This next episode from life at the Bureau of Government Intelligence and Execution—aka BOGIE—introduces the Bureau of Administration, Management, and Facilities.
DC may shut its doors on the public workers who serve the Republic. But that can’t stop the mofos in BAMF from installing new ones to protect its workers from America’s next shooting rampage.
Also like the government to be blind to its own indifference, completely unaware of how capricious its actions could be from one moment to the next. By furloughing Chloe and putting dear Teague’s neck on the line, the government had become for me an agent of darkness. Then I got a phone call from a sweet-voiced OMS in the basement of our building and the government almost seemed helpful again.
“Can I speak to Gabriel?” she asked, a wobbly voice that had me thinking of my grandmother.
“This is Gabriel.”
“Oh, Gabriel. So nice to talk to you. You have such a lovely name.”
“Thank you.”
“I see your name here on my form and I think only of heaven and angels.”
“What form, ma’am?”
“Have you met with our technician yet?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know who this is.”
“Oh, dear. Of course not. My name is Regina. I’m calling from
the Bureau of Administration, Management and Facilities.”
“BAMF?”
“That’s right, young man. Have you met with our engineer yet?”
“No, ma’am. Nobody’s contacted me.”
“Well, please just hang in there. It should be soon enough. Have a nice day.”
Read the complete Excerpt 3.
About Patchworks:
Government intern Gabriel Dunne narrates a period of uncertainty for federal workers in Washington DC.
Assigned to the Bureau of Government Intelligence and Execution—BOGIE for short—Gabe helps investigate government inefficiency. The role provides a broad view of how the country is run, and a close-up of the people who run it.
From analyst Manny Teague who can’t stop talking about his kids to boss Ralph Dvorak who aims to shut Teague up; from young Chloe Gilchrist planning her wedding to the predatory Harcourt bracing for divorce; from Miles Miles who’s old and lonely, to the interns he mentors who believe in true love, Gabe’s co-workers are models of humanity amid bureaucratic dysfunction.
Already stressed over a looming government shutdown and threats to financial security, how will this frazzled group react when real tragedy strikes in the guise of yet another school shooting?
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Ben East Books 