Feel Me

1|Congressman Larry

Politics is an arduous game. Play your move carefully or the next thing you know, you're getting eaten by bloodthirsty sharks.

It's a long and agonising game that takes years for a player to perfect. Some aren't even able to do that. What I've learnt in my years of experience is that there are only two kinds of people in politics; the ones that desire to climb the ladder of power and the ones that succeed.

So, welcome to Politics 101.

No, I'm not actually going to teach you anything. That was just for the dramatic flare.

There is no handbook or cheat code to become invincible. Of course, some may say otherwise but let me tell you something, throw away those books written by billionaires and politicians, the ones that command you to follow a specific cycle. All those are lies.

I'm going to tell you the truth.

Politics is all about improvising.

From the moment you decide to run for office to the moment you are sitting behind the desk, all you do is improvise. You stand in front of a crowd, screaming out promises, telling the people that they are the ones with power and that the future is in their hands.

The people love it, they really do.

Then once you're back inside, away from the eyes of the people, you're calling corporates, nodding along to their terms, promising them access to the higher power in exchange for money.

Then, you get to the office. You sit behind the desk--- your desk. You can taste power at the tip of your tongue, but it's not enough. It will never be enough. Your urge for more power is what determines whether you succeed or fall.

Some people give in. They let the hunger for power dominate them, and sometimes, they win. That's how you get condescending dictators.

Then, there are others. They are ones that control the power, the ones that know how to separate the hunger from reality. They are the real winners, despite what the world will tell you.

It took me years to determine where I'll end up. I learnt it the hard way, but I learned nonetheless.

Before my mother died, she was one of the few congresswomen elected into the office. She was fierce, bold and outspoken. She was fearless, and she was absolutely perfect.

Everyone loved her to bits. Despite being only twelve at the time, I remember her funeral. So many people lined outside the cathedral, weeping and holding flowers for her.

She might've held the title of a congresswoman, but to the people, they'd lost a future president.

'Future President' was a term all too familiar in our household. My father held no desire to sit in the higher office while my mother spent every waking and sleeping moment planning and plotting her way to the Oval Office.

I once asked her why she wasn't running for President yet, her answer was always the same.

"It's not my time yet. Sometimes, you've got to look at the bigger picture, angel," She'd answer, caressing my fluffy caramel locks away from my face. She had a twinkle in her green doe eyes every time she explained something to me because deep down, she wanted me to follow her.

She never vocalised her wish, but I always knew.

She never held back, always opening the door to her office for me so that I could sit in the corner of the big table. I never spoke though, I was afraid she'd get mad at me if I ever did. But my eyes and ears were always wide open.

Sometimes, the adults would get into arguments, they'd scream at one another and once my mother even broke a pen in rage. That scared me more than the big plump men in their grey suits yelling at the top of their lungs.