TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual harassment (on the third part of the chapter - marked with a "^^^" at the beginning and end of the scene)
Another long day awaits Pia in the Senate today. With only a week to go before session break, everyone's rushing to get committee reports done and as many bills approved before the session adjourns.
The moment Pia arrived in her office, one of her staff members greeted her by the door. "Ma'am Pia, may delivery po ng flowers kanina. Pinalagay namin sa office niyo."
Pia tried to contain the screaming in her head, knowing who that could be from. Because her staff didn't know the real score yet, she mustered as much composure as possible so they don't get any ideas. "Oh, kanino kaya galing?"
The staff member shrugged her shoulders. "Name niyo lang po ung nasa envelope."
"Sige, check ko na lang pagpasok ko ng office."
Pia entered her office and locked the door behind her. On top of her desk lies a beautiful bouquet of pink roses in an old wine bottle. Inserted in between the flowers was a card with "Dearest Pilar" handwritten on the envelope. "Even far away, she never fails..."
She then opened the envelope and read the card inside. "Dearest Pilar, kunwari na lang galing ito sa garden ko, but I guess it's the thought that counts. I hope your cheeks are as pink as these roses the moment you see them. Nagmamahal, Regina"
As if on cue, Pia could feel her cheeks getting warmer and the butterflies in her stomach fluttering about. Unlike her girlfriend's lofty ambitions of saving the world, all Pia wanted to do was to relax and fall in love.
Pia pinched herself to bring herself back to reality. "Totoo bang girlfriend ko na siya?"
Girlfriend: a word that felt so alien yet so right at the same time.
She remembered one time 16 years ago when she said her prayers that day to give her a man. That prayer brought her to Lucas, who's now 16 and is the love of her life. "Maybe I should've taken that as a hint."
Several men came and went into her life. Most of them she was genuinely attracted to (sometimes too much), especially the mayabang types. "Damn, maybe that explains why I'm so attracted to her."
Pia then took a selfie carrying the bouquet and immediately sent it to Loren's messages, although she's most likely still asleep. "Received the sweetest surprise from in my office first thing in the morning. Sweet dreams, my love. See you later."
Send.
***
That evening, Pia stayed a bit later than usual in her office to get a bit of privacy. While she was busy typing another sponsorship speech, a Facetime notification appeared with Loren's face on it.
As soon as that appeared, Pia immediately saved her work and accepted the call. She was then greeted by Loren, now in her pajamas, onscreen. "Good evening, Cocopop."
A faint blush emerged from Pia's cheeks. "Pet name status na ba talaga tayo, dear?"
"Good morning, Mooncake.", Pia greeted back.
The two of them engaged in a two-hour-long conversation about how their day went, as they always did every day. Among the highlights of the conversation were stories from today's Senate session.
"Ay, Regina, alam mo ba na napaiyak ni Leni si Robin kaninang plenary?", Pia said, almost falling out of her seat from laughing so much.
Loren's eyes widened. "No way. Kwento naman, dear."
Pia then continued her story. "Basically, nag-privilege speech si Robin about federalism. Ayos sana, diba? Tapos Leni interpellated him about basic constitutional law and, my God, she was eating him alive."
"I wish I was still around to see that," Loren said, shaking her head. "She and Risa are meant to be with each other, no?"
"I've heard stories before, but this was the first time I saw it with my own eyes."
"I mean, napa-resign niya ako after 27 years, so I'm not surprised she could do that."
Pia couldn't resist chuckling. "True."
It was at this point that Loren shifted to another point. "By the way, P, I have some exciting news."
"What is it, Reg?", Pia inquired, staring at the screen with stars in her eyes.
Loren could barely contain the smile on her face. "My research travel request got approved yesterday, which means...babalik ako diyan next month for my dissertation research."
"Oh my God, for how long?"
"A month and a half. I'll be spending most of that time going around the country, but I blocked a couple of weeks to catch up with everyone.", Loren said, sipping from her coffee cup.
Pia wanted to squeal inside her office, but with some of her staff still in the legislative area, she contended with dancing on her seat. "Sakto, naka-session break ang Senate by the time you get here."
Loren took a bite of a sandwich. "Timing nga naman, oh. Much as I enjoy being away from the fray, I miss the Senate, not going to lie."
"Ulul, miss mo lang ako, eh.", Pia teased.
Loren almost choked on her sandwich when Pia said this. "Pilar, I'm a strong, independent woman."
"Pero kung kumapit ka naman sa akin, parang ayaw mo na 'kong pakawalan.", Pia said in feigned indignation. "'Wag nga ako, Regina."
Both of them shared more stories and a lot more laughs over FaceTime before it was time for Pia to go home and for Loren to leave for another lecture.
***
Three weeks have passed since that call, and Pia's getting antsy at work the past few days. Only a week to go until Loren arrives in Manila, and yet it feels like time's dragging on far longer than she would like.
That day, she's gotten word that a group of parliamentarians from Spain have arrived for a courtesy visit, and as the Senate Present Pro Tempore, she was one of those who are supposed to greet them.
As soon as Risa texted her that the parliamentarians are in her office, Pia rushed in to greet the group, only to stop herself in her tracks when she found a very familiar face among them.
The man she saw caught her attention. "Hola, Pilar, ¿cómo estás?"
The greeting was loud enough for Risa to hear, causing her to stare intently at him.
A few years ago, this would've swept Pia off her feet, but now it sent a chill to her spine at the thought of someone crossing an unspoken boundary. "No, only Loren's allowed to call me that now. Take that back."
It took a few seconds for her to process everything that just happened before Pia responded back. "Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? Por cierto llamame Pia, por favor."
She then tapped Risa, who's talking to a group of women parliamentarians, on the shoulder. "Risa, can we step out for a bit?"
Risa nodded, excused herself from the group, and stepped out to the hallway with Pia. "What's up, Pia?"
Pia lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "Gago, Risa, si Felipe nandiyan. Paano na?"
"Who's Felip– Oh, the guy you were talking about before, right?", Risa asked. "I mean, he's pretty attractive, I would say."
Pia grumbled at Risa's side comment. "Risa, you're not helping."
"Pia, relax.", Risa said. "Hinga muna tayong malalim."
The two of them took deep breaths to calm Pia's nerves down until they settled to a more manageable level. "Paano kung mag-yaya sila for coffee? Should I tell Loren? I feel like I should but knowing how she would react..."
Risa rubbed Pia's arm. "One thing at a time, Pia. If worst comes to worst, I'll keep him distracted."
A comforting arm rub of reassurance was all it took for Pia to settle into baseline. "Salamat, Risa. You're the best."
^^^
Luck as Pia may have it, Felipe did end up extending an invite to her for coffee in one of the coffee shops near the Senate. He attempted to try getting Pia alone, but Risa was thankfully insistent on joining them.
The conversation was light and cordial, for the most part, but Felipe kept checking Pia out and stared up and down her body, making the entire atmosphere uncomfortable very quickly.
It's times like these when she wished Loren will just barge in and put him in place, but Risa proved to be a suitable proxy in that department. "Excuse me, Felipe, you're clearly making Pia uncomfortable. For one thing, she already has a partner who adores her very much, but even if she didn't, it doesn't give you an excuse to act this way around her."
Felipe bowed his head, mumbled an "apology', and stayed quiet for the rest of their time there. Still, Risa kept a close eye on him to make sure he didn't do any more shenanigans.
^^^
She and Pia then walked together back to the Senate with him trailing behind. "Thanks for saving my back there, Risa. I should've asserted myself more, pero natakot ako."
"Walang anuman, Pia," Risa said. "What you felt was totally natural and what he did is clearly not okay. That's why we do the laws we do, diba?"
Pia smiled. "You're right."
She and Risa have been partners in many shared causes, like the RH Bill and Divorce, but have drifted over the years owing to being in different circles. The past three Congresses, however, have reconnected them again and reminded her of the bond they have forged together.