Ace of Spades

Could Have Been

The thing about elections, for Leni, was that they always gave her this sense of hope. There was this one interview of her late husband talking about how elections made the Filipino people optimistic for change and she would always go back to that video before election day.

Hindi natatapos ang laban sa eleksyon.

She woke up early to get ready for the day, heart and mind at peace. As she cooked breakfast, she read through the numerous good luck and cheerful messages from her family, campaign team, staff, the senatorials, and from Risa.

"Good morning, Leni! Today's the day. Don't worry, I'm voting for you. Haha! Take care today and vote for me ha?"

She laughed as she read it, remembering that Risa texted her almost the same thing before election day 6 years ago.

"Good morning to you too, Risa. Syempre iboboto kita. Haha! Ingat kayo today."

She felt light today. The days ahead seemed to be brighter even when today was one of the most nerve-wracking days of her life. Leni was calm, composed, and certain. Whatever happens, we fought the good fight.

The nostalgic energy of her hometown electrified her as she arrived at the voting precinct. Everyone seemed to be so happy and positive. Truly, she understood what people meant when they said she sparked hope and love around her.

Lagi't lagi, para sa bayan.

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Silence.

Nothing but silence.

It was eerily quiet everywhere. 15 million people watched the loss of a future that was already within arms reach.

Leni could hear her younger daughters crying somewhere in the living room. Her eldest daughter stared at the television, stunned and frozen, tears silently falling down her cheeks. Her personal staff surrounded them and they were crying too.

Her phone was buzzing, messages and calls outpouring, but she paid no mind to all of those.

The media was outside her home. She could hear them waiting for her to give a statement or a reaction of some sort.

What reaction were they expecting?

She didn't have any.

Her eyes were glued to the numbers. One was increasing greatly every passing second, while the other was stagnant, moving only to increase by one or two. She hoped hers was the former. But who was she kidding?

They knew they wouldn't win since the beginning anyways.

Still though, like everybody else, she hoped.

Her throat felt dry and her chest felt heavy. As she stood up to get a glass of water, she could feel all eyes on her. She forced herself to smile at everyone inside her home, her eyes betraying the smile playing on her lips. "Ano ba kayo, kukuha lang ako ng tubig. Hindi naman ako aalis."

Somehow everyone seemed to cry harder after that.

She could feel the tears coming. But she can't cry. Her kids are here and as always, she needed to be their pillar of strength. The only person that can comfort them is her and she knew it. So she gulped down the glass, cleared her throat, breathed deeply, then squared her shoulders.

We fought the good fight.

Leni told her staff to wait in the living room. Then she asked her kids to come to the dining area so she could talk to them in private.