The Graceland Tales

by Donna D. Prescott

  (SENATOR PAM pauses. THERESA reaches up and pats her arm. SENATOR PAM takes a breath.)

  Once upon a time, there was a war, the war in Vietnam. The woman who has most influenced my life, Emma, came of age during the Vietnam War, as did my mother. Because of Emma, I ended up in politics. I’m going to tell you Emma’s story, which is partially my mother’s story, too, and so has become mine through their retelling.

  The summer before my mother’s senior year in high school, Emma and her mother moved to our neighborhood. People thought it odd that she moved in at that time. Most students in that situation find a way to stay at their previous school for their senior year and graduate with their friends. However, Emma kept to herself, so people in the neighborhood didn’t know what the story was. Of course, rumors ran rampant. One rumor had it that she and her mother were living with a relative to escape an abusive home. Another had it that Emma’s father had abandoned Emma and her mother so they moved in with a relative. Back in those days, women’s shelters were basically not heard of and women in bad situations had very few options. There were also some rather ugly rumors circulating about Emma’s mother, but once my mother got to know Emma, she found out that those rumors simply were not true. Still, women in the neighborhood didn’t invite Emma’s mom over for coffee or to play cards or otherwise include her in their social activities.

  After the school year started, my mother and Emma found that they shared many classes. They struck up a friendship and Emma ended up spending many afternoons hanging out at my mother’s house. Because of the upheaval of the 1960’s—civil rights, the Vietnam War, feminism—my mother and Emma joined the Free-dom For All Club at school. The club’s purpose was to draw attention in peaceful ways to the issues of the day. They organized and participated in anti-war activities, as well as activities supporting women’s rights and desegregation. The club supported freedom for all while avoiding the violent free-for-all of some other groups.

  ORIEL THE HOTEL MANAGER: (looks up from her spreadsheet) As much as things change, they remain the same. Look at what’s happened with the Women’s March on Washington and the Black Lives Matter movement.

  SENATOR PAM: The Occupy movement has been notable, too. But getting back to my story, also attending the school were two guys who were best friends—Arthur, who went by Art, and Paul. They were not actually related, but they looked so much alike that people often mistook them for brothers or cousins. While they looked alike, and hung out together a lot, they had quite different personalities. Art was a football star, quite an aggressive fellow on the football field, yet off the field, he had a reputation as a gentle giant. Off the field, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. One day in English class, the teacher squished a wasp which had found its way into the classroom. Art became visibly upset and insisted that the next time a wasp got into the classroom, he be allowed to capture it and release it outdoors. He took out his aggressions in other ways, specifically on the football field. In addition to football, Art was quite gung-ho about JROTC. He wanted nothing more than to graduate college and fly choppers in Vietnam. He rarely drank and never took drugs because of football and JROTC. Paul was a more intellectual sort, more of a hippy, tall and slender. He was the ace of the debate team and so more interested in the issues of the time. Of course, he joined the Free-dom For All Club which met weekly after school. During football season, Paul would wait after the Club meetings for Art to finish practice so they could hang out together.

  Once football season ended, Art expected that Paul would give up the Free-dom For All Club to hang out with him. Paul, however, continued to attend meetings. He had become committed to the work, to the petitions and sit-ins. These were the years when the lunch counter protests and the freedom riders of the early 1960’s were still fresh. Sit-ins protesting segregation and marches for voting rights and open housing were sweeping across the nation. The bombings in Vietnam began in 1965. Riots broke out on university campuses and other places. Feminism gained more traction after President Kennedy created the Committee on the Status of Women in 1961. The Equal Pay Act followed soon thereafter. Advances in laws regarding access to contraception occurred, including approval of The Pill. Women were demanding more control over their own bodies. It was a vibrant time to be a young activist.

  LINDA THE HUMANITARIAN WORKER: With your mother and Emma involved in those causes, no wonder you’re so interested in women’s rights.

  SENATOR PAM: Yes, it’s in my blood. Anyway, when Paul suggested that Art join the club, too, it seemed like a good idea, even though Art had missed much of the work to that point because of football. Club members were thrilled to have another voice for the cause. After the first meeting that Art attended, he confided to Paul that he found Emma impressive—efficient, no-nonsense—and intended to ask her out. Paul explained to Art that he had been quietly admiring Emma since the beginning of the year and had been working up the nerve to ask her out himself. The two friends had a tense discussion. Art claimed that since Paul had been sitting on his hands for so long, that Emma was fair game. She didn’t even know that Paul had a crush on her. Paul countered that Art was new to the club and Paul should have first dibs on asking her out because of his quiet devotion. He actually knew her better.

  After this discussion, the two went their separate ways. A few days later, they took up the debate again in the hall. The two teachers who broke up the scuffle escorted Paul and Art to the principal’s office. Because a star football player and JROTC member was involved, the principal called in the football coach, a retired lieutenant colonel who also oversaw the JROTC program. Art stood stiffly when the coach entered. The coach started, ‘You guys have been best buddies since forever. What happened in the hall just now?’ Paul sat silently, slumped in his chair, looking at his hands. After a few moments Art said, ‘Sir, we had an argument that we picked up today in the hall.’ The coach said ‘Don’t tell me you’re fighting over a girl.’ Glum silence confirmed the coach’s suspicion. The principal said, ‘OK, tell us what happened.’

  Paul explained that since the beginning of the school year, he had a quiet crush on the new girl, Emma, in the Free-dom For All Club and had been trying to work up the courage to ask her out. Art took up the story, saying that Paul never did ask Emma out. When Art started attending the meetings after football season ended and met Emma, he was impressed and confided to Paul that he intended to ask her out. Art finished, ‘Paul claims he has first dibs, but I say I do.’

  The principal and coach exchanged incredulous looks. The principal asked Art if he seriously had put his football career and JROTC career in danger because of a fight over a girl. Art flexed his jaw and looked first at the principal and then at the coach, finally admitting yes, he did. He said he could tell by the way that she handled herself at the meetings that she was special. He wanted to ask her out and get to know her better. Paul straightened in his chair, countering that he already had the chance to get to know her. He want to ask her out because he already knew her.

  The principal and the coach conferred. The coach delivered their verdict. He said that he would deal with Art and the infraction regarding the team and JROTC later. Regarding the two of them, they would call Emma in to a meeting and see what she had to say about the situation. What could Art and Paul say? The meeting with Emma was arranged for later that week after school.

  (The sliding doors at the front of the car clunk open and THE CONDUCTOR comes in. THERESA discreetly stands and meets him near the luggage rack, handing him an envelope and conferring quietly. He examines the contents of the envelope, surveys the coach, nods at THERESA, and exits through the doors at the rear of the coach. THERESA slips back into her seat.)

  On the given day, Emma arrived at the principal’s office with my mother and her mother, my grandmother. Emma’s mother worked long hours so on the appointed day, she couldn’t be there. The coach explained the situation: ‘These two fine young men have been best friends forever. Now for the first time, they’re having a fight that thre
atened their friendship and possibly their futures over a girl.’

  My grandmother immediately responded, ‘These two boys may be fighting over this young woman, but they are not fighting over a girl.’ The men sat in silence. Emma looked stunned. ‘I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to date either one. In fact, I don’t want to date, at all. I never want to get married. I never want to be a wife, and I certainly don’t want to have children—ever. I want to control my own life, not have a husband and children control it for me.’

  BELLA THE ACADEMIC: You go, girl! (Several pilgrims crane their necks to look at her.)

  SENATOR PAM: My grandmother stood up to leave saying, ‘Emma is a human being, not a piece of property. You two boys need to settle this matter between yourselves, but you need to leave this young woman out of it.’ Then, she swept Emma and my mother out of the office, slamming the door as they left. After a moment, the principal cleared his throat and said, ‘OK, guys, there’s your answer. Now shake hands and be friends again.’

  Of course, word got out and Emma was taunted as a lesbian, but she never budged in her resolve. All four remained active in the Free-dom For All Club, but Emma kept her distance. My mother ran interference for Emma when necessary. Paul and Art lived with an uneasy peace between them. Paul felt wronged because he had admired Emma for so long only to be cut off before he could truly get to know her. Art felt wronged because he had discovered Emma only to be prevented from getting to know her better. Who had it worse?

  ASCII-ME A TECHIE: Oh, Paul definitely had it worse.

  SIR KAY A TECHIE: Sorry, dude, but Art really got a raw deal.

  SEAN THE DEACON: How does that Elvis tune go, ‘That’s When the Heartache Begins’? When two guys like the same girl, they can’t share love so they lose both the sweetheart and the friend.

  SENATOR PAM: Actually, fellows, it was a rhetorical question, but thanks, anyway. After graduation, they all ended up at the state university. Paul, Emma, and my mom participated in protests against the war, continuing the activism they had embraced while in high school, fueled by high profile assassinations and the shootings at Kent State. Meanwhile, Art avidly pursued a military career. After college, he really wanted to fly Hueys, so the Army sent him to Fort Walters for primary training and then on to Fort Rucker for advanced training. Since it turned into a ‘helicopter war,’ the Army didn’t mind sparing him a few months stateside and them sent him on to Nam as a 1st lieutenant to fly choppers.

  At college Paul became too involved in the anti-war movement and civil rights protests. Professors tried to reason with him, but he ultimately abandoned his classes for his causes. While some professors were sympathetic, he didn’t garner enough sympathy to keep him from flunking out. It didn’t take long for his selective service number to come up. After considering his options, he decided to go to Canada.

  After college, my mother married my father, whom she met at a protest. They continued their activism, living on a communal farm, until 1973 when the draft ended. By that time, I had come along, and life and the world changed. As their friends married and faced families and economic realities, the allure of communal living faded. My parents ended up back in the city with ‘real jobs.’

  After college, Emma remained true to her desire to remain single. She never dated, even in college. When word got back to her regarding Paul’s move to Canada, as a ‘bleeding heart,’ she wrote to him faithfully. Once Art made it to Nam, she wrote to him faithfully. The activist in her forgave the past conflict among them. She had earned a degree in social work and worked mainly with abused women and children.

  Art died when his chopper was shot down in February, 1971. Emma mourned for him, in spite of how they met. I think for her, Art represented every American who died in Vietnam. She goes to the Vietnam Memorial every few years to honor his memory.

  LINDA THE HUMANITARIAN WORKER: Oh, my, what a sad turn of events. After losing my Tom to war, I understand how Emma might feel, even with no romantic connection.

  DONNA THE NARRATOR: This story is similar to Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. Two knights fight over a young woman who has no interest in either knight. Theseus forces her to marry the knight who wins a tournament fought for her hand. Fortunately for her, the knight who wins dies when Pluto, god of the underworld, spooks his horse and he falls off and dies, so she escapes the marriage she did not want. Fortunately for Emma, she had Senator Pam’s grandmother to empower her.

  (Several travelers look up from their distractions and look at me quizzically.)

  SENATOR PAM: Paul finally returned to the States after President Carter offered full pardons in 1977. In his letters to Emma, he expressed feelings of deep guilt over his decision to go to Canada. He also felt deep guilt that he and Art never resolved their quarrel before Art went to Nam and died. Surprisingly, after he returned to the States, he stopped writing to Emma. Occasionally, she tried to find him, but in those days before the internet she finally gave up. Her work kept her occupied. Emma and my mom remained close over the years. As I was growing up, Emma was always ‘Aunt Emma’ to me. When time came for their 40th high school class reunion, my mom convinced Aunt Emma to go. Emma had spent only one miserable year at that school, and, she told my mother, she had kept up with everyone from their class who mattered to her. But my mom prevailed.

  Sadly, at the reunion, everyone remembered Aunt Emma as the quiet, smart girl who broke up the friendship between Art and Paul. It’s sad that over the years, we tend not to remember the good but remember the scandals. At any rate, early in the evening, a man approached Aunt Emma. He seemed familiar. When he got close enough that she could read his name tag, she realized that it was Paul.

  The years had mellowed them both. They spent a lot of time catching up. After Paul had disappeared into the States, he spent his time roaming in the West, living at times in Seattle, Portland, and various places in California. He cobbled together a living guiding hikes and paddle trips and such and eventually got into meditation and yoga. As hard as he tried, he could not make peace with his past. He could not shake the guilt that he should have gone to Vietnam, too, and fought beside his friend. He felt somehow responsible for Art’s death because he chose to take refuge in Canada. When Paul returned to the States, he cut off contact with Emma because he felt he had wasted his life. Surely, he could have done something to redeem his rootless, lost years, but what did he have to show?

  Aunt Emma told Paul that she admired him for standing up for his beliefs. While all of his remorse could never make up for Art’s death, Paul had taken control of his life. Paul took her hand and thanked her for her kind words. He had planned to head back west after the reunion, but before they parted he asked Emma to grant him one request. She hesitated and said she would if she could. Paul said that after all the time that had passed, and all that they had accomplished in their lifetimes, would she marry him now and go west with him. Much to everyone’s surprise, she said yes. She had lived her life on her terms. She was ready to settle into companionship as she headed towards retirement.

  Aunt Emma and Paul bought an RV. Now, they travel around the country, stopping at RV parks and working for a few months before moving on. Aunt Emma looks for at risk families living in these parks, on the edge of being homeless. She helps them find resources and navigate local programs set up to aid families in need. Paul uses his skills that he acquired while traveling the country, leading yoga practices at campgrounds and working with outdoor adventures.

  “So it ended up as ‘Any Place is Paradise When I’m With You,’” grins Adam the Senator’s Aide.

  “Yes, it did. I’m very proud of my Aunt Emma and am quite grateful to have her as a role model. Thank you all. But before I cede the aisle to the next storyteller, please let me encourage you all to vote. This upcoming election cycle will be pivotal for our country, so please vote, and if you haven’t registered to vote yet, it’s easy enough to do.”

  Senator Pam nods and sits down. Theresa applauds and the rest of the
group follows her lead. “What an inspiring story, Senator! Our story-telling is well-begun!”

  I stand up. “Excuse me, Theresa.”

  Theresa looks at me, hesitantly. “Yes, Donna?”

  “I just want to point out that Elvis served in the military in the late 1950’s. I don’t remember the exact dates. I remember he was stationed in Germany, which is where he met Priscilla. He never saw combat, but he did serve his country. Since Senator Pam talked about wars and such, and we are headed to Graceland, I wanted to remind of us Elvis’s service.”

  Theresa smiles, “Um, thanks for that reminder. Now, let’s see, who shall tell the next story?” People start avoiding eye contact and fidgeting like students who didn’t do their homework. Jack the Immigrant Merchant raises his foot rest and opens his Business English text. Joyce the Evangelist’s Wife paused in her crocheting of crosses as Senator Pam told her story. Now she redoubles her efforts. Alice the Widow once again focuses on her novel, At the Church Door, in her lap.

  “We had a story from a politician. Now let’s balance it with a story from a man of the cloth. I found out in my illuminating chat with Hubert at our reception that we’re traveling with a Catholic bishop.” I glance back at Sean and see an expression of abject horror on his face. Hubert looks taken aback, as if he had a fake moustache that had fallen into his glass of Stag’s Leap cabernet sauvignon. “Hubert, how about you tell the next story?”

  Hubert clears his throat and slowly begins to rise, but Rose the Waitress stands up, clearly a bit tipsy. “No, by God! I’ll follow Senator Pam’s happily-ever-after crap with a story of my own.” Hubert drops back into his seat.