Rumpus Exclusive: Excerpts from Execute the Office
I am standing at the entrance to American History.
...moreI am standing at the entrance to American History.
...moreThere are many ways to be ripped to shreds.
...moreThey were alone, and in his apartment, but not in the way he’d imagined it to be.
...moreMal’ Atta attacked with a slew of sensory assaults.
...moreHappiness never seemed to linger. She often wondered why.
...moreOnce an area was designated, it was off limits.
...moreIt took them almost two weeks to walk to Seoul, such was their pace.
...moreAll anyone really wants is to be seen and heard, and yet we avoid seeing and hearing others every day.
...moreI had to admit that for a businessman, he was flexible.
...more[W]hat was going wrong? Why were our stories not being written or published?
...moreThe moment presented itself at dusk the following day.
...moreThere is a kind of candor that feels exciting, current.
...moreI had another cab dream last night. I have them a lot.
...more“You are so sexy,” he said. I met his gaze. And the warning bell rang.
...moreI’d crossed a line and owned a new secret life. There was no going back.
...moreHow had he seen me upon this initial meeting? How had I seen him?
...moreI understand this impulse to tighten and make resistant.
...moreIt was personal, as the detectives on my favorite shows always said.
...moreDickens and the Brontës did it; so can you!
...moreAda followed her song deeper into the bush, until the windmill loomed up before her.
...moreOur love of the superfluous is helpful in better understanding ourselves.
...moreLa vida es dura, Tata always said. Life is hard, girlfriend.
...moreIt’s the atmosphere. The temperature. What lies between thee and me.
...moreThey say she bathed in our blood.
...moreHe wonders at how fast it all changed.
...moreShe was living in little shack balanced among the branches of a tree.
...moreWhite Castle or McDonald’s? Death always made her hungry.
...moreI didn’t belong on this planet. This kind of place could not be my home.
...moreThe missionaries seemed concerned. I figured it was too late for that.
...moreMy stomach fluttered. My cheeks flushed. They never said no.
...more