Can't Help Falling in Love (18 page)

    
“Absolutely.
We’ll have to tell the station not to
announce it.” Allison insisted.

    
“They’ll want to announce it, alright. That’s the kind of news you couldn’t
keep quiet if
Campbell
’s Soup canned it. They can sell a lot of
ads around the live broadcast. But, they can discretely require their
advertisers to sign a confidentiality agreement to mums the word and the
station can withhold an announcement until a half hour before air time.
Something tells me that alone will bring out a crowd—smaller maybe—say only a
few hundred. Besides, don’t you want him to accompany you to the
AIM
Awards right after that?”

    
“He wouldn’t miss it.”

    
“The TV station will be covering that, too, I’m sure. In fact, between the two
events, you’ll be surrounded by more cameras than Marilyn Monroe!”

    
“I’ll have to get something to wear! I’ve been so busy that I hadn’t taken the
time to think about it.”

    
“We’ll go shopping this weekend and find the perfect gown!”

    
Allison retreated to her bedroom. She had been working extremely hard, and she was
overdue for some fun. She was ecstatic that he thought enough to take her out
on a week night, and she could not have wished for any occasion more
appropriate to celebrate
The Ed Sullivan Show
booking for him and the band to perform
for three minutes.
Three minutes! Just fleeting
moments to some, but a life-changing event to us! Who knows what will happen in
the wake of such a tremendous moment in a performer’s profession? Careers have
been made or broken by less time than that on national television. This is a
lifetime opportunity! 

    
She had not counted on keeping her mouth shut about such a tremendous blessing,
but Karen was right. They had a responsibility to let him enjoy his moment of
glory without any troublesome roadblocks, no matter how much fun could be had
by telling everyone she knew in advance.

    
She reread his note again, as if she was in a dream.
It’s
like receiving a note from Prince Charming, and he signed the note with his
special signature, a little guitar that means love!
She knew that he cared for her more than anyone else in the
world, and she longed to be with him more than she dared to admit. She felt
short of breath and her body tingled all over. She wanted to scream out with
shrieks of
joy and elation.
She wanted to cry again because she was so unsure about what was going to
happen next.
So what if Sharon Eaton shoves me
out of the promotional side of his career like someone would discard a plate of
objectionable food? I have a bond with him that no one can sever, and I’m sure
that will be true forever.
 
She carefully folded the
note and pressed it gently against her heart.

    
With glee, Allison fairly danced around the bedroom and bath, as she prepared
for another glorious date with the most desirable man in
Memphis
. While she bathed, rolled her hair, and
generally pampered and polished herself, her thoughts turned to daydreams. She
wondered just when he would appear at her door.
Probably at the
moment the clock strikes eight, punctual to perfection, as usual
.
She imagined what he might be wearing.
Nothing
shocking like his blue suede shoes, but probably something casual/dressy with a
jacket and a silk open-neck shirt with big lapels, something that’ll be
appropriate for the intimate, well-appointed dining room at Suzette’s, Memphis’
oldest and most idyllic restaurant with candlelit tables by high windows that
have breathtaking views of the Mississippi River. I’m the luckiest girl in the
world!

    
At precisely
eight o’clock
, their doorbell rang. Karen answered, and there he
stood—framed by the doorway and wearing beige pleated trousers and a matching
beige open-neck silk shirt with wide lapels that spread over a smart blue silk
tweed jacket. He might have been a fashion plate for
Esquire
.
He smiled widely when he saw Karen and
bent over slightly to kiss her. For a fleeting moment, she wished she was still
dating him, but she managed to keep her passion dormant and call Allison.

    
A few minutes later when they drove away, they were quickly lost in talk and
looking only at each other. Neither of them noticed a dark sedan parked on the
street beneath deep shadows cast by a large spreading oak tree. The vehicle
quietly pulled away from the curb and stealthily followed them from a discrete
distance.

    
“We have a reservation for two.”

    
The Maitre d' at Suzette’s nodded and asked, “May I have your
name please?”

    
“
Ilikeike
.”

    
He scanned down his reservation list. “Ah! Here it is. Please follow me Mr.
Ilikeike
.”

    
Allison tried her best to control a determined giggle, as they were ushered
through the dim lighting and soft piano music of Suzette’s dining room. She
floated through the room wearing an iridescent mint taffeta and tulle dress
that featured a cuffed, strapless bodice lined in marquisette and boned, with a
pleated tulle bust overlay and pointed waist. When she passed people who turned
their heads for a second look, they saw a matching bow with sash streaming down
her back from the rear neckline and cascading softly across a multi-layered
tulle skirt with a
pellon
-backed taffeta panel. The
dress contrasted beautifully with her long wavy red hair.

    
As soon as they were seated at a gorgeous table for two in front of a high
window overlooking a spectacular panorama of the
Mississippi River
and Downtown Memphis, she leaned forward
and jokingly asked, “Mr.
Ilikeike
?”

    
“I’ve had to stop using my real name,” he explained. “Girls find out and seem
to sort of drop from the ceiling and surround me. I got ‘
Ilikeike
’
from an Eisenhower campaign button. So far, no one’s got wind of it!”

    
Allison chuckled and cast her eyes around the intimate, well-appointed dining
room that featured fine woodwork and high ceilings, as well as original artwork
and abundant fresh flowers that adorned every table. She softly said, “You
picked a lovely spot!”

    
“Do you like the flowers?” he asked, pointing to the soothing mix of red roses,
chrysanthemums, and greenery in a green glass cube in front of them.

    
“I love them!”

    
“I asked Karen to call me while you were taking your bath and tell me the color
of the dress you planned to wear. I called the restaurant and asked them to put
the roses in a matching vase on the table.”

    
“You’re so sweet!”

    
He gazed at her admiringly “You look like a picture on the cover of a
magazine!”

    
As if on cue, the restaurant’s photographer appeared from out of nowhere. “May
I take the lady’s and gentleman’s picture?”

    
Of course, Allison was instantly flattered and they both readily posed. The photographer
took only two shots so as not to create too much of a disturbance in front of
the other diners.

    
The photographer said, “If you’ll give your address to the Maitre d' on your
way out later, we’ll send you a set of color prints!”

    
“Thank you!” they both replied at the same time.

    
Allison was nearly overjoyed. “That was so thoughtful of you to arrange the
exquisite flowers in a vase to match my dress! Tonight seems to be an evening
full of surprises!”

    
“There’ll be more,” he said with a wide grin, looking down shyly at one of the
candles and chuckling for a fleeting moment. As often
happened,
a lock of hair tumbled loose and dangled over his forehead in a most becoming
fashion that Allison could not help but notice and admire. He reached a tanned
hand into his side coat pocket and fished out a small box. Allison instantly
recognized the box as a jewelry case, and she was immediately breathless. Time
seemed to stand still, as her mind raced to anticipate what he was about to say
or do.

    
“There’s something I wanted to ask you before the waiter comes over.”

    
“Yes?”

    
“What things make you really happy, Allison?”

    
She needed no time to think up an answer. “Just being with you makes me really happy.
When we’re together, like tonight.”

    
He opened the jewelry box and revealed a double heart diamond promise ring. “I
hope if I give you this promise ring you’ll be even happier. Look at this every
time you might doubt me, and you’ll remember that I promised to always be
faithful to you.”

    
For the fourth time that day, Allison’s eyes misted with tears, her heart beat
picked up, and she found that even the simple act of breathing took all the
self-control she could summon. Had she not been seated, she would have sworn
that the room had begun to swirl.

    
He gently took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. The band fit
perfectly. Then, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the ring. His lips
also brushed her skin, and she felt a tingling sensation that radiated in waves
through her entire arm.

    
“Thank you!” she blushed. “That’s the nicest moment I’ve ever known. I’ll
cherish this every day for the rest of my life.”

    
At that second, someone at a table across the restaurant shouted “Look!” and
pointed toward the windows. All eyes turned at once to look out at the
nighttime sky, where they saw an enormous shooting star streak through the
heavens in a brilliant flash. In another second, the meteor vanished.

    
He whispered, “They say that for every falling star, another star is born.”

    
Allison remembered the big announcement she had wished to surprise him with,
and this moment seem preordained to reveal her secret to him. “I told you that
tonight seemed to be an evening full of surprises. You know my father. He lives
in
New
York
now and works for
The Ed Sullivan Show.
This Sunday at
nine o’clock
is the
AIM
Awards at the Peabody Hotel here in
Memphis
, but across
America
two hours earlier, the whole nation will
be watching
you and your band make your
network television debut!
Daddy’s got you booked for a
three-minute performance of your new hit that’ll be broadcast coast-to-coast
live from WFMM-TV right here! Sunday night, a new star will be born, just like
you said!”

    
He took a deep breath, threw his head back, and smiled so wide that his teeth
looked like a piano keyboard. He barely was able to say “Excuse me just a
minute . . . .”

    
Inexplicably, he rose and rushed through a nearby swinging door to the kitchen.
Suddenly, she heard the muffled sound of him screaming “
Woopee
!”
One of the chefs was so startled by his unexpected intrusion and outburst that
he dropped a steaming pan of lobsters.

    
The door swung open again, and he returned to their table by the window, appearing
as calm as if he had just returned from making a telephone call, but now there
were two telltale curls dangling over his forehead. Half the diners were
looking perplexed at each other and wondering where the shout had come from,
and no one suspected that he had nearly blown the chef down in his excitement
and joy.

    
A waiter approached them and asked, “Is everything alright, sir?”

    
“Everything’s peachy!”

    
Allison agreed. “This is the happiest night of our lives!”

    
The waiter dryly asked, “Would you like to order now, or would you like to next
try shouting loud enough to bring down our dining room chandelier?”

    
They all three laughed, but then he said apologetically, “I’m sorry about the
mess in the kitchen. Put those crabs on my bill, will you?”

    
“They’re not crabs, sir. They’re lobsters.”

    
“They could be a bunch of crawdads, for all I care. Tell the staff to enjoy
them on me! We’re celebrating tonight!”

    
“Yes sir. I’ll bring your menus shortly.”

    
After the waiter had gone, Allison was stunned when he impulsively leaned
across the flowers and candles and kissed her. She was startled by his
impetuousness, but that did not stop him from saying, “I wish this night could
go on forever.”

    
“Me, too.”

    
“I don’t want to ever let you go.” He took both of her hands in his. “I can’t
believe this is happening. It seems like forever that I’ve been waiting for
this to happen . . . to meet a girl like you, and to finally get a break after
all these years of trying so hard to get somewhere.”