Love Beads from Elvis

Love Beads from Elvis: The Diary of Kathy Tatum

I wasn't looking for it, but I found it just the same. The red leather covering is well worn, and the locking clasp that once kept my secrets safe from the world is missing. There is duct tape on the binding, and the page edges have yellowed over time, but it is, after all, almost fifty years old.

A well-worn Polaroid photo slips out... I remember vividly the night it was taken, oh, to be held in his strong arms. He was beautiful then-his skin tanned to a golden brown, his jet black hair neatly combed straight back, how it felt when he gently kissed the back of my neck and sang softly into my ear...