An original short story: A Graceland Christmas

In a complete departure from what I usually write, this is a fun little romantic tale set at Christmastime right here in my hometown. I hope you enjoy.  

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“Happy Holidays!. Welcome to Memphis International Airport. Proceed this way to Baggage Claim.” The airline agent had on a dark blue jacket and skirt and, predictably, blue suede shoes. The two women behind me squealed.

“Helen, look! Blue Suede shoes! How clever is that?! Miss, can we please get our picture taken with you? We just have to show the folks back home in Duluth how Elvis is represented even at the airport!”

I grinned at the guy next to me and kept walking.

“Poor girl. I bet she gets that all the time.”

“Yep. But she’s totally asking for it with the shoes.”

We moved down the escalator and toward the luggage turnstile.

“Are you from Memphis, or just visiting?” His eyes were greenish hazel and had “smile crinkles” at the edges.

“Quick business trip from Philadelphia. You?”

“This is home for me.” He had a slight southern drawl which was kind of adorable. “I’m Christian, by the way.”

“Joanna. It’s nice to meet you.” We shook hands, formally, which made us laugh. His grip was warm and strong.

“You staying around the airport? We could share an Uber.”

Whoa, girl. You don’t even know this guy. Do NOT tell him where you’re staying.

“I’m staying downtown, actually.”

“Well that’s a nice coincidence. I live north of downtown and we'll go right past there. Now we definitely need to share a ride. It’s meant to be.” Christian grinned down at me with his crinkly green eyes and I couldn’t help myself.

“Sure, why not.”

When we got to my hotel, he got out of the car to help me with my bag.

“Joanna…I know we just met and you don’t know me at all and you’re here to work, but—"

“—How about we meet up for dinner tomorrow night?”

Seriously? Did you just ask him out?

I rushed on, “I could give you a call once I know what time I’ll be done tomorrow.”

“Perfect. I’ll take you to one of my favorite spots.”

My meetings the next day were interminable and I found myself thinking about Christian: his tall, slim build, the way his brown hair curled a little at the collar, his lazy grin. I wanted to know more about him and for him to know more about me. When we finally adjourned, I called him. He answered on the first ring.

“Hey, you.” He laughed, and I could hear the sound of a dog barking in the background.

“Hi. Where are you?”

“In my backyard throwing the ball with Lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“My dog. My 75-pound Golden Retriever, to be exact.” Apparently, he flung the ball because I could hear a great rush of crunching leaves which faded almost immediately.

“Wow, that’s a lot of dog.”

Christian chuckled. “Well, he’s more than just a dog. He’s my best friend. When I returned from my last tour in Iraq, he really helped me.”

“I didn’t know you were in the military. What branch?”

“Army. After three deployments I was done. Just ready for a change.”

“You know, I feel like I could talk to you for hours.”

“Me too. So, how fast can you be ready for me to pick you up?”

We ate dinner at a home-style restaurant on a quiet street, not at all the sort of place I thought he might take me. I loved it. We lingered over dessert and coffee, talking about our past, our present, our hopes for the future.

Finally, I said, “I hate to even mention it but it’s getting late. My meetings start early tomorrow. I ... I'm supposed to fly out tomorrow evening, but I really don't want to do that.”

“Then don’t.” He took my hand. “Stay with me for a few days. I want to spend more time with you. You haven’t even met Lucky yet. And, most important, you haven’t seen Graceland.”

“Graceland?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Of course. You can’t come to Memphis at Christmas and not see Graceland. It’s heresy!”

My meetings finally concluded, I checked out of the hotel the next day. Christian was waiting at the front door in his pickup.

“This is insane. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

His eyes crinkled at me. “Me neither. How about we drop your stuff off at the house and you can meet Lucky. I don’t want to make too big a deal out of it, but his approval of anyone I date is very important.”

“Good to know. Sure hope I pass the test.”

“I’ll tell you a secret. He’s a pushover for a girl with a liver snap hidden in her pocket.”

Christian lived in a red brick ranch-style home on a large lot. Beautiful oak trees framed the front of the house and I could see evergreens in the back.

“Brace yourself.” Christian unlocked the door and I could hear him before I saw him. Thundering paws ran to meet us, skidding to a stop right in front of us. Lucky was magnificent, blond, and huge.

“Lucky, sit.”

Lucky sat.

“Wow, he’s beautiful.”

“Well, don’t let him hear you say that. He’ll get a big head.”

Christian made dinner and we ate on the back patio.

“I can’t believe this weather. There’s snow on the ground at home.”

“Sounds like you might need a new home.” He grinned as he stood and reached for my plate. “Let’s drop these off in the kitchen and go for a drive.”

We drove through the city, looking at the Christmas lights. Christian stopped at a park overlooking the Mississippi River. A barge moved slowly below us and its long, low horn sounded.

“This is perfect, Christian.”

“I know. It’s one of my favorite places to go at night. It’s usually quiet like this. A good place to think. And talk.” He looked at me. “Joanna, I know this is really fast and probably crazy, but I’m so attracted to you. And the more we get to know each other, the stronger that attraction grows.”

“I feel the same way.”

Our first kiss was slow and sweet. I thought we would linger awhile, but Christian started up the truck and continued driving.

“Next stop Graceland?”

“Next stop Graceland.”

When we reached the iconic gates, I looked at the beautiful white house, covered in Christmas lights, sitting up on a hill. Even at this hour, there were tourists milling about, taking selfies and reading plaques.

“Know why I brought you here?”

“Um, ‘cause you have a side gig as an Elvis impersonator?”

He shook his head.

“Hmm…you have a podcast called “Love me Tender”? He chuckled and put his hand over my mouth.

“Hush. I’m trying to be serious here.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I smiled up at his profile.

“I brought you here because Graceland at Christmas is magical. And I mean, seriously magical. Growing up, every time I came here at Christmas and made a wish, that wish came true. Every time.”

“Is that a fact?”

“It is. And this year…well, all of a sudden I have a very important wish to make.”

“Actually, I think I might have a wish of my own to make.”

💙

 

What's new

Autumn has finally arrived here, and it is glorious. I love cool, crisp mornings and evenings and sunny warm afternoons. This weather is hard to beat. The leaves have not really started turning here yet, but I have a feeling they'll start showing some color in the next few days. 

This kind of weather makes me want to cook and bake. I made dinner for a dad and two kids who recently lost their wife/mom -- meatloaf, mashed potatoes, California mix veggies, and brownies for dessert. I also took a jug of lemonade and a giant bag of snack bags of chocolate covered pretzels for school lunches. I hope they enjoyed it. I hope it eased their troubles for a moment. I hope it made a difference. I wish I could do so much more. I made two meatloaves and doubled the potatoes and veggies, and an extra pan of brownies - for us - and Steve loved it all. He's a meat-n-potatoes boy, for sure.

Tonight we will enjoy leftovers, so I don't have to make anything. My cooking plans for the next few days include making a pot of beef veggie soup with cornbread, Friday taco night, and maybe a nice roasted chicken for the weekend. I also have had a taste for my mom's no-bake cookies, but I'll wait awhile for those. I try to have extended times between making desserts for us, since we just don't need the sugar.

With my balance issues, I have started using a "rollator" walker in the house. It helps to stabilize me and provides a place to sit if I get weak. Hobbes, of course, has investigated it thoroughly and has decided he likes riding around in it while I push him. Silly boy. 

Audrey is too long to fit on the seat, but I think she wishes she could ride around the house too. 😉

That's pretty much all that's new around here. What's new in your neck of the woods?

An original short story: Home Fires

Tracy sped out from gravel to blacktop, spitting rocks from her back tires. She was going to be late. Again. And Lulu had told her the next time would be the last time. Even though it was a crap job it was still better than nothing. She floored it and the truck jerked in response.

Already, the heat from the sun shimmered on the road ahead of her. It was going to be another scorcher. Tracy hated working the lunch shift at Lulu’s Burgers. It was a manic job – hot as hell, orders being shouted at her from all directions, burgers popping, onion rings sizzling, customers waiting impatiently. She left there every day smelling like grease.

She hazarded a glimpse at herself in the rear view mirror and cringed at what she saw. Twenty eight was way too young to have that kind of dark circle action. She thought of what her Granny used to say about people whose hard living had caught up with them: that they’d been “rode hard and put up wet.” After another late night of drinking, spending the night at Luke’s had seemed like the best decision. I’ve got to get a grip.

Pulling into the parking lot on two wheels, Tracy ran in the back door to find Lulu herself standing there, arms crossed.

“I’m not late. It’s 10:00 right on the dot, so I’m not late.”

Lulu tightened her lips and looked Tracy over from head to toe.

“Girl, the trouble with burning the candle at both ends is sooner or later you’re the one burned. You look like hell.” She shook her head. “All right, get in there and get busy prepping. And keep your mind on the job; I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Tracy did as she was told. One good thing about working at Lulu’s was it didn’t leave room for a lot of rumination. It was mid-afternoon before she had a chance to step out the back door for a break. There was a picnic table under some shade trees, and she gratefully sat. Although hot, the air was moving and she closed her eyes and savored the sensation as the breeze tickled the hairs at the back of her neck.

“Tracy.” She looked up to see Lulu standing there.

“Something wrong?”

“Yes. Hell, yes. Something is wrong, girl. With you.” She sat down at the table with Tracy.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve known you since you were born. Your parents and I go back for years even before that. I know it’s been tough losing them so young, and I—”

“Look, Lulu. I’m fine. I’ve had bit of a rough patch lately, that’s all, but I’m handling things.”

“No, you’re not. Look at you. You’re a mess. Bill and Barbara were so proud of you when you enrolled in culinary school. They used to tell me, ‘That girl of ours is going to really make something of her life. She’s bound for greatness.’ They couldn’t wait to see you as head chef in some swanky restaurant; hell, even owning your own someday.”

“Yeah well, things change sometimes. Life doesn’t always work out like we think it will.”

“Girl, you think you’ve got the market cornered on suffering?” Lulu stood and took a few steps toward the tree, then turned back. “When George died, I wanted to curl up and die right along with him. I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. But you know what? I had two little mouths to feed so I didn’t have a choice. I had to get up, wash my face, go to work.” She blew out a sigh and sat back down.

“I knew I could make damn good burgers and fries, so that’s what I did. I built this business up from the ground, with my own blood and sweat and tears. I know it’s just a burger joint, but it’s my burger joint. It put my two kids through school and got them set up for life.” She leaned forward and locked eyes with Tracy.

“And it provided a place for you when your parents died. Tracy, I know losing them both in that accident shook you to your very core. I was happy to have you come work for me. But, girl…” Lulu’s eyes softened. “Your folks were right. You are meant for something more. You just need to find the courage to take the first step.”

Tracy looked down at her hands. “Lulu, I just don’t know if I have what it takes. Besides, Mom and Dad never said anything like that to me. I always got the impression they wanted me to go to university and be a…I don’t know…a social worker like mom or an accountant like dad.”

“What they wanted was for you to follow your dreams…wherever those dreams take you. They wanted you to be happy and successful living the life you choose.” Lulu stood and headed back inside. “I want you to think long and hard about this, Tracy. The rest of your life just might hinge on what you decide. Now, get out of here for an hour or two. I’ll prep for the supper crowd.”

Tracy headed home in her beat up truck, windows down, humming along to some old-school Iris DeMent, whose plaintive voice always put whatever emotions she was feeling front and center. “…and I brought joy to my mother, and I made my lover smile…” She thought about her mom and dad and what she’d always believed their expectations to be. Her truck changed course almost without her even consciously deciding to, toward to the cemetery where they were buried. She walked up the slight hill where they were buried under a pretty shade tree and she thought again how it wasn’t a bad spot at all to spend eternity.

“Mom, Dad… I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I guess I wanted to be in a better place in my life before I came back.” Her voice thickened and she felt the tears gathering behind her eyes.

“It’s been …. God, it’s been so hard on my own. Growing up I always wished for a sister, but after you guys were gone, so suddenly—” Tracy’s voice broke and she sank to her knees in the soft green grass, silent tears sliding down her face.

“I know I haven’t handled things very well, and I’m sorry. I know you both want me to be strong and successful and happy. And, even though I’m not all of that right now, Lulu helped me see that I can get there. I just have to get off my butt and work for it.” She took a shaky deep breath and smiled through her tears.

“I promise you both, I’m going after that life. I really believe I can get there now.”

Brushing off her jeans, Tracy headed back to the truck. She had plans to make and people to call. But she had one important first call to make.

“Hey Lulu. You were right. About everything. I’ll be in later but I just wanted you to know. I’m going after my dreams.”