The Housekeeper's Daughter [Elvis]

Chapter 2 - Can't Take My Eyes Off Her

"There's gonna be a total of eleven songs in it, one of 'em bein' one I sang four years ago. The other ten are new and made for the film."

That smile of hers broadened, and her blue eyes sparkled. "Wow, that's quite a bit. Which song is the one you previously sang?"

"Blue Suede Shoes, but it's gonna be re-recorded."

"She definitely knows that one," Mrs. Brighten put in. "She taught herself that one on the piano the moment it hit the record store. She learns a lot of songs by playin' 'em by ear. She has learned about half of your songs by that technique, Mr. Presley."

This girl got more impressive by the moment. My brows rose at that, and the corner my mouth quirked up. "Really?"

"Maybe not half," Megan said, touching the back of her neck, and a cute bit of pink filled her cheeks. "But quite a few."

"I would love to hear some of 'em."

She met my gaze, and it held as that pink in her cheeks darkened. "Okay, I would be happy to play 'em."

"I would like to hear 'em as well," said Bernice, and the other three men at the table said the same thing.

"Well, how 'bout it?" I asked. "After breakfast, you all can take a break and we can listen to Megan play."

Broad smiles all around. My heart beat faster in excitement. I had heard the boys play while I was overseas, on our free days, but I wasn't nearly as excited to hear them play as I was to hear Megan play, and several of them played my songs.

"Well, let's eat up so we can get to that," said Mrs. Brighten.

~ ~ ~

My heart hammered inside of me as I sat on the bench to the piano. I had played the piano for people before, even in concerts for school and at family gatherings, but those people weren't the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself. Momma embarrassed me in front of the man. Now he knew how much of a fan I was of him.

Everyone gathered in the small room, with Momma and Bernice sitting on the sofa in there, and the men standing around. Elvis stood right at the piano on my left. I opened the cover to the keys and placed my hands on them. "What should I play first?" I asked everyone, but my eyes were on Elvis and his very handsome face.

"I wanna hear 'Blue Suede Shoes'," he said. "I'm curious to see how you made it your own."

"This song will never be my own. I just heard the song on the record player and played according to what I heard."

"Well, go on then, Megan," Momma coaxed.

I nodded and started playing, my fingers moving all over the keys. This was a fast-paced song, so my fingers needed to be quick hitting the keys. Elvis stared moving up and down to the beat and snapping his fingers, and I noticed that the others in the room were moving to the music where they stood or sat.