1974, Part 2

DISCLAIMER: This story is entirely fictional. No resemblance to any person,
living or dead, is intended. All persons, companies, brand names and
situations are used solely for fictional purposes.

1974
part 2 of 3
by anonauthor02@yahoo.com
 
"OK, mom, let's go and pick up Laura," Debbie said, trotting into the kitchen.
"I just talked to her and she can leave anytime."

"All right. Let me grab my purse. You got everything? Do you need any money?,"
Carol asked.

"Well, I've got $15. I wanted to pick up a couple of 8-tracks, so that should
be enough. Unless you're offering...," she said with a grin.

"Here, take another $10. Just in case you see something on sale. Oh, and don't
forget your ciggies," Carol advised.

"Don't worry. Laura already reminded me of that. She wanted to make sure I had
a full pack, or close to it at least. I think part of why she wanted to go out
so bad was so she could smoke," Debbie said.

"Is that why she's been hanging around here so much lately?"

"Well, partly, at least,"" Deb answered. "Since I first showed her how to
smoke, she's started to like it a lot. She really wishes she could smoke at
home like me. But she's scared to tell her folks."

"That's too bad," Carol said. "That's partly why we just asked you straight up
if you wanted to try it, to keep you from feeling like you were sneaking
around. I hope Charlie and Joan won't give her a hard time when she finally
fesses up."

Carol and Debbie headed outside and got into the family's second car, an
orange Pinto, for the short drive over to the Hammond's. As she always did
when driving, immediately after starting the car Carol reached into her purse
and extracted a cigarette and her lighter. Expertly, she lit up one-handed and
began a hands-free drag as she replaced the lighter. Withdrawing the cigarette
from her lips and inhaling, she held the B&H on display on top of the steering
wheel as she drove and cranked her window down slightly, exhaling towards the
opening. As they pulled into the Hammond's driveway, Laura came bounding down
the front steps. Deb leaned towards the dash to let her flip the seatback
forward and climb into the back seat.

"Hi," Laura said to her friend. "Hi, Mrs. Parker. Thanks for driving us," the
pretty, freckle-faced redhead greeted them.

"No problem, Laura," Carol said, taking a deep drag before backing into the
street and heading out towards the mall district.

As soon as they turned off the Hammond's block, Debbie reached into her bag
and pulled out her own pack. "I'm gonna have a cigarette. Want one?," she
asked her friend, turning towards the rear seat. 

"Well, um... " Laura replied, hesitating. Her eyes met Carol's in the
rear-view mirror.

"It's OK, Laura," Carol said. "Deb's told me that you're smoking now. I don't
mind, and I certainly won't tell. Go ahead if you want."

"Oh... OK then," she said, reaching toward the cigarette extending from
Debbie's pack. "Thanks, Mrs.  P. You are so cool!" Debbie handed Laura her
Cricket and she lit up somewhat awkwardly. She pulled the cigarette away from
her lips and puffed out smoke without inhaling as she handed the lighter back
to Debbie, who immediately lit up too. Carol observed with interest via the
rear-view mirror as Laura took a small puff, inhaled only slightly, and
exhaled almost immediately, in contrast to Debbie's much more experienced
style that already saw her taking long puffs and inhaling fully. 

"So how long have you been smoking, Laura?," Carol asked casually.

"Uh... just a few weeks. I decided to try it after Debbie told me she was
doing it," the redhead said.

"Ah... I figured it hadn't been very long. I noticed you were barely
inhaling," she said, planting a seed.  "So, do you enjoy it?"

"Oh, yeah. It made me cough the first few times but I like it now. It's really
cool," Laura said.   

"Yeah," Debbie laughed. "I thought I killed her the first time I got her to
inhale," she said as Laura rolled her eyes.

"So your parents don't know?"

"Oh, no. I think they'd go nuts and ground me for life if they found out," she
replied, taking another quick puff and exhaling almost immediately.

"You might be surprised. After all, they smoke themselves," Carol offered.

"I know," Laura answered. "But I'm just not ready to tell them yet. I haven't
decided if I want to keep on smoking for good. I wonder about what it might do
to me... you know, like what they say about cancer and all."

"Oh, Laura...," Deb said, sounding frustrated. "You worry too much.You're not
going to get lung cancer just from smoking for a little while. You can quit
long before you need to think about stuff like that. Geez!," she said before
taking a hard puff and inhaling extra-deep as if to prove her point.

"Well, it's up to you, Laura," Carol said. "Just because we let Debbie smoke
doesn't mean you should too. The only one who can decide whether smoking's
right for you is you. Don't let Debbie or anyone else make you feel pressured
either way. But I'd be willing to bet that your folks might be a little more
understanding than you realize," she advised.

"Maybe. If I do decide to keep on smoking, I know I'll have to tell them
eventually. Right know I just don't know for sure, that's all," she said. 

A few minutes later they had all finished their cigarettes as they pulled up
to the mall's entrance.  "Why don't I meet you guys here around 2:00?," Carol
suggested. "I should be all done with my errands by then. Do you have enough
money for lunch?"

"Yeah, I think so," Debbie said, looking at Laura who nodded in agreement.
"We'll probably just go to McDonald's."

"Well, OK. Just be careful crossing the road, OK? Go to the intersection,
don't try to cut across the road in front of the place," Carol said. "I'll be
waiting for you right here at 2:00 then. Have fun!"

The girls made their way through the mall, stopping in at a record store where
Deb bought Elton John and BTO tapes, and hitting just about every clothing
store in the upper level of the place. After the first half-hour or so had
passed, Laura suggested they sit down and take a break. 

Debbie knew why her friend wanted to sit down, and as they did she retrieved
her Marlboro 100s and shook a few loose. "Here," she said, offering one to
Laura before she even had a chance to ask. She lit up her own cigarette and
then handed her lighter to her friend who did the same before handing it back.
They sat on the bench, all of which were equipped with built-in ashtrays, sat
and smoked and chatted as the Saturday shoppers passed by, barely paying the
two girls any notice. Many people of all ages were seated on the benches
around the mall, and most of them were smoking. It was hardly unusual to see a
pair of teenage girls sitting there with cigarettes.

"Your mom said I didn't hardly inhale," Laura said. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, yeah," Deb said. "You still smoke the way you did the first time you
tried it."

"I think I want to try doing it the way you do," Laura said. "You take a puff
and I'll do the same. I want to see how it feels to smoke the same way you
do."

"All right," Deb said. "Just watch me and do exactly what I do. Ready? Let's
go." Debbie brought the Marlboro to her lips and took her normal 4-second drag
as Laura did the same. She opened her mouth slightly and took a deep breath
in, and Laura followed course. Deb saw Laura's eyes widen as she inhaled and
the thick smoke went all the way down into her lungs.

"You OK? Better exhale slow," Deb advised, as Laura released a long stream
that went on forever.  She took a breath and sighed.

"Wow... what a rush. It's almost like the first time again," Laura said
softly, a bit of a grin showing on her face as a flushed feeling began to
steal over her.

"It takes some getting used to," Deb said. "I didn't inhale like that at
first. I had to work up to it. You should do the same, I think. Otherwise it
might make you sick."

"I think you're right. I'll try doing it just a little bit more at a time,"
Laura said. "But, wow, that felt really cool!"  She giggled, and tapped ash
off her cigarette. She tried another puff, shorter this time, but again took
it all the way down. "That's better," she said. "I like the way I can blow out
a stream like that."

"Yeah, isn't it fun? I just love to play with my exhales," Debbie said. "I'm
trying to learn how to blow rings," she said, demonstrating not completely
successfully for Laura's benefit. "And sometimes I like to breathe it out of
my nose. Mom does that sometimes. I think it looks really sexy," Deb said.
Again she demostrated for her friend, and slowly released twin streams from
her nostrils that went on forever.

"Oh, wow! I gotta try that," Laura said. She took a moderate puff and forced
herself to breathe it in fairly deeply, then closed her mouth and began to
breathe out. She was about halfway done when she began to giggle
uncontrollably. "That is so wild! I love it!," she squealed in delight, smoke
marking her words. She took a breath and as she breathed out, realized that
there was still residual smoke in her lungs. "Hey, look at that," she
exclaimed. "There's still smoke coming out!"

"Oh yeah," Deb said casually. "When you inhale it all the way it never all
comes out the first time. It's sort of fun to see how long you can make one
puff last," she said, giving her friend something else to file away to try
down the road.

The girls continued their shopping with a couple of more cigarette breaks
spaced in. Laura made a conscious effort to inhale more like an experienced
smoker, feeling moderately buzzed the first time, mildly buzzed the second, as
her body learned how to cope with the additional dose of nicotine she was
feeding it. Finally they decided to head over to the McDonald's across the
street for lunch. After eating, Debbie retrieved one of the brass foil
ashtrays from on top of one of the trash receptacles and brought it to the
table. There was a small no-smoking section, but most of the restaurant
seating area permitted smoking. Deb took out a cigarette and slid the pack
over to Laura, handing her the Cricket after she had lit up herself. They
talked and smoked as they sipped the remains of their soda, and Debbie
suddenly noticed something.

"Hey... you've started to really inhale, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Laura said. "After I tried it a few times I could see what you meant.
I got really buzzed at first, but now it just feels really nice."

"That's what I tried to tell you. The more you do it, the more natural it
seems. I just love it myself, it just feels so great. But I think it's the
reason I'm starting to crave them so bad too."

"If that starts happening to me I don't know what I'll do. I just can't
imagine mom and dad letting me smoke the way you do. But maybe, since I don't
smoke as much as you do, it won't happen," Laura said hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe," Debbie told her friend, secretly doubting there was any chance
of that happening. "I know I feel like smoking almost all the time now. I
figure some day I'll end up smoking as much as mom and dad. I just always want
to smoke."

After finishing, the girls decided to head back to the mall entrance and wait
for their ride. It was a few minutes before 2:00 and they sat on a planter
near the driveway to wait. "Might as well have one more while we wait, huh?,"
Debbie offered, as she pulled her Marlboros from her purse and offered one to
her friend. They lit up, and sat quietly and smoked while waiting for Carol to
arrive. Debbie watched her friend as she smoked in a much more advanced manner
than she had earlier.

"Here, take these," she said, offering the remains of her pack to Laura.

"What... you mean, to keep?"

"Yeah. Go ahead. I figure you need them more than I do. I can just grab
another pack when I get home. I mean, there are cigarettes everywhere around
our house. It's no problem. Dad gets them for free. At least those will last
you a little while and you won't have to steal them from your folks."

"Gee, thanks!," Laura said, stuffing the pack into her purse. "Tell you what,
I'll buy the popcorn when we go to the movies tonight, OK?"

"Deal," Debbie grinned. 

At that moment the Pinto rounded the corner and Carol beeped the horn. The
girls jumped into the car for the ride home. After they dropped Laura off,
Carol said "Honey, before we head home, I want to go get some gas. I want to
keep the tank topped up while they still have some to sell." Debbie nodded
affirmatively, and they headed for the gas station. The Gulf station was
pumping without restrictions today, and Carol was able to fill her tank after
waiting in line for only a few minutes. 
 
"That'll be $7.00, ma'am," the kid attendant said, and Carol opened her purse
to give him the cash.  After pulling away from the pump island, she reached
into the still-open purse for her B&Hs. As she pulled one out and rummaged for
her lighter, Debbie asked, "Mom, can I have one of those?"

"What, a cigarette? Geez, did you two smoke a whole pack today? Or are you
taking my advice and switching to these? Sure, here," she laughed, before
offering her pack to her daughter. 

"Nah, neither. I gave Laura the rest of my pack before we left," Debbie said,
sliding a B&H from her mom's pack. "To keep her from sneaking them from her
mom," Deb explained before quickly placing the cigarette to her lips and
leaning over to accept a light of what was already her tenth cigarette of the
day from her mom. 

"Oh, I see. That was nice of you," Carol said before lighting up herself.
"Y'know, you should do that more. Since we have all the cigarettes we need, it
wouldn't hurt to share some."

"That's sort of what I figured. Besides, she took what you said to heart. You
know, about the way she inhaled? It was funny. That really seemed to bother
her, so she made an effort today to inhale more like I do. I figured she'll
want to practice some more and that she'd need some cigs of her own."

"Really? That's hilarious," Carol chuckled. "Well, good for her I guess. She
didn't get sick?"

"No," Debbie said, sampling another mentholated puff and inhaling deeply to
allow her to continue speaking. "It buzzed her pretty good at first but she
got used to it. She was doing fine our last few times," she said, talking out
her exhale.

"Oh, good for her," Carol said offhand, secretly satisfied inside. Another
hurdle had been passed.  "Hey, how do you like the menthol now?"

"Not bad," Debbie said. "It actually feels good to me. I haven't had a cig in
a while so maybe that's why, but I'm liking this one."

"Great! I'll make a menthol girl out of you yet. Just wait and see," Carol
joked.  ===

Over the next week Laura continued to secretly hone her smoking technique.
Debbie supplied her with two fresh packs of Marlboro 100s courtesy of Philip
Morris via her dad, and by the end of the week Laura was smoking 5 or 6 times
a day and, more significantly, inhaling much more deeply. She was spending
lots of time at the Parker home because that was where she could smoke openly.
That Saturday she arrived on their front doorstep carrying a grocery sack. 

"Hi Laura, c'mon in," Debbie greeted her. "What's in the bag?"

"Mom asked me to bring these over before she left. She said that she's
returning these, and that I should tell your dad thanks. They're cigarettes. I
guess he gave her some to try?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Debbie said. "He always has tons of them around here."

"Well, anyway, she said that she was keeping the Marlboro 100s for herself and
that these are the ones she's giving back. There are nearly 3 full cartons in
here."

"What are they?," Debbie asked.

"I don't know. Let's see," Laura said, opening the bag. "Parliament 100s," she
said removing them from the bag, "Benson and Hedges 100s, and Virginia Slims,"
setting the last of them on the kitchen counter.

"Hey, regular Benson and Hedges," Debbie said. "Mom smokes the menthol ones
and I've tried a few of those, but I've never had the regular ones. Take a
pack out, will you? I want to try them."

"Are you sure it's OK?"

"Sure. Who's going to know? How can anyone tell whether a pack is missing?
Besides, my folks let me smoke, remember? They tell me to take cigarettes
whenever I need them. They sure as heck won't mind," Debbie answered.

Laura handed her one of the gold B&H packs and Debbie quickly stripped it
open. Tapping one out, she placed it between her lips as she reached for her
lighter and lit up. After blowing out some initial smoke, she took an
evaluatory puff and inhaled. "Hey, these aren't bad," she said after exhaling.
"They're really smooth. Want one?," she said, starting another, deeper drag
and extending the open pack to her friend.

"Oh yeah, I'm dying for a cig. I haven't been able to have one yet today. It's
a pain having to hide it," Laura said, accepting the offered cigarette. She
quickly lit up herself and greedily gulped the smoke down into her lungs.

"I don't know how I'd ever be able to hide it," Debbie said. "I've been
smoking an awful lot lately.  Last weekend I smoked nearly a whole pack both
days. I'd go nuts having to sneak around."

"Wow. That's amazing," Laura exclaimed. "Those 2 packs you gave me last
Saturday night when we went to the movies lasted me all week. I still have a
couple left," she said before taking another puff.

"God, I was like that myself, not too long ago. But now I feel like smoking
all the time. Mom said it's just that I'm getting more used to it. I dunno. I
think I'm getting hooked or something, like the ads say. "Join the unhooked
generation", remember that one? I guess I went the other way," she laughed,
taking another puff from her B&H.

"Yeah, I do. That commercial actually made me want to smoke. The woman in it
just looked so cool, smoking while she was walking along in that park," Laura
said. "But aren't you worried about smoking that much? I remember you telling
me that you only wanted to smoke a little because of your skating and all
that. And, like, I still wonder about what it might do to me. Even though I
like it."

"I used to think that. But I talked to mom about it. She's smoked for years,
and a lot more than what I do. She says she feels great. That made me stop
worrying. And I have to admit, it feels great to smoke as much as you want.
It's so satisfying to be able to have a cigarette whenever the urge strikes
you. I just love it."

"But do you really think you're hooked?," Laura asked, concerned for both her
friend and her own future.

"Oh yeah. I think so, at least a little. I can understand now why people find
it hard to quit, that's for sure. The good part is that at least I don't have
to worry about where to get cigarettes, or pay for them either. Thanks,
daddy," she said with a laugh, before inhaling another deep puff. "Hey, I
meant to ask, do you need some more?," Debbie asked as she watched Laura
continue to smoke her cigarette.

"Oh, I don't know... I mean, sure, I like getting free cigs, but I hate
freeloading from you like that," Laura said after exhaling. "I was just going
to buy some. I can afford to spend a dollar on a pack every few days."

"Hey, they're not mine, remember? They're free," Debbie reminded her. "I asked
mom about it. She's OK with me giving them to you. Besides, I just got an
idea," she said, smiling devishly, taking a long, exaggerated drag from her
cigarette.

"What kind of an idea?," Laura giggled.

"I'm going to keep a couple of these for myself," Debbie said, stepping over
to the counter as she exhaled smoke. She pulled 2 packs of B&H from the
carton. "I want to try these for a while. Mom's been on my case to try to get
off the Marlboros, and I think these might be the answer."

"Why doesn't she want you to smoke Marlboros?," Laura asked.

"She says they're not ladylike," Debbie answered, rolling her eyes.

"Hmm. That didn't seem to bother mom. She said she likes them now," Laura
offered.

"Yeah, I know. It seems silly. Lots of girls smoke them. Mom just has this
thing that I should smoke like a lady, whatever that means. She made a big
point of telling me that when she first showed me how. Plus she says they're
too strong, which is probably true. With the amount I'm smoking these days,
it's probably better to go with something a little smoother. Anyway, that's
all well and good but it's not my idea. Want to hear the rest?"

"Sure, tell me," Laura said, grinning while taking another puff.

"You take the rest of those home for yourself," Debbie said, gesturing towards
the 3 cartons on the counter.

"Are you serious?," Laura squealed, almost choking on her exhale. "There are
enough here to last me for months. Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. Look, I'll square it with dad. But I know he'll be OK with it.
Since they're already opened he can't sell them. He'd probably just give them
away anyway, or he'd give them to me to use up. So I'm giving them to you
instead," she said. 

"Oh, wow! That is just so cool," Laura exclaimed. "Thanks a lot! I guess I
won't have to bug you for ciggies again for a long time," she said.

"Yeah. Just don't get caught by your mom with them, OK?," Debbie warned her
friend. "I don't want to get in trouble with her for giving you these."

"Oh, right," Laura said, pondering. "Hey, I got it! I have that chest in my
room, remember? And I have the only key. I'll put them in there. She'll never
know," she said triumphantly, flashing a conspiratorial smile.

"Hey, perfect," Debbie replied. "Now all you have to do is figure out how to
smoke all these without getting caught," she said, grinning slyly.

"Yeah, I know," Laura offered. "It's such a pain having to sneak around. I
think I'm going to tell mom real soon. I've pretty much decided that I want to
smoke for real, like you. I've started to really like it, and I know I'm going
to keep on smoking. And I know I won't be able to hide it much longer either.
So I think it's probably best just to tell her rather than have her catch me
at it and have her go ballistic." 

"I think that's smart," Debbie said, crushing out her B&H after one last
inhale. "I bet after they get over being parental with you they won't mind all
that much. How can they? They're just like my folks. They all smoke like
chimneys." She slid another B&H out of the pack and lit up again.

"Yeah. You too," Laura said, jokingly.

"Maybe," Debbie said, suddenly thoughtful. "Yeah, that's right. Debbie the
chimney. That's me." She took a long, hard puff, inhaled, and then repeated
the process, trying to live up to her new image as she tried something she had
seen her mom do occasionally. She resisted an exhale as best she could, trying
to hold the smoke in her lungs as she took the second drag, but saw some smoke
seeping from her nostrils nonetheless as she dragged, and sensed a new
dimension in tobacco flavor as both her mouth and sinuses were simultaneously
filled with smoke for the first time. When she finally inhaled the second puff
she felt a fullness in her chest that she had not experienced for months, and
felt the concentrated dose of nicotine surge into her system as she completely
saturated her lungs with smoke.  When she finally began exhaling the remains
of the first double-pump of her smoking career, she indeed made a respectable
imitation of a chimney, as smoke poured from her nose and mouth for an
eternity. 

"Wow," was all Laura could say, awe-struck.

"Omigod... that was unreal," Debbie gasped, grinning. "I'll have to remember
to try that again. Geez, I feel almost buzzed," she laughed.

"I gotta ask you something," Laura said. 

"What?"

"A minute ago you said something like  my mom showed me how to smoke'. Is that
true?," she asked. 

"I did?,"Debbie said defensively.

"Yeah. When you were saying how she wants you to smoke ladylike or something.
What's the deal?"

Debbie paused for a moment, looking at her friend. "OK, I'll tell you, but you
have to promise me you will never, ever tell anyone what I'm going to tell
you," she said. "Promise?"

"Sure. I promise," Laura said. "So it's true? I thought you said you just
wanted to try it and that's how you got started."

"That was partly true," Debbie said. "I just didn't tell you the whole story.
Mom swore me to secrecy.  I didn't feel like I was lying to you. I just let
you think what you wanted. It's sorta strange, how it happened."

"So, how did it happen?," Laura asked.

"Well, it was a while ago. Last year. I really never gave much thought to
smoking before that.I mean, I saw mom and dad smoking all the time I was
growing up, and since dad works for Philip Morris, I knew about it and all
that. I figured that someday in the future I might want to try it, but I never
had and really never intended to then. Especially with me skating and all
that," Debbie explained.

"Yeah... I never figured you for someone who would smoke," Laura said.

"Me neither," Debbie said, before drawing again on her B&H. She exhaled a cone
of smoke as she continued to tell her friend the story.

===

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