way you feel about her."

Somehow Priscilla remained unaware of the incident with Doolittle and for that he was thankful.

"Then don't come," Elvis said.

He was more than thankful that she unknowingly took care of an issue that had been plaguing him. At least he didn't have to convince her not to show up at the premiere now.

~*~

When Elvis arrived on location, the general area was buzzing with activity. Throngs of fans stood behind the barriers of the red carpet. Cameras flashed about and he knew that they would likely cause discomfort despite the sunglasses he'd donned.