Sally Beth was too excited to eat her lunch. The Elvises argued over who got to sit next to the girls, and her heart was all aflutter because they were all so handsome, and most of them looked so much like the real thing that she had to remind herself that the real Elvis was dead, and these were just pretend. She so wished her mother could have been there to see it, and she sent a little prayer heavenward to ask that if she could take the time, would she just take a glimpse down here and see what her girls had landed in.
She settled by the handsomest one in her opinion. He was a little rough looking, with a bit of burr on his face, and he had a nice smile with even, white teeth. He was the biggest of all the Elvises, too. His name was Elvis Chuck. Lilly took longer to decide which one to sit beside, and spent a good forty-five minutes taking pictures and talking to each of them before she finally settled on sitting in the back with Elvis Tommy. As thrilled as Sally Beth was, she was even more thrilled when Elvis Sam stood in the front of the bus and blessed the meal before anyone took out their sandwiches and cups of Coke. Not only was she on a bus full of Elvises, but a bus full of Christian Elvises. Christian Elvises who could sing! Her heart sang its own little number over that.
She turned to the one beside her. “Do you do this all the time? Be Elvis, I mean.”
“Pretty much. We travel a lot, and we’re especially busy right now, it being the anniversary of his death.” He laughed shortly and leaned in toward her. “Although some people who should know say he isn’t really dead.”
Sally Beth drew up in surprise. “I had heard that, but I thought it was just a rumor. You mean he really might not have died?”
“That’s what they say. He faked his own death because he was sick of the way his life was turning out, and he just wanted to retire. Supposedly he lives over in Hot Springs now.”
“Do you think it could be true?” Sally Beth tingled at the possibility.
Elvis Chuck shrugged. “Could be. I’m not going to dispute it.”
Elvis Sam stood up at the front of the bus again. “Okay, boys, we need to practice before we get to Fort Worth. This show’s going to be a little longer than the others, so I want you to leave the ladies alone while we add four more numbers.” He pulled out a pitch pipe. “It’s been a while since we ran through “I’ll Fly Away” so let’s try that one first.” He blew into the pipe, and suddenly, heavenly voices rose up all around Sally Beth, and they all sounded just like Elvis!
Some bright morning, when this day is o’er, I’ll fly away
To that home on heav’n’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away, Oh, Glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I’ll fly away!
She and Lilly couldn’t help themselves. Within the first two lines, they were singing along with the choir. After that, they ran through “Are You Washed in the Blood?”, “In My Heart There Rings a Melody”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, and many more. They sang until their voices were tired, they sang to the glory of heaven. They sang with their hearts making more music than their voices. It was heavenly, this trip down the dusty Texas highway in the plush, air conditioned bus, sitting beside a handsome Elvis, and Sally Beth thought her heart would fly away, right out of her chest and up into the sky where her mama and daddy and her good friend Holy Miracle Jones, not to forget Jesus, watched and smiled.
All too soon, Elvis Sam made them stop so they could rest their voices, and the bus grew quiet. She and Elvis Chuck talked. Rather, Sally Beth talked while he mostly just looked at her, smiled, and nodded. Sometimes he asked her a question. She talked until she was hoarse, and then she laughed about how much she had talked, and Elvis Chuck looked at her and smiled and told her about his home and about how she reminded him of his mother, in a way, who was from Denmark and whose hair had been the same color when she was younger, and how her face was the same shape. He stopped talking after a while and started looking at her funny, and before she knew it, she wanted to lean in toward him and smell his skin, and maybe ruffle his hair a little and smooth out that cowlick right in the front. She got to wondering what it might feel like to place her palm on his cheek and feel the whiskers there. But he was a professional Elvis impersonator, and she was just a country girl from a hick town, and she knew she was being silly, and she hoped she hadn’t acted foolish. When he leaned toward her, as if to kiss her, she shrank back a fraction, smiled and looked away. It made her sad to think about how many girls he probably had kissed, and she didn’t want to be just one in a long string of them.
Sally Beth was saving herself for the right man. Oh, she had kissed plenty of boys before, at least five to her recollection. There had been Darryl Millsap whom she had loved in the ninth grade. She was sure he was The One, but then he moved away when his daddy got transferred to Charleston, and although they swore they would write and stay true to each other forever, the long distance relationship had lasted only about six months. She had not been good at writing—every word had been a struggle, and then she had gotten so busy with the horses, she didn’t really notice when his last letter came. Then, when she was in the eleventh grade, there was Lonnie Odem. She had gone out with him for a few months before she realized she liked his twin brother, Johnnie, better, after she had been caught in a rainstorm and he picked her up and drove her home, and then, when she was just about to get out of the car, he leaned over and kissed her, surprising her both with the suddenness of it and the fact that her insides disintegrated into effervescent fire, and she realized she was with the wrong brother. She had kissed him back like she had just discovered kissing, but afterwards, she felt bad about cheating on Lonnie.
It wasn’t fair to break up with Lonnie and then start dating Johnnie, so she just quit going out with boys altogether until after high school, when she started keeping company with Sam Abel, a nice Quaker boy her parents really liked, but it didn’t take long before she realized he was as dull as dirt. It was hard to break up with him because he really loved her, but she thought she would go out of her mind if she had to sit through one more evening of him talking about his prize heifers. Besides, he didn’t care for music and couldn’t sing a lick. He tried for her sake, but she found it painful to listen to him.
And finally, there was Jay Hambly, who she thought was going to be The One as well, but they broke up last year after she got her cosmetology license. He got to acting funny and implied that she was going to start putting on airs now that she would be traveling in high-fashion circles. He wanted her to get a job down at the mill with him until they got married and started having children. She didn’t pay much attention to that until he started talking about some of the things dutiful wives were supposed to do, and being an independent woman with her cosmetology license was not one of them. She woke up one morning realizing she could do a sight better than Jay Hambly.
Now that she was free, she could have kissed anybody she liked, and although she certainly found Elvis Chuck very attractive with lips that looked kissable, she cautioned herself that he was a stranger, someone who didn’t know her, and neither one of them could possibly know the true value of one another. Her mama, and her daddy, too, had talked to her about how important it was for her to guard her heart, and how she should keep her love safe and pure for The One that God had picked out for her, who would be with her all of his days, and she well knew the veracity of their counsel. She remembered how her old friend Holy Miracle Jones had teased her about when she would find that man.
“He is both near and far, Sally Beth,” he said to her once, “and he will flee you before he comes running to you. And he will love you truly for all of his days.” Holy Miracle always spoke in riddles that way, but he knew what he was talking about, and she did not doubt the truth of any of his words. Elvis Chuck was near now, and his traveling would take him far, but in her heart she knew she probably would never see him again after today. Besides, he wasn’t fleeing her now. It wouldn’t do to think of him as anything other than a happy afternoon on the Texas highway, and it certainly wouldn’t do to be leading him on by letting him kiss her when she knew there was no future for them.
She smiled at him, drew a breath, and launched into a new topic, and the moment passed. Elvis Chuck was funny and kind, and she was having such a grand time that she wondered if Lilly was having fun, too. When she turned around to look for her, she was shocked and pained at what she saw.
Lilly was in the back seat of the bus with Elvis Tommy, her arms were wrapped around him, and she was kissing him for all she was worth. She was practically lying down on the back seat and Elvis Tommy was just all over her! At least she thought it was Elvis Tommy, it was hard to tell with them all in a tangle like that. He had taken off his pearly, jeweled jacket, and he was kissing her as if he had earned the right to. If her daddy had been here, he would have given him a good talking to about how he was being disrespectful to Lilly and that he certainly had not earned any rights at all regarding his baby girl.
Sally Beth wished a hole would open up in the floor of the bus and swallow up both Lilly and herself, but she steeled herself and did what she felt she ought to do: she marched to the back of the bus and stood over Lilly until she came up for air, then she said, keeping her face and voice as pleasant as possible to keep from embarrassing everybody too much, “Lilly, I thought maybe you’d want to come up to the front of the bus and spend some time with Elvis Chuck and me, and some of the others. You won’t have this chance again, and they are real interesting. Elvis Chuck is from Utah.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she just stood there and smiled at Lilly until she was sure her face would crack, then she sat down beside her and nudged her with her elbow.
“Sally Beth,” I am doing just fine here, thank you,” said Lilly, her face a mask of smiling ice. You can go on back to the front of the bus and enjoy yourself there.”
She leaned in and spoke more softly, “Lilly, as your older sister, I think you need to behave a little better in public.” Sally Beth’s eyes narrowed, but she kept the smile in both her face and voice. Lilly kept no such pretentions.
“Sally Beth, you leave me alone!” she hissed into her ear, searing the air around it with fiery disdain. “I am not doing anything wrong, and you just need to stop being such a prude if I want to kiss somebody. I happen to like Elvis Tommy, and I might not ever see him again, and so you shouldn’t begrudge me a few little kisses, thank you very much!”
“Well, does Elvis Tommy like you?” She kept her voice barely above a whisper so no one other than Lilly could hear her. “If he does, then maybe he’ll go to the trouble to see you again, and so this wouldn’t be the last time you see him. Otherwise this is just a you-know-what!” She mouthed the last three words rather than saying them. It wouldn’t do for anybody to hear what she was thinking about Lilly at that moment.
Elvis Tommy, looking decidedly uncomfortable, began to edge away from Lilly, casting nervous glances at Sally Beth. She smiled at him over Lilly’s head. “I am sorry if I am embarrassing you, Elvis Tommy, but my sister doesn’t have good sense sometimes when it comes to men. I don’t mean to blame you or anything.”
“Why, Sally Beth Lenoir! You’re making me out to be a regular slut—and I am not. I just happen to really, really like Elvis Tommy, and so what if I want to kiss him? You aren’t my mama, and you just need to back off!”
Sally Beth felt like knocking some sense into Lilly. It just about broke her heart that her baby sister was wantonly giving away her precious kisses to a virtual stranger, and to know that she had not listened to Mama about how important it is to guard your heart and save it for the one man who would treasure you above all others. She wanted to make Lilly understand that she was making a mistake here that might follow her all the rest of her days, that throwing her love around to just any good-looking guy who paid attention to her would hollow out her soul and change her in ways that she could not fathom, but she was acutely aware of a few pairs of eyes on her, and she suddenly felt very small and vulnerable and in the most uncomfortable position she had ever been. She wanted to drag Lilly out of the back seat and make her behave herself, but it was obvious Lilly wasn’t going anywhere. She was very grateful when she looked up to see Elvis Chuck standing before her, guitar in hand.
“Sally Beth? Do you play guitar? I’ve been working on a ballad, and I’d like for you to hear it and maybe sing it. It’s perfect for your voice, I think.”
Sally Beth felt a rush of thankfulness for his rescue. Although all the Elvises were politely looking in other directions, she knew she was on the brink of making a fool of both herself and Lilly, and maybe she had already stepped over the line. She wanted to get away, but then, again, she didn’t want to walk all the way back down the aisle of the bus past all these men, not when she was already embarrassed to death by Lilly and their argument. She turned back to Elvis Chuck with grateful appreciation. “Why, I’d love to, Elvis Chuck. But Lilly here has the best voice for ballads. Would you like for her to join us? She smiled demurely at Lilly and scooted closer to her, making room for Elvis Chuck.
Lilly sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. Elvis Chuck sat down beside Sally Beth and began strumming and singing.
My darling has hair like summer wheat, and skin as pale as pearl
Her heart’s as big as the harvest moon, as big as the wind when it starts to unfurl
But she doesn’t know how lovely she is, how kind or gentle her ways
Nor does she know how she lights the path of all she holds in her sway
My darling has hair like summer wheat, and lips that beckon like wine
Her voice rings out and touches me, and how I long to make her mine!
But the burden she carries she carries alone, too high, too far to address
She dances away as lightly as wind, not knowing I yearn for her caress.
My darling has hair like summer wheat, and a smile that glows from her heart.
She cannot know how my own heart thirsts, how it dreads the moment we part.
My darling has hair like summer wheat; her eyes are blue, as blue as a song.
I cannot but wonder what else they hold. Do they cry sometimes when she is alone?
My darling has hair like summer wheat, like summer wheat, like summer wheat.
My darling has hair like summer wheat, and I long to make her my own.
Although Lilly was still miffed at Sally Beth, she couldn’t help but smile after just a few lines. “Why, Elvis Chuck, that doesn’t sound like a song for a woman!” she teased. “At least for a woman to sing. Are you sure you wanted Sally Beth to sing it—or to hear it?” He didn’t answer, but continued to strum, while Sally Beth blinked and wondered if he had just made up the song or if he had been working on it before they met. She felt a little flattered, but also a little uncomfortable. She knew she was just a simple girl from the mountains and that some men might try to play on her unsophistication and use flattery for the wrong purposes, but she surely hoped Elvis Chuck was not capable of it. He remained silent, trying out a few new chords before he suddenly stood.
“Sally Beth, let’s go back up front and you can help me work out a harmony for this, okay?”
She didn’t know how to answer, she was so confused by the way Elvis Chuck was acting. But she was glad for the opportunity to get away from Lilly, now that they had publically argued and Lilly had acted so awful, so she made her way back down the aisle and spent the rest of the afternoon making sure Elvis Chuck knew that she was not going to be seduced by a song, although when she really thought about it, it was a song worthy of seduction. If she had been that sort of girl.
They didn’t feel dressed enough for church in their slightly sooty summer dresses and sandals, but Jimmy Lee and Edna Mae were not due to pick them up until after the concert, and besides, all the Elvises cajoled them until they finally agreed to sit in the sanctuary with all the well-dressed people who had come to see the performance. As soon as the concert began, they were glad they had been persuaded. Sally Beth closed her eyes, trying hard not to sing along while the Elvis voices filled the church with the sacred gospel songs. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.
Halfway through the concert, Elvis Sam stepped forward and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest with us tonight. Elvis Jesse has driven over from Hot Springs and is going to perform with us.” To Sally Beth’s complete astonishment, someone who looked exactly like the real Elvis strode out onto the stage and took his place with the other singers. She studied him closely. He looked better than the real Elvis did; at least he looked better than he did in the months before he died. He looked like Elvis did back when he was healthy and happy, before he got so fat and strung out on pills, back when he looked like he liked living, and when he stepped forward to sing a solo of “Amazing Grace”, she began to believe that Elvis was not dead, but stood before her in the sanctuary of the Sugar Creek Baptist Church of Fort Worth, singing like an angel. She wept softly and took Lilly’s hand. Lilly squeezed it and joined her in the weeping.
Oh Lord, if You’re listening to this, and I hope You are, would You please get Mama and Daddy to come listen too? I know You probably have angels that sing as good as this, but I think this is about the closest thing we have to angels down here on earth, and I want Mama and Daddy to know what a good time we are having, and although we miss them very much, we are grateful for the life we still have in us.
When it was over, it was hard to say goodbye, but the Elvises packed up quickly, and before she had a chance to seek out Elvis Jesse to tell him how much she appreciated his singing, he had disappeared through the back door and the Elvises of the Love Me Tender Gospel Choir were filing onto the bus, waving at them. Lilly ran up to give Elvis Tommy one last kiss, and Sally Beth was wistfully hoping she would be able to say goodbye to Elvis Chuck, when he suddenly materialized beside her.
“Sally Beth, here is my address, and my phone number. Can I have yours?” He pressed a piece of paper into her hand. She managed to stammer out, “Okay, but I’m not good at writing. I’m not sure how often you’ll hear from me.” She suddenly felt like crying again. Elvis Chuck had been so nice to her, and they had had such a good time together. She began to regret her suspicion that he had been playing games with her. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him the way Lilly had kissed Elvis Tommy, but she didn’t want to give Elvis Chuck the wrong idea, and she certainly didn’t want to compromise her heart. On top of that, she was afraid she would embarrass them both if she did. So she stuck out her hand and mumbled something about how nice it was to have met him, and sadly watched as he took the steps into the bus. He hung out in the doorway for a moment, waved at her, looking very sweet and sad, and disappeared.
Jimmy Lee and Edna Mae were waiting in the parking lot. Edna Mae wore a new dress. It was about the ugliest thing Sally Beth had ever seen, but it did cover her up well, with yards and yards of brown splotchy fabric billowing around her from her neck to the tops of Jimmy Lee’s white socks and scuffed brown shoes. “Where did you get it on a Sunday?” Sally Beth wanted to know.
Edna Mae beamed. “Jimmy Lee and me, we drove around the shopping areas, and we found a place. It wasn’t open, but the owner had just come in to do some work, and Jimmy Lee talked him into letting us in! I was feeling so dirty and ragged, and Jimmy Lee was determined to find me something to wear. He knocked on the door for a long time, and the man kept waving him away, and finally, Jimmy Lee slapped a fifty dollar bill up against the window, and the man came over and let us in! I found this dress on the sale rack, and isn’t it just perfect?”
“Perfect” was not how Sally Beth would have described it, but she was glad to see Edna Mae happy. “Yes, it’s perfect, Edna Mae. I bet you feel real relieved to have it on.”
“Oh, I am!” breathed Edna Mae, looking at Jimmy Lee as if he was just perfect, too.
Jimmy Lee stepped up and almost put his arm around Edna Mae but stopped himself just before he touched her, then waved his arm around a little as if he didn’t know what do to with it, finally bringing his hand up and scratching his head. “We’ve found a motel just around the corner, and we’ve already checked in, so let’s get on over there and get some rest. Tomorrow we can replace all your things and head to Dallas to find a car for Lilly. We took the liberty of getting you a few things for the night.” He blushed and looked away, making Sally Beth feel somehow worldly in the face of his bashful gallantry.
Sally Beth insisted on riding with Lamentations in the back of the truck the two miles to the motel Jimmy Lee and Edna Mae had found, and she enjoyed the breeze and the warm Texas night, even though the mosquitoes were pretty bad until they got up some speed. She couldn’t see the stars very well because there was so much light all around, but just looking heavenward and dwelling on the music of the day made her think of her mountains and how happy she was to have a home under the glorious heavens, so close to the sky and these stars, and how happy she was to be on this adventure. Even though Lilly had upset her earlier in the day, the bad feeling between them had dissolved, and once again, she felt glad just to be alive in this beautiful world, and she stopped worrying about Lilly or what pain her recklessness may cause.
Lord, this is changing me. I don’t know how, and I don’t know if it’s all for the good, but I ask You make it work together for good. Use me, changed or not. Whatever happens, show me a way to serve You better.
Jimmy Lee and Edna Mae had food for all of them back at the hotel, and they had managed to find new toothbrushes and some big T-shirts to sleep in, as well as clean clothes for tomorrow, which were especially welcome. Sally Beth noticed that while Edna Mae had chosen an ugly and shapeless dress for herself, she had picked out bright and beautiful ones for Lilly and her. Her heart swelled for Edna Mae and her kindness as she and Lilly held the dresses up against themselves and twirled around in front of the mirror.
Jimmy Lee stood awkwardly in the doorway while they exclaimed over their new things, then mumbled something about how late it was as he opened the door to slip out. Edna Mae jumped up to walk outside with him, returning half an hour later, smiling. Sally Beth had to smile, too, but when Lilly opened her mouth to tease, she shot her a warning glance to silence her. It was easy to change the subject; they all had plenty to say about their day’s adventures.
It was pure luxury to wash their faces and brush their teeth, shower, and climb into the clean T-shirts. When they finally snuggled down into the soft beds, tired and happy, sleep came slowly, dragging its feet and lingering at the foot of the beds for a long time. They all had a lot to contemplate, and all of their contemplations were about men. Sally Beth thought about three: Elvis Chuck, her daddy, and Jesus.