‘The Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas’
The Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings and had too much hair. Ugwu’s auntie said this in a low voice as they walked along the path to the Master’s house. ‘But he is a good man,’ she a…
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‘I think there should be a National Service of Hospitality. The best way to see the true face of humanity is to serve it a plate of chips.’
Camilla Grudova on bad-mannered customers.
‘Anyone who has ever worked night shifts will understand the vertiginous feeling that comes with staring down the day from the wrong end.’
A.K. Blakemore on working nights.
‘I was constantly reading job ads, trying to find my holy grail – a job I could stand to do, and someone foolish enough to hire me.’
Sandra Newman on learning how to play professional blackjack.
‘I loved being a receptionist. What I loved about it was playing the part of being a receptionist.’
Emily Berry on being a temporary office worker.
‘Every part of you would swell, including your eyeballs, and no matter how much water you drank, you were always dehydrated.’
Junot Díaz on working for a steel mill.
‘I like to think now that he knew how much I liked him, from the beginning, and that we were both equal participants in the ritual.’
‘Kamara had always resented the glamour of half-castes.’
‘His accent was what the British called posh, the kind some rich Nigerians tried to mimic and ended up sounding unintentionally funny.’
‘Chinechelum said little as her mother drove her to the airport.’
‘She is thorough in a way that is off putting to people. It makes for a good secretary, not a good conversationalist.’
Fiction by Madeline Cash.
‘With each day bringing more confusion as this mysterious virus holds us in its grip, cognitive dissonance is everywhere.’
