"She laughed. "I wouldn't mind." Let's get dressed. Are you hungry?" Starving," said the princess."I'll buy you dinner. We can talk safe, a table betw...en us." Okay. Lord knows Dad hasn't gotten anything for dinner."I called my mother and told her not to wait for me.We headed to Times Square and caught a cab to Christopher Street to a quiet bistro where queers impress their dates. I knew the owner and introduced the princess. It offered good food and good atmosphere if you don't mind a romantic. He would like to confirm the measurements for himself. Can hecome to your home tonight? He said that if the measurements areconfirmed as being off, as you have said, he will provide Kelly's gownfor free. I told him that I was deeply disappointed that Mrs. Drysdalewould deliberately attempt to do something like this, no matter how shefelt about Kelly." Mrs. Dixon that will be fine. We will be home this evening, please givehim the information, and have him call me to confirm the time." Thank. I had been chugging right along in both sports but baseball was getting more difficult. I wasn't getting too many decent pitches anymore.It could have been the fact that I had 419 home runs in my seven years in the league or the 71 I had in the last year alone. That didn't stop me from hitting 68 in 1988; it just made it more interesting. I was hitting pitches that no sane person would swing at. I got Gehrigs record, too. The hitting streak now stood at 87 games.When you know where the pitch is. Richie took the last three steps in a single leap, landing with a heavy thump that made the plastic flowers in a nearby vase rustle, and raced for the door."Hey!"Richie suddenly stopped and whirled around.Sandra Gardner had emerged from the kitchen, a frown marring an otherwise attractive face under a fall of dirty-blonde hair. Fraying denim cutoffs hugged her hips, a tank top wrapped tightly around the large swells of her breasts, her feet bare. She lifted a can of beer to her lips and tipped.