Watching Sunrises

Invitation Letter

Back in the Senate, the budget plenary debates are in full swing. This meant marathon sessions stretching well into the night scrutinizing each and every line item to make sure every peso goes to the things that matter.

As Pia always did in years past, she arrived in the plenary hall for the afternoon session with a tray of balut and penoy on-hand while Leni was wrapping up her interpellation to JV, the new Finance Committee chair. She considered bringing a couple of cases of beer along with the duck eggs, but one needs to be sober when discussing critical legislation like the budget.

Not even a minute after she reached her seat in front and laid down the tray, Leni thanked the Senate President and made the beeline for the balut. "Uyy, totoo nga ang chismis. PJ, saan ung penoy?"

Pia pointed to the set of eggs with P marks on top and handed her a small stack of napkins. "Here. Risa, ito ung balut sa kabila."

Risa reached for the closest balut next to her and some napkins. "Ito talaga inaantay ko pag budget season, eh. Kwento ko kay Leni na pag nandyan si Pia, sure yan may balut pag budget season."

Pia then took one balut egg and started peeling off the shell. "Sayang hindi pwede magdala ng beer, eh.."

"No, you should've brought some San Mig Light, Pia.", Risa remarked, slapping Leni's shoulder. "Painumin mo sa mga guests para magka-alaman na."

The three of them burst into fits of laughter while drinking the savory broth off the duck eggs they're consuming. While Pia made quite a few friends in over 22 years as a Senator, never has she found a group of people she bonded with until their bloc, who dubbed themselves as the "fruit salad bloc" really solidified.

Too bad they're never going to be complete in Pia's remaining years as Senator, but that's a story for another time.

"Ay, PJ, nakuha mo na ung invitation from IPU?", Leni asked while chewing some yolk of the penoy she's holding.

It took Pia more time than necessary for the words to register before turning to Leni with a questioning look. "What invite? Can't really understand what you're saying."

Leni grabbed a glass of water from her desk and took a swig from it. "Yung assembly for next year? Balita ko sa London daw gagawin, ah."

Pia dropped the balut she's been eating, which luckily landed on a dinner plate.

A wave of what seemed to be a mix of panic of excitement filled Pia's voice as she shook Leni by the shoulders. "Wait, London? Sure ka hindi yan fake news, Lens?"

"Check mo kaya sa office mo bago ka mag-hysterical diyan.", Leni deadpanned.

Pia let Leni go, bolted out of the session hall, and ran up the staircase leading to her Senate office until her chief of staff greeted her by the door. "Ma'am Pia, may sulat from IPU na dumating kanina."

"Thank you!", Pia said, yanking the letter from her and making the beeline to her office.

As soon as the coast was clear, Pia's hands trembled while opening the packet until the invitation letter appeared. She scanned the letter with her eyes and focused on the word "London" over and over again. "No, Pia, nanaginip ka lang. Hindi sa London ang assembly next year."

Pia pinched herself on the arm to try to bring herself back to reality and read the invite again. "Wait, it really is real."

A glimmer of hope flashed before her eyes, even if she isn't even sure that she'll ever bump into Loren during the trip. Even knowing the mere fact that she'll be breathing the same air as her is more than enough to tide her through the coming months.

Suddenly, her phone notification beeped with a message from Leni. "PJ, hindi ka na ata bumalik dito. Sayang ung balut mo."

Still reeling in from the news, Pia grabbed her phone and typed a reply back. "Ahhhh, sa London nga!!! So excited for your first IPU assembly."

Send.

Immediately after, Leni replied again. "Hmm, sure ka bang para sa akin ka excited? 😏 Aminin, Pia..."

"Leni really could see through everything, couldn't she?" Pia thought to herself.

She then sent another reply. "Leni, What if I bump into her while walking or something? Di ko alam kung kakayanin ko. 😥"

Send.

A minute later, Leni replied again. "London is a big place, PJ, but you'll never know. If there's one thing I learned, may mga pangyayari sa buhay na hindi mo ma-co-control ang outcome, kahit anong klaseng plano ang gawin mo. You just have to roll with the punches."

Pia sighed before replying again. "You're right, Lens. I should probably stop overthinking this."

After Pia sent that last message, she exited the office and made her way back to the plenary hall for the rest of the marathon budget debates.