---

The most difficult decision in Elvis' life was whether or not to stay with Anita Wood or leave her for fourteen year-old Priscilla Beaulieu whom he had met in Germany during his service there. The decision completely tore him apart for he loved both. Sadly for Anita, she never knew that before Elvis left for service in March of 1958, he was seeing other women including singer, actress and model Kitty Dolan. It appears the prospect of marriage scared Elvis off as Anita, Gladys and Vernon encouraged Elvis to marry.

It was Anita who made the decision to leave Elvis after she had overheard him talking to his father about which girl to choose, her or Priscilla. Elvis never mentioned the other girls he dabbled with. Anita up and left Graceland...forever. Vernon, like his late wife, Gladys, adored Anita and wished that Elvis would marry her. Vernon replied to Elvis that maybe he and Anita would have a second chance and could make it work, but Elvis seems to have been already enamored by Priscilla whom was said to be shy, and yet not shy enough to draw in her future prospect.

Elvis' fans know the story. Elvis eventually sent for Priscilla Beaulieu to stay at Graceland, having gained her parents approval if she would be chaperoned by the family. Priscilla came to Graceland and immediately stayed with Elvis, sleeping in his bed though Elvis promised he would not violate her, and kept his word, according to Priscilla, for seven years. That is not to say that they did not attempt other sexual moves for they did, and, shamefully, Priscilla described those exact moves among other tidbits in her book, "Elvis and Me". Personally, Priscilla should have kept her life with Elvis private, instead choosing to destroy his image after having gone so far as to divorce him while keeping his name and building up a successful corporation using that name, along with his. She has long played the victim while knowingly was never innocent of her intentions. Even at fourteen years old, Priscilla had her mind set on Elvis Presley and becoming the Queen of Graceland. She played the game and played it well. Elvis sent her to a Catholic school, and treated her almost like the child she was. After her graduation she went to California on a visit with her parents who did not know at this time the extent of Priscilla's dalliances with Elvis or that she had been residing at Graceland® the stage already being set for her to inherit the king's castle. When Priscilla's stepfather, an Air Force Officer named Paul Beaulieu found out the truth, he ordered Elvis to marry his daughter or else. Priscilla insists she was a virgin until their wedding day. Others speculate she had become pregnant beforehand. Lisa Marie was born exactly nine months later.

Elvis seems to have had a problem romancing a woman after child-bearing, perhaps thinking about his own mother and not wanting to minimize the special significance of motherhood. Thus, this is where the real crisis began in the marriage. He cheated. She cheated.

Elvis did have some hang ups, and he did have a strong sexual nature. The loss of his beloved mother changed him completely, and part of the reason he let go of Anita may have been that he could not deal with life's issues so soon after Glady's death, and, whereas, the very young Priscilla represented his lost youth and a new hope for moving on past the grief. Regardless of the reason, Elvis never stopped grieving for his mother, nor did he ever stop looking for unmarried, childless women.

The one who suffered the most throughout the years following the break up of Anita Wood and Elvis, was Anita, herself. She felt betrayed, was heartbroken, and she loved him deeply...always. Her pride kept her from going back or fighting for him. For a couple of years following their final good-bye, Anita was devastated and needed medical care. The wound to her heart was deep, her despair profound. She eventually married NFL player Johnny Brewer and had three children. Elvis; he moved on, made movies, kept Priscilla at his side, had a child and started living the fast life of women, sex and rock and roll. He grew into a man still with a child's emotion and heart. Did he ever stop to think of Anita during those days of Ann Margret, Linda Thompson and Ginger Alden? Family members say he should have married Anita, after all theirs was a deep love...from 1957 to 1962...five years of love and happiness. The family loved Anita. Not so much Priscilla. There were great differences between the two. Did Elvis feel that going back to Anita would mean going back to the past and to the pain, did his pride keep him away, and did the fact that he was only 24 years old scare him into thinking he would be tied down too soon? Someone out there knows the secrets Elvis kept.

Today, sweet Anita Wood, little bitty as Elvis called her, is gone, may she rest in peace. Priscilla continues to be the swift and sharp businesswoman and keeper of the legacy of her ex-husband who had, before August 1977, finally come to terms with the true nature of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.

Back to Links