Maid in Seattle [Elvis]

Chapter 8 - I Got Lucky

So, I understand that the World's Fair happened in 1962, and this story takes place in 1963. I guess we'll just say another fair was going on while Elvis was making the movie. Maybe there really was, for the set.

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Working in the entertainment business, you come across many people, and if you were a male entertainer, you came across many female people. There was a line that one of my co-stars in Loving You said at one point in the movie: "If I didn't get outside the theater once in a while, I'd think the entire population of America was female and under twenty." It was the truth. Since I got into this business at age nineteen, most of the people I saw or met were my fans who were girls mostly under twenty years old. I noticed it at concerts and when I did fan meets and signings.

This signing after the fair concert was no different. I sat at a table in one of the buildings near the base of the Space Needle, inside a room that looked to be a ballroom, since it had shiny wooden floors, and it was spacious with a tall ceiling. It was filled with chatting people, mostly girls ten years younger than me or more. Stanchions and ribbons were placed for organization, kind of like a winding line at an airport leading up to my table that The Colonel and my detail stood around. A couple of other guys were there, too, making sure the event went smoothly.

I stretched out my hand after about the hundredth time of signing my name on a piece of paper. People had notebooks, special papers that said "autograph" on them for the purpose of getting autographs, my records, pictures of me, random pieces of paper, or they just had me sign their arms or hands. I remembered one girl came up to me in Kalama, Washington at that small hotel, right as my party and I were about to leave. She wanted me to sign her arms because she didn't have anything else on her. I had gotten two people so far who wanted me to sign their arm at this event.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Presley!" exclaimed one cute brunette maybe around eighteen after I handed back her little pink notebook. Good choice of color.

"You're welcome, Helen."

She beamed, revealing a very pretty smile. I tried to call my fans by their names if they told me. I always asked first before I signed whatever they would give me.

"I look forward to your movie and your up-coming albums," she told me.

"Thank you. You have a great day now."

"I will. I think this event will make me happy for the rest of my life."

I smiled at that, grateful, and glad that I made her happy. "I'm flattered."

She left, and up came... a boy? Huh. Well, I do have a few male fans, usually around twenty as well. This blonde boy looks around fifteen, though.

"Hi, there, sir," I greeted him.

"Hi, Mr. Presley. Boy, it's an honor to meet you!"

"Thank you." He handed me a little black notebook, plus a picture of me, one of my earlier pictures, probably from 1957 or '58. I looked a bit different then. The army thinned me out a bit.

"So, the notebook is mine, but the picture, that's for my sister," the boy explained. "She's in LA right now, going to college. She ordered me to come to your concert and to get your autograph for her since she couldn't be here."

I smiled at that. "Well, what a wonderful brother you are, doin' this for your sister."

He waved a hand sheepishly. "Nah. I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't come. I planned to, anyway. Your music's pretty swell, and I like your movies."

"Thank you very much, Mr..."

"Howard. Jeremy Howard. My sister's name is Angela. Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, she wants a hug and a picture of you." He held up a really neat camera that was hanging around his neck by a strap. "And I guess I would have to act as proxy for the hug. Again, if it's okay."