Your Princess is in Another Castle Read Free Page B

movie, much better than anything Marvel’s churned out.  I’m not surprised it has won so many of you over.”
    “Yeah, my friend Chris who’s always been a bat-fan, he treats his DVD like he’s Moses carrying the Ten Commandments.”
    “He smashed those though, didn’t he?” 
    “He did.  But Chris will probably find something so wrong with the sequel that he’ll wind up smashing Begins for ever having liked it in the first place.”
    Sabrina laughs.  “I know fans l ike that.  Actually, I know who you’re talking about because I remember seeing you in here with him before.  He comes in a lot to play Magic with the guys.  Always plays an all black deck and brags about it.”  She places both hands on the counter and tilts her head.  “I’m Sabrina, by the way.”
    “I know.  It’s on your big button .”  Sabrina has a button with her name written in crayon pinned to her Green Lantern t-shirt.
    “ Oh, do you like that?  I’m supposed to get an actual nametag soon, but I’m starting to like this.  I wrote my name myself.”      
    “I like that you stylized the S like Superman’s emblem.  And it’s good you wrote it in such big letters.  Every guy who comes in here is going to want to know your name.”
    “Aw, you’re going to make me blush.  You wouldn’t like me when I’m blushing.”     
    “I think I would .”
    She looks away then smiles.  Finally she scans my book.  “That’ll be sixteen seventy-eight.  And you, sweet sir, are?” she asks, bagging my purchase. 
    Enveloped in the conversation, it now occurs to me that I wasn’t supposed to be having a conversation with her to begin with.  A more gullible fellow might confuse her friendliness with flirting.  While she didn’t specifically mention a boyfriend, fiancé, husband, or impending arranged marriage, she could have easily lied by omission and kept such a thing to herself.  Surely there must be some male presence acting the part of her significant other.  But regardless, I believe only things related to the comic industry were discussed, keeping it all professional.  I’d be more comfortable if our conversation had been featured on Nightline and I could order a transcript of it for study later, but I’m stuck with my own memory.  Luckily, I’m a reliable narrator.   
    S abrina’s still waiting to hear my name.  Giving it to her puts us on the yellow brick road to friendship, but the wizard at the end was just a crock, just as my eventual conviction that Sabrina’s flirting with me will be if we keep on chatting, and I need this place too much to create another disaster like what happened with Molly. 
    “If you want t o know you’ll have to ask Chris,” I say.  “Then I’ll be able to know if you’re asking about me.”
    “ All right, I enjoy a challenge.  That’s why I play Ninja Gaiden.  So till next week, same bat-time, same bat-store.”
    Sabrina definitely isn’t just a girl.  But it is time to get out of here.  A cold wind is blowing and the time is nigh for the climatic meeting between XX and XY.               
     
    It is 7:45 when I pull into the Applebee’s parking lot.  Jessica had suggested getting here at 7:40, but then again she also suggested I get a condom.  Actually, I’ve spent the past few minutes driving in circles, not wanting to wait an entire twenty minutes inside waiting for Sonya.  Fifteen minutes is more manageable.   
    A Tuesday night, the place isn’t particularly crowded.  This is to my advantage.  I won’t have to struggle to hear Sonya talk over any overbearing voices.  A ponytailed hostess sees me enter.  “Hello, would you like a table?” she asks.  Her nametag, which lacks the creative adornments of Sabrina’s, identifies her as Brittany.  “Not yet.  I’m waiting for someone,” I say.  There was a pause between the two sentences, although I’m not sure if it was pride at the fact, or that I’m simply not