Edited Version:
In 2017, voters did us bad. I will not mention the constituency.
My ex, Tito, was vying for the MP position. Tito and I were regulars at Club Geo. It’s long dead now.
Tito got the idea to try his luck because he always had the dream of being a leader. In my opinion, he’s a sweet talker and very eloquent. As friends and family, we backed him up.
Tito hit the ground in February 2017. Tito is a household name in their town, so he didn’t need any introduction. We wrote the manifesto. We were on the ground. We sourced for funds. We did everything for Tito to win.
Tito and friends advised me to go slow on partying and dyeing my hair in funny colors. I loved dyeing my hair red, so it was a big sacrifice to stop this habit.
Standing by Tito was not easy. He had phone calls as late as 2 a.m. Some were emergency, some were encouraging, and others were just trying to see if his number was going through. As the incoming MP, he had to respond to as many calls and texts as possible. I would help him at times.
Voters can lie. They used to flock to Tito’s home before sunrise and lie about how they would vote for him. They used to call him “mheshimiwa,” and I was “bibi ya mheshimiwa,” or first lady. These people would pour praises on Tito and only leave if Tito had offered them something small. Finances were hard. Friends and family were trying their best. Tito even took up loans to finish the last mile. We were optimistic of a win.
Then came voting day. Most of us had even changed our polling stations so we could vote for Tito. We woke up with so much energy because we knew Tito would win. We voted with so much faith and waited. The votes were counted, and Tito only secured 824 votes, placing him at position 7 out of 8. Imagine—my Tito secured 824 votes…
We were disappointed. Imagine taking loans only to gather 824 votes. An embarrassing number: 7 out of 8. After quitting dyeing my hair and going to Club Geo, only for voters to give Tito 824 votes.
Tito was disappointed and left for America in 2018. We broke up days before his departure because both of us were wise enough to know long distance wouldn’t work. He went ahead and married an older white lady and became an American citizen. The lady is not old as you think—I mean older than him by only 12 years.