𝙎𝙐𝙎𝙋𝙄𝘾𝙄𝙊𝙐𝙎 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙎 - 𝙚.𝙥

〘 - 𝟐𝟏: 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑂𝑛𝑒: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲

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📌 CALIFORNIA
Venue
AUGUST of 1958
MISTAKES ARE PRESENT IGNORE THEM
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"AND YOU'RE EATIN' well?"

"Yes." Colette chuckled out as she leant her side against the cool wall in the thin hallway, one of her fingers twirling the cord connected to the phone upon that same wall. "You ask this every call."

"Gotta make sure you're eatin' good hon." she said in a playful tone though she was being dead serious.

"Trust me, I am." she says, a wide smile on her face. "LA has the absolute best restaurants — I love it here."

"Elvis likes it up there as well." Gladys replied with a sorrowfulness in her voice followed by a small cough — a new chipper tone painting her words. "You two are so alike."

The past seven months have been difficult to say the least for Gladys.

For the first month, Colette had moved into Graceland full time to keep an eye on Gladys and Vernon not only because she promised Elvis that she would, but because she loves them both dearly and wouldn't want them all by lonesome.

The fourth month in when Colette hesitantly left for touring, Gladys' health began to decline — the only person knowing that her health was declining was Gladys herself.

She felt more tired and was also drinking far more and now without Colette, someone who filled the hole of a second child was gone, she flew deeper into the hole of depression.

Even though Colette called every morning and every night, it wasn't the same as having her physically there.

Colette swallowed thickly and inhaled a sharp breath, a frown on her features as her grip on the barrel of the telephone tightened. "Yeah." she replies.

On the other end, she could hear the heavy breathing and even before that, the weakness in her future mother in law's voice.

"You doin' alright?" she questioned softly.

Gladys let a small laugh slip. "I'm as alright as I can be."

The younger girl was still skeptical. "Can I speak to Vern—"

"I don't wanna keep ya any longer." she interrupted. "You got a show to put on."

"But Glad—"

"I love ya tons, sweetie. Good luck."

The line goes dead.

Colette stood there for a moment, looking down at the phone in confusion before bringing it back up to her ear. "Hello?" she looked down at it again and with a sigh, she placed it back upon the stand.

She sighs and walked down the narrow hallway to the green room with her arms crossed and a small frown painted on her lips.

Her hand pressed against the door and when it opened, she was immediately greeted by clouds of smoke and laughter along with a loud record being played.