Loretta Lynn_ Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn [92]
There was one man who had robbed a couple of my Western stores and then started traveling wherever we went. He would check into the same motel every night. At first, I didn’t think nothing of it. I’d be sitting in the room with the shades open and I’d see this young boy with long golden hair. I said to Doo, “Now he’s a good fan.” But it turns out the police were looking for him. And the police were traveling around with me, too, only I didn’t know it.
One night in West Virginia, that fellow got a girl to come to me and say she wanted to show me some new songs. She seemed like she was drunk or on drugs or something. She no more than got into the room when the police busted in. They dragged her right out; they showed her no mercy. That night I was told that I was in danger, then three days later they caught him. I said I didn’t want to hear nothing about it. He’s in the pen now—I don’t know where.
That’s when I started to get nervous about these calls. One time I was on the road and a woman friend was traveling with me. I was taking a bath when I got a call and this man said he was five doors down from me. I didn’t pay it any mind. I just hung up. But my friend got all riled and I had to calm her down. I was really scared even though I said I wasn’t.
Just to calm her down, I said, “Well, I ain’t afraid to go out in the hall.” So I get dressed and open the door and there’s this man standing there. I stared at him and tried to act brave, but all of a sudden my knees got weak and I jumped back in the room and closed the door. Who knows what he had in mind?
One night in Beckley, West Virginia, I was all alone in my room in my bus getting dressed for my show, when I looked out in the parking lot and saw this young kid. I could swear he was loading or unloading a pistol. I got scared to death. I didn’t know what to do. Then he disappeared somewhere. The next thing I knew, I heard the bus door open. I had my room closed, so I couldn’t see who it was, but I got scared that it was the boy with the pistol. Usually, when something goes wrong, I do the right thing, so I talked loud, like my husband was with me. I said, “Hey, Doo, turn down that television, I think I hear somebody on the bus.” Well, I could hear the bus rocking as this guy walks outside again. I never did see him again, but I was scared. I told my boys never to leave me alone on the bus again. So now there’s always someone guarding me.
And I mean guarding me right. More than one of my people carries a pistol. Some people get all scared about being around pistols, but it doesn’t bother me. Growing up in Kentucky, I got used to it. Doo carries a pistol around like I carry a pocketbook. It ain’t that you’re trying to be tough or anything, you’re just trying to protect yourself. And we feel we need to. Doo even offered to get me a pistol, but I’m too softhearted, and I know my boys will protect me.
The worst place for a while was Oklahoma. Every time we went through, there was something. One time the newspapers got a call that was supposed to be my sister, Crystal Gayle, saying I was kidnapped. Well, that couldn’t happen because she wasn’t even on the trip. But the FBI had to check it out anyway. Another time there was a call saying I drowned in Mexico. Still another time, somebody said I would never get off the stage in Oklahoma City. This time the FBI got into it.
They checked everybody out, even my old man, Doo, who’s got a permit to carry his pistol. But we got real tight with our plans. They took me off the bus outside of Oklahoma and sneaked me into another hotel, while the bus went to our regular place. But it didn’t matter: we got to our room, and five minutes later some guy called on the hotel phone and said, “We found out where you are.” Doo was standing by