Dr Cheryl allowed Carlos to sit in on classes. ‘I don’t care what Immigration say. You’ve got a right to learn,’ she told him.
He used his mother’s family name—Rodriguez. He was just one of the class. Here Lisa Hartigan was the outsider. She was from the Department. Carlos admired her, the way she stood up for herself, argued the case against the ones she called do-gooders. At the end of semester he got paired with her for a group exercise. His heart skipped just a little until he remembered she could have him on a plane tomorrow if she really knew who he was.
(this is an edited version of the story By another name, published 26 October, 2010. See about small stories about love)
A writer from Melbourne, Richard maintains a number of blogs exploring very short fiction and text-based art practices. His stories and poems have been published in both mainstream and alternative journals and collections. He is also a visual artist and was co-founder of both Platform Artists Group and zine store, Sticky. He continues to publish very short fiction and conduct microfiction workshops for practicing writers, students and others. He has created numerous text-based installations and artworks for public spaces, including at Federation Square, Melbourne and in conjunction with the 2017, Newcastle Writers Festival.
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small stories about love 