Ricochet

Rivalry

"There won't be any time for questions today. So don't bother," announced the PA to the lineup of media people, who did not take to this news kindly. The news photographers were busily clicking away. Other than some tense exchanges the atmosphere was quite normal. It had the usual vibe of people settling in for the start of a workday. The PA wondered how these monsters were going to spin their stories in what he was sure was going to be all over the media at least for a day. He did not like the damage control he needed to do after this event. He was not paid enough to handle this, he thought.

It didn't take long for the representative to arrive. Dressed formally for the occasion, greetings were exchanged with the press and then adjustments were made to the microphone, the speech began.

"With a heavy heart, we have decided to suspend our campaign for the mayoral election. I will continue to serve this wonderful city to the best of my ability as a public servant representing our community. I fully appreciate the support you have given to our campaign. I thank the people who volunteered for us knocking doors and spreading the word. I'll continue to work not only for the people who stood for me but also for the people who would not support my candidature."

"In these times of division, our campaign was the voice of reason that dared to look across the aisle. We believe that a common ground is the way to go forward and our strength lies in the unity of our community. Even though it's disappointing to call it off at the moment, the campaign has given us a deeper understanding of the community and will foster our future. Looking forward to the days ahead. Thank You."

Rodrick finished the speech that was prepared in a hurry by him. He had to attend the school meeting of his child, who has been working overtime for the past week. He thought he'd have at least an hour from the news channels reporting on this and to them ripping the whole campaign apart. That interval was dwindling by the day. He didn't worry about it too much considering this was going to be the least stressful part of the day.

"Would you like to address the recent controversies surrounding your..." one press member started whose voice was loud enough that she did not need the microphone. Rodrick just ignored it and looked at him. Understanding the cue, he repeated the usual responses like "No questions", "we are on a schedule" so on and so forth and whatever came to his mind to get them out of trouble.

What Rodrick found outside the press club, was not something that his PA could handle. There were people dressed in green with a median age of twenty picketing the entrance and some had gathered around the building. They had the placards up "Corporate shill", "Keep big money out of politics", "Corruption kills democracy", "Good riddance" and some more unflattering comments. One placard kept it simple, which read "Fuck off."

Rodrick glanced at them, sighed, held his head down and proceeded towards the car. He wondered whether the colleges in the city were actually working. Last time he checked, it was not a holiday. Maybe the unemployment rate was really as high as opposition was making it out to be. He wasn't sure anymore. At least the opposition has not nicknamed him "Rowdy Rodrick" yet.

Everything said and done, he could still have his career and this be just a minor setback. A bad dream. Just as he began to open the door to his car, one of the enthused protesters smeared ink on his face. Now that insult has been added to injury, he flipped the bird to the protesters and asked the driver to go as fast as they could.

Only when he reached his mansion, realization fully dawned on him that his life had reached rock bottom. It was going smoothly for him. He was young and he had a niche. There was growing discontent with the ruling party and he had a real chance. His party was counting on him for making a major inroad into the city's vote base. His poll numbers had shown him leading his opponent within margin of error. His party has been thwarted so many times over the years so that if it happens again, people might as well forget they existed.