Back in elementary school, about the fourth or fifth grade, I fell in love with Elvis. I listened to the radio non-stop and spent way too much time staring at the full-page, color portrait photo of him that I’d cut out of a magazine. Oh, those eyes.
About that time, I went to camp for the first time, which was a big shock for many reasons. I was a city girl, an apartment girl, and all those trees and grass and walking half a block to the latrine building were a bit overwhelming. Plus – I’d left behind my Elvis photo. I called home distraught and my understanding mother glued it to cardboard and mailed it to me, and I was able to survive summer camp.
About that time, a friend of my mother’s who had a carpet company got a call that Elvis wanted to replace some carpeting and that he should go to Graceland with some suitable samples. The friend met with Elvis and showed him various sample pieces of carpet. As he walked back to his car, he already had a plan and reached down to liberate a rock from the driveway. Later that week he presented me with a carpet sample that Elvis had fondled and the rock. I put them both in the drawer of my bedside table and every night when I got in bed, I’d reach over, open the drawer, rub the carpet and touch the rock.
Time passed and, unlike all the folks who showed up in Memphis this week, I lost interest and moved on to other singers and groups. I don’t remember when the carpet and rock were discarded. Ahh, if I’d only known that some day there would be an ebay.
About that time, I went to camp for the first time, which was a big shock for many reasons. I was a city girl, an apartment girl, and all those trees and grass and walking half a block to the latrine building were a bit overwhelming. Plus – I’d left behind my Elvis photo. I called home distraught and my understanding mother glued it to cardboard and mailed it to me, and I was able to survive summer camp.
About that time, a friend of my mother’s who had a carpet company got a call that Elvis wanted to replace some carpeting and that he should go to Graceland with some suitable samples. The friend met with Elvis and showed him various sample pieces of carpet. As he walked back to his car, he already had a plan and reached down to liberate a rock from the driveway. Later that week he presented me with a carpet sample that Elvis had fondled and the rock. I put them both in the drawer of my bedside table and every night when I got in bed, I’d reach over, open the drawer, rub the carpet and touch the rock.
Time passed and, unlike all the folks who showed up in Memphis this week, I lost interest and moved on to other singers and groups. I don’t remember when the carpet and rock were discarded. Ahh, if I’d only known that some day there would be an ebay.
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