At the end of the campaign, there is an overwhelming sense of relief that is so real but the feeling of fear or victory during the last 2 days before election day is beyond words. I kept those emotions in check until the unofficial election returns started to come in from several precints after the first hour of closing the votes (7:00pm). Before 8:00 pm, even before returns from other precints started to come in we knew we lost the election. Moments of silence followed before JP could really face our people to make the announcement. I went up to my cottage all alone and fixed myself a drink. I did not shed any tears then until the next morning when our father came by to offer his comforting words of wisdom. "Politics is no longer for us and let us move on with our private lives. Accept defeat gracefully for it is God's will that we may serve others in many other ways." My father lost the same mayoral election a long time ago and never tried to come back for a second time. It was the wisest decision he ever made.
The hardest part of losing an election is picking up the pieces the morning after. You wake up and the whole place is empty, devoid of the usual influx of supporters ready to start the day of rigorous campaigning months before election day. Suddenly, there is that feeling of loneliness, abandonment, absence of hunger, pain and wonderment as to what went wrong. You ask a lot of questions...
I pity my brother and his family who had to endure the loss thereafter. I pity our father who celebrated his 94th birthday 5 days after the election. Victory would have been a nicer gift for him. I missed his birthday because I left Alfonso the 2nd day after the election to go back to the States. I left Alfonso with a bleeding heart. Just like that, our dreams and aspirations for our beloved town dissappeared in a flash.
I'm back in the States after 3 long months of campaign to heal my wounds. My brother Joy, the candidate and his wife will follow very soon. Time for healing, it might take some time. Time to thank God for giving us this chance.
We want to thank all our friends and supporters who really worked hard to help us in the campaign, those who braved the heat under the sun joining the campaign trail, and those friends and relatives who similarly worked hard but expected nothing in return and shared our goals and concern for Alfonso. I want to give my special thanks to all my Facebook friends who inspired me along the way throughout the election. A very special thanks to Mango Mandarin whom I've never met but guided me along this journey.
