TALK ABOUT FOUNDATION

After breakfast, Ella and her team settles to discuss the process of their new foundation and how it is going to help their target.

"I think the first thing we should think of is a name of the foundation." Shamim suggests.

"As for me I think Heartrose is still very much okay." Asma chips in.

"Do you think we should have an organizational building for it?" Abdullah asks and exhales sharply. "Somewhere people can go officially to register before getting treated for free."

"That will be a very terrible idea." Cecelia cuts in. "Unless you plan on monitoring the place yourself."

"Why do you say so?" Ella asks with a frown, she still finds it very difficult to accept Cecelia as her sister.

"You know, corruption is everywhere. Whoever you employ there might exploit those people by demanding for a particular amount of money to get registered."

Shamim nods. "That's true, you do have a point."

"I agree with you too, the less privileged people we plan on helping might end up paying close to the amount we don't want them to pay." Darifa adds.

"So what do you think we do?" Ella asks her sister who is now like the master planner.

"One of you will have to wait behind to monitor the organization, to avoid problems."

"That means one of us will have to wait behind and not return to Burundi." Asma whispers.

"Nonsense." Ella snaps. "We can just find someone we really trust and employ him or her."

"I will stay behind." Darifa volunteers.

"I will never allow that! I am not leaving anyone of you here!" Ella retorts.

"I actually feel I need a new environment, that was why I wanted to stay with your parents for a while, I think I really like it here."

"Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?" Ella asks moving her palms round her body to observe her.

"I am fine." She replies with a soft smile. "It might be so difficult when the society doesn't just accept you for who you are."

"Then what about Helen?" Abdullah asks. "What will happen to her when you suddenly decide to move here?"

Darifa exhales deeply. "I will ask her if she can move here with me and settle down, we can always come to Burundi every year."

"What if she doesn't?" Cecelia asks, she seem to have been catching up on the conversation and understands the kind of person she is.

"I think I have to let go, I need enough time to relax my brain."

"I will stay with you." Asma whispers. "I can't allow you stay here all by yourself.

"Why?" Darifa asks and giggles. "What will happen to your sugar daddy when you stay here?"

"He isn't my sugar daddy!" Asma yells.

"Your foundation, is meant to save lives right?" Cecelia asks reminding everyone else of the main discussion.

"Obviously!" Ella replies with another frown.

"Then you have to make researches before rendering the helps. Some people might pretend to be poor, so as to avoid the the payment. Again, it might even chase all the elite customers, thus, making the hospital run down. The shareholders and workers won't take it lightly if that happens.

"And if that happens?" Abdullah asks with great interest.

"Ella will be in serious debt."

"How can that be avoided?" Shamim asks too.

"Heartrose foundation must differ from Heartrose hospital."

"What does that mean?" Ella asks with a friendly face now.

"The Heartrose foundation, should be a non governmental organization that helps very poor people. Giving them money to start up a business, helping the ready to learn ones with scholarships, helping some of them out with technical jobs that can feed them, and treating those who are really ill and has no money."

"So, you suggest the foundation shouldn't be only about treating people?" Ella asks again.

"Yes." Cecelia nods. "As a matter of fact, the treatment should be just basic. If the treatment requires surgery, it should then be transferred to the hospital, as the foundation will take care of fifty percent of the medical expenses."

"What about the remaining fifty percent?" Amsa asks.

"That is where our sponsors will come in." Cecelia says with a big smile.

"Wow! You are a genius." Ella exclaims and for the first time, she smiles at her sister.

"You look so much pretty when you smile." She says with a smile back. "Please, make sure you smile more often."

Ella clears her throat and asks. "Speaking of sponsors, we need to find some people, since the five of us are Heartrose foundation itself."

"I will actually love to be a sponsor but I don't have any stable form of living now."

"You will soon have one, as I will appoint you as the managing director of the hospital."

"Thank you." She whispers and holds back tightly the tears in her eyes.

*********

"She has been staring at the cell phone for a while now." Shamim whispers to Ella. "As if she is expecting a call or message."

"I am less concerned about that." Ella snaps and helps herself with a glass of water.

"Why would you say that? She is your sister!"

"It's not that easy to accept someone as your blood, not even when her mom ruined your life. Do you have the slightest idea the amount of pain I hold in my heart now?"

"Still, she is your sister." shamim sighs heavily. "The deed has been done already, we should forget about the past and focus on the present, not so?"

"I know." Ella nods. "But it will take some time to accept her. No matter what, she is still an offspring of my enemy."

"And the daughter of your father too." shamim adds.

Miss Smith exhales deeply. "Making a gifted but unidentified magician perform magic needs patience and sacrifice. It's not going to be easy, but I will try my best."

"Now ask her why she has been staring at the cell phone."

Ella clears her throat. "Is everything okay with you? Why are you staring at the cell phone?"

"I am actually contemplating wether to call Linda or not." Cecelia sighs. "She did too much to get me out of the house, I couldn't even take my cell phone out."

"So whose phone is this?" Ella asks again.

"It's a burner phone Linda gave me before leaving the house."

"What do you mean by she did too much to get you out?" Shamim asks seeming attracted to the statement.

"She had to drug everyone to sleep, including the domestic workers."

"What?" Ella scoffs. "I think you should call her now."

Cecelia nods and calls Linda, in her mind, she prays gently that nothing bad has happened to her. "Hello." She whispers placing the phone by her ear.

"Cecelia?" Linda asks whispering.

"Yes, how are you doing? Has anything serious happened over there?"

"I have been waiting for your call for ages now, what happened? Why didn't you call me on time?"

"I tripped over a stone and had an injury just as I left the house. I stayed there for about an hour waiting for Ella, I even lost consciousness."

"Really? Are you fine now?" Linda asks again.

"Yes, I am with Ella for now. Is mom awake?"

"No, not yet, but I know she will be up anything from now. Please, look for my father for me."

"I will try my possible best to do that."

"No matter what happens, do not show your face here, my mom might try to lure you in, but please, do not get deceived."

"Alright." Cecelia sighs. "I miss you a lot."

"Now is not the time to miss, make sure you don't call me more than once at a time. If you call me once and I do not respond, don't call me again until after 12 hours. Is that clear?" Linda asks with some authority in her voice.

"Alright." She replies a bit sad.

"You can call me in the next twelve hours. I will talk to you later." Linda ends the call.

Cecelia drops the phone and places her head on the pillow on her thighs.

"Are you okay?" Ella moves closer to her and gently raises her, her older sister is crying. "What is wrong? Why are you crying? Did something bad happen?"

"I don't like this life." She sobs. "Everything is just unfair."

The tears in her sister's eyes moved her to the soul that she almost cry too but holds it back and embraces her instead. "It will be fine, stop crying."