Hate to Love You [Elvis]

Chapter 1 - An Unfortunate Announcement

Nay squealed. "Oh, I hope I do! I would tell him how much I love him and his music and his films... or I may just faint from shock. Do you think he's had that before? Girls fainting in front of him?"

"I have no idea. Those girls are drips."

"Then I'm a drip, too."

I smirked and looped my right arm through her left arm as we went on to the locker room. "I still love you, though, even though your taste in men is awful."

"You know, if you actually listen to his music, listen to him on the radio, and watch him on TV, then your opinion of him may change."

"I doubt it."

We went on into the locker room and changed into our light-blue maids dresses that had white aprons on them, then we went on out into the lobby area where we usually had our morning meetings and were assigned our tasks for the day. It was just off from our main supply closet that was big enough to hold my whole house in. Me and my co-workers, all twenty of us, stood around as our fifty-year-old spindly manager Helga Brunster started off the meeting, wearing her prim gray suit-skirt ensemble and black horned glasses. Nay stood next to me.

"Good morning," Mrs. Brunster greeted us. "I would like to start off this meeting by saying that the next few weeks are going to be quite different than what you all are used to." Everyone started whispering among each other. "This is why, and I want you all to pay attention." She paused. She did this to build the anticipation, which I always thought was silly. "A special guest secretly checked in to our hotel about twenty minutes ago, and mainly to the ladies, I ask that you keep your heads about you."

Several of the girls I worked with squealed and covered their mouths, including Nay. Oh no... she couldn't be talking about who I think she is, is she? The star that's in town?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have the honor of accommodating Mr. Elvis Presley at this hotel for the next month."

Pretty much all the girls around my age screamed, and I winced at it. Nay started crying. The lot of them started talking rapidly in excitement, but not me. I stared at Mrs. Brunster, wanting her to take back what she just revealed... but she wasn't one to joke around. She was being serious.

"Quiet down!" she shouted over us, and most of the group silenced themselves. "Now, I understand that there is some excitement here, but we are to be professional, no matter who our guests are. I would advise all of you, that if you happen to come across Mr. Presley, to be professional. No asking for autographs, no hugging, no going crazy. You have to do your best to keep your heads about yourselves. Is that understood?"

She eyed us much like my mother had after she asked me if I understood what she just ordered me to do. Of course, I would say yes, but I wasn't happy about it. I gave my mother constant headaches growing up. They eased for the most part as I reached twenty.

I noticed that Nay raised her hand. Mrs. Brunster called on her. "Ma'am, but what if we come across him and we just can't help ourselves? Knowing how I am, I don't think I will be able to contain myself if I end up seeing him."

"I wouldn't, either."

"Me, too."

Several other girls said the same things, and Mrs. Brunster cleared her throat. "Well, Miss Hamilton, I would tell you that you will not be assigned any area close to where Mr. Presley is staying on the fifth floor. In fact, none of you ladies will be assigned to that floor, only the men." She glanced at me. "And maybe you, Miss Paul."

Many of the girls scoffed at me, saying things like 'she's not normal' and 'what's so special about her?' and things like that. I couldn't help, though, but blurt out, "Please don't. I would rather keep my distance from him."

"She is most definitely not normal," said Diana, a blonde girl of twenty-five, and other girls agreed with her.

"And that is exactly why you are now assigned to that floor, Miss Paul," said Mrs. Brunster, and the girls complained. "You are to work with Mr. Williams, O'Merty and Dobson on that floor until I say otherwise. Now, the rest of you..."

She went on to assign the others in the room. I stood there, a frown on my face, and my chest pricking in irritation. Of course, when I let my tongue loose, I was punished for it.

"Okay, that will be all," Mrs. Brunster announced, and everyone started to disperse. Nay took my arm.

"Oh my golly, you're going to be working on the same floor Elvis is staying on!"

"I'm well aware. Mrs. Brunster has always not liked me, and now I'm paying for it. I should've never opened my mouth or even mentioned that I don't like that star. She knows it."

"And that's why she did it. You won't go crazy when you see him... I just hope you don't get in trouble for saying mean things to him."

I huffed and stood tall. "I'll be professional just like we all are supposed to be. I'll just have to suppress my feelings like everyone else, only my feelings are the exact opposite to that of you and the other girls."

We started walking to the supply closet where the maids' carts were. "I just hope the others don't hate you for this."

"If they do, I don't care. It's their fault for going crazy over some guy who happens to sing well."

"Maybe just say that and nothing else to him."

"Then he'll think I'm his fan, which I'm not."

"It's better than him thinking that you hate him."

"I'm sure he occasionally meets people like me. In fact, I know he does. Thanks to you telling me everything about him, I know how much he's slandered for his music and dance moves."

"Yes, and it's such a shame."

We came into the supply room and chose carts. As we went to get chemicals, towels, soap and other things to put in them for the day while we go about our work, I said, "All stars have haters. It's how it is."

"But he shouldn't. He's such a good person."

"I don't think you can say that without actually meeting him, and thanks to what you did a few minutes ago, you may never meet him."

She held her head up in confidence. "Oh, yes I will! He's staying here for a month. I'm determined to meet him and tell him how wonderful he is, as to off-set anything negative you'll tell him."

I smirked. "Okay, okay, do what you want."

We finished with our carts, told each other we would see the other at lunch in four hours, and then we headed off to our assigned areas, Nay on the first floor, on the opposite side of the building to where Elvis was staying, and me... to the exact floor and wing he was staying in. Just my luck. Hopefully he was gone from the building.