Treat Me Nice {ELVIS 2022}

007: Let It All Hang Out

Vernon honked the horn for the fans to know they were coming through. All of them had signs saying how they wanted the old Elvis and Leslie. They didn't want what they were right now and frankly neither did the duo. They kept they're heads hung low as they drove through the gates.

~~~~~~~~~~

The younger kids were outside while Gladys, Vernon, Elvis and Leslie were inside. Elvis was laying on his side on the piano bench, Vernon sat across from him, Leslie sat on the floor by where his head laid on the bench running her fingers through his hair and Gladys was moving around.

"She just went on and on about the damn dog. And I said, 'Neighbors shouldn't speak like that'. And then she said..."

"I liked the bit with the dog," Vernon said after he took a drag of his cigarette.

Leslie gave him a look but remained quietly fuming as Elvis spoke tiredly, "It was the most embarrassing performance of our life, Daddy."

"She wasn't the only one who said it," Gladys continued her rant as she walked back into the room with a plate in one hand and two beers in another, "All the neighbors did."

"Oh, God."

"Those New York people were using you two to poke fun at the whole South. Getting a laugh out of putting hillbillies in tailcoats," she turned towards the dining room and walked that way, "And singing to a dog."

Elvis shifted his back as the breeze through the open window and faint shouting could be heard from the boys out side. Elvis sighed, "God damn it, Mama, it was either that or we get canceled. Then that's it for television. Colonel says we're running out of states that we're welcome in."

He moved to sit up, "Lemme help, baby." Leslie helped him sit up comfortably as Gladys walked back towards them with Vernon's lunch and beer in hand.

"And they don't pay unless we can perform. So Colonel says we play the charity concert tomorrow night," Gladys placed Vernon's sandwich on the table and handed him his beer, "As the new family style, then everybody calms down and we get back on track."

"Someone's got to think about keeping a roof over our heads," Vernon stated.

"Roof over our head?" Gladys asked frustratedly, "We've always managed to keep a roof over our head, Vernon."

She turned and started to walk back to the dining room. Leslie sighed angrily before she spoke, "Ma, Pops is business manager. It's his job."

"That's right," Vernon agreed.

Elvis and Leslie stood up to follow her as she ranted, "We was doing just fine before that man came along."

"Colonel has got us all this," Elvis used his arms as a metaphor for everything the Colonel has done for them.

"I don't want all this!" she kept walking but turned slightly to point at them, "You two are unhappy!"

Something in Leslie snapped as she argued back, "We're not!"

Gladys slammed her hands down on the table with a loud grunt before turning back to her son and the girl she thought of as her own daughter, "You're losing yourself, Booby! You too, Lee!"