ELVIS AND CIMORELLI

"She knows someone cares"

Ok, this isn't really a "chapter," but I just wanted to share one of my favorite stories about the real Elvis. I don't know what the exact year was that this took place, but I think it was after the 1968 Comeback Special.

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Elvis was eating breakfast one morning, hanging out with his good friends and his security team, Sonny and Red West. Sonny and Red were each others' cousins, who knew Elvis for a long time. Just then, another friend of Elvis', Marty Lacker, ran into the house, with a newspaper in hand.

"Elvis, when you get the chance, I want you to read this," said Marty, seriously.

"Alright," nodded Elvis.

Once he'd finished eating, Elvis grabbed the paper and Marty pointed him to the article he wanted him to see. The "appeal story," as they were called back then, was about a woman who from the waist down had no legs, she was born that way. She got married, had kids, and raised them. However, the story was more about the way she got around. She was placed on top of these wooden planks that were nailed together, with a rope on each side of her, and roller skates nailed to the bottom of the planks. Upon reading the story, Elvis put the paper down and looked at Marty, with a serious look in his eyes.

"Find out where she lives," he said, before leaving the house.

Elvis went out and bought the most expensive electric wheelchair, that was ever made at the time. When he got back home, he put it in the trunk of his car and right after Marty found out where that woman lived, he told Elvis. Elvis went with Marty, Sonny, Red, Priscilla, and some other friends to the woman's house. They knocked on the door, to be met by her husband, who was retired from working on the railroad. He invited Elvis and everyone else inside. The house was spotless, everything was beyond clean. Her husband called her out and she came rolling into the room, to have her gaze met with the wheelchair that Elvis bought for her.

"Oh, my! Oh, my!" she gasped.

Tears started welling up in everyone's eyes, Elvis, Priscilla, Sonny, the lady, her husband, everyone was tearing up. The lady asked if she could sit in it, so Elvis held her on one side, Sonny on the other, and the two of them put her in the chair. Elvis didn't know how to operate it, but he told her this was the best of the best and she could go anywhere with it. She stated to cry and so did Elvis, Priscilla, and the members of the "Memphis Mafia" who joined them. Before he could walk outside, so they could go home, the lady thanked them. Elvis kissed the lady on the cheek and said "you're welcome," and with that, the group left. Before they could get back into the car, however, one of Elvis' friends, Alan, said this:

"Elvis, I don't think she knew who you were."

"It doesn't matter," said Elvis. "She knows someone cares."

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The chapter for the Louisiana Hayride scene is coming up next.