I’m anxious to meet Dino. Is he here?”
“No. He and his father live in a villa on an estate about two minutes away. Luca has already driven him to school. Come and sit down.”
The news disappointed Gabi, who didn’t understand why his grandmother had asked her to come if he was at school. And why not at Dino’s home?
“Thank you.” She found an upholstered chair opposite her and took her place.
“Allow me to explain. His father doesn’t know about the letter. If he’d heard about it, he might have discouraged me from sending it in order not to get Dino’s hopes up. What if there’d been no response? He adores that child and doesn’t want anything to hurt him. That’s why I preferred that you and I meet here first.”
Gabi nodded. “I can understand that. Edda gave me some background about the avalanche where Dino lost his mother, but she didn’t know specifics or why he needs an operation. I honestly don’t know how you survive a tragedy like that.”
“I’m not sure we’re doing it very well,” the older woman said in a sad, quiet voice. “But I don’t want to dwell on it. What’s important is that you’ve come. It will make him so happy.”
“I’m glad Edda sent me.”
She wiped her eyes. “I could never deny my grandson anything. He and my son are both in a fragile emotional state at the moment. As the time gets closer to the operation, I’m afraid Luca has grown as anxious as Dino. You see, when my grandson was brought in to the hospital after the avalanche, the scans revealed a benign brain tumor.”
“Oh, no.”
“The doctor says it’s the reason for the headaches. But removing it could cause other complications, increasing our anxiety.”
“Of course.” Gabi clasped her hands together. “How soon does he have to have it?”
“December 21. That’s three weeks from now. The neurosurgeon will fly in to Padova and perform it at San Pietro Hospital.”
“No wonder your son is so worried. How frightening for all of you.”
“Exactly. But we can’t afford to think about anything negative now. The family has videos of Dino with his mother at various ages, and he watches them whenever he misses her too much. I hope that your quick response to Dino’s letter and the fact that you came in person will cheer him up even if it can’t solve the problem. He’s struggling so terribly over the loss of his mother you can’t imagine.”
Gabi’s heart went out to her, to all of them. “The poor thing. Everyone at the foundation is praying for him. Edda sent a gift for him. It’s a building blocks game he can put on a table.”
Tears kept welling in her blue eyes. “What I’d give if that present and your kindness to come in person will help him face the operation! My son is absolutely desperate.” The older woman clasped her hands under her chin. “Since I want it to be a surprise, this is what I’d like to do. If you’d be willing, I’d like you to follow me to my son’s villa.”
“Of course.” Gabi had made her first phone call there apparently.
“When we get there, I’ll go pick him up at school and tell him I have a surprise waiting for him at home. The cook will have our lunch prepared. He’ll be delighted to get out early since his father doesn’t normally bring him home until one. But not today! I’ll leave a message at his office that I wanted to pick him up. That way my son can stay at work longer.”
That made sense to Gabi, who was eager to meet Dino.
“When he comes running in the house, he’ll see you and the gift. We’ll go from there.” She stood up and called to her maid.
“He sounded so sweet in his letter, I’m looking forward to meeting him, Signora Berettini.”
“He’s a combination of imp and angel. I’ll get my car and ask Carla to take the present back to yours.”
“Thank you.”
In a few minutes she found herself following the black Mercedes sedan through the hills. When she rounded the next corner, she let out a quiet gasp at the sight of a sprawling two-story yellow villa set in the mountain greenery like it had grown there.
From the style, she imagined it had been built in the eighteenth century. Gabi had toured through many splendid villas from the past opened to the public. But she’d never seen anything more gorgeous than this one owned by the wealthy Berettini CEO. How sad his money couldn’t fix what was wrong with Dino.
She drove through the gates and went all the way to the circular drive in front, where she parked the car behind Giustina’s. After retrieving the gift, she joined her at the entrance, where another woman answered the door who was all smiles.
“Ines? Please meet Gabi Parisi from the Start with a Wish foundation. Gabi? This is the nanny who has looked after our precious Dino with unswerving devotion.”
“I’m very happy to meet you, Ines.”
“It’s a privilege to meet someone from the program we see on TV. He loves it and watches it every time it’s on. He won’t believe you’re here.”
“I hope it will bring him some comfort.”
“We’re counting on it, aren’t we, Ines? Will you take this gift into the family room?”
“Si, signora.”
They followed her through the magnificent interior to the rear of the villa. It overlooked the breathtaking town with snow-covered summits beyond it in the far distance. Ines placed the present on the big table.
The first thing Gabi saw was the framed photograph of a young woman that hung above the fireplace. With her long dark hair, what a beauty she was! “Is this Dino’s mother?”
“Yes. That’s Catarina.”
Gabi looked around at the warm, friendly room. It was made for a child’s pleasure with books and games, comfortable furniture, a TV and several wonderful photographs of animals living in the wilds of Africa.
She turned to Giustina. “A room like this must be heaven for a little boy.”
“Dino’s mother decorated it. Naturally it’s his favorite spot in the villa.”
“It would be mine.”
“Gabi? I’ll leave now to get Dino and won’t be long. His school is nearby. I’ll ask the maid to bring you tea or coffee. Do you have a preference?”
“Tea would be lovely.”
When she left, Gabi walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase to look at them all. There were so many darling storybooks he’d probably been read over and over again.
Ines brought the tea. Now would be a good time to ask a few questions. “Tell me about what Dino is like.”
“He’s very bright and loves to play with friends. When he doesn’t have a headache, you would never know he has a problem. But he still suffers from nightmares to do with the avalanche. It came upon them so fast. When he hears a really loud noise like thunder, he freezes and runs to hide under his bed.”
“I can imagine. How horrible for him.”
“His father is hoping that once the operation is over, he won’t be so anxious about everything.”
“The poor dear. What are some of the things he likes?”
“Swimming and comic books. His father won’t let him look at Diabolik for fear it will give him nightmares, but he’s allowed to read Lupo Alberto.”
“I too loved the comics when I was young.” While she was deep in thought, she heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall toward the family room.
Suddenly the boy raced inside but came to a halt when he saw