October 2021
Val's POV
I feign yet another smile to the webcamera of my laptop, bidding goodbye to my coworkers. I've already had 3 back-to-back meetings today, and it's not even lunch time. I sigh as I press my eyelids together, hoping for even a few minutes of serenity.
I heard a squeal come from the living room. Thanks universe. I say as I silently curse under my breath for the chaos that is today.
"ALLY!! ALLY!!" My mom shouts for me, excitement evident in her voice.
"Mom? Why? Did something happen ba?" I ask confused.
"Tignan mo dali! Leni just announced her candidacy!" she says, pointing at the tv. Surely enough, there it was, showing the Vice President, donned in a blue blouse with a pink ribbon, announcing her presidential bid for the 2022 elections.
"Lalaban ako. Lalaban tayo. Inihahain ko ang aking sarili—" the crowd erupted in cheers, echoing through the four walls of the screen, full of hope and assurance of a better tomorrow.
I listened silently to the rest of the speech side by side with my mother, whose smile grew impossibly bigger as the minutes passed. I saw tears suddenly forming in her eyes, as she became overwhelmed by her own emotions.
"Mom, you okay?"
"We will be now anak. We will be now." she smiled sweetly at me, and reached for my hands to squeeze it in assurance.
"Diba kaibigan mo yung panganay niya? Thank her for me, will you? Ano ulit pangalan niya? Jessa? Jessie?" she shakes her head in thought.
"Jessica Marie, mom. Si Aika." I flashed a bittersweet smile at her, assuring her that I will, not having the heart to tell her that I haven't contacted the woman in years.
I excused myself to my room, telling her I have a meeting to prepare for. She lets me go and I can already hear her talking about her plans on attending the upcoming rallies.
Exhausted and overwhelmed by my emotions, I sit down with a grunt on my chair, trying to process everything.
I was elated, because after all, we finally had the most qualified person running for the presidency. There was hope yet.
Then my thoughts went to her. What would she be feeling right now? Masaya kaya siya? Or is she having her own dilemma?
I shaked those thoughts off and turned back to my laptop, gearing up for the onslaught of meetings I was supposedly going to have. But to my pleasant surprise, I was only greeted by postponed meetings, (except for a few urgent ones with possible investors) everyone on a high with the recent news.
I laid down on my bed, deciding on resting for a little while before going back to work. I opened up my twitter and my feed was filled with articles and hashtags in support of the VP.
I clicked on a live feed, showing the VP as she walked into Sofitel, accompanied by — oh. She was accompanied by her daughters, Tricia and Aika. Aika.
I suck in a shallow breath, wanting to exit the stream but instead found myself entranced by the eldest daughter. You always did have that effect on me.
Beautiful as ever.
The door creaked open, Agos, my younger brother, peeking through, telling me that lunch is served. I jumped slightly, accidentally letting go of my phone and feeling like I was caught doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.
"Ah, you're watching it aren't you? Mom's already talking to her friends telling them the news. Nagsimula nang mangampanya." We chuckled at the remark.
"Ate Bear still looks the same, doesn't she?" he says as he stretches his neck to catch a good glimpse at my phone.
"You still call her Ate Bear?" I questioned, smiling a little at the old nickname. A feeling of warmth going through me.
"It stuck." he shrugged lightly before throwing a pillow at me.
"Now please stop daydreaming about her and get up on your ass, Ate. Ako pa mapapagalitan ni Mom if we aren't at the table soon." he chastised.
I rolled my eyes at him, telling him I'll be there soon, muttering tinawag mo pa kong Ate under my breath.
The rest of the afternoon went on uneventfully, with only the headaches from the day's remaining meetings accompanying me.
Although, every now and then I find myself going back to her, occupying my mind. But what's new with that?
The next couple of days came and went by just as easily, with my mom's excitement never fading. She would constantly ask me if I was going to volunteer, sounding hopeful everytime despite my constant dismissal of the topic whenever it's brought up.
I love my mom, truly. But I can't. Not when there's a big chance I'd come across her. Not when I've spent the last few years ignoring her, and doing whatever I could to avoid her.
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I think the universe is playing jokes on me.
My car broke down. Commuting has never been a problem, except now that I'm already running late to a 9am staff meeting.
Traffic was brutal (as always) and I was still late by 10 minutes but thankfully, so was the Director.
I walked into the conference room, all eyes quickly turning to me. I greet everyone with small smiles and the bow of my head, apologizing for my tardiness. They greet back, sympathizing with me.
I took my seat near the front, preparing to take notes for the meeting. A coffee was then placed in front of me, its sweet aroma quickly filling my every sense. My stomach grumbles and at the back of my mind I register my mother's voice, ayan sabi ko kasing kumain ka ng almusal.
I hummed in thanks to Laura, my best friend in the office, who simply laughed at my obviously stressed state.
"Umagang kay stress nanaman ang isang Alona Eloise Valle. Musta sis?" I jokingly glared at her, the growing smile on my face beating my attempt of showing annoyance.
We conversed with one another until the director came in, all smiles and apologies for her late arrival.
"Okay, so project updates done, on to more exciting news. The campaign season for the National Elections are starting soon and volunteer groups for Leni-Kiko have reached out, looking for possible volunteer assistance in the set up of the LED Screens, sound systems and the like. I'm thinking of accepting the invitation of course, but I wanted to know your thoughts first. We would be publicly supporting the tandem and I know some of you might face repercussions that you didn't sign up for. So, thoughts everyone?"
The conference room filled with exciting chatter, the Director's question already seemingly answered. A vote was held and when it was time to vote for the project, my whole body was still, frozen in place.
I felt someone elbow me – it was Laura, effectively gaining my attention and snapping me out of my daze. Everyone's eyes were on me, apparently the director was trying to call my attention for awhile now.
"Ms. Valle? Do you agree to it as well?"
"Sorry, I zoned out a bit, but yes, of course."
"Wonderful! Cause I planned to make you the project manager. You've done commendable work as Admin Manager and I'd like to see your leadership on the field as well." she gave me an encouraging smile while everyone cheered, except for me.
Fuck. Shit. Universe, what the hell.
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A/N
papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part ;))
curious na ba kayo sa past nila?
ty everyone again for reading, thoughts and comments are all welcome <33
- oli