Wards 2, 9 and 12 all report the same. Mendez wins in each!
It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher-in its first female mayor in history. The polls were closed and final results for each of the fifteen wards were starting to trickle in. There was a sense that something monumental was occurring, not just for women, but for marginalized and underrepresented voices city-wide. Mariposa Mendez was the epitome of positive female energy on all fronts. She exuded compassion with an ever-present smile and kind eyes that made each individual feel like the center of her world, even if just in passing.
She was the offspring of immigrants, spoke four languages and was from one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. With an inexhaustible work ethic, she had put herself through college to become a prominent psychologist known throughout Rhode Island for her expertise in the treatment of mental health and addiction. Politically, she cut her teeth in volunteerism, grassroots activism and community organizing. It wasn’t long before she was strolling the corridors of City Hall after easily winning the ward 15 council seat. Once embedded, she flourished as a die-hard progressive who was passionate about whatever issues her constituents were passionate about. She was fiercely determined and incorruptible; a shot at the mayoral seat seemed only natural.
Results for wards 4, 7 and 13 are in. Mendez wins all!
But this short soliloquy isn’t just about Mariposa. It’s hard to discuss the meteoric rise of soon-to-be Mayor Mendez without mentioning, at least in passing, the persistent presence of Sergio Santiago by her side. Those within her inner circle notice him, and even those just floating in her orbit. He worked as her driver and security detail, her secretary and assistant, her advisor and closest confidant.
Their union was kismet, it had seemed, first forged in the concrete corridors of Bridgham Middle School. Mariposa was drawn to the shy classmate who rarely spoke and always avoided eye contact. She detested the way other boys teased him and girls shunned him. Their platonic bond strengthened over shared lunches and slow walks home. She became his vocal defender, swiftly cutting down would-be bullies with wordy insults that left them scurrying.
They would go on to attend Mount Pleasant High School together. When Sergio’s mother died senior year, it was Mariposa’s parents who took him in, as their own son. A familial structure had solidified their connection even further. He became a fixture at backyard barbecues and birthday parties. He played chaperone for her at quinceaneras and doted on her the way she had on him years before in a random Providence middle school. He scrutinized her would-be suitors and ensured that she excelled academically as an ever-present study partner. Ultimately, she was the mother he had lost, the sister he needed, and an infatuation he would never stop craving.
Mendez wins wards 1, 8 and 11. It’s official!
Mariposa was a rare breed who had managed to secure a full scholarship to Brown University as result of their initiative to recruit a few local minorities with exceptional brilliance. Initially, it was all idyllic; the Ivy League setting suited her just right. During her second year though, she’d been sexually assaulted by a fellow student she thought could be trusted during a dorm room study session. Mariposa was mortified to report it, fearing it would jeopardize her scholarship; the boy’s parents were donors to the school from old Rhode Island money. In fact, the only person she confided this in was Sergio.
Over the course of the next six months, Sergio took it upon himself to unleash a relentless barrage of vandalism across the school’s entire campus. Whether with cans of spray paint or an assortment of permanent magic markers, his simple slogan became a mantra, splashed across every bare brick wall and unattended corridor: Trevor G is a rapist! As soon as the University could paint over one, another appeared. Campus police were unable to catch him in the act and could only go off of grainy surveillance footage of a hoodie-clad figure in all black. The fact that Sergio wasn’t a student there allowed him to slip in and out with ease, without ever leaving a trace.
The repeated motto gained momentum and was the talk of the school. Trevor G was easily identified and became the sudden focus of all attention. The University tried to downplay the event, but the publicity push was enough to entice two of his other victims to come forward with formal charges. Expulsion became the least of his concerns as he now faced a lengthy prison sentence.
We have three more wards, all confirmed for Mendez: 5, 10 and 14!
None of Mariposa’s successes in life had come easy; she had earned each through hard work and a stubborn grit. Winning her seat on the City Council was no different. While local political pundits agreed that she was a favorite in that race, her only contender was not far behind in the polls.
Fulgencio Segura, like Mariposa, was a product of the Olneyville neighborhood, where he owned a car wash, a bakery and an auto repair shop. He was often spotted throughout ward 15, shaking hands and hugging old women. The chance of him winning was unlikely; Mariposa had mass appeal across all demographics. Sergio, however, would ensure that the scales would tip just slightly further in her favor.
He followed Fulgencio for days, and spent hours parked outside of his businesses and home. It didn’t take long to determine that he kept a mistress in the city’s Armory District. A search of the mailbox identified a single female occupant, while rental records confirmed that Fulgencio paid the bills. All it took was a brief interaction, in passing, where Sergio pretended to casually bump into the candidate at a neighborhood block party. He shook his hand firmly and leaned in close, muttering low in Spanish, “perhaps it’s best that you don’t run, primo. Withdraw from the race.”
Fulgencio was bewildered. “Do I know you? Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, your wife will receive photographs of you and Yahaira singando.”
The last three wards are in, people! This is it! Wards 3, 6 and 15 all report that…
It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher in its first female mayor in history.
Her campaign headquarters, in Olneyville square, had once been a laundromat, now gutted-out and repurposed with a row of desks and the walls plastered with her signage. The otherwise bare space was packed tight with a crowd of over a hundred, standing shoulder to shoulder. The stuffy room was electric with jubilant chatter; they were all waiting for Mariposa. Meanwhile, in a dimly lit rear breakroom, she stood next to Sergio, their fingers laced together in anticipation as the last of the results were announced. The roar of the crowd on the other side of the cheap door became deafening.