Tag: employment

All Stories, General Fiction

Breaking by Yash Seyedbagheri

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Dad’s baritone booms through my cell phone, his words striking.

“So, how’s teaching going, old sport? Are you getting tougher with them?”

 I stare at the cardboard box that I’ve plopped onto the plastic coffee table. The box looks like it could break.

“I think people are too tough already. They’re freshmen, not Marine recruits.”

A pause. It practically hums.

“Old sport, but that’s your problem. You don’t understand. The world’s got to kick your ass a little bit.”

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All Stories, General Fiction

Bananenbuigerij by Michael Smith

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What an induction day that was!

Unemployment had been high for years, and so the surprise arrival of Dutch company ‘Bananenbuigerij’ had been greeted with much enthusiasm in town. Like most of my friends, I’d sent in my application, and was one of those fortunate enough to be offered an interview.

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All Stories, General Fiction

Beast of Burden by Tanushree Mukherjee

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It was narrow, stuffed chock-a-block with all manner of drug-related paraphernalia. It was a ‘smoke and gift shop’ in name, but sold everything from oil burners to sexual performance-enhancing pills. At some point, there had been a debate on whether the store was allowed to stock condoms. But I was only half listening by that time. My first impression, when I had walked in on seeing the ‘now hiring’ sign, was that it was too brightly lit. The illumination was plain white light of the kind that seems to render everything naked. Everything from the owner’s greed to make money off people’s weaknesses to the stark depths people sank to, to fuel their addictions.

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All Stories, General Fiction

American Nightmare by Yash Seyedbagheri

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I outline payment schedules. Credit card bills, student loans, power, utilities. I draw up grocery budgets and lists, in my elegant cursive, something I’ve relearned in recent months. More onions, less TV dinners, and Diet-Pepsi, containing more late-night sleeplessness. A tomato or two, if possible. Some granola bars, even.

No beer, save for the occasional six-pack of Coors Light.

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