Tipping Point

Arguments and Annotations

With the national budget hearings for the different government entities for 2018 going underway, Loren, as the Senate finance committee chair, shuttled back and forth towards various meetings, hearings and plenary sessions with barely minutes to spare for her to grab a bite to eat and squeeze in some bathroom breaks. And with the half hour gap between her last meeting and the next when it ended earlier than usual became most welcome.

But her bottom hasn't even warmed the seat yet when her chief of staff peeked through the door. "Ma'am, may bisita po kayo."

Loren rolled her eyes and sighed at the interruption. "Hay diyos ko, sino kamo? Wait, never mind sige papasukin mo na lang."

The chief of staff moved away from the door and moments later, in comes Pia in with a drink and a stack of paperwork and the fakest smile possible. Of all the people to come in right now when I wanted to have a break... 

"At bakit ka naman nandito? Bakit di ung chief of staff mo pinadala mo?"

Pia scowled at the not-so-warm reception she's been given. "Ay walang good afternoon man lang? Ikaw na nga 'tong binibisita, ikaw pa tong galit." 

She dropped the stack of papers with a resounding thud. "O, ayan. Annotations ko sa committee report ng Bicam. Basahin mo na lang."

Loren yanked the papers away from Pia and took a swig of one of the coffee cups on the table - her fourth that day and it's not even lunch time yet. "Ay sus ginoo."

"At sinong nagsabi sa iyong sa iyo yan? Binigay ko ba?" Pia said, raising her voice.

The senator then showed her the part of the cup with her name scrawled on it. "Eh ano tawag mo dito? Darna?"

Pia huffed and crossed her arms - her eye contact squarely on Loren. "Yan ang mahirap sa iyo eh. You feel entitled to everything kaya pag di ka napagbigyan big deal na sa iyo."

Now regretting to let Pia in her office, Loren bolted up and strode towards her. "Ako? Eh ikaw nga itong nagtataray diyan sa harap ko eh."

"Ako? Sino ba nagsimula nito? Hindi ba ikaw, Lorna Regina?"

Loren pointed at Pia's chest with her finger. "Do not even test me right now, Pilar Juliana. If you don't want this to escalate further, the door is that way."

With that last word, she realised that their faces were now dangerously close to each other. Their hot breaths mingled with one another and she could feel her heart thumping and her body tensing up at the sight of her. Pia's heels made her tower over her even more than she already did and her the fire in her eyes intensified the more she stared at her.

Pia eyed her coolly before turning her back and walking out. "Sige, aalis na ako." 

But before closing the door, she said one final word. "By the way, sa iyo na ung nakabalot sa paper bag sa table mo."

Loren stared into space for a good while still aghast at what just happened. She then opened the paper bag Pia left behind to find a tuna sandwich and a couple of granola bars she made inside. 

Along with that came a handwritten note.

Hi,

Baka kasi nagugutom na ang reyna ng mga bruha eh, kaya dinalhan na kita ng lunch (or most likely brunch) mo.

Nilagyan ko ng lason yan. Kung may mangyari sa iyo, eh sorry ka na lang.

Pia

Loren couldn't help but elicit a slight chuckle. The little notes were the one thing she missed about her. 

And her enthusiasm for rubber shoes and bike rides off the city roads. 

And her infectious laugh that lit up the room. 

And... Oh who am I kidding? Tapos na kami. History na.

She opened a locked drawer with a key attached to her bag and placed the note in a pink and white box inside along with the rest of Pia's notes for her dating back to 2008 until now. 

Every single one of them.

Loren felt the urge to open the box again and read all those notes, but it's almost 3pm and she needed to go to the plenary hall for the afternoon session. With that, she closed the box, locked the drawer, and left her office.