Playing House Away From Home

Chapter 5

Elvis didn't talk to Priscilla at all yesterday and he was determined not to talk to her today or tomorrow either. It wasn't as if he didn't want to talk to his Lisa Marie, because he did, but his daughter was still a little too young to understand the merits of a phone conversation. She would be three in less than six months and most certainly could find more than enough to talk about, though he still struggled to fully understand some words here and there. When she was put on the phone, however, Lisa would merely scream "Hello, Daddy" into the receiver before taking off to explore her bright little world. Sometimes he would envy Loretta for actually being able to have full conversations with her children in Nashville but as of right now it made things easier.

It meant that he didn't have to call- and he wouldn't until she did because now she was pouting and thinking of ways to get back at him.

He often wondered if their marriage was beyond saving, if it was even worth it. If it wasn't for his daughter he would already be long gone.

Sleep refused to come last night, leaving Elvis physically and emotionally drained as he arrived on set. Loretta greeted him with her usual bright smile, but it faded when she noted the dark circles under his blood shot eyes.

"Bad night?" she asked with a mixture of caution and empathy.

"I look like...I don't look good, do I?"

The words slipped out of his mouth when he had been meaning to respond with only a brief yes that was to indicate that he did not want to talk about it.

"Everyone's got those days," Loretta said.

"Ain't that the truth." He managed a tired version of his trademark smile. "Maybe they'll be pleased. My characters supposed to be all tired and havin' a string of bad days. Maybe they'll just decide to go ahead and film the scenes of me in jail."

His smile disappeared at her serious expression. "But you're alright?" Loretta asked.

"Yeah, I am. Or I will be. Everyone's got problems, you know?"

"You can say that again." Loretta glanced over to where Tom Parker stood leaning against a trailer with a cigar in his mouth. "That man must support some big tobacco company all by himself with all the cigars he smokes."

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

"I don't much. Wanna go to the cafeteria to get some more coffee while we torture ourselves?"

She let out a brief laugh. "I don't see why not."

The children had the day off as Maybelle, who was under eight, was only allowed to work four days a week for eight hours each. Since most scenes with the children contained both of them neither was required to come in today. Adult only scenes meant that the production staff was going to be even tougher on them than they would be with the children around.

They got one bottle of Pepsi along with two cups of the cafeteria coffee, which was the vilest concoction Elvis had tasted in his life (and that should mean something). He wouldn't even think of drinking it if it weren't for the energy boost it provided. Somehow a cup could keep one going for hours, substituting when his pills didn't do the trick. Elvis suspected that it was spiked with something, but so far there hadn't been any evidence of it doing harm to anyone so he drank it regardless.

They grabbed one of the little tables spread out in front of the cafeteria. California was hot even in the fall, but it was early still. A pleasant breeze was blowing; not strong enough to cause their scripts to fly all over the place but certainly strong enough to slightly tousle their hair.

Loretta was the first to speak.

"I had to practice how to put my hair up with them hair pins the way they want me to in that scene for hours yesterday." Her face fell and she huffed out a sigh as she admitted, "And I still don't know how to do it right."