Watching Sunrises

Smallest Things

Loren has been staring in front of the mirror for at least 10 minutes, paying special attention to the marks that told a story of what happened the night before. She then took some concealer and dabbed a few drops on some of the more obvious ones, but nothing seemed to be working.

While rubbing some concealer on a particularly large mark on her collarbone, Pia called out from the bedroom door. "Reg, kanina ka pa diyan, ah."

"Loko-loko ka, ikaw may kasalanan nito, eh!" Loren replied while adjusting her shirt.

"Wag mo nang takpan, dear." Pia said. "Pang National Museum nga, diba?"

"Pilar, my dear, this is a masterpiece, but the Senate isn't the best place for a grand unveiling.", Loren quipped.

Pia walked in and embraced Loren while the latter retouched her lipstick. "Well, laman naman palagi ng Senate Marites circles ang love life mo hanggang ngayon, so why not flaunt it?"

"...Sige na nga." Loren said.

Over at the Senate, Loren walked the hallways of the 5th floor - the place she considered home for the three and a half terms she served in the chamber. The random typing sounds and chatter from the various offices took her back to a time she used to be part of this backdrop.

She then made a stop in front of what used to be her Senate office prior to resigning. It's still a jarring feeling to see blank walls where various photos and articles of her achievements used to reside and a wooden door where a Jun Yee textile installation used to exist.

Loren then opened the (surprisingly) unlocked door and went inside. The steel cabinets were back, and so were the partitions in the middle of the legislative floor. "At least hindi nila nilagyan ulit ng tiles..."

A stronger wave of nostalgia hit her when she entered her old office, now bereft of anything that made her office her office. She could still imagine exactly where everything was, from the display of various textiles behind her desk to the white and wood couch on the side.

"Oh, only the walls could talk..."

Part of Loren wished she didn't end her term the way she did. Perhaps, she should've finished her term first before pursuing her MA, or at the very least made a graceful early exit. "Then again, maybe hitting that rock bottom was exactly what I needed at that time."

That hit of sentimentally screeched to a stop when a soft, familiar voice called her name. "Ate Lo, ikaw ba yan?"

Loren looked behind her to find Risa's smiling at her. "Ris?"

Risa walked right inside and wrapped her slender arms around Loren for a big bear hug. If there's one thing she missed about her the most, it's this. Finally, after talking behind screens for a good part of the year, they get to catch up face to face. "Balita ko umeksena ka dito the other day."

"It's a long story." Loren said. "Mamaya ko na i-kwento."

Immediately after, Risa then invited Loren to her Senate office and the two of them sat on the beanbags in the middle of the working area. "So, Ate, what's the score? Di mo naman ako pinatapos mag-kwento the last time."

To make herself more comfortable, Loren propped her legs up on the coffee table and narrated the story of everything that happened from the time she arrived in Manila. "I mean, we're okay now, but still..."

Risa adjusted her eyeglasses and smirked at Loren upon seeing the 'masterpiece', as Pia kept describing it. "From what I can see now, you two are clearly more than okay."

Meanwhile, Loren did her best to keep a poker face, but her cheeks that turned as red as her lip color of choice tell another story. "Sabi ni Pia, pang-museum daw eh."

"Alam kong maharot ka pero this is another level, Ate Lo." Risa said, trying to stifle her giggling. "Basta, sure ako may mananalo sa pustahan mamaya."

Loren's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Teka, ongoing pa rin ung pustahan na 'yan? Tangina naman, oh, parang hindi ako umalis."

Risa took a sip of her tea. "Balita ko nga malalaki na ang premyo ngayon."

"Gago ka!" Loren said, playfully swatting Risa's arm. "Lahat na lang pinusta mo."

A mischeivous smile appeared on Risa's face. "I didn't join, of course - baka masabihang akong may unfair advantage."

The two women clanked their tea cups and spent a few more minutes trading stories with one when Leni and Pia joined in.

"Uyy, Loren, nandito ka pala! Aga mo, ah." Leni exclaimed before taking a seat on the beanbag next to Risa.

"Tambay lang ako saglit." Loren said, reading one of the coffee table books on Risa's table. "How's your first full year in the Senate?"

Leni couldn't contain the excitement on her face. "Kakapasa lang on Second Reading ng People Empowerment Bill, so after three days, aarangkada na siya for bicam."

Loren clapped her hands. "Congrats, Leni, bilis kilos ka talaga, ah. Plus, I've heard a lot of good things about your Finance vice-chairmanship - heard from Pia na ang linis ng itemization ng housing agencies."

"What can you say?" Leni said, shrugging her shoulders. "Kaya nga 3 years unqualifed opinion ang OVP sa COA, diba?"

Suddenly, Loren uttered a comment she never thought she would say in her lifetime. "Finance Chairmanship next Congress, kakayanin?"

Leni's eyes shifted left and right. "Grabe, pressure naman. Painitin niyo muna pwet ko sa upuan."

Pia smiled and took a swig of water. "If you're a vice-chair, you more or less know the process."

Risa rubbed Leni's back with her hand. "Naku, kayang-kaya mo 'yan, pangga. You still have a couple more years to go."

"Pero teka, akala ko ba ayaw mo nang nasasapawan?" Leni questioned.

Loren shook her head. "Nakakasawa na ung pagiging pabida palagi. If you're on high alert all the time and you see everyone as your competition, you lose yourself in the process, eh. The moment you lose yourself, that's the beginning of a downward spiral."

"Salamat Loren, that really meant a lot coming from you." Leni said. "Salamat rin for for the kind words about Jess nung nag-usap tayo sa coffee shop. Kahit papaano, nakatulong siya in moving forward knowing that he died a happy man."

The tears started rolling down Loren's eyes. "Leni, thank you for hugging Lanz for me."

Leni stood up and gave Loren a warm hug, with Risa and Pia joining them a little after.

The two of them have said many things to each other over the years, of which a lot of it wasn't very positive, but they were each other's teachers - and boy did they both learn a lot of lessons one will never get in any classroom.

For the rest of the afternoon before session starts, the two couples split off into their own bubbles - Leni and Risa having green tea together on Risa's table, and Loren and Pia taking a stroll back to Pia's office while holding hands.

During their walk back, Pia started opening up. "You know, Reg, I would never in a million years think we'll ever reach this stage, you know? Akala ko forever na tayong walang label dalawa."

"Di ko rin aakalain na makakarinig rin ako ng 'I love you' mula sa iyo." Loren smiled while facing Pia. "But I'm glad I did. "

Pia smiled back. "Grabe, ngayon pa lang ako nasasanay na tinatawag ako na girlfriend mo. Even if you've said it many times, it's as if I heard it for the first time - ganun katindi ang effect sa akin."

"I'd say the same about you saying those three words.", Loren replied. "Lakas pa rin ng tama."

It's the things like walking around the Senate halls that they look forward to doing the most in the month and a half stay Loren has in the Philippines. Sure, grand gestures and surprises are a nice treat, but their relationship has always been about the smallest things that add up to something big.

17 years' worth of the smallest things, to be exact.