Watching Sunrises

Emergency Flight

Loren has been typing away on her laptop for the past couple of hours with only a couple of plants and a cup of coffee to keep her company. With only a couple of days left before having to report to her advisor on her dissertation progress, she's working double-time to get at least 7,000 words out before the deadline.

Her mind went into hyperfocus and typed word after word after word. The next thing she knew, she hit a few words shy of 7,500. She saved her work and closed her laptop to give herself a break.

Soon after, Loren opened her balcony and stepped out into some fresh air. Much as she would like to go down for a bit of a walk, more work awaits her in preparation for her flight back to Manila the following week.

Yet something didn't feel entirely right today.

She scrolled her emails from her phone, then it dawned upon her. "Pia hasn't emailed me the past couple of days."

A wave of anxiety suddenly hit her upon that realization. "Pia's usually on the dot when it comes to emails. One email, I would understand, but two?"

She paced around and typed Pia a message. "Pilar, okay ka lang ba? Bakit hindi ka nagpaparamdam?" Send.

"Text me as soon as you receive this." Send.

"Please talk to me." Send.

Hopefully, three messages will wake her up.

Just as she was about to settle down, her phone went off showing a FaceTime alert with Risa's name on it. When she tapped the accept button, Risa waved at her from the screen. "Hi, Ate Lo! Nangugnumusta lang."

"Risa! Sakto lang timing mo at kakatapos ko lang magsulat ng dissertation," Loren waved back. "It's been a while since nag-Facetime tayo. How's things over there?"

Risa smiled. "Okay naman kami rito. Naipasa na ung budget on third reading so double time kami on the other bills in the calendar bago mag-adjourn."

"Family doing well?"

"My kids are safe, Leni and I are still doing well, sa awa ng Diyos.", Risa continued. "Holding the fort in many ways is very stressful, pero kinakaya naman."

The two of them shared a laugh afterward. "I know you have a lot on your plate, Ris. Just checking if you're still taking care of yourself."

Loren and Risa go way back - they've worked on the same negotiation table back when they represented the government many decades ago, back when they were active in the peace process.

So many things have happened since then and they've been on and off-contact for different points in time until they worked together in the Senate in 2016.

Of all the senators she's worked with recently, Risa's the one who knows most of her "state secrets", and Loren knows quite a bit of Risa's own as well. She mentored Risa a lot, especially in her first years as Senator, but their friendship ended up being more like a sisterhood that remained even while being on different Senate blocs for most of their time together.

Seeing Risa transition from an idealistic peace advocate to one of the most formidable Senators felt like seeing a little sister grow up and come into her own. If anything, it's Loren who ends up learning a lot more from Risa than she thought it would be possible.

Much as she wanted to talk to Risa more, only one question filled her mind. "Risa, is Pia okay? Mga 2 days na siya hindi nagpaparamdam."

Risa sighed on the other line. "Well, she finally showed up to work today, but before that she has been taking sessions online na walang video."