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Elvis Memorabilia Story: My Summer with Elvis
Summer of 1957
It was nineteen fifty-seven when my cousin Eileen and I were excited to visit our Aunt Louise, whom we affectionately called Eza (pronounced Ee-sa). Eza was the sweetest person in the world, and she was living in Memphis after leaving Nashville to marry a former Green Bay Packers football star and heavyweight boxer, known as 'Heavy', who was now working in construction. She kindly invited us to spend the summer with her.
I was 14 and Eileen was 11. Everyone was enamored with Elvis music, and we’d often go down to Hibbett's drug store to buy movie magazines. My sister Annette worked there and would charge everything, leaving her broke by the end of the week. Eza was our favorite aunt, and we thought she was absolutely beautiful; everyone said I resembled her. We told Eza we wanted to see Elvis, and every morning she would drop us off at Graceland.
She would pull up in front of Elvis's mansion and ask, 'Have you seen him?' to which we would reply 'no.' 'Are you ready to come back home?' we'd insist 'no.' Then one day, Eileen said, 'I’m hungry, I want a milkshake.' 'Okay, let’s get you a milkshake,' I responded. I believe it was at a place called Westgate, where 'Honeycomb' was playing on the jukebox. It wasn’t commercial back then. When we returned, people around said, 'You just missed him.' I wanted to pour that milkshake all over Eileen and say, 'YOU had to have a milkshake!' We wore the same shoe size, and I was trying to look older in a peasant blouse and cinched waist. Eileen loved my shoes, while I admired her baby doll shoes, and we swapped footwear. During this time, we also met Elvis's cousin and guard, 'Smith,' who informed us we had just missed him.
The following day, I decided we should bring lunch with us to avoid missing out again. We packed tuna salad sandwiches and waited, but the guard who had been observing us left. I told Eileen, 'Let’s go through the field and over the wall.' I climbed the wall and could see Elvis's mother's pink Cadillac. Eileen grabbed my leg, pleading with me not to go any further. 'I’m scared, don’t do it,' she said. Reluctantly, I came down as I realized she was genuinely worried.
We returned to the front of Graceland, where Uncle Smith came to talk to us. 'I’ve seen you girls here every day,' he noted. We confirmed we were indeed regular visitors. He said, 'If you want to see Elvis, come back tonight at nine. He doesn’t come out during the day; it’s rare for him.' We knew we would need Aunt Eza to take us.
When we asked her, Eza was hesitant. 'I don’t know, are you sure you want to do this?' Yes! Yes! she finally relented, adding her signature 'huun' with a longer southern drawl. 'I don’t want to disappoint you, but I don’t think he’ll be there,' she said, possibly due to a drink or two she had earlier.
Despite my nerves, I was determined, and the drink helped persuade her. We pulled up to Graceland to find it surprisingly empty. When we got out of the car and stood at the gate, a brick wall before us, suddenly Elvis appeared in a little golf cart. We were stunned as he came over to the fence and chatted with us, asking our names. We were perched on the wall to the left of the big gates. Soon, more people started gathering, but he engaged us all and answered questions. He was dressed in black pants, a black shirt, and a slim white belt. Elvis playfully said, 'Don’t lie to me.' I suppose he enjoyed the sound of it as he was there for a good hour, leaving twice and returning, teasing us with, 'I fooled you' before finally leaving in his golf cart. We soaked up every moment, struggling to reach him while on tiptoes. Though brief, our time with Elvis was unforgettable, and I got his autograph on a scrap of paper that read 'Elvis Presley.' The crowd began to swell with kids clamoring for his attention, but I had touched him.
Eza was waiting right in front when we got back to the car. Just as we drove down the parkway, a policeman stopped us. Apparently, Aunt Eza had enjoyed a cocktail while waiting for us. 'Well, Officerrrr, I was just taking my little nieces to see Elviiissssss Presssss- ahh...' (Dear god, I didn't think she'd ever say it in her slurred speech.) The officer warned us, 'Now listen, girls, I’m going to let your Aunt go, but you have to promise me you’ll head straight home.' 'Oh, we promise, we promise.' Heavy Gilmore drove us back to Nashville, all the while reminiscing about his football days, but our minds were filled with dreams of Elvis and what the future held for us in the world of Elvis prints and timeless memories.
