Elvis is in the Building

[is_the_motion]

The noise level is... about what one would expect for fans gathering for an open air Elvis concert. Bonnie keeps a close eye on Terry to make sure the tweenager doesn't get crushed, and then shepherds Stuart, Ted, Gerry and Emcee through to their places.

"We're up on this stand so we should get a good view." she says, flashing an attendant her tickets.

"Right, now we can hear ourselves think a little better, Emcee, this is Gerry. Gerry, Emcee. Everyone else I think has met."

Comments

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee follows Bonnie and her family and beau through the crowd. He has never seen so many giddy teenage girls in one place. It's a bit overwhelming, but in a fascinating way.

He's dressed for the time period and the occasion: a James Dean-esque jacket, but black; white t-shirt, cuffed black jeans, and his old, beat-up combat boots for authenticity. The only makeup he's wearing is a very subtle application of eyeliner. Neither greaser nor rockabilly dandy, Emcee simply does his own thing.

He extends a hand to Gerry and smiles. "Delighted to finally meet you, Gerry," he says, and waves to Stuart and Ted. "Hallo again, boys! And Terry, my how you've grown since we last met."

[is_the_motion]

Gerry shakes his hand warmly.

"And you, I hear it's you we have to thank for this treat." he says.

"Yeah, thanks Mr Emcee." Terry says, and the boys make thankful teenage grunt sort of noises of acknowlegment.

Bonnie stops a man passing by with a tray of refreshments to stock everyone up.

[i_am_your_host]

"It was my pleasure," Emcee insists with a gracious dip of his head. "I am quite the fan of Elvis Presley, and since Bonnie offered the opportunity to see him in concert, I thought it best to include everyone in her family who wished to join in on the fun. I'm so glad you all could make it."

Emcee takes a bottle of Coke for himself, and a couple of boxes of Cracker Jacks which he distributes to the children. "I hope you don't mind them having a little sugar, Bonnie. I hear the energy of these live shows is going to be sky-high."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie glances at the excited children.

"I don't think a little sugar's gonna make much difference to the hyperactivity at this point." she says with a laugh.

"Just no pretending to faint." Gerry suggests. "Since we're on the stands."

"Aww, I was gonna crowd surf." Terry says.

"Absolutely not." Bonnie says, brightly. "Stick to the sugar."

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee snorts a laugh at the idea. It's not something anyone did at live shows in his own time, but he's seen videos on the internet. "Highly inadvisable, in any case," he remarks wryly. "These girls wouldn't know what to do with you and would probably drop you like a hot potato."

[is_the_motion]

"And while we're at it, I don't want to see none of you kids with alcohol neither." Bonnie warns.

Fortunately before any further warnings can occur, the big man himself appears on the stage, and there is a great deal of screaming from the audience, as he launches himself into Hound Dog.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee sips demurely at his Coke. He's going to try to not be a bad example? For now at least.

He almost swallows wrong when the entire crowd bursts into the loudest screaming he has ever heard in his life. Shrieking, really. Some girls are squealing and clutching at their hair and they even look as if they are about to cry at the sight of Elvis moving his hips the way that he does. Emcee isn't screaming, but he is fascinated and mesmerized by him, and the influence he has over the audience.

[is_the_motion]

Terry joins in the screaming until Ted punches her on the arm.

"Ow!" she complains.

"Don't scream like a sissy, then!" Ted rolls his eyes.

Bonnie hushes them, and after that, the teens are mesmerised with the concert. Gerry quietly slips his hand into Bonnie's after a few minutes.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee smirks and gently tugs Terry over to stand near him. Leaning down, he whispers into her ear, "Scream to your heart's content, darling. Elvis Presley is quite worth the adulation."

Emcee himself lets out a few whoops and whistles when Elvis's dance moves get feisty. The music is unlike anything he's heard in a live setting, loud and raucous and rollicking. It's wonderful.

So wonderful that he doesn't notice Gerry putting his own moves on Bonnie.

[is_the_motion]

Elvis keeps up the adrenaline all evening. Girls scream until they're hoarse, boys whoop and cheer, and Bonnie and Gerry watch quietly and contentedly.

And when Elvis gets to Love Me Tender, they sneak a little kiss. Terry spots them, and makes vomit noises.

"Granma, that's gross, get a room."

[i_am_your_host]

Well!

Emcee supposes it was inevitable.

He turns Terry back to the performance onstage.

"Hush, liebling, they are just being romantic," he chuckles. And they aren't the only ones: there are a few other couples in the crowd who are swaying together and stealing kittenish kisses.

[is_the_motion]

"They're geriatric, they should go to jail." Terry hisses back.

"Better watch that heart of yours, Mr H." Stuart teases.

"Leave them alone, guys, free love and all that." Ted says.

For the rest of the concert, Gerry keeps his hands and lips to himself, but right at the end, he crouches down and pulls something out of his pocket.

"What are you doin'?" Bonnie asks him.

"If you say no I will never ask again, but..." Gerry says, opening the box, in which is a ring made from a nut. "Bonnie Murdock, I want to be adopted into your family. I won't be no trouble, I'll take your name, I'll make myself useful. I love you and I want to be with you as long as we both live. I don't want to be a burden, so if you'll say no, I won't mind..."

"Hush that talk of burdens and get up off the floor before you get stuck down there." Bonnie takes his hand. She glances at the kids. Terry shrugs.

"I'm cool with it so long as I don't have to hear any geriatric love noises." Terry says.

"I'm going to college in the fall anyway, so you should do what you like." Stuart says.

"And I'm moving out with him, so same here." Ted says.

Bonnie looks at Gerry's earnest expression, and he squeezes her hand.

"You're gonna be sad when he gets old and dies whether you get married or not." Terry adds. "So you might as well just do it."

"Way to ruin the moment." Ted punches her on the arm again.

Bonnie puts her hands up. "All right, settle down. Yes, I'll adopt you, you silly soppy man. I cain't face another big weddin'."

"Just you, me and our kids." Gerry says.

"Paperwork'll be a nightmare gettin' yer name changed."

"Take all the time you need."

"Turtle's gonna want to knock yer block off."

"I've faced worse." Gerry says cheerfully.

[i_am_your_host]

When Emcee came to Bonnie's world today, he never expected witnessing a marriage proposal in addition to an Elvis concert. He watches with a mix of amusement and affection--and the kids seem reasonable about the situation, which is good.

"Well, that was an unexpected bonus," he chirps with a clap of his hands. "Congratulations, you love birds. I'm sure it will be a happy union."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie finds she has tears in her eyes, and ends up hugging and kissing everyone in the vicinity.

Nearby bystanders are whooping and cheering at them, and one man yells "You go, hound dawg!".

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee laughs as he returns Bonnie's hugs and kisses.

"Oh, there will be no more sniffing around for this particular hound dog," Emcee chuckles and winks as he shakes Gerry's hand warmly.

"Now then, how shall we continue our celebration? I do believe there is some ice cream in our immediate future, yes?"

[is_the_motion]

"Let's go to the diner." Terry says. "Can I have a milkshake?"

"Sounds like a plan, and I don't see why not." Bonnie says.

But first they have to make their way through the crowds, including a couple of people who had pretended to faint earlier and ended up getting their outfits filthy and now looked a little silly.

[i_am_your_host]

"Marvelous!" Emcee cheers. "Now then, it's all my treat, remember, and I won't take no for an answer."

With the exchange rate provided by the Bar, Emcee is flush with 1950s cash. One way to deal with not living in poverty anymore is to share the wealth instead of hoarding it.

"Did they believe they were going to be taken to Mr. Presley's private quarters to be revived?" he asks when they've passed out of earshot.

[is_the_motion]

The kids snigger.

"Shoulda worn darker coloured skirts fer a start." Bonnie says. "They'll want to get those in to soak."

"You must let me buy one round, Emcee." Gerry says, "But otherwise thank you for a wonderful evening."

[i_am_your_host]

"Oh, well, I am certainly not one to refuse a round of anything," Emcee replies to Gerry with a bright grin. "And it was absolutely my pleasure, but I could never top what you did for Bonnie."

[is_the_motion]

"Well, she did save my life, my daughter was going to put me in a home." Gerry says, cheerfully.

"More likely you didn' need ter be in a home in the first place." Bonnie says. "You just needed a bit of home cookin'."

They get into the truck, and the teenage boys climb on the flat bed at the back. They aren't going very fast though, slow enough for the boys to slick their hair back and make eye contact when they pass girls.

"Terry, tell yer uncles not to do that wavey thing in the line of my mirror." Bonnie complains.

Terry bangs on the back window.

"Granma says less posing."

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee climbs into the truck last; if he were made of more rugged stuff, he would have tried riding outside in the back.

He looks over his shoulder at the boys and chuckles. "When I was their age, all I ever did was pose."

[is_the_motion]

"At boys or girls?" Terry asks.

"Terry!" Bonnie exclaims.

"What?" Terry asks.

"What did I tell you about askin' adults personal questions?"

"I'm sure if Emcee doesn't want to answer that question we can settle for him posing at everyone, because he's just that fabulous." Gerry puts in.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee is indeed about to answer Terry's question, before Bonnie interjects. He then laughs brightly at the diplomatic reply that Gerry gives on his behalf.

"Why thank you, kind sir," he says, reaching across to pat his arm. "But I don't mind the queries of the young and curious. It's true, I did pose at both boys and girls," he tells Terry, "but at the time I found that more boys liked the look of me than girls did. Actually, the ratio hasn't changed all that much since then, but I still pose at everyone equally."

[is_the_motion]

"You see Terry, it's okay in this car, but some folks in our time still don't understand that a person can love a man or a woman." Bonnie says. "So you got to be real careful when you ask things like that, okay?"

"Like with Aunt Lucy?" Terry says.

"Exactly, she could lose her job if folks found out she likes ladies." Bonnie says, pausing at a red light. "Just like I get in trouble at work if folks complain that I'm hangin' with a fella outside of wedlock."

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee grows thoughtful and adds ruefully, "The world out there is often terribly unfair, and not everyone is treated the same way. Some of us have to compromise-- to give up a part of who we are in public in order to keep safe. Terry, you are very lucky to be raised in a family like yours and to have Bonnie as your grandmother. You have a much better understanding of the different kinds of people that inhabit this Earth than most adults, I would wager."

[is_the_motion]

Terry is silent for a moment, but then pipes up.

"My mom and dad aren't married, and my dad is in jail, so I know what it's like to get talked about."

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee looks at her for a moment, as a faint smile twitches at the corner of his lips. "And you are still head and shoulders above anyone who talks behind your back, about you or those you care about."

[is_the_motion]

"Well, usually I'm shorter, but that doesn't stop me headbutting them in the face." Terry says.

"Which you won't be doing at high school, will you, Terry?" Bonnie prompts.

"No Granma." Terry rolls her eyes.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee utters a short, bright laugh.

"You might want to save that move only as a last resort," he says, lightly nudging Terry's arm with his elbow.

[is_the_motion]

"Bet you could teach me some better ones." Terry says.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee looks completely innocent.

"Why, liebling, I have no idea what in the world would ever give you that impression," he snorts. "I have no knowledge of such things whatsoever. You best let your grandmother teach you such moves."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie snorts.

"Unfortunately I work there." she says.