Instead of replying, she exhaled as if she were getting rid of something, and threw her head back, staring up through the dark at the felt lining of the roof.

NEWYORKER: The Swan

She exhaled and uncorked a bottle of champagne.

FORBES: Alley Cat

She coughed, and they laughed, but soon enough she got the hang of it, except that when she exhaled she did a funny thing: she blew out again and again, like a woman practicing for childbirth.

NEWYORKER: Temporary