Letters to a Princess (14 page)

Hammond Senior used all the media attention over my fake interview to get funding for his cow intestine program. So, his son explained to me, my imagination had contributed to science. And the family had no hard feelings at all.

Hammond Senior is absolutely thrilled about the funding as is his whole university department. He’s a bit of a hero really and his nickname these days is the Prince, believe it or not. Hammond Junior told me how his mum and dad now have plenty of good laughs about Hammond’s ‘royal affair’.

The best news of all was that Hammond Junior is in the top basketball team in his state. And the basketball team is coming to Australia in about six months. They’ll be in Sydney for about a week. And he wants to meet me!

I don’t know why I have the best feeling about this meeting, but I do. I said, ‘Thank you, Diana,’ a few times before I sat down to answer Hammond’s letter. And I wasn’t thanking myself. What’s happened is all tied up with my first infatuation with the Princess.
Infatuation that turned into real affection and gratitude to her.

I know I’m not magically cured of my eating disorder or my depression, but I have put on weight and I don’t even need the contract anymore, though I still see a counsellor. I’ve worked out how much exercise I should do without going overboard. I still jump out of bed and do plenty of push-ups before breakfast, but I do eat breakfast! And I still run every evening because it clears my head, but I follow that up with dinners that include carbs and fats. I’ve stopped counting calories. I just want to feel strong and fit.

Sure, I know I have a way to go. I still miss my mum and always will. But something’s lifted and I know that even though I’ll be living on my own, I’m not adrift anymore. I sense that I will never again feel as desperate as I did on the night of the dance. If I do, I know I’ll do something about it, and that’s a good feeling.

Dear
Hammond Junior,

So there are actually TWO Hammond Zeiglers! (Three if we count my fictional Hammond Zeigler the publisher.) Two of you! Unreal! And both good-humoured. Mind you, I’m not sure I want to meet your dad, Hammond Senior, any time soon. But I’d like to meet you when you’re in Sydney. I live quite near the most wonderful beach in the world. You’ve probably heard of Bondi, well I’d love the opportunity to show you around …

I found a half-decent photo of myself to put inside the letter. I looked at Hammond Junior’s picture again. I looked from one to the other and I started to laugh. It was unreal! I realised who Hammond Zeigler was like, well, around the eyes that is … me!

And I felt sure Princess Diana would be pleased that the
Hammond Zeigler Letters
were about to begin!

I’d like to thank some special people for their involvement in this book, not the least Belinda Bolliger who remembered an earlier version of the book and believed in this one. I’d also like to express my gratitude to the consultant Rowena Robinson, and Kylie Burgess-Kime who both generously gave further insight into the condition of anorexia in young people; and to Jeanmarie Morosin for her scrupulous and sympathetic editing.

Libby Hathorn
is an award-winning author of more than forty books for children and young people. Her stories have been translated into several languages and adapted for stage and screen. Libby lives in Sydney where she lectures in Creative Writing, Children’s Literature at Sydney University. Poetry is a special interest, and she manages her poetry project, 100Views, in several schools.

Copyright

The ABC ‘Wave’ device is a trademark of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia.

First published in Australia in 2007
by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
This edition published in 2011
by HarperCollins
Publishers
Australia Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
harpercollins.com.au

Copyright © Libby Hathorn 2007

The right of Libby Hathorn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the
Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
.

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968
, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Hathorn, Libby.

Letters to a Princess / Hathorn, Libby.

ISBN: 978-0-7333-2075-0 (pbk.)

ISBN: 978-0-7304-9545-1 (ePub)

I. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. II. Title.

A823.3