Something hammered the inside of my skull. I put my hand to my forehead and let out a moan in pain. My stomach bubbled and I held onto it. "Ow..."
I rolled over onto my back and looked around me. I was in my room, and that blue blanket was on me. What happened last night? I remembered coming home in a huff and going straight to the bar for a drink, something I never did. I sat there mulling over what happened with the Colonel and that poor fan girl. I want to find her and apologize. He didn't give me the chance to, even though I wanted to, right after it happened. He pulled me away.
What happened after I came home? I sat at the bar for a time, then... Megan. She came home and found me there. We talked about what happened, and the rest was fuzzy.
My stomach bubbled more and I held it. Something registered. I pulled the blanket off of me and saw that I was still wearing what I wore the day before. If I couldn't remember anything after my talk with Megan, then she probably dragged me up to my room when I was completely fall-over drunk.
I groaned in mortification and rubbed a hand down my face. Megan saw me at my worst. Well, my drunk worst. I didn't get that drunk often, hardly at all, even, and she witnessed it. I would have to apologize to her. What time was it? I looked over at the clock. 6:35. She would be up.
My stomach made a sharp pain and caused me to leap out of bed and run to the bathroom connected to my room. I opened the toilet and relieved my ailing stomach.
"Ahhhh man..." I whined into the toilet. "I don't wanna go anywhere today..."
But I had to, and I had to see the Colonel again. He would arrive around seven.
I flushed, stood up, then went to the sink to rinse my mouth out and brush my teeth. I took a look at myself in the mirror. I looked horrible. My face was ghost-pale, my eyes were watery, sweat beaded my brow, and my dark hair was seriously messed up.
After showering quickly, changing, and doing my hair, I made my way out into the hallway. I stopped and my heart jumped up to my throat. There stood Megan, checking the little heating and cooling meter attached to the wall. That was what she did first thing - check the heating and cooling systems throughout the house. Bernice checked the ones in Dad's house.
Megan looked over at me, and her eyes widened. I came up to her, standing maybe six feet away. "Good mornin', Megan."
"Good mornin'. Are you feelin' alright?"
"Yeah, I am, thank you. I..." I shoved my hands into my pockets, feeling awkward, and maybe still a little queezy. "Listen, Megan, I wanna apologize for last night. I don't get like that that often. Or ever."
She nodded. "I know. You had a reason to drink."
"I told ya? I mean, I don't remember much of what happened. I just remember talkin' to ya, and... the rest is fuzzy."
Her cheeks suddenly flushed very pink and my pulse rose. Just what did I do that was making her blush like that?! A dozen scenarios, some heated, rushed through my noggin.
"Yes, you told me everythin' that happened between you, that fan girl and the Colonel, and you made it clear just how upset you were 'bout the whole thing. I would be upset, too."
I nodded. "You had to drag me up here, didn't chya?" She pursed her lips, and my heart fell. "Ah, man, I'm so sorry, Megan, that I put you through all that. Your body must be achin' all over the place."
She moved around both of her arms. "I'm alright. Momma has gotten like that in the past, so I've had experience haulin' 'round a dead-weight. At least you helped me out a little by walkin' on your own."
I grimaced. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, don't worry much over it, okay? It's in the past. Um... "
That blush remained on her cheeks. We knew each other well enough, so maybe I could just ask her what happened after she hauled me up the stairs. I took a couple steps closer to her and asked in a low tone, "What really happened last night? What did I do?"
Her whole face turned pink. She looked down at the carpet. "Well... I helped you to your room as you were mumblin' 'Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear'."
Of all songs I could have been singing in my drunken state, it had to be that one? When I had thoughts of holding Megan close like she was my teddy bear? Wait...
"I sang that song and you ended up bein' my teddy bear, right?" She didn't answer. "That's what happened, huh? Man..." I ran a hand down my face, annoyed with myself and feeling completely embarrassed. "I'm sorry."
She chuckled, and that startled me. "Hey, it's okay. You didn't know what you were doin'."
"Did I say anythin' to ya?"
"Just... the song lyrics, and..."
"And?"
"Mr. Presley, the Colonel is here."
Mrs. Brighten came up to us, appearing from behind Megan. I nodded. "Thank you. I'll be right down."
Mrs. Brighten eyed her daughter for a moment, then went on down the hallway. "Um, anyway, you should get down there," Megan said. "Let's just drop what happened. It's not a big deal. You can think of it as us bein' even now in witnessin' somethin' embarrassin' 'bout each other. I fell asleep in your bed by accident, and I hauled ya up the stairs to your room when you were sloshed. See? Even. Now if you will excuse me..."
She turned around and started down the hallway. She was leaving something out. "Megan." She stopped, not turning around. "C'mon, tell me. What happened?" One of the obvious scenarios came to mind. "I didn't kiss ya, did I?"
She remained silent for a moment, then, "No, you didn't, but... I kissed you."
Suddenly, my pulse shot up like a rocket. "Wait, what?"
"Excuse me." She scurried down the hall and around a corner.
"Megan!"
I followed her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Did she hide? I looked down the hall and into the empty rooms. Nothing. I stood there in the middle of the hallway, hands on my hips.
Megan stole a kiss from me while I was drunk, and because I was drunk, I couldn't remember it! "Dammit..."
"Mr. Presley?"
I turned and found Mrs. Brighten there. Her presence reminded me I needed to be downstairs. "I'll be right down."
She folded her arms, and her mouth turned into a flat line. "Mr. Presley... Elvis."
Uh-oh. She never called me by my first name before. This was serious. "What is it, ma'am?"
"I just want to say somethin'... and I apologize ahead of time for sayin' it, or maybe speakin' out of turn..."
"Go on. Speak your mind."
"Alright." She met my gaze, and I could really see the resemblance between her and Megan. Same eyes, nose, face shape and hair color. "I think you and Megan are gettin' a little too close. I'm not appreciatin' it all that much."
I shoved my hands in my black slacks pockets. "Mrs. Brighten, I can understand where you're comin' from, but I promise that there's nothin' between us other than friendship."
"Then why was she blushing to high heaven just now?"
I should say what happened, not that it was nothing. This was Megan's mother, who was worried that an older famous guy could be after her daughter. "I got drunk last night, and she helped me get to bed since I couldn't do it on my own. She was a good friend to me, and... I suppose the reason why she was blushin' was because it was an awkward conversation for the both of us. I promise, nothin' happened."
She nodded a few times. "So... you got drunk last night she helped you to bed?"
"Exactly. She took me up and dropped me off. I admit, I was more embarrassed than she was. I don't get that drunk hardly ever. I just had a rough evenin' last night."
She nodded again. "Okay. I'm sorry for accusin' you of anythin'. I just worry."
"As a proper mother should. There is no need to worry here, ma'am."
She quirked up an eyebrow. "Oh, I think there is."
"Ma'am?"
She stepped up to me, a twinkle in her eyes. "I see the way you look at 'er. I mean, you wouldn't be a man if you weren't attracted to 'er. She's beautiful inside and out. Just... be careful, okay?"
I couldn't contradict her. "I agree with ya there, and... yes, I'll be careful. I..."
My words faded as we both heard shouting from downstairs. We gave one another a "what in the blazes?" look and went on to see what the commotion was all about. The shouting became coherent.
"He nearly drunk himself to death because of you, and you come here and act like nothin' has happened? Don't you realize what you're doin' to that poor man?!"
"You have no right to say anything to me, little lady, especially in that nasty tone of yours!"
I came down the stairs first and saw both Megan and the Colonel standing in the living room with a broken glass on the floor and a wet spot near it. Both people were red in the face.
"But you must see that you're workin' him raw and treat everyone else like trash! That girl from yesterday was only tryin' to show 'er affection for her favorite star. You had no right to yell at 'er like you did!"
"She went too far!"
"No, sir, you went too far! Don't you see that..."
"MEGAN!"
I nearly jumped out of my loafers at Mrs. Brighten's loud voice. That halted the arguing, and Megan and the Colonel looked over at us. Megan's eyes widened wider than I had ever seen them, and a horrified look emerged on her face. I folded my arms, not being able to smile at the moment.
"Megan, what on Earth is going on here?!" Mrs. Brightened demanded.
"You need to keep control of that misfit daughter of yours, ma'am," the Colonel said, pointing a finger at Megan. "I knew she was trouble from the start, this just confirms it. She came in here and just started yellin' at me."
Tears formed in Megan's eyes as she didn't have her eyes on her mother or the Colonel, but on me. Her eyes overflowed and she ran from the room and up the stairs, leaving those older than her.
"I am so sorry 'bout that, Colonel Parker," Mrs. Brighten said. "I will go up and talk with 'er."
She left and disappeared upstairs. I kept my gaze on the carpet, on the wet spot that looked like water.
"I told you you should've fired that girl in the beginning," the Colonel said. "How can you have such a person working for you? She's a hot head with no manners and no respect for her elders."
My insides tied into knots as I looked up and met the man's icy gaze. "Colonel, I've known ya for quite a while, and we've become pretty close, so I think I have a right to say this - Megan was right. I came home after the events yesterday and drank myself sick because of what you did to that poor fan girl, because I felt so horrible for her sake. You went way too far."
He waved a hand. "You told me that yesterday, but I think I was right to set that girl in her place. Now, you need to go and put that other girl in her place and kick her out. Give her what you owe her and maybe something extra so she doesn't need to come back."
"I'm not kickin' 'er out," I said firmly and then took a breath to settle my emotions. "Look, Colonel, Megan is a such a good person and all she was tryin' to do just now was defend a friend of hers. She thinks that you've been mistreatin' me."
His brows creased. "Mistreating you? That's absurd! Now I admit I'm a bit rough with others, but all I am with you is strict. I have to be if you want to continue to be famous. Now, I think we should go. We're going to be late. Those maids will clean that up."
He went to the door, and I eyed the spill. Having a good idea now of how it got there, I went into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and a towel, came back, and started cleaning up the mess.
~ ~ ~
Hot, stinging tears spilled out of both eyes onto my pillow as I lay on the bed, huddled in a fetal position. I heard Momma come in. "I know, Momma," I cried. "Please don't say anythin'."
She closed the door and came and sat next to me on the bed, my back to her. "I think I need to say somethin' to ya, Megan."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for that. I just wanted to tell that man what he did was wrong, what he's been doin' to Elvis is wrong, and... he got boilin' mad and slapped that glass of water outta my hand, and that made me boilin' mad and I started yellin'. I'm sorry..."
I wailed into the pillow. Elvis probably thought horrible things of me. The look on his face said everything.
"Megan." She put her hand on my shaking shoulder as the painful sobs came over and over. "Yes, what you did down there - yellin' at that man - that was wrong, but... I'm proud of ya for doin' it."
Confused, I rolled over and looked at her. "What?"
She rubbed the loose hair out of my face, hairs that were stuck to it from the tears. "Oh, Megan, you have a strong head just like your daddy had. He could be pleasant and as calm as a spring mornin' one moment and eruptin' like a volcano the next, but only when he really had to, when he felt that somethin' needed to be said. You did that. You gave that Colonel a piece of your mind, and frankly, he needed to hear it. Lord knows if he's going to take it seriously, but at least you said somethin'."
I sat up and stared at her aging beautiful face. "Momma... are you serious? You approve of what I did?"
"Now I never said I approved of it. I said you did somethin' wrong, but did somethin' right at the same time. Now I think it would be wise to apologize to 'im."
I nodded. "I should, shouldn't I? And to Elvis. He didn't look happy."
"I think the man was just in shock. I wouldn't be surprised if he clapped you on the shoulder for hollerin' at his manager. You and I both know that Elvis has a heart of gold and wouldn't yell like that at the man who runs his life."
"Yes, I suppose that's true. But still..."
"Let's just go down there. I doubt they have left yet."
I took a large breath, and we got off the bed and went on downstairs. My heart banging at my ribs, I stepped down the stairs and saw Elvis kneeling on the carpet, sopping up the spilled water and putting the broken glass pieces in the yellow bowl on the floor next to him. The Colonel spotted us as he stood near the coffee table.
"Oh, here she is," he said in a tone that was far from friendly. "I think you have something you ought to say to me, miss."
I came up to him as Elvis knelt there, looking up at us. I folded my hands behind my back. "Yes, I do. I wanna apologize for what I said. I'll not take any of it back, mind you. I meant what I said." I glanced at Elvis, and he smirked. That lifted my heart. Maybe he wasn't mad like I thought. Momma was right. That smirk was a clap on the shoulder.
"Well, I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get out of you, missy," he said. "Now, this boy here's not going to fire you, so I think I need to do that for him. I'm not going to leave this house until I see you walk out that door with your suitcases. I understand that you still have a house you can go to?"
"Now wait right there, Colonel," Elvis said and stood up, dropping the damp light-blue towel. The Colonel put up a hand, and Momma's eyes widened at what the Colonel said.
"Hush, Elvis. Now, we have to be somewhere in twenty minutes, so I suggest you don't make us later than we already are."
My chest tightened to a painful degree. I looked at Elvis's saddened expression. He said nothing, and that caused fresh tears to escape. He wasn't fighting back. I turned to Momma. She had her head down. I noticed Bernice in the dining room, hand over her heart and a sad expression on her face. I looked back at Elvis, at his sad blue eyes.
I turned and ran up the stairs a second time. I came to the room and pulled out my suitcases from under the bed, opening them with force. I started throwing my clothes from the dresser into the both of them, not bothering to fold them, and making a mess. Tears fell from my eyes, and I whimpered. "Gosh darn it," I muttered angrily. "Look where my big mouth got me. Thanks, Daddy, for my hot head."
I threw the last of my clothes into the suitcases and started on my few piano sheet music books that I brought with me. So much for music school and playing on that beautiful piano again. I threw them into the suitcases, making them sprawl out. I noticed a presence at the door. Elvis stood there with sad eyes. I looked away from him.
"You can stop doin' that, Megan."
"I can't. The Colonel said that I have to go so you both won't be late to wherever you're goin'."
He came into the room and sat on the end of the bed. "Your momma is tryin' to reason with 'im. I think we both know she can convince the sky not to rain."
I started to make it so the clothes and other things fit in my suitcase, but I still didn't fold them. "It doesn't matter. I think it's better that I go anyway. I'm causin' too many problems."
"No, the Colonel is. You're fine."
"But the Colonel is causin' problems because of me. You can't deny that." He said nothing. I looked up at his face. "You said nothin' down there after he ordered me to get the heck outta here."
"That's because he didn't let me, Megan."
"Yes, and that's the thing!" I slammed one of my suitcases shut. "You're too nice for your own good. While that can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing, too. It causes people to stomp all over ya. That's what the Colonel has been doin' as long as he's been your manager. You just go along with whatever he says like a loyal dog. You don't fight. This is your life he's controllin'. Why don't you do somethin' about it?" He said nothing, pursing his lips in a slight frown. "Nevermind." I shut the other suitcase, and I stood up, holding the both of them. "Thank you for allowin' me to work here. It's been a real honor doin' so and gettin' to know ya and bein' your friend, but it's time for me to go now. I'll just find another job and save up for music school then."
He still said nothing, and that caused my chest to prick, creating new tears. I walked past him.
"Megan."
I stopped.
"I'm sorry."
So many things were said in those two words. I nodded. "So am I. And... I'll tell you somethin'... Last night, I brought you to your room and dropped you onto your bed. You then pulled me in and hugged me to you, saying 'let me be our teddy bear' and I said that I basically was yours since you held onto me so tightly. At that moment, I had my face right at your collar bone, and I couldn't help but kiss it. That's when you asked if I kissed you. I said nothin', but you said if I did, you should do the same back, so... you almost did. I didn't let ya, though. I got out of your hold, put the blanket on you, then left the room."
I didn't want to see his face, see his reaction to me basically telling him how I really felt about him. I stayed turned around. I went on out the bedroom door. I remained silent as I walked down the stairs, passed everyone, and out the front door into the morning air.