Three days later, it was Friday, and that meant Newman Bay Days were here. Tomorrow there would be a parade, and then right after that the midway would open, with rides and games and cotton candy and all sorts of other treats, all at the large park in town next to the library.
Raymond had walked over to Andy El’s through the Cut and offered to take Andy El and me to town to see the parade along with Agnes and Linda. Esther would be working at the café all day.
The twins were excited about us all going together. I agonized for a few minutes, and then said yes. I had been saving so hard and hadn’t spent one penny of my money so far this summer. I had counted and re-counted to make sure, and I had earned $10.75. I was nearly halfway to getting to Vancouver. The ferry ticket would cost me $4.00 each way, and then I still had to save for the bus fare and then some food along the way.
But it sounded like so much fun, to go with Agnes and Linda, and of course Andy El and Raymond. I decided that I could take just one dollar of my hard-earned money and treat myself to a ride on the Ferris wheel or some cotton candy at the fair in the park after the parade. It would just put off my trip another week or so, and that was okay in the long run. I had worked so hard that I figured that I deserved a day off. Besides, I would get to see Elvis perform. I imagined standing with my dad, watching the parade, and seeing how excited he got when Elvis came by on his float. At least if I went to see Elvis perform, I could tell him all about it when I met him in Vancouver.
Raymond headed back home, and Andy El and I got ready for the next day.
As far as Andy El was concerned, Saturday night was always hair washing time, but this week it would be on a Friday night. Andy El let me have a shower in her little bathroom and wash my hair, and then insisted I go get some clean clothes to go to town. She did the same.
I headed back to Clarice’s and dug in my dresser for a clean light blue T-shirt and some jean shorts. I would wear them with a pair of runners that I found in the closet. Up till now they had been too big for me, but my feet had grown this summer, and they now fit me. They were white with fancy royal blue stripes on the side. I even found a clean pair of dark blue socks in my drawer, so I didn’t need to do any laundry tonight. And for once, everything even matched.
Saturday morning, Andy El and I were up early, washed and ready to go. Andy El packed us a lunch of fry bread and baloney sandwiches, all wrapped up in wax paper. She made a big thermos of tea, so we wouldn’t go hungry or thirsty.
Raymond’s truck pulled into the driveway, and we climbed in. Andy El got in the front, and I clambered into the back with Linda and Agnes. The three of us laughed and chattered so much we must have sounded like a bunch of ravens as we drove into town.
Boy, was it busy in town! We had about twenty minutes before the parade started, so Raymond parked in the A&P parking lot, and we headed off to find a clear piece of sidewalk on Main Street.
I was excited to see the parade this year, but also a bit nervous. I didn’t come to town very often, as I never had much money for shopping and therefore not much reason to go. I also felt uncomfortable in town. It may have been simply my imagination, but I always felt that people stared at me and whispered about me behind my back.
I had decided that I would stand with Andy El and the others to watch the parade, and that I wouldn’t go and help Mrs. Bateman with the batons this time. I didn’t think that she would be any madder at me than she usually was. In fact, I figured she would probably be relieved to not have me show up. Besides, the girls in the majorette troupe weren’t exactly friendly to me. I knew most of them from school, and they all either ignored me or, when they did speak to me, treated me like trash.
This year, I decided, I wanted a chance to actually enjoy the parade with my friends, just like everyone else, and not be made to feel like I was in the way.
I also really wanted to see the town’s reaction when Elvis showed up on his float. I wanted to be there when his secret became public and everyone realized that Elvis Presley was alive and well and living in Eagle Shores Trailer Park. I wanted to remember and savor all of the details so I could tell my dad all about it. And I wanted Elvis to know that I had kept his secret, all safe, right till the end for him.
So we all stood, chatting excitedly with the rest of the gathering crowd. And then, just like that, the parade started. First came the police chief, sitting in the squad car with the lights flashing and siren blaring.
Then came the veterans from the Legion in their old war uniforms, marching proudly down the street. Everyone clapped hard for them. It was hard to think those regular-looking old men were true war heroes, but I knew it was so.
“Look, Truly, here comes your grandma’s troupe,” said Andy El, pointing.
I held my breath as the Newman Bay High Steppers proudly marched around the corner onto Main Street. They really did look fine in their new uniforms, and I had to admit that Clarice had done them proud with all her hard work sewing.
They tossed their batons high in the air, spun themselves around, and then caught them smartly as they marched past us, showing off their precision drills. I knew the lead girl, Natalie, from school. She was a few years older than me and had always been very full of herself, and not particularly kind to me. I had to admit she was really good, though. She blew a whistle, and all of the girls began to march briskly on the spot, their clean white shoes with sparkly red laces stamping in unison. High stepping, they leapt and twirled and sashayed in and out of their choreographed formations, without missing a beat or dropping a baton. They really were good. And then, with another sharp blast of Natalie’s whistle, they marched off down the street. Everyone cheered for them and their new routine.
Mrs. Bateman marched alongside them. She was so proud of her troupe: you could tell by the big smile on her face and how her chest was all puffed out. At least, until she caught sight of me. That’s when her smile faded, and then she frowned as her eyes swept over Andy El, Raymond, and the twins as they stood beside me. I nearly waved at her, but I decided she wouldn’t like that, so I didn’t. Besides, she had looked away from us so quickly that she wouldn’t have seen it anyway.
There was a lot more in the parade after that: clowns, the high school marching band, lots of floats, and then, at the very end, came the big surprise: Elvis.
I held my breath as the Chamber of Commerce float came around the corner. There he was, Elvis Presley, front and center on the float in his beautiful sequinned costume, playing his guitar and singing away into the microphone, a huge grin on his face. For the entire town to see.
The whole crowd around us gasped, and then cheered and applauded like crazy as he passed slowly by. Elvis caught sight of us, and as his song ended, he struck his famous karate-style pose and pointed right at me. Then, as the crowd went even wilder, Elvis grinned, waved to everyone, and said into the microphone, “Well thank you, folks, thank you very much!” and broke right into “Return to Sender” without skipping a beat.
Now his secret was out.
And I was so proud that everyone knew that I was Elvis’s friend. Agnes and Linda were chattering excitedly, and Raymond and Andy El and were laughing and shaking their heads, they were so surprised.
“Well, who woulda guessed?” Andy El said, laughing. “That Aaron Kingsley sure is talented!”
As the parade ended, the crowd broke up, and everyone headed to the park. Andy El told us girls to walk on over with the crowd, and she and Raymond would get our packed lunch and bring it over. We agreed to meet by the stage, where, after some boring speeches and opening ceremonies, there would be entertainment for the rest of the afternoon.
As we walked, Agnes and Linda laughed and chattered about the parade. I walked silently and tried to listen to bits of conversations all around us, to see what people thought about Elvis. I was sure that this was what Miss Marple would have done.
I heard snippets like, “I’ve never seen an Elvis impersonator before, that sure was great!” And “I’ve seen that fella around town — who knew he could play the part of Elvis so well!”
I was real confused. I would have thought it was so clear to everyone, just like it was to me. This was the real Elvis Presley. I just couldn’t understand why no one else could see it as clearly as I could. Okay, sure, I had heard all about Elvis Presley impersonators, but in the magazines none of them looked and sounded and acted this much like Elvis Presley. I knew that Aaron Kingsley really was Elvis. The King.
But then it dawned on me — Elvis’s secret was still safe! No one else could see the truth about him. They all thought that he had been doing an impersonation of Elvis Presley, and that meant that everything would still be the same at the trailer park. But I knew that it wasn’t just an act, that when he got off stage he didn’t stop being Elvis. I knew that even at the trailer park, when he was alone singing in his trailer, he wasn’t just Aaron Kingsley. He was Elvis.
With that I cheered right up, and as we walked quickly over to the park, I joined in the chatter with the twins.