❀ *◦sean teale. cis man. he/him. pansexual. ⇝ hey, isn’t that rio mendoza? i think that the thirty two year old from milwaukee, wi, works as a mechanic and shop manager at wrench it, but outside of that people describe them as grease stained hands with a gentle touch, the crack ice makes as a frozen lake starts to thaw, lazy tousled hair forgotten in a rush, a coin left on the sidewalk, a half finished shopping list left in a book, the thwack a shoe makes as it makes contact with a soccer ball, and a stone cold forgotten cup of coffee. i hear they are forgetful & dense, but they are also known to be loyal & fun loving. consider giving them a visit at their home in seal harbor apartments and get to know why they’re called the halcyon. ( Katie, she/her, 31, EST )
Name: Rio Gabriel Mendoza
Gender: Cis-Man
Pronouns: He/Him
Birthday: June 1 1991 (32 Years Old)
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Orientation: Pansexual
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Manager and Mechanic at Wrench It
Residence: Seal Harbor Apartments
Education: Associates Degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College
Languages: English (Fluent), Spanish (Fluent), American Sign Language (Basic)
Family: His father is named Raphael and his mother is Teresa. He has two younger sisters, Carla is twenty seven, and Eva is twenty two.
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Halcyon: Hal.Cy.On (adj.) denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.
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Backstory:
Rio’s parents met at the University of Wisconsin when their mutual friends decided that the two had to meet and would get along with one another, fortunately they guessed correctly. For Raphael, a scholarship student from the DC metro area, Teresa was a spark of fire in an unfamiliar and cold city, away from his family. Teresa meanwhile was attracted to Raphael’s goofy personality and kind heart. Not long after graduation, the two were married and moved to Milwaukee for Raphael’s job and there they decided to put down roots.
Their timing was beneficial because Rio came not long after that with Carla and then little Eva finishing out their family. Since they were closer geographically to Teresa’s family, who lived mostly in Wisconsin, the three siblings got along better with their cousins on that side as opposed to Raphael’s family who remained in the DC Metro area. The relationship is friendly, but not as close although in more recent years it is easier to keep in touch with that branch of the family tree.
Rio’s childhood was pretty tame and quiet, all things considered. He would play outside with the neighborhood kids, go to the nearby elementary school, and took to playing soccer as a defender. He ended up playing through high school but the soccer team was not as widely popular as the basketball or football ones, something that suited him just fine. Academic wise, Rio tried his best and usually ended up averaging in the high C’s, low B’s range. He definitely is more of a hands on learner and prefers to learn more “useful” things than just how to pass tests.
When Rio graduated in 2009 from high school, he struggled for a bit, trying to decide what to do. While his parents encouraged him to think about college, there wasn’t a particular field that grabbed him and after a year of trying a few part time jobs, he decided that he needed some kind of degree and enrolled in the local community college. Gabe did enjoy himself at MATC, and a lot of the classes were good at appealing to his desire to know why what they were learning was useful outside of academia, but once he got his associate’s degree he had already decided that transferring to a four year university and continuing school was not for him.
While Rio was in college, he met a girl named Rebecca. The two got along well and since there was attraction there, they began dating. Rebecca was more outgoing and heled Gabriel overcome some of his desire to coast along and not draw attention to himself, to take pride in the accomplishments that he did do. The relationship was fairly serious, to the point most of them shared the same friend circles and they had moved into an apartment together. Rio really loved Rebecca and since he had been raised with the stories of how his parents met, he thought that they would eventually get married.
Then he came home one day to find Rebecca in bed with another man and the illusion he had made in his mind about their relationship crashed to his feet. He found out that Rebecca had been cheating on him for years with different guys and that his supposed friend group knew about her infidelity and never let him know. Heartbroken, Rio packed his things and turned to his family, who were just as upset as he was. Once everything was over and finalized, Rio tried to stay in the area but everything was too painful so he headed north. One of his best friends from high school lived out near Anchorage and they had been one of the few friends Rio was close to who hadn’t known about what Rebecca was doing.
Rio still goes back home to Milwaukee when he can, for example when his baby sister graduated high school and when Carla got her degree. He also will spend the occasional Christmas down there. But it can be difficult to make the trip back to Wisconsin on a whim. He initially got a job as a mechanic at Wrench It and throughout the few years he has been in the area he has eventually taken on the store manager position. Rio isn’t necessarily happy with his current residence and has been saving money to move somewhere better in the area. It also seems wise to keep a small nest egg in case something unexpected happens. He has yet to try to date again after his heartbreak and has been throwing himself into his work, although the hurt has definitely dulled now.
