Chapter 21: Blast from the past

34-year-old Lisa Marie Presley sat in her hotel room in New York, getting a visit from her blast from the past. Flipping through channels, she looked on Fox News and saw her ex husband make a rare appearance on television. Donning one of his signature shades, he gave a very calm and thorough statement about how black musical artist were being mistreated. He didn’t come off as strange and he made concise points to the reporter, who seemed to be looking for a way to make him sound otherwise. Watching Michael immediately gave Lisa Marie flashbacks of what they once had. Although she was fresh from a divorce with her first husband, the late king of rock’s only child wasted no time marrying the king of pop at age 26. His friend first, she wanted to help him get through his trials and be the safeguard in his life. To her, it felt right at the time; she admitted that she was looking for security just as much as Michael was. In her personal opinion, the love felt for him seemed to be surreal; she thought that she had found the absolute one.

Unfortunately for her, the love seemed to dissipate very fast. She felt really bad because she knew that Michael had loved and catered to her like no other. He also was the best lover she ever had, giving her his all sexually; it all seemed almost too good to be true. Evidently, things began to go sour around late 1995, after their infamous Primetime interview. Poor Michael had been begging her to have his children, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. She already had two children from her previous marriage. It scared her, as if deep down she knew that the marriage would not last and she didn’t want to involve any children between them. The honeymoon was far from over, so to speak.

She could tell that Michael was growing impatient with the excuses she kept giving him as to why she was not ready to have his children. It was evident once he started to go off at times without telling her his whereabouts. Who could blame him though? She herself started to distance herself away from him in all ways and wasn’t the supportive, warm wife he initially married. Add the media’s constant meddling, annoying speculation to their marital issues, and she had enough with it all. The divorce couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Michael was recovering at the hospital after collapsing during practicing for a live HBO concert series. In Lisa Marie’s defense, it had to be done so they could both move on with their lives. If she would be painted as an evil ***** to everyone, then so be it.

Even through all of their past drama, the two ex-star-crossed lovers remained friends. However there came a time when Michael and Lisa Marie became a bit TOO friendly. She had given him a big surprise during one of his first stops on his HIStory tour, in Germany. Although she didn’t want to be his wife, she did miss his companionship- especially physically. She waited back stage for him after he finished his concert and surprised him by saying that she was backstage watching his concert the whole time. Glad to have companionship himself, Michael didn’t mind that she was there and welcomed her warmly. The two friends went back to his hotel room, ordered room service…and rekindled their sexual passion. They both knew what they were doing wasn’t supposed to happen. They were no longer married or in love; they were supposed to be friends only. Not friends with benefits. However, the routine happened a couple more times before Michael put an end to it all. He didn’t want to bed with someone who was not his wife, nor his woman. It had never been his nature, but he had fell victim to it all at a vulnerable time. Lisa respected his decision to end their mini-escapades. She was glad that his wishes of becoming a father became true soon after. Throughout the years, they still remained friendly, talking on and off through the years.

Finally snapping back into reality, Lisa Marie tried to find something else to watch as she sipped on her Jack Daniel’s lemonade. Something that would make her happy, make her smile. Get her mind off of her troubling love life. How did this happen? She thought to herself. It never seems to end up ok. She groaned slightly in annoyance. Her first marriage didn’t work, her whirlwind marriage to Michael didn’t work, and now she was on the verge of asking for a divorce from her third husband, actor Nicholas Cage. She had only been married to him for a few months and she was ready to file her divorce papers with him. If only she had listened to her instincts and not married. Not him anyway. It was apparent that he was in love with her father, Elvis Presley and in lust with the fact that he had actually hitched his daughter. She read right through him like a book. Too bad it was after they exchanged vowels. Lisa didn’t want to be anywhere near him, hence the reason why she was at the Four Seasons at that moment. She needed to get away from him and things in order to get her head together.

After of hours of thinking, she knew there was no way that she could remain married to Nicholas Cage. She knew the feeling would be mutual, as the thrill was gone after their first week of marriage. Although she had come at peace with her decision, it frustrated her that she could not find that perfect guy. A guy who has confidence and personality like daddy had would be nice, she thought. Who am I kidding? I’ll just settle for a guy who stimulates my being. After watching a movie and having a couple more Jack Daniels lemonades, Lisa’s thoughts began to wander back on Michael. She wondered how he was. Was he seeing somebody? Was he happy now that he had a family of his own? Although things worked didn’t work out between him and Debbie, Lisa knew that he still loved just being a father. She then wondered what would have been if she had stuck out their issues and stayed with him. They would have kids for sure. And maybe, just maybe, she would not be miserable in the love department. Lisa had to admit; Even if their level of maturity seemed to not on the same level, Michael was the clear winner of being a good husband. However, she was a believer in things happening for a reason and she didn’t want to go that route…. Or did she???