Two days later, there is a group of children of different ethnic backgrounds and different age groups inside a playroom at a children’s hospital. A white girl around 12-years old hurries to the group of children with a newspaper in her hand. The other children look at the girl as the girl approaches them and says, “Hey everybody! One of the nurses left this newspaper on the table and I saw this article. Look. It says right here that Diane D and her family received a letter that there was a three year old boy in an elementary school who is dying of leukemia and had a dying wish for Diane D to come to his school so that he can meet her. It says that when Diane D and her family read the letter, Diane D was touched by it. She started to feel sorry for the little boy who has leukemia and got emotionally attached to him. She and her family bought a lot of toys, gifts and fruit for the little boy. It says Diane D and her family made an effort to go to the school to grant the sick little boy his dying wish to meet Diane D while the little boy is still alive. It says that Diane D and her family even brought the toys, gifts and fruit to the school to brighten the sick little boy’s spirit, only to find out that the sick little boy Diane D started to care about, got attached to and grew to love never even existed. See?” The girl shows the other children the newspaper article with the headline that reads: DIANE D GETS SHOCK OF HER LIFE WHEN SHE GOES TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN QUEENS, NEW YORK AND FINDS OUT THAT THE DYING SICK CHILD SHE STARTED TO CARE ABOUT, GOT ATTACHED TO AND GREW TO LOVE NEVER EXISTED! The children look at and read the article.
“Wow!” a Hispanic boy around 12-years old says. “So this article is saying that a kid name Marcus who goes to the school and his older brother Richard sent Diane D’s family a false letter saying that there is a little boy in the school who is dying of leukemia and his dying wish is for Diane D to come to his school so that he can meet her?”
“Yeah,” the girl says. “It says when the kid confessed privately to Diane D in the upstairs school hallway that night that the little boy who has leukemia didn’t exist, that it was he and his brother who sent that false letter to Diane D and her family, Diane D got real shocked about it! Then it says that Diane D got sad about it. Then it says she got angry about it. Now she and the boy Marcus who sent her family that false letter are both laying hurt in the hospital!”
“What!” a black boy says. “Diane D is in the hospital?”
“That’s what the article says.”
“That boy Marcus is in the hospital too?” the Hispanic boy asks.
“Yeah.”
“Why are they both in the hospital?” a second girl asks. “What happened to them? Did they get into a fight with each other when Diane D found out that he lied to her and her family?”
“Probably. You know Diane D’s reputation, she doesn’t play.”
“Yeah she sure doesn’t. I wouldn’t try to cross her.”
“Neither would I,” the Hispanic boy says.
“It sounds like Diane D and her family went all out of their way for the little boy who has leukemia when they thought the little boy who has leukemia existed,” the first girl says.
“It sure sounds like they did,” the second girls says. “But why did that boy Marcus and his older brother lied to Diane D and her family about the little boy who has leukemia? Why did they make that story up?”
“Because when that school received a letter from Diane D’s family saying that Diane D only performs for charity, that boy Marcus and his brother Richard took it upon themselves to send Diane D’s family a phony letter about a little boy who goes to that school who has leukemia whose dying wish is for Diane D to come to his school so he can meet her. The trick worked because Diane D and her family wind up coming to that school so the little boy they thought existed can meet her.”
“Wow. I wonder if Diane D and her family would go out of their way for us. We’re really sick children. We exist.”
“Yeah,” says a third boy. “Since we’re sick children who really do exist, maybe Diane D can come here to the hospital for us.”
“You think Diane D would come here to this hospital for us and grow to love us and bring us toys and gifts like she and her family did for the little boy they thought existed?”
“I hope so,” says the Hispanic boy. “If Diane D and her family can go all out of their way for a sick child that they thought existed, they probably can go out of their way for us who do exist.”
“Yeah that’s true,” the other children say.
“Let‘s ask Mr. Gibson,” the second girl says. “Maybe he can try to reach Diane D’s family so they can let her come here whenever she gets out the hospital.”
“Yeah let’s ask him.” The children leave the area and hurry towards the doorway.
Chapter 39
Diane D’s Family Plans Lawsuit