"Little Sister"

Chapter 7 : G.I. Blues

* December 20th, 1957 *

" Lizzie, baby! Come help set the table! "
Momma yelled from the kitchen.

" Coming, Momma! " I gently placed the needle on our record player in the living room and Bing Crosby filled the house as I darted to the kitchen to help Momma.

" Grab those plates there, honey. "
Momma directed my attention to a stack of plates on the kitchen counter. I grabbed them and headed to the dining room. Before I even crossed the threshold, I felt a large pair of hands pull me back.

" Gotcha, girly! " Elvis wrapped his arms around me and started tickling me. I began laughing uncontrollably and fighting my way out of his grip.

" Stop! You're gonna make me drop the plates! " I yelled in between bursts of laughter. Finally, he stopped and took half of plates from my hands and helped me set the table. Soon, Daddy along with some of Elvis's friends and 'Bodyguards', came strolling down the stairs. Momma came out from the kitchen and was about to announce dinner was ready when she saw them entering the dining room.

" We could smell the food from upstairs. "
One of my brothers close friends, Red West laughed as he took a seat next to me. Momma laughed at that as she brought the turkey to the table. Everyone took their seats around the big, dining room table and Elvis took his next to me. Once everyone was seated, Daddy said grace. As soon as Daddy could mutter the words 'Amen' everyone dug into the food in front of them.

To catch you up a bit, we've been living in Graceland for about 7 months. Elvis moved in soon after, once he finally finished filming  ' Jailhouse Rock '. Even after he finished his third movie, he had to go right back to touring. But, Thanks to his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis got to be with us for Christmas! He arrived on the 15th and will be here until the 27th, almost two whole weeks with him! That's the longest he's been able to stay home for 2 years now. It's crazy to think that, but I'm more than glad he's home.

We sat around a bit after we finished eating and just talked. It felt nice to talk to my big brother without having to hear static on the end of a telephone line. Elvis and I were talking about how I was doing in school, when we heard a knock at the door. Before anybody could say anything, Elvis got up and walked to answer the door. Everyone else continued on with their conversations, but I couldn't help but turn around in my chair and try to see who was at the door. It was a man I had never seen before and he handed Elvis a letter.
' That's funny. ' I thought. ' The mail doesn't run at 6:00, maybe it's a personal letter or something. '
Elvis bid the man goodbye and gently shut the door. He stood there for a second with an unsure look on his face before opening the letter. He slowly read through the letter, he even seemed to read over it again, like he couldn't believe what he was reading.
This concerned me, so I got up from my seat at the table and went to see what Elvis had received.

" Whatcha got there, Elly? "  I asked, trying to take a peek at the envelope in his hands. He snapped out of whatever daze he was in and quickly replaced his worried look with a smile.

" Nothin, Liz bug. I'll show y'all after we finish eating, come on. "

He placed his arm around my shoulder and we walked back into the dining room.

~ 2 hours later ~

After dinner, we all sat in the living room chatting. All of us, except for Elvis. As soon as he had finished eating, he excused himself and went upstairs to his bedroom. He's been acting awful strange since he got that letter earlier this evening. I can't help but worry about him, and whatever that letter is. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I catch Elvis standing at the threshold of the living room. That worried look on his face is still there. Everyone went silent when they saw Elvis, they knew something was wrong too. Momma was the first to speak up.