Tunesday : Suspicious Minds

Suspicious Minds

(Zambon, F) Performed by Elvis Presley

We're caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Why can't you see
What you're doing to me
When you don't believe a word I say?

We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds

So, if an old friend I know
Drops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?

Here we go again
Asking where I've been
You can't see these tears are real
I'm crying

We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds

Oh let our love survive
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let's don't let a good thing die
When honey, you know
I've never lied to you
Mmm yeah, yeah

We're caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Why can't you see
What you're doing to me
When you don't believe a word I say?

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

Don't you know I'm

Caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby

I've been rushing my timeline for the last couple of months because I wanted to end up here in my life story on this day: tomorrow is Dave's and my 25th anniversary and it seemed important to get to our meeting before that happens; I certainly didn't want to spend today talking about some other guy. 

I started working at the Mayfair Hotel in Edmonton in February of 1989, and as I was totally broke, I was happy enough to take a job as a hostess in the hotel's restaurant -- even if it did mean minimum wage and no tips (I learned soon enough that that wasn't enough to support even my meagerest of lifestyles, but in the beginning, it was better than nothing). 

The staff at the hotel were all pretty young -- from the bar to the kitchen to the front desk -- so it had a fun atmosphere; even the managers were friendly and jokey. I was distracted enough by learning the job and trying to remember everyone's name that I wasn't spending my early days trying to figure out who I could hook up with, and as I remember it, no one was really trying to hook up with me. Even so, as Dave tells the story, he was interested in me from our first shift together and he decided to play it cool -- he decided to wait until I had shot down all the other waiters before asking me out himself. (There was this one guy with a unisex name -- Terry? Maybe? -- and he may have asked me out and I may have rejected him, because after Dave and I started dating, he liked to bad mouth Dave and suggest that he was patiently waiting for me to see the error of my choices; I don't remember anyone else.) 

So basically, I enjoyed being around everyone in my new job and I wasn't looking for love; Dave was just another coworker. But then...

As I was scurrying around in a back hallway during a dinner rush one evening, Dave was coming towards me, heading for the kitchen to pick up an order most likely, and Suspicious Minds was playing over the stereo system. The song got to the part where Elvis starts doing the hip-thrusting, karate-hand-jabbing dancing (dontcha know I'm...bomp! bomp!), and Dave stopped what he was doing to perform it move-for-move for me and I was mesmerised: as I've written before, I was a huge Elvis fan as a little girl, I recognised the dance that Dave was doing even if I had never seen anyone doing it in person before, and not only was it an emotionally-charged nostalgic moment, but Dave stopping in the middle of a rush and dancing for me was the perfect blend of playful and sexy: my childhood crush on Elvis was now transformed into a crush on Dave; he was no longer just another coworker; I believe I bounced on my toes and clapped with delight when the song was over. (This is the reason for this week's song choice: it is a literal selection with no deeper meaning about me being suspicious or feeling like I'm caught in a trap; unless you interpreted it in the nicest of ways.)

We're caught in a trap

I can't walk out

Because I love you too much baby

Not long after this, Dave asked me out: saying that a bunch of people were going out to dinner at Chianti's, wondering if I wanted to go along. I assumed that this was meant to be a date and was unsurprised when we got to the restaurant and Dave said that everyone else must have backed out at the last minute. Ah, the dance of new partners: each of us playing a part in a routine as old as courtship; each making feints that the other recognises as part of the dance; each pretending not to notice, responding in turn. I was happy to play along: I was attracted to Dave and I thought that this was the beginning of a new type of life -- Krista in the big city! No ties, no responsibilities to anyone but myself! Going out with lots of guys, sowing my wild oats, living wild and free! But, of course, it didn't quite work out that way: one date led to another, led to a marriage, led to years of happiness with this amazing family that we built. I wouldn't have it any other way.

But that first night: Dave was funny and charming, "famously" acting out for me his favourite scene from The Untouchables; gunning down the bad guy while diving to rescue the runaway baby carriage; him falling in slowmo from his chair to the floor of the restaurant. I was thoroughly entertained by this, but while Dave has always believed that it was this move that sealed the deal with me, I actually found it slightly alarming; it had the feel of a tried and true routine: what he used on all the girls. I was not all the girls and internally bristled at being treated as such. Pretty much everything Dave said had the feel of "a line" to it (when he said he was studying acting, I found that very interesting, so when I asked Dave who his favourite actor was, I meant "Who is your professional inspiration?" Dave's answer: Barney Rubble), so I decided that this very unserious guy was perfect for an unserious relationship. And that was okay. Krista gone wild!

We went for a walk after dinner and Dave brought me to the studio theatre at the U of A. Sitting on the risers in the audience, he pointed out for me where he had had to stand on a platform high above the stage when he was Poseidon in The Trojan Women; acted out how he had once choked on his crepe beard while deeply intoning, "I am the Sea...hack...God...hack...hack..." Dave told me that although he had suggested we go out as a group of friends, he had enough friends, and he hoped this was something more. I wondered if this was also one of his lines. I replied that I, also, had enough friends. Dave asked if he could kiss me. I wondered if this was also one of his lines; but who asks someone before kissing them? It was jarring and awkward and I blushed and turned away and Dave said, "Are you actually as sweet as you seem?" Finally, this didn't sound like a line; this was defences down and neither of us playacting; so much for Krista gone wild. Turns out I don't do unserious.

And that, pretty much, is the origin story of us.

I want to add that I loved the Fine Young Cannibals' cover of Suspicious Minds when it came out, and I had fun watching the video for it this morning, so although this post needed to be officially about Elvis' version, I want to put up the FYC video too: