actually met her when she was doing a bone marrow drive in Virginia Beach and raising awareness for bone marrow donations...said she does those regularly in honor of the donor who came through for your Father.”
Dilvan nodded. “Yes. Another foundation she started recently...the G.A. Foundation of Hope.”
“ Yes. That’s wonderful. How is your Father, by the way?”
“He’s doing a lot better. That bone marrow transplant saved his life.”
“Yeah. That’s what your Mom was telling me at the drive.”
“It was a rough time for our family, you know. My Father is the glue that holds us all together. We may not get along all the time or see eye-to-eye, but we love each other. I actually think that my Father is the only person on this earth who understands me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we lost him.”
Isabella nodded. “Yeah...thank goodness her daughter-in-law was such a close match.”
Dilvan disguised a frown and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You know,” Isabella said as a look of confusion brushed across her flustered face. “Your Mother introduced me to her daughter-in-law, which would be your sister-in-law, right? I think her name was...um...Gabrielle. Yeah, that’s her...cute girl, brown-toned, natural hair...”
Dilvan frowned. No, Gabrielle wasn’t his sister-in-law. She was his wife! However, since Isabella didn’t know he was married, she could only assume that Gabrielle was his sister-in-law.
Dilvan’s chest rose in and out as he tried to process what Isabella was telling him. Seemed she knew the affairs of his family more so than he did. What was going on? Was Gabrielle really the anonymous donor that saved his Father’s life?
“Are you okay?” Isabella asked when she saw how despondent he’d become.
“Yeah, fine,” he responded, then turned up the glass of wine to his mouth, finishing it then pouring another.
“Are you sure? You look a little flushed.”
“U m...” He took two bills from his wallet, a hundred and a fifty, “I gotta go. Thanks for having drinks with me, and I hope your shoot goes well tomorrow.”
Isabella looked confused when she watched him stand up. “O ...kay. I hope yours do too.”
* * *
Dilvan took a taxi back to the hotel where he sat on the bed, furious and equally confused. It hadn’t dawned on him, until just now that the letters ‘G’ and ‘A’ in G.A. Foundation of Hope possibly stood for Gabrielle Alexander.
Had his wife, the wom an he loathed, saved his Father’s life? Back when his Father, Colin, needed the transplant, all the brothers were tested, but no one was a match. Family members stepped up and when there were no matches, Dilvan took to the streets, organizing a team to find a match for his Father. To get more people to get tested, he even offered ten thousand dollars to the person who was a match and donated marrow for him. But even the reward of money didn’t bring in a match. Then, one day, an anonymous donor showed up, was a close match, and Colin recovered for three months following the allogeneic transplant.
Since breaking out in a sweat, Dilvan stepped out onto the balcony to get some fresh, Santa Monica air, rubbing his hands across his face. He couldn’t rest unless he found out if this was true. Who else to get the truth from but straight from his Father?
He dialed his Father’s cell phone. Colin was in New York, meeting with investors and was no doubt in bed by now since it was 1:00 a.m. on the East Coast. Dilvan listened with sweaty palms as the phone run several times. When the voicemail picked up, he hung up and dialed the number again.
“Hello?” Colin answered with a groggy voice.
“Hello, Father. It’s Dilvan.”
“Dilvan...what’s the matter, son? Are you okay?”
“U m...yeah. I’m okay—”
“Then why on earth are you calling me at one in the morning?”
“I’m sorry...I’m in Cali, and um...I need to know something, Dad.”
“Okay, well spit it out so I
Dilvan nodded. “Yes. Another foundation she started recently...the G.A. Foundation of Hope.”
“ Yes. That’s wonderful. How is your Father, by the way?”
“He’s doing a lot better. That bone marrow transplant saved his life.”
“Yeah. That’s what your Mom was telling me at the drive.”
“It was a rough time for our family, you know. My Father is the glue that holds us all together. We may not get along all the time or see eye-to-eye, but we love each other. I actually think that my Father is the only person on this earth who understands me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we lost him.”
Isabella nodded. “Yeah...thank goodness her daughter-in-law was such a close match.”
Dilvan disguised a frown and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You know,” Isabella said as a look of confusion brushed across her flustered face. “Your Mother introduced me to her daughter-in-law, which would be your sister-in-law, right? I think her name was...um...Gabrielle. Yeah, that’s her...cute girl, brown-toned, natural hair...”
Dilvan frowned. No, Gabrielle wasn’t his sister-in-law. She was his wife! However, since Isabella didn’t know he was married, she could only assume that Gabrielle was his sister-in-law.
Dilvan’s chest rose in and out as he tried to process what Isabella was telling him. Seemed she knew the affairs of his family more so than he did. What was going on? Was Gabrielle really the anonymous donor that saved his Father’s life?
“Are you okay?” Isabella asked when she saw how despondent he’d become.
“Yeah, fine,” he responded, then turned up the glass of wine to his mouth, finishing it then pouring another.
“Are you sure? You look a little flushed.”
“U m...” He took two bills from his wallet, a hundred and a fifty, “I gotta go. Thanks for having drinks with me, and I hope your shoot goes well tomorrow.”
Isabella looked confused when she watched him stand up. “O ...kay. I hope yours do too.”
* * *
Dilvan took a taxi back to the hotel where he sat on the bed, furious and equally confused. It hadn’t dawned on him, until just now that the letters ‘G’ and ‘A’ in G.A. Foundation of Hope possibly stood for Gabrielle Alexander.
Had his wife, the wom an he loathed, saved his Father’s life? Back when his Father, Colin, needed the transplant, all the brothers were tested, but no one was a match. Family members stepped up and when there were no matches, Dilvan took to the streets, organizing a team to find a match for his Father. To get more people to get tested, he even offered ten thousand dollars to the person who was a match and donated marrow for him. But even the reward of money didn’t bring in a match. Then, one day, an anonymous donor showed up, was a close match, and Colin recovered for three months following the allogeneic transplant.
Since breaking out in a sweat, Dilvan stepped out onto the balcony to get some fresh, Santa Monica air, rubbing his hands across his face. He couldn’t rest unless he found out if this was true. Who else to get the truth from but straight from his Father?
He dialed his Father’s cell phone. Colin was in New York, meeting with investors and was no doubt in bed by now since it was 1:00 a.m. on the East Coast. Dilvan listened with sweaty palms as the phone run several times. When the voicemail picked up, he hung up and dialed the number again.
“Hello?” Colin answered with a groggy voice.
“Hello, Father. It’s Dilvan.”
“Dilvan...what’s the matter, son? Are you okay?”
“U m...yeah. I’m okay—”
“Then why on earth are you calling me at one in the morning?”
“I’m sorry...I’m in Cali, and um...I need to know something, Dad.”
“Okay, well spit it out so I
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