Rajesh Patel

“A Risky Day Off” by Rajesh Patel

This was the perfect time to enjoy a long weekend. I was in my first year of high school and this story happened in January 2002. About a month after Christmas. I was 13 by then. The school had given us a three-day weekend. I was off on Friday followed by the weekend. Gosh, I was so happy!  During the holidays, Christmas 2001, a month earlier, one of the greatest movies of all time came out. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie was a masterpiece. A great work of art.  I did not go see the movie when it...

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“An Unforgettable Picture” by Rajesh Patel

It was a hot summer day. Summer of 2000. I had taken the time off from school. My last school year did not fare well. I guess that it was a lack of effort, lost of interest, tough classes, professors not up to par with their teaching methods, etc. In the end, I must blame myself for how the school year 1998-1999 ended.  I had been working for almost a year in this fast-food place. It was minimum wage. I did not enjoy it. The job was not easy, the pay was not enticing, and this was not a McDonald’s where you feel the air conditioner. ...

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“Limbo” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #105

 I am not sure for how long I was asleep. I just woke up and I am somewhere that I have never been. That I have never seen. I feel cold. I feel solitude. I feel silence. I feel peace. I feel the light. I feel the darkness. I feel calmness. I feel bizarre. What is going on? Where am I? To whom can I ask questions and seek answers.  I see no souls around me. It seems like a vacuum. No sound. I can hear myself in my mind only. I am trying to move forward towards the light. I have been walking for three hours and it seems like I wil...

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“The Loud and the Silent” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #104

Raj and Pasquale met when they started working for the same company. Pasquale started working almost six years before Raj joined the enterprise. Both working for a major telecom player in the country.  Their friendship began in a strange way. Pasquale was working there since 2002 and Raj came in 2008. At first, they would only talk briefly because they would meet up in the hall, or when crossing paths. Just a saying hi, hello, hey or a how are you. The had no friends or colleagues in common.  Raj would start his shift late due...

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“31” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #103

This is the big day. I am finally moving out from my parent’s house. A day that I will not forget. I will be reborn today. The date is July 31st 2031. I feel ashamed because of my ridiculous bad luck and past actions. Maybe we can call it the evil eye, an omen, a spell, or a curse. Why ashamed? Because I am 31 and I am still living with my parents. I should have moved a while ago. What happened? I was betrayed by a childhood friend while working with him on a business venture. I lost money and I lost a friend. What hurts the most is that he...

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“Mr. Helper” by Rajesh Patel

Jackson has been working in the telecom field for over a decade. When he started working, he barely knew how to use a cell phone. In fact, when he went for the interview at Xcel Telcom, he did not own a wireless phone. His goal was to get hired then take care of the rest. To learn and adapt to any situation was his forte. The day he went for the interview, Jackson was involved in a collision with a tow truck. Now, on the first day, it was the pre-interview. Meaning? It was a tech test. He was tested upon his computer skills. How to use ...

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“The Call” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #101

It was a great day. I had just finished my last day of work before I go on vacation for a month. This year, I decided to take my vacation during the month of November. Why? Maybe because I am a Scorpio. Maybe because I enjoy Halloween (my vacation starts on October 29th), maybe because I love the fall weather, or maybe because, it is the time of the year that covers Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the beginning of the holiday season. Simply put, all of the above maybe… My girlfriend, Jennifer, wanted us to get costumes for a s...

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“Patati Patata” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #100

Since at least from the early 80’s, I have seen this place being in business at this location. At the corner of St-Laurent and Rachel in the Plateau Mont-Royal district in Montreal. We call it The Main. The portion of St-Laurent boulevard that is filled with restaurants, bars, stores and groceries. A great place to meet up, talk, chit chat, study for hours, go on for a date, or just to be alone with a good meal at this small fast-food place. To me, it was kind the center of the universe when I was growing up. When I was a kid, I was not ...

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“Summer of 1989” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #99

I was twelve years old and I just had finished my elementary school. It was Friday, June 23rd, 1989. I can say that I was a little downhearted to leave this institution. I had completed all my school years from kindergarten till grade six in this wonderful school filled with great classmates, staff and great teachers. I was about to start high school in about ten weeks. It was time to say goodbye. I looked at my digital Casio watch. It read 12:23 PM. I took a last glance at this great building from the schoolyard. I was waiting for my s...

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“Copper” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #98

Jimmy was only twelve. And…he was gone…forever. Yes, gone from this world. He lived with his dad, Richard, who was quite busy with work most of the time. An unfortunate accident occurred, after school, when Jimmy was on his way home. A public bus never saw Jimmy on its way turning right at the corner. If the driver saw him, it was too late… Richard was a single father and he was more focused on his work and paying the bills, than the welfare of his son. Several times a week, Richard would arrive home after 7 PM. That would leave Jimmy al...

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“Solstice 3:33” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #97

It is late night. I am still up. You can say I am a night owl. With my work schedule being 1 PM to 9 PM, I got into the habit of going to bed at two in the morning, and I usually wake up at 10 AM. I am not complaining for now. I do have weekends off. On the weekend, I don’t abuse by waking up past noon. Oh no! I kept my sleep and wake up time steady, seven days a week. I love to sleep and I enjoy naps too on the weekends, especially in the afternoon, after lunch. It’s Friday night, and the clock shows 9:00 PM! Yes! My weekend has started...

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“One Way Street” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #96

They were strangers when they met at work. Peter was working in the field of finance. Some colleagues became good friends with Peter. Peter started working in late 2005 and around fall 2006, Dan joined the company. At first, both were not talking much to each other. Out of respect, they did greet each other if they crossed paths in the office. Both were introverted and on the reserved side. That did not help the cause to get acquainted. When Peter started working and became close friends within a few months with Hanz. There was thi...

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“Rosco” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #95

‘’Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you, our finalist for tonight, Robert. Robert is about to make a lifetime decision. You can select to have ten million dollars, tax-free, or…give up Rosco to a wealthy family that will take care of him and leave to live with them in England,’’ announces the game show host, Damian. ‘’Can I visit him time to time, when I feel like it?’’ Robert looking very undecided. ‘’I am afraid not. You have passed all the levels of this game show. Now, you don’t need to play. You need to decide. Rosco or ten m...

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“Burnt Down House” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #94

Frankie was part of a group of friends that would always dare to each other to do things out of the ordinary on a regular basis. There were a gang of four. Georgie, Vinny, Gabe and Frankie. They were close friends and all four attended the same college. They met up a few years ago when they were still in high school. Their friendship started when they had to come up with a play in a drama class. That play was a comedy that involved misunderstandings in comedic situations. Their story was so well written and executed on the stage that th...

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“Melanie” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #93

In a month, I will be twelve. The end of my childhood and the beginning of my adolescence. The start of high school. My birthday falls on August 25th, and a week later I will be attending a new school. Luckily me, I have a few friends from last year that will be with me. That is a relief. I am a quite shy boy. Especially at first, in new surroundings. I told my parents that I did not want a birthday party at home with friends. Like we have been doing for several years now. I felt like I was too old for that. But you know how parents are. ...

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