LA CANDIDATE

MERE ET FILS

"Noëm, please open the door. Otherwise, I'll have Louis remove the doorknob."

"Leave me alone, mom."

"Noëm, locking yourself up won't arrange things. Do you plan to stay in your room forever?"

"Dad doesn't want to see me."

Severine sighed, "Well, I don't want to see him. He isn't here, Noëm. It's just you, Louis, and I. Please open."

Noëm unlocked the door. Severine immediately stepped in and went to open his window. "You need to air the room; Louis has to clean it. Why don't you come for a run with me while he does that?"

Noëm's lips drooped, "Mom, I hate running."

"You don't have the choice," Severine said, pushing him.

Noëm didn't like running, or any sports; Severine knew it. All her efforts to enroll him into something were in vain. He found boxing a brutal sport and anything else needing effort tiring. Noëm was slender and tall with soft features. His curly hair gave away his African heritage without pinpointing a country. On most days, people mistook him for a Brazilian or North African boy. He wasn't an introvert but wasn't one to reel in a crowd for attention, either.

Five minutes later, they were outside. If the boy kept up for the first few minutes, he quickly fell behind his athletic mother.

"Mom, I've got a stitch. Can we stop for a minute?"

Severine stopped, and so did Faryil, who kept at a reasonable distance. Meanwhile, the party's bodyguards followed with the car.

Noëm looked around Faryil. No one was in sight, but the protection service was still in place.

He was used to seeing his father under protection during campaigns, so it was odd for Noëm to see his mother in the same predicament.

"How does it feel to be followed? I mean, how does it feel to be protected like this?"

Severine looked in front of her, where Faryil stretched while waiting, and to the car, where the bodyguards stood outside.

"It's overwhelming. They know exactly how many times a day I use the toilets. I can't have many secrets," Severine replied while doing her arm stretches.

"Do you trust them?"

"I have no choice. The party and I pay them to protect me, yet they could kill me." Severine sighed, "My life is in their hands. If I win, you'll have to entrust yours as well. Between you and me, I'm more comfortable with Faryil than those two.

Noëm glanced at him again, "He doesn't talk much."

"It's precisely why I prefer him."

Faryil didn't speak even in moments when he was alone with the candidate; the man remained silent. Severine knew nothing about him apart from what she saw on his CV, and she preferred it to stay that way. Hence, feelings or any other sentiments of pity or friendship could not get in the way. Their employer and bodyguard relationship was where it should be.

Likewise, Faryil appreciated his boss's lack of interest in him. Severine knew not how she intimated the man. The bodyguard was impressed to see how she tangled difficulties daily and could only imagine the amount of work and enemies she would have once elected.

Most of her enemies were from the inside. Faryil discovered that the candidate wasn't appreciated by all within the party. The halls were filled with whispers of those who believed Severine was Pierre Lafarge's muppet, but none dared attack the candidate directly.

Mother and son advanced and stopped again on a bench.

"What are you going to do, Mom?" Noëm had tried to help his mother his way with the internet but got scolded for it. Though Severine said she would handle things alone, the boy wished to support her somehow.

"What do you mean?"

Again, tears bordered the teen's eyelids, "I ruined your campaign."

"You did nothing as such. I stand by you, and it's what I will tell the press this afternoon. If the public isn't happy, then so be it. What do you want to do? You won't stay suspended forever."

Noëm looked at the ducks landing in the pod before saying, "I don't know. Thomas isn't taking my calls. I don't see myself studying at Kensington anymore. People will behave and act differently. Things have never ended well for gay boys there. If no one beats them to the point of having their life pending, they're bullied, and they always end up changing schools."

"Is that what you want to do?" Severine asked.

Noëm laid his head on his mother's shoulder, "I want to be close to home."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before pursuing their run.

"It's been a couple of challenging days for CL candidate Severine Lafarge since the press revealed her son's relationship with a mystery boy. What some consider a crisis has become a major political debate," the newscaster stated.

"As a father, I can only understand the shock Alexis Lafarge must be in," Martin Dolan from the moderate said.

"Alexis Lafarge's statements aren't worthy of a president of a secular state like ours. It's clear he would be one for the Inquisition, which would limit LGBTQIA rights if elected. Dear French, do not make this error," the ecologist candidate said when the press poked him.

All eyes were on Severine, who, as usual, kept her mouth shut until the right moment.

Paul released a first statement. It reminded the French but warned the press of laws protecting minors' private lives and online images. It then asked the public to respect the teens' private life.

The message didn't satisfy the opinion that wanted to hear Severine's earnest words. Thus, Severine gave them what they wanted when she took the stand at her rally in Le Mans.

"Many of you must be curious. Many have asked me why I'm silent about recent events. I took time to be with my family. I took time to redefine these thoughts, which were mine. See, one only thinks of one's reaction once life confronts them with the unexpected. I speak as a mother. My child is growing, learning, and affirming his identity.

"I respect him as an individual, and I respect the choices that influence his identity's makeup. I stand by him, for it is my role to accompany and support my child through the trials of life. I do not limit this role to my blood or kin. I extend it to the French citizens. As a candidate, I want to tell those who doubt my morale position I stand with and for you, regardless of your orientation, color, religion, or gender. There might be times when neither you nor I will see eye to, but at the end of the day, I will be in your corner. I stand with you today, tomorrow, and forever."

"Well, there you have it, Severine Lafarge has spoken. The cameras captured tears here and there.

We can say her speech resonated with many and that Severine is not straying away from her election compass. In contrast, her husband is struggling in the polls and surveys. It seems the country is more diligent than the Reformists.

"The lgbtqia community has already been on the move these last few days, showing support for the CL candidate, notably thanks to one statement from her son on Z saying, and I quote: If I could vote. I'd vote Lafarge, madame Lafarge. A mother like no other. This post generated significant traffic on the platform, making the candidate a top topic.

"Trending hashtags are not #vote-for but #Ivotelafarge and the now iconic #faitladiff, which means making a difference in youth slang. If voting intentions from the 18-25 age group follow through, we can expect to see at least one Lafarge in the first round of this election. This is Loic Dufour signing off for channel 1."