Pieces of My Life

Chapter 10

Loretta's heart tripped in her chest when she left Memphis and with it Elvis and Lisa Marie. She told herself that she was being silly. Elvis and Lisa weren't small children, nor were they all alone at the hospital. She left them alone every night without worrying too much and not once did she return the next morning to find that some tragedy her presence could have prevented occurred that night.

Everything would be fine. She would hand Lisa one of the Lois Duncan novels the twins said they found and knowing Lisa, she'd take it to the bathroom with her while Loretta had to endure another episode of Miami Vice, which Elvis loved even though the alligator guarding Detective Crockett's shed shared his name. He pulled a face every time said alligator came up and to her, that was the best part of watching Miami Vice.

Elvis had mentioned something about Colonel Parker, and how he expected him to burst through the door any minute. What if Colonel Parker showed up? Poor Elvis might have another heart attack. Kathy Westmoreland and the guys were still there, but Kathy was pregnant (as much as that eased her mind in another regard, it didn't when it came to this) and the Memphis Mafia...well, she'd never trusted the Memphis Mafia and their intentions.

The drive passed faster than she thought it would and at least some of her worries dissipated when she saw her twins waiting in the driveway, both shivering in their identical coats. They didn't wear matching clothes anymore, at least they didn't most of the time.

"Did y'all wear them coats so I wouldn't know who's who?"

"Who is who?" one of them asked.

Loretta looked at one girl, then at the other. "Peggy, Patsy." She pointed at each as she spoke.

"You shall live to see another day, Mother. Nice sunglasses, by the way," Patsy said and Peggy giggled.

Loretta adjusted her oversized sunglasses. "It's my disguise. What do you think?"

The girls looked at each other. It was Peggy who finally spoke. "It'll do as long as you don't talk."

Loretta spotted the bag between them. Each girl held on to one side. "Is that the books?" Loretta asked.

"Yep. She can keep 'em as long as she wants," Peggy said.

All three of them piled into the car. Loretta agreed to let the girls drive. Peggy would drive them to the shopping mall and Patsy would drive them back. Unlike her, they found pleasure and excitement in it. For Loretta, driving was always a mere necessity, something she had to do to get from one place to another without assistance.

"So what do you wanna buy for Lisa?" asked Patsy, who sat beside Loretta in the back seat.

"Well, Elvis gave me some money to buy her a stereo and he said to get some other things 'cause her mother won't get her nothin–"

"What do you mean her mother won't get her nothin'?" Peggy exclaimed. "But she's gonna come, right?"

"I don't think so. Lisa didn't say anything about her comin' and they've never really been close. Lisa don't visit her or anything. Her mother was upset about her wantin' to move in with Elvis back in the day."

"When was that?" Patsy asked with great interest.

Loretta paused. "A couple of years ago. Five or six."

Patsy whistled. "That woman holds a mean grudge."

"I think it's awful that she won't come to her daughter's birthday or buy her a present or anything," Peggy contributed. "Especially when she's turnin' eighteen. What kind of mother is she?"

"I don't know," Loretta said. "I never met her."

They lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, Loretta asked, "Do y'all know about somethin' called 'Flowers in the Attic'? A book?"