Blue Moon of Kentucky

Chapter 19

"Lawrence, what are you-" Loretta drifted off as she found herself tripping over a stationary ball in the middle of the floor. The two-year-old was busy throwing every toy within his toy chest across the room. When Loretta entered, however, he stopped on the spot.

Loretta crouched down in an effort to match his height, but he averted his gaze. Loretta, undeterred by this, grabbed him by the chin to force him to look at her. "You pick 'em up now, Lawrence. Pick up all the toys 'for we're gonna go to the park to see Elvis."

The Goodwins were aware of her occasionally meeting Elvis at the park when she took the children out to play. They assured her that they did not at all mind as long as it didn't keep Loretta from taking care of the children, which it never did.

Her first year of working for the Goodwins had been good. The children grew on her, as did the fact that she now had her own money, which she used to buy shoes, clothes and tickets to the movie theater when she went out with Elvis. Loretta had saved a good amount for the wedding most of her family was still certain wouldn't take place in the end. Some days she herself doubted- Elvis was tall, handsome and everything you would want in a man and Loretta knew herself to be very ordinary.

"Miss Loretta," squeaked seven-year-old Sheila in her high pitched voice. "How do you spell animal?"

"Animal?" Loretta repeated, stalling purposely.

Sheila gave a nod. "Uh-huh. Animal. How you spell that?"

"Why don't you ask Rod?"

Sheila pulled a face at the suggestion. Rodney and Sheila's relationship was antagonistic to say the least, the best case scenario involved the two tolerating each other. They were less than two years apart, nineteen months to be precise. It reminded Loretta of her own childhood, how she and Herman used to fight none stop very much in the same way. She never understood why it irritated the adults so much until she started working for the Goodwins.

Sheila was still staring at her rather expectantly and Loretta, unnerved by this, said that it was time to go to the park right about now.

They left earlier than planned, so Elvis hadn't arrived yet. Loretta took advantage of this by getting the kids settled. She introduced Marjorie, who was rather shy, to another little girl and set Lawrence up in the sand box while Rodney and Sheila ran off to play without being prompted.

When Elvis did come, they kissed and embraced before settling themselves on one of the benches.

Few words had been uttered when Elvis said, "Hey Loretty, I gotta ask you somethin' but you can't say no without thinkin' about it?"

Loretta frowned at him. "O-kay."

"Well, I'm gonna have my prom real soon, at school..."

"Yes? But you don't... you want me to go with you, don't you?"

"Don't say no, Loretta."

"But what am I 'posed to do there? I don't go to school, I ain't gone to school in so long, there's gonna be so many kids that's your age and-"

"You can bring people that don't go to school. That's allowed."

"But it bein' allowed don't mean that I belong there. I'm a working woman now. Working women don't go to prom."

"They don't date high school boys neither," Elvis said with a smirk and a wink. He sobered and added, "Think about it, okay? If you won't go with me I won't go either."

"But you should!" Loretta insisted. "You already ain't gonna go to graduation cause the clothes is so much money. You're gonna graduate from high school, you deserve to celebrate that some way."