Elvis and Me

by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley

I began to reveal to my mother that Elvis and I loved each other and longed to be together. Finally one day I summoned the courage to tell her that Elvis wanted me to finish school in Memphis. Her response: an unqualified no. She felt it could wait until my father’s tour of duty was over. That would be the end of summer, she said, and there was no need for me to return to Elvis sooner. “But Mother,” I pleaded, “you don’t understand. He wants me there with him.” “Why you?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion. “Why can’t he find someone his own age? You’re only sixteen. What is this man doing to our family?” She buried her face in her hands and began crying.