The year is 1969 and Elvis Presley is the epitome of success. He's obtained a beautiful wife, fathered an adorable daughter, and his career as an entertainer is at its peak.
To increase his good fortune, his manager has procured him a gig opening a...
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Elvis yawns as he rubs the grit from his eyes, focusing on the TV playing the daily news. He's functioning on barely over three hours of sleep and he hasn't understood a word he just heard.
"So, Donna, while Elvis Presley is in Vegas, rocking the International, his wife is back home in Memphis." A young, square faced, mustached man proclaims.
A brunette with bangs framing a petite face with rose puckered lips answers him. "Yes, Steve, that's right. Sources have caught her out and about on the streets of Memphis. But why the sudden exodus back home?"
He nods, lacing his fingers together on the desk. "Yeah, that's interesting. Presley claimed their relationship is going well at his latest press conference, but that's not what we see."
Donna's bangs bounce as she expresses her agreement. "No it isn't. It's strange that she would suddenly leave after his opening night with no other pressing obligations dragging her back to Graceland."
"Well, Presley said that their daughter was sick, but judging from this picture she looks perfectly fine. It seems there must be another reason at play here."
An emphatic nod on Donna's part as she hums as if listening to a profound message. "Yes, and given Elvis the Pelvis' early reputation, I would say he's fallen back on old habits and found a nice show girl to play house with while Mrs. Presley was away. It wouldn't be the first time he's taken to a Vegas girl."
Both anchors share a knowing, cheeky smile. Elvis watches with growing animosity, willing away his temper with poor results.
"True. Dottie Harmony would say otherwise," Steve chuckles.
That was 1956, he huffs inwardly. I've changed since then. But it seems the reputation he built as a ladies man did not allow him the freedom of making a new name for himself as a steady, dependable husband. He's not that same young boy seeking affection from the nearest female, he's grown into a man who honors his wife. It seems not everyone has dismissed the mistakes of his youth.
"Well, you know what they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!" Donna exclaims with a hearty laugh.
"Oh, yes!" Steve proclaims with a scratch at his facial hair. "Anyway, we see here that Mrs. Presley is showing the public that no matter the cause of their estrangement, she's having a fine time without her rock'n'roller husband."
A grainy image takes the screen and Elvis rises from his seat to lumber toward the television. He's drawn to the photograph as a lost sailor enchanted with a siren's song, staring at the picture of his smiling family with a swelling heart and aching chest.
Elvis himself took this not two weeks ago, a beloved snapshot of his woman holding his sweet baby girl, both grinning proudly. His entire world stares back at him in the form of two beautiful faces. It numbered as one of his favorites, and since it was both recent and a close up, he chose it to submit to the Colonel for release. More importantly, its ambiguous background could easily be mistaken for anywhere in Memphis.
