His Surname

4: The Meeting

Leni's heart was beating fast. 

This was the day that she would meet the vice-presidential candidates for an interview on national television. She was asked to wear the signature color of the Liberal Party and she did. She agreed that the only way for them to beat Marcos was through this strategy. 

She was called in last. There was silence when she climbed up the stage, Kit held her hand until she reached the top of the stairs. Cheers then erupted after a while. She had no idea what the pause was about, but she was too nervous to even think about it. Her thoughts were now on possible questions and answers throughout the interview.

Chiz Escudero, one of the candidates was the first one to approach her. "Congresswoman, nice to finally meet you." He greeted and shook her hand. 

"Nice to meet you too, Senator." She replied. Her attention went to other candidates and greeted them the same way by shaking their hands. 

Finally, she stood face to face with Bongbong Marcos, her biggest rival at the moment. She did not expect him to be this tall. His narrow eyes were looking down at her, but he offered his hand. She accepted it firmly only to be tugged slightly forward. The senator pulled her to a cheek-to-cheek. His lips were so near that she could feel him breathe.

"You look stunning." He said that made Leni blink twice. 

"What, sorry?" She pretended not to hear since she did not want to assume. 

Alan Cayetano walked past them, pretending to approach Chiz. "Belmonte is fuming." He whispered in a singsong voice. 

That was when Leni realized that the length of the time that they stayed close was unnatural. She pulled away from the senator to check on Kit's reaction. She smiled, trying to stop herself from laughing. Fuming was the right word. 

"He's overreacting." Bongbong sat down on the couch. 

Leni noticed that the other candidates already took their seats. There was no space left but beside Marcos where she was also standing. 

She sat there. "He promised Jesse that he'd protect me." 

"He's not there when you were almost stabbed, was he?" Bongbong retorted. 

Leni glared at him. "Did you send that kid to do that to me?"

"What?" It was his turn to be shocked.

"Nasaktan pa yung bata dahil sa pinagagawa mo." She continued. 

"Wait- I did-"

He was cut off when the producer announced that the interview would start soon. He wanted to rub his face violently, however he did not want to look stupid in front of the camera. Leni did not look at his direction after that. 

At one point of the interview, they were asked the question "If not you, among the candidates, who would you rather be the Vice President?"

Other candidates gave logical answers, mostly pointing at each other while avoiding to mention Leni nor Bongbong, knowing that they were the biggest competitors and choosing them would decrease their chances of winning even more. 

Then it was Bongbong's turn, he had been thinking for a while but was still unsure of what answer to give. After a moment, he spoke. "I would rather have Congresswoman Leni as Vice President." 

They were dumbfounded. Leni looked at him in disbelief, thinking it was some stunt he was pulling. They waited for him to explain.

"She has a good heart." Bongbong continued, looking at the congresswoman. "But leadership is not just about having compassion." 

Another wave of silence reigned. Not so long after, the interviewer was able to regain composure and asked Leni the question. 

Bongbong was hopeful. His eyes were shining while he stared at her in anticipation. Leni saw it. She saw how he gazed at her like a child waiting for his parents' validation. So, she looked at him before saying, "Actually, wala. That's why I ran."

The senator looked downward. 

Leni saw his disappointment. She assumed that the reason why he picked her was because he wanted her to say the same. She would not want to give that satisfaction to a Marcos. 

After the interview, they all parted ways. Bongbong tried to approach Leni, only to be blocked by Kit. 

"Excuse me." He said, trying to walk past the congressman. 

Kit did not allow him. He blocked all the direction the senator was going. "What do you need from her? You can tell me. I will inform her."

Bongbong glared at him and said, "Tell her, 'You're welcome.'" Before walking away.

Leni waited for Kit inside the van. She knew that her friend was dealing with Bongbong. She allowed him. She did not know how else she could deal with that Marcos.

"Madam," Sandra, one of her staff called her attention. "Look at this." She then showed the congresswoman a video on her phone.

"Sinubukan ko po kasing holdapin si Ma'am Leni. Hindi ko po s'ya nakilala. Tapos nanlaban po s'ya kaya sinubukan ko s'yang saksakin."

It was the kid who tried to rob her. He was shaking and terrified. But he still managed to look at the camera.

"Ma'am, please patawarin mo po ako."

That was suspicious.

Leni looked out of the tinted window after that. She saw Bongbong walking away, and Kit who was looking at him. Her friend approached the van and gave her a smile.

"Did he tell you anything?" She asked.

"Sabi n'ya 'You're welcome'" Kit said then frowned. "Anong nangyare between the two of you?"

Leni shook her head. "Hindi ko alam. I don't understand." She replied, but she knew it had something to do with the kid. She looked at Sandra who was sitting at the back of the van. "Are you able to schedule me for a meeting with Senator Marcos?"

Sandra blinked and hesitated before answering. "I think so, Madam."

"Good." She said then instructed. "Try to schedule one for tomorrow."

Kit held her hand. She smiled at him. She did not need to speak. He nodded at her silent "I'm going to be okay."