Life with Sasa

Courtesy Visit

Another day, another courtesy visit for Leni in the Executive House.

This one, however, wasn't like any other visit. For the next visitor would be who should've been her partner had things gone Leni's way had the people not intervened. Not that she wasn't able to get into a good working relationship with President Duterte, but it still left her thinking about all the 'what could have beens' and 'what ifs'

"Ma'am, nandyan na po si Mr. Roxas." Leni's assistant told her.

She still wasn't used to addressing Mar as a private citizen after decades of knowing him as someone who served in government in some way or another. Perhaps one of the biggest adjustments she's ever gone through outside the presence of security and less frequent bus rides.

Leni waited until the receptionists led Mar to her. The thank you tour and the return to private life certainly did favours to him, clearly. He sounded lighter, more jubilant, with a hint of bounce to his words. "Leni, kamusta ka na?"

She beamed at seeing him again after so long and gave him a long hug. "Okay naman. Tuluy-tuloy lang ang trabaho kahit minsan mahirap at nakakapagod."

Mar and Leni plopped down on the sofa and continued their conversation. He rambled all about his travels all over the Philippines complete with his signature jokes that sent both of them to fits of laughter.

"Grabe nabasa ko kahapon ung blog mo. Mag travel blogger ka kaya?"

He rubbed his chin as if contemplating whether to push through with the suggestion. "Pwede, pwede."

As they chatted, a tray of Chocnut-filled buchi and a pitcher of calamansi juice was brought to them and placed on the coffee table, making Leni as giddy as a kid in a candy store. "Ooh, salamat."

She picked up a ball of buchi and took a bite. "Alam mo ba? I thought of you the other day. Tapos naiisip ko...paano kaya kung ikaw ung nandun sa Cabinet meeting kahapon?"

The smile on Mar's face wiped out to a slight frown as he sighed thinking about what could have been. "Minsan naiisip ko rin pero Iniisip ko na lang na mas tahimik na buhay ko. Nakaka-travel, nakakapag-bonding sa anak ko.  Nagagawa ung di ko magawa dati..."

The two of them stared into space for a couple of minutes until Leni's phone vibrated. "Hello?"

Leni paused to allow the person on the other line to speak. Her face then lit up. "Ui, Sasa! Oo, okay naman ako. Kasama ko si Mar ngayon..."

She continued the conversation for a quick while until Leni decided to end it. "Actually sasabihin ko pa lang...Sige kita na lang tayo mamaya. Okay, bye, love you."

Mar look at her with a quizzical expression. "Sasa? Un ba ung sinasabi nilang boyfriend mo? Kilala ko ba?"

Leni got caught off-guard with the question thrown at her, considering his remarks about LGBT people and same sex marriage - his not so good remarks about those things. She hesitated for a moment about saying anything but as that was the exact thing that got her and Risa into the predicament they got into in the first place, might as well cut to the chase and get on with it. "Actually, kilalang-kilala mo siya." 

She took out her phone and scrolled at her photo roll before showing Mar a photo.

Mar took the phone from Leni and stared at the photo for a few seconds. "Wow...sa tagal nating magkasama, di ko naramdaman na may kakaibang nangyayari na pala. Bagay kayong dalawa. Teka, akala ko ba di ka na mag-d-date ulit?"

A glow radiated from Leni as she gushed more about Risa. "Un nga rin sabi ko, eh, pero malakas tama ni Sasa, eh. Medyo mahabang kwento kung paano kami naging kami, pero saka na un."