Elvis Takes a Back Seat by Leanna Ellis

hard for me not to think about others. What they think or would say. I still worry about what Stu would say. Ridiculous, huh?”
    Rae shrugs. “I’m not sure. Maybe I was always that way. Maybe I was rebellious.” She winks. “Or maybe I just saw how it never really mattered. You can’t please everyone all the time. It’s impossible. Your mother tried to please our parents. But in the end she still disappointed them. They expected me to disappoint them, so when I did, it wasn’t a major catastrophe.”
    â€œWere their standards so high?” I ask.
    â€œI don’t know about that. Maybe just different. They were worried about what neighbors would say, about what people at church would say.” Rae laughs. “I always said if they were talking behind our backs, then that wasn’t right. My folks frowned at that, but they didn’t have an answer for it either.”
    â€œI think I tried to please Mother. Being an only child, I was a pleaser. But I wasn’t always sure I did.”
    â€œOh, you did. Beverly was very proud of you, Claudia.”
    I shrug, feeling uncomfortable. “She never said that. She wasn’t very demonstrative with her feelings.”
    â€œThat was just her way. She was a lot like our mother, your grandmother. Maybe it was a sign of the times.”
    â€œI wish I knew more about Mother. She never liked to talk about herself. Or her past.”
    â€œOh?” Rae looks away from me, stares off as if she’s looking into a mirror reflecting days gone by.
    â€œAfter Stu and I became engaged, I asked Mother how Daddy had proposed to her. Know what she said?”
    Rae gives a tiny, almost indiscernible shake of her head.
    â€œShe couldn’t remember.” Incredulous still, I laugh. “How can someone not remember how their husband proposed?”
    Rae lifts one narrow shoulder in a shrug.
    Worried I’ve upset her, I lean forward. “Are you okay? Does it upset you to talk about my mother?”
    She gives me a reassuring smile, but there’s something in her eyes that I can’t quite read. Is it pain? Regret? “I never knew what your relationship was like with Beverly. I wasn’t around you two much. Except when you were little.”
    I look at my aunt, sitting cross-legged on the ground in a filmy skirt. My mother would have been mortified if Elvis had fallen face first into her lap, but Rae thought it was funny. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you were different from others. Ahead of your time.” I try to peer across the parking lot but can’t see the Cadillac or Ivy. “What’s taking Ivy so long?”
    Then I hear footsteps, the snapping of flip-flops against heels, and Ivy walks up. She slides the plastic key into the slot and pulls the door open.
    â€œOkay. Here we go.” Rae pushes herself up to stand, brushes off her skirt, and flexes her fingers. “Hold the door now.” She bends, and we again perch Elvis horizontally between us. He stares up at the stars. “The towel?” She glances at Ivy, who looks suddenly pale.
    Then Ivy lunges forward, pushes past me. I stumble, joggle Elvis. The door knocks against my shoulder and a sharp pain shoots through my arm, making my fingers tingle. I brace the door with my foot. Elvis’s head tips toward the concrete. Rae and I bobble Elvis but manage to right him. We look at each other for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief, knowing how close we came to destroying this stupid, cheap bust. Once again I wonder if Stu is getting a good laugh out of all of this.
    Caught in the doorway, I hang onto Elvis. From thecorner of my eye, I see Ivy bending over the bushes. I don’t know what to do. I wish someone would stop and help us, but then pray no one sees us.
    â€œDo you need help, Ivy?” Rae asks, looking over at the girl.
    Ivy gags, but it seems to be a dry heave.
    â€œAre you okay?” I start to put Elvis