Free Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiancée and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story by Ginger Alden Page B

door slightly ajar. After a time, I noticed some of the men I’d met earlier still seated in the living room. Could these be normal hours for all of them, Elvis included? It was now well after one in the morning.
    The past times I’d been with Elvis, I had thought he was staying up late only because he was off work and enjoying himself. I began wondering if maybe the late night hours provided the only time Elvis could truly feel relaxed and find some peace because the rest of the world was asleep.
    We talked until the early morning hours. When the two of us were both exhausted, Elvis told me I had a separate room adjoining the living room suite. Still the gentleman, he escorted me across the now-empty living room and said he would see me later that afternoon. With another light kiss, he headed back toward his own bedroom.
    I entered my new, larger room and saw that my suitcase had been placed inside. I opened it, took out pajamas, and walked into a generous bathroom wallpapered in a paisley print, noticing a telephone attached on the wall above the toilet. The phone wouldn’t have meant much to some, but this was my first time in such a lavish hotel suite and I was tickled by this small touch of luxury.
    I soon settled in bed, marveling at how my life could change so quickly. Between the trip and the anxiety that had mounted while I was waiting to hear from Elvis, I was bone-tired. My head had barely hit the pillow when I fell into a sound sleep.
    I was jolted awake at 4 P.M. by a loud knock on my door and a voice announcing, “Breakfast!” A little late for breakfast, I mused, but then again, I was in Elvis’s world and living in the Elvis time zone now.
    I jumped up, quickly dressed, put on some makeup, and entered the suite’s living room. Elvis’s bedroom door opened and he joined me, still wearing pajamas and a blue hooded robe. For the first time, we actually sat together on a couch instead of a bed.
    One of Elvis’s aides spread a towel across the coffee table and placed two plates of southwestern omelets, bacon, coffee, and juice in front of us. The television was turned on, and Elvis and I chatted as we ate.
    Shortly, some of the men I’d met the night before began filtering into the room. Given the fact that every man there wore the same gold necklace with the TCB lightning bolt emblem, I guessed they had to be part of a special group associated with Elvis.
    I hadn’t spent much time alone with Elvis, but now I had the opportunity to witness more of his sharp sense of humor as he lit up a cigar and began joking around with the guys. He found some of the things on television amusing and made funny comments as he surfed through various channels.
    As the other men laughed along with him and the conversation became increasingly animated, Elvis’s conversation was peppered with curse words. I thought this must be his way of talking around the guys since, except for an occasional foul word here and there, I hadn’t noticed him speak this way before. Later, as our relationship grew, I learned to overlook the choice words Elvis used at times, although I’d never be 100 percent comfortable with them.
    Elvis and the men continued to pal around with one another while I ate quietly. When I finished, I stood to go to the bathroom.
    Elvis grabbed hold of my hand, startling me. “Where are you going?” he asked.
    “Just to wash my hands,” I replied.
    “Oh. Okay. Hurry back,” he said.
    I was pleased and flattered. Elvis had been so engaged in conversation with his entourage, I’d thought he wouldn’t even notice if I slipped out of the room for a few minutes. Apparently, though, he was still focused on me, and my presence was important to him.
    As the time for Elvis’s show drew near, he went into his bedroom to get ready while I dressed in mine. By the time I returned to the living room, there was a buzz of activity. Various aides, along with Elvis’s hairdresser, physician, road manager, and bodyguards,