THE TWELVE-season 3 episode 9

                                                               

                                                                NEW YORK

                  Jakes walked into his office that evening, he was devastated and didn’t know why he couldn’t go back home, maybe because he hasn’t been able to sleep since the twelve left and his thoughts were always negative and he couldn’t stand the idleness he was feeling, in that mood Benedict walked in.

“What the hell is wrong with you jakes?” He asked. “You’ve been absent minded lately, what’s happening to you?”

“Pray for me and I’ll pray for you,” Jakes replied. He spoke like a drunk.

“Are you drunk?” Benedict studied his gaze.

“No I’m not,” He stood up. “I am just sick and tired of this place, not feeling its groove anymore.”

“You can’t quit Jakes, just because the twelve left.”

“I’m feeling frustrated here Benedict,” He mourned. “I don’t have any reason to be here,”

“What about us Jakes,” He yelled. “What do we do without this company?”

Leon and Harrison walked in.

“What’s all this yelling about?” Leon asked.

“Yes we heard you shouting,” Harrison added.

“The thing is…..” Jakes said.

“Jakes wants to bounce us out; he is quitting the company,” Benedict loudly interrupted. They all stared at Jakes; the countenance on their faces was a clear indication that they needed answers from him.

Jakes took a deep breath. “Listen guys I know what this means to you but I need to restart my life. My father’s decision in handing this company for me to run almost messed up my life.” He slowly explained. “I need to restart, go somewhere else, keep trying to help the twelve with their dreams and make my own family, so do all of you.”

They were all startled.

“Jakes,” Leon said. “I know this is hard, very hard…… it is for all of us. The spice, the twelve were the back bone behind this company and with them gone we feel like our dreams and aspirations went with them. But we can begin again; we can sign in more artists and work with them,”

Jakes had never heard Leon talk that way, it made him feel worse.

“Jakes,” Harrison told him. “Shutting down this company will be a very big mistake and you will regret it. Our lives, hopes and dreams are built here. Closing it will be closing our lives.”

“I know but I want to forget my past, every evil thing I did or said to anyone. This place will always remind me of it; it’s just like a memory.”

“Jakes, if you do this, if you shut us out I will never forgive you.” Benedict said and he meant every word.

“I’m not shutting you out.” Jakes told them.

“Then what are you doing?” Leon shouted. “What! You get up one morning feeling lonely and bored then you place your emotions into our business, deciding to close up a company we’ve worked so hard to build for ten years,”

“You are despicable,” Harrison said and walked out

“You wrecked our lives Jakes, you just ruined us,” Benedict said and walked out.

“Leon,” Jakes felt weak. He prayed Leon will understand him but he didn’t and just like the others, he walked out.

 

                                                                 KENYA

                  The next morning in Kenya, Shelly met the owner of the camp Miss Hemi. She had come to check on the orphans at her place. She went to the room where the sick once were kept and some few nurses were administrating their medications that morning.

“Hello miss,” Shelly said after a short watch at the door. “Good morning,” she walked to her.

“Good morning Shelly, how are you doing?”

“Very well,” she smiled.

“Hope you all are enjoying your stay here?”

“Hmm yah, we are. How are the kids?”

“Well they are just the way they are….” She looked at them lying helpless on the bed.

“How long have they been laying here sick?” she was curious.

“Some of them have been here as long as I can remember and some, not so long.”

“Is it that they don’t have their proper medications or what?”

“Some of the medical supplies come from other donors and charities and some I and the head doctor manage to buy but we don’t have all it takes to keep them really healthy. Some of them need sophisticated hospitals and professional doctors to handle their cases.”

“And that cannot be accessed here,” She nodded thoughtfully.

“Some of them are just mentally traumatized,” Hemi said and they started moving from bed to bed. Shelly waved some the children and smiled at the ones who were awake.

“How old are they?” she asked. “Age range,”

“From three to seventeen, some of them were raped while parading the streets and some got really infected by different illnesses like HIV, meningitis, polio, cholera.”

“oh my God,” Shelly felt sad.

They stopped at a bed. She was only twelve years old.

“Twelve years old,” Hemi said. “Her name is Carmen….. I found her on the street one night all soaked in blood. She was raped by God knows who,”

“Why will people be that heartless?”

“It happens Shelly, when the edge is broken the serpent is bound to bite.”

“Let us help you here please,” Shelly looked at her. “We came here so we can offer service to helpless children like this…..”

“How will you help?” She asked. “I know you are famous kids and you have a lot of influence but how can you help….. Them,”

“Just give us a chance to be friends with them, talk to them and let them know they have hope they can rise out of this situation.”

“Ok,” Hemi nodded. “Do what you can,”

“Thank you,” Shelly said and they went about looking at the kids and Hemi narrated their story to her. She couldn’t stop weeping because the things she heard hurt her so bad, she imagined how hurt the children must be. Shelly returned back to their room, she met Michael and their assistants who were beginning to worry about her.

“Where have been?” Michael asked as she walked in and sat.

“I was at the clinic side with Hemi,”

“Oh Hemi the assistant doctor," Tyler said.

“Yeah she came to check on the…… children,”

“You look emotional, what happened?” Michael asked.

“I was at the clinic with her and the things I heard about the children really got to me, their stories are so sad.”

“What do we do to help them?” Tracy asked

“We have to see the doctor who is in charge of the clinic, I only saw the nurses there.” Shelly said.

“So what are we going to do with the doctor?”

“We will ask him to let us help,” Michael said. “We have to know the children on a personal base, hear their story and then we will know how to help.”

“You are right Michael; those children need real companions like real friends.”

“I just pray God will help us because I don’t even know how we are going to start this whole thing and how we are going to end it.”  Harry said.

“Can we pray,” Michael said. “Let’s just go down on our knees and ask God for help.”

They all got down on their knees and prayed.