The 22-Year Friendship

Ch. 3: Blue Eyes in the Crowd

*Mentioned in Ch. 3: Instagram Elvis Fan Oswald Rojas (@icekilla650)

Today was the day of our big dance show. I was nervous, knowing that professional dancers around the country were coming to watch and critic our dance techniques and choreography. Our families were coming to watch as well, but what made me even more nervous was the fact I knew Elvis was coming to watch.

It was difficult to not tell Kathleen and Evelyn that Elvis would attend our dance show, but I knew if I did tell them, they would have a nervous breakdown. The girls and I went in to our dressing room and prepared our costumes, dance shoes, and make-up for our afternoon show. Kathleen was still shocked that we met and talked to Elvis Presley yesterday night.

Kathleen said, "I can't believe we met Elvis Presley last night! Oh my, it felt like a dream. A wonderful dream!"

I quietly laughed and said, "You didn't even say a word to him."

We finished getting ready for our show. Our dance teacher wanted Kathleen, Evelyn, and I to rehearse our trio number before we headed out to lunch. She was concerned that Evelyn's timing would be off , so we danced our routine twice. We nailed it down, and ran to Angie's diner. It was 1:30 in the afternoon.

By the time we finished eating, it was around 3 o'clock. An hour before showtime! We quickly ran to the venue we were performing at. There were a lot of people lining at the doors to buy their tickets already. We quickly went in our dressing rooms and got dressed.

Our dance show started with our trio number. While I was dancing, I would glance at the crowd to see if I could find my mother or Elvis. At the end, I couldn't find anyone. The lights were bright. I still had five dance numbers I was in, two of them being duets and one of them being a solo. Surely, I would find them in the crowd.

When it came to my solo, I was very focused on my dance. At the ending of my solo, I dramatically looked at the crowd elegantly and slowly turned to the floor. When I looked at the crowd, my eyes met with a familiar face. It was Elvis. When I saw him, I gave him a small smile and finished my dance.

The dance show finally finished at 5 o'clock. The dancers were instructed to change their clothes and meet their family members and friends backstage. It was hectic! I got separated from the girls after a bunch of people congratulated me on doing a fantastic job on my performance. Oswald and his sister came to the dance show and complimented me on my dances. I was walking to put a bunch of roses down on my dressing room table when I hear a familiar voice say, "You sure can dance."

It was Elvis, who had flowers for me and the girls. I thanked him for the flowers, and most importantly, for coming to our dance show. The girls and my mother finally found me, and were shocked to find Elvis at our dance show, especially Kathleen.

Me: "Elvis! What are you doing here?!"

Elvis: "I came to see you girls perform today. All i gotta say is wow, you guys can sure dance. Who is this over here?"

Elvis was referring to my mother, who was quietly observing the conversation. I quickly introduced them to each other.

Me: "Elvis, this is my mother, Ann Preston. Mother, this is Elvis Presley. He is an upcoming singer and musician."

Elvis: "Hi Ms. Preston, it's nice to meet you. I called my mother the other day, and I found out she's a huge fan of you."

Mother: "Is that so? Tell your mother I say hello, and I hope one day we get the chance to meet and have a lovely conversation."

Elvis: "I will tell her! I'm sure she will love it. Would y'all like to go to dinner? I'm guessing the girls are starving, and so am I."

I answered, "We all would love to!"

Evelyn didn't look too well. Her face was pale, and she looked exhausted. She experienced a large amount of stress that was getting to her and affecting her body and her mind.

Evelyn: "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it to dinner. I'm not feeling too well, and I want to spend some time with my family tonight if that's fine. Maybe some other time."

We excused Evelyn and hoped she felt better. We headed to Angie's diner, and stayed there until 10 o'clock, talking about everything that came to mind. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.