Inside Graceland: Elvis' Maid Remembers by Nancy Rooks Page A

listened to their conversations, what the person on the other end of the line would have thought had they known they were getting prank calls from the daughter of Elvis Presley.) I also wondered what Elvis would have said, had he found out what they were doing. But, like so many other things, that remained a secret between me and Lisa.
    It seemed that everything she did growing up was cute. Like most children, when she was very young, she could make a mess out of something in a heartbeat. On numerous occasions, I would come into a room and find her with something all over either her or the floor.
    On one such occasion, I had found her with make-up smeared all over her face and, without thinking, yelled, “Lord, have mercy, child!” For several weeks afterward I would hear her adorable little voice in the next room yelling, as loud as she could, “Lord, have mercy, child!”
    I often marveled at how adorable she was, just sitting in front of the TV, watching her favorite show, “Sesame Street.” She got such a kick out of watching, and then imitating, Big Bird and Bert and Ernie.
    Those of us who had the opportunity to watch her grow up treated the experience as if it was our own child we were raising. We shared in the highs, as well as the lows, in her life. We all took it very seriously. Not just because we were expected to, but because we loved her, and wanted to.
    Consequently, when she left for California after the divorce, it was like losing a member of our own family. And, when she came back to visit, as she frequently did, it was like a family member returning home.
    Even after she got married the first time, and moved to Florida with her husband, Danny Keough, we all still felt a sense of responsibility toward her.
    Like all young married couples, she had occasional problems early in the marriage. I think she was truly in love with Danny, but, after they moved to Florida, she began calling Graceland. I took several phone calls myself, only to find her crying on the other end of the line, asking to speak to Aunt Delta. At first, Aunt Delta was sympathetic and would take the calls.
    Eventually, however, she began refusing to take the calls at all. Several times she said to me, with Lisa holding on the line, “I don’t think that’s really Lisa. Hang up.” Still concerned for Lisa, I would say, “But Mrs. Delta, what if she’s hurt or really in trouble?”, and she would say, “Well, even if it is her, she’ll find her way out of it.” And I would have to tell Lisa that Aunt Delta wasn’t available to take her call. She seemed to believe that Lisa needed to learn to handle the problems herself. In any case, I got to where I was feeling put in the middle, and it made me very uncomfortable.
    I’ve often been asked what I thought of Lisa’s marriage to Michael Jackson. People would call me up and ask, “Do you think they’re really married?”. I always replied, “Yes, they are definitely married.” My feeling was that Michael could never be a father to her children. It just wasn’t in his heart. I think that, for a while, anyway, Lisa enjoyed seeing Michael in the spotlight.
    I believe that it was more a marriage of convenience and friendship than anything else. They did not need each other’s money. Michael was a star in the limelight, just like Elvis had been. Their marriage only lasted 18 months. I was surprised it lasted that long. I was just glad that Michael never tried to “use” Lisa Marie for any bad reason. I don’t think Elvis would have approved of that marriage. I believe that Lisa’s first, and only, true love is Danny, the father of her two children.
    Then, the world was surprised by the announcement that she had married Nicholas Cage. And that marriage was so short that it is not even worth talking about.
    My one dream for Lisa is that, one day, she’ll find happiness and contentment. I hold onto that dream for her, amid all the seemingly shipwrecked marriages so far, and hope