'The Day Elvis Died,' Excerpt from 'Nineteen Seventy Something'
Available on Amazon.com: http://ow.ly/lV75j
We pulled up in front of Diane Mullany's house around six. I followed Ed inside where I came face to face with the two Alabama boys who were fussing over which 8-track to play first. A tall, redheaded cowgirl stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. A few other people I didn't know mingled in a group. The redhead looked our way as Ed wandered toward the kitchen.
"Hi Ed..." she greeted him unenthusiastically.
Diane Mullany peeked around the corner and gave him the same flat greeting. It was immediately obvious that there was nothing sparking between the two. As Ed stepped out of the way, Diane's eyes focused on me and a grin spread across her face.
"Hieee Rusty! I haven't seen you in ages! I hear you're the big man in town all of a sudden."
I returned her smile and replied, "Hi Diane."
Ed added his two cents, "Yes, the citizens of Delight, Texas have appointed him their king!"
The cowgirl, who everyone simply called 'Red,' patted my shoulder as I stood beside the door to the kitchen watching Diane whipping up potato salad.
"I talked to Shannon O'Reilly on the phone the other day. She said if I see you to tell you 'hi.' So...Hi from Shannon!" Red locked eyes with me as she brushed her long hair out of her face with a hand.
"So how is Shannon doing?" I asked eagerly.
"She's married...and she's expecting a baby! She's so excited!"
Memories of that Saturday she had knocked on my door swept through my mind, "How far along is she?"
"She thinks about four months. Said she's got a good belly on her."
I quickly counted back four months...that'd be about right. I shook it off, rationalizing that perhaps Shannon had had more unfinished business with more guys. That would let me off the hook. Besides, she was married...and not to me. That should prove something.
A man with very frizzy hair and eyes that went wild like Monte Python's stepped through the back door with a plate of meat in his hand.
"Steaks are done. Let's eat!"
We all piled up in the living room and gorged ourselves on steak and the usual sides. Colt, one of the Alabama boys, caught me staring his direction in between bites and shot me a grin.
"So where the hell did you run off to, Rusty? One minute you're there at the Crawford with us and the next thing we knew you were gone."
I hesitated before replying, "Just had places to go and people to see..."
Not a soul had I told about the weekend in that jail in Oklahoma. As far as I was concerned, nobody needed to know...ever.
Diane stood up with her empty plate and headed to the kitchen. She paused to turn on the radio on her way back into the living room. The voice of Elvis Presley filled the room singing 'My Way.'
"Hmmm, that's kinda odd," Diane commented, "That redio station never plays Elvis."
The song ended and the DJ came on, "In memory of the King. For those of you who haven't heard, Elvis Presley died today."
Everybody in the room instantly grew quiet. Elvis had always been there. I had seen him the first time he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show when I was six years old. Our parents had vehemently denounced his music as evil and destined to destroy the moral values of America. The younger generation had looked up to him as he changed the face of music as the world knew it. Now he was dead.
The girls hugged each other and cried, then Diane looked across the room, and walking past everybody else sitting there, came straight for me. She curled her body in my lap and sobbed on my shoulder as I panicked inside. Why, out of all the laps in that room, was this girl in mine. The day was August 16, 1977...the day Elvis died and Diane Mullany sat in my lap...it would be a day to remember.
Get the book here: http://ow.ly/lV75j
We pulled up in front of Diane Mullany's house around six. I followed Ed inside where I came face to face with the two Alabama boys who were fussing over which 8-track to play first. A tall, redheaded cowgirl stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. A few other people I didn't know mingled in a group. The redhead looked our way as Ed wandered toward the kitchen.
"Hi Ed..." she greeted him unenthusiastically.
Diane Mullany peeked around the corner and gave him the same flat greeting. It was immediately obvious that there was nothing sparking between the two. As Ed stepped out of the way, Diane's eyes focused on me and a grin spread across her face.
"Hieee Rusty! I haven't seen you in ages! I hear you're the big man in town all of a sudden."
I returned her smile and replied, "Hi Diane."
Ed added his two cents, "Yes, the citizens of Delight, Texas have appointed him their king!"
The cowgirl, who everyone simply called 'Red,' patted my shoulder as I stood beside the door to the kitchen watching Diane whipping up potato salad.
"I talked to Shannon O'Reilly on the phone the other day. She said if I see you to tell you 'hi.' So...Hi from Shannon!" Red locked eyes with me as she brushed her long hair out of her face with a hand.
"So how is Shannon doing?" I asked eagerly.
"She's married...and she's expecting a baby! She's so excited!"
Memories of that Saturday she had knocked on my door swept through my mind, "How far along is she?"
"She thinks about four months. Said she's got a good belly on her."
I quickly counted back four months...that'd be about right. I shook it off, rationalizing that perhaps Shannon had had more unfinished business with more guys. That would let me off the hook. Besides, she was married...and not to me. That should prove something.
A man with very frizzy hair and eyes that went wild like Monte Python's stepped through the back door with a plate of meat in his hand.
"Steaks are done. Let's eat!"
We all piled up in the living room and gorged ourselves on steak and the usual sides. Colt, one of the Alabama boys, caught me staring his direction in between bites and shot me a grin.
"So where the hell did you run off to, Rusty? One minute you're there at the Crawford with us and the next thing we knew you were gone."
I hesitated before replying, "Just had places to go and people to see..."
Not a soul had I told about the weekend in that jail in Oklahoma. As far as I was concerned, nobody needed to know...ever.
Diane stood up with her empty plate and headed to the kitchen. She paused to turn on the radio on her way back into the living room. The voice of Elvis Presley filled the room singing 'My Way.'
"Hmmm, that's kinda odd," Diane commented, "That redio station never plays Elvis."
The song ended and the DJ came on, "In memory of the King. For those of you who haven't heard, Elvis Presley died today."
Everybody in the room instantly grew quiet. Elvis had always been there. I had seen him the first time he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show when I was six years old. Our parents had vehemently denounced his music as evil and destined to destroy the moral values of America. The younger generation had looked up to him as he changed the face of music as the world knew it. Now he was dead.
The girls hugged each other and cried, then Diane looked across the room, and walking past everybody else sitting there, came straight for me. She curled her body in my lap and sobbed on my shoulder as I panicked inside. Why, out of all the laps in that room, was this girl in mine. The day was August 16, 1977...the day Elvis died and Diane Mullany sat in my lap...it would be a day to remember.
Get the book here: http://ow.ly/lV75j
No comments have been added yet.
