Conflict of Interest, Part 11

This fictional account contains explicit sexual materials, adult language and
sexual themes.  If these offend you, please do not read further.  The persons
and events described in this work are fictional.  Any similarity to actual
persons or events is strictly coincidental.  Copyright 2002 by SSTORYMAN.  All
rights reserved.  Permission is granted to reproduce this story in any form
and for any purpose as long as this notice is reproduced and no financial

This is a sequel to the author's "Revenge" posted March 2000 and "The Affair"
posted January, 1997.  It may be helpful to read (or re-read) them before
reading this story.  There are also some references to characters who first
appeared in the author's "Lisa's Quest" and "The Vacation."  But familiarity
with these stories isn't necessary to enjoy this one.

Finally, thanks to AZ-MAN for his editorial suggestions, support and
encouragement.


CONFLICT OF INTEREST

11.	Surprised by Sandy, and Sandy Gets Surprised.

   Penny was pissed.  She had to ride the bus home Monday.  Priscilla had to
hang out with her friends; she wouldn't drive her.  Grace had a doctor's
appointment so they couldn't work on the project.  All that meant no smoking,
and Penny desperately wanted a cigarette.  It wasn't really that she _needed_
one; not exactly.  But she liked having one or two in the afternoons.  With
Grace unavailable and Priscilla not cooperating, it meant she had to wait till
after dinner.  And even that was uncertain.  It depended on Priscilla having
mercy on her and taking her out to the coffee shop with her to smoke.

   She knocked around the house uselessly.  She turned on the TV and watched
part of the old Marisa Tomei movie "Untamed Heart," where Marisa Tomei and
Rosie Perez are both avid smokers.  Seeing the lovely Marisa Tomei smoke
repeatedly only made Penny feel worse.  The poor deprived teenager wanted to
smoke, too!

   She decided to do something she'd never done before.  She took her pack of
cigarettes, her lighter and a makeshift ashtray onto the deck behind the
house.  Evergreen trees shielded the deck from the eyes of any nosy neighbors,
and her mom wouldn't be home till six.  She had time for a cigarette, and
maybe for two.

   As she checked out the setting, she still felt uneasy being on the deck.
So instead, she stood in a corner behind the deck, in a grassy place where she
could be more completely hidden from the sight line of the houses next door.

   By now the fifteen year old's desire had reached fever pitch.  She eagerly
shook a Marlboro Menthol Light 100 from her pack and slipped the cigarette in
her trembling lips.  She was scared, but she also really wanted to smoke.
With a shaky hand she clicked her disposable lighter and touched the flame to
the tip.

   Penny dragged, her cheeks collapsed, and smoke rushed into her mouth.  She
inhaled.  God, it felt good!  It was great to finally be smoking again.  She
inhaled and pumped a second time, pulling more smoke inside her chest while
twin streams released smoke through her nostrils from the first hit.  She was
totally focused on the marvelous experience she was having; she was so focused
that she never heard the sound of footsteps behind her, until it was too late.

   "Penny Preston!  What the fuck are you doing?"

   She whirled around.  In the clearing stood her Aunt Sandy!  She stared at
her with a shocked look on her face.  

   Sandy rang the front bell and, when no one answered, walked around to the
back of her sister's house to see if anyone was out on the back deck.  And
there, the sight of her young niece smoking a cigarette assailed her horrified
eyes.

   Penny froze.  She was scared shitless.  She didn't know what to do or say.
She went limp, and her freshly lit cigarette fell from her hand onto the grass
beneath her.

   "Oh my God!  Penny!  You're smoking?  Shit!  I don't believe it.  You
should be ashamed of yourself.  This is awful!  Wait till your mother finds
out!"

   Penny said not a word.  She desperately tried to think of something to say
to diffuse the situation, some way to explain to Aunt Sandy that she hadn't
seen what she thought she saw.  But her brain locked.  There was nothing she
could say that would make any difference, and she knew it.  So she just stood
there, speechless.

   Sandy crossly approached the trembling teenager.  "You little rebel!  Pick
up that cigarette from the ground, young lady."  She was barking angrily.
"Otherwise it'll catch the grass on fire, and then you'll have an even bigger
mess on your miserable little hands!"

   The youngster didn't move, so Sandy herself leaned over to pick up the
smoldering cigarette from the grass.  Once it was in her hand, the aroma of
mentholated smoke wafted into her nostrils.  She hesitated.  She tried to
speak again, but no more words came out this time.

   Sandy hadn't smoked in twenty-four hours.  But even so, she'd thought about
it all day.  The pleasure of smoking those twenty cigarettes with Larilyn and
Adrienne the day before, and the fond memory of her practice sessions with
Charity on Friday night and again on Saturday, all of those memories refused
to leave her head.  They remained fresh in her mind even now.  At the office
all day she'd been preoccupied, and she finally left early to visit her sister
Amanda, hoping to be distracted, and to stop fondly reminiscing about smoking.
And now, this!

   Unexpectedly, she had a burning cigarette in her hand again!  All of a
sudden she was oblivious to the presence of her terrified niece, who stood
there petrified beside her, and who was awaiting the advent of what she was
certain would be her own personal Armageddon, or worse.

   Sandy stared at the cigarette without speaking.  She watched smoke slowly
curl from the burning tip and dissipate softly in the gentle breeze.  The
fragrance was so inviting.  It smelled so wonderfully pleasant.  An
involuntary smile came over her lips.

   Little by little, slowly and deliberately, Sandy lifted the cigarette
toward her mouth.  Her intellect screamed and told her she was making a
terrible, horrible mistake.  But her heart didn't agree and couldn't be talked
out of it.  Her body desired nicotine.  She had to have it.  Like a zombie,
she wrapped her lips around the burning cigarette's filter tip and began to
take in smoke.

   At first Penny thought her aunt's antics were a cruel, embarrassing
practical joke.  She said nothing and watched in astonishment as her aunt, her
mom's sister, the president of the lung association, for God's sake, dragged
long and hard on the cigarette that she dropped to the ground moments before.
And amazingly, her Aunt Sandy looked deliriously happy doing it.

   "Oh, God," Sandy gasped breathlessly after inhaling some smoke deep into
her lungs.  "Damn, this is _so_ good!"  She instantly put it back between her
hungry lips and hit hard on it again.  "Wow, it's menthol, too," she moaned
excitedly, as she began to exhale thick streams of milky smoke through her
mouth and nose.  "This is the best!"

   With smoke still pouring from her lips and her nostrils, Sandy slowly
turned.  Her bewildered niece was staring at her.  The absurdity of the
episode hit her like a brick.  She realized she'd completely befuddled poor
little Penny.  She didn't know how to explain herself or what she'd done, so
she just smiled, quite embarrassed, and finally spoke.

   "Well, what are _you_ looking at, Penny?"

   "I'm looking at you, Aunt Sandy," the baffled teenager mumbled.  "You're
smoking!"

   Sandy looked down at the cigarette between her fingers.  She grinned.  Her
little niece certainly had her there!

   "Yes, I _am_ smoking," she admitted somewhat reluctantly.  Then a wave of
relief washed over her.  Yes, her niece was right!  She was definitely
smoking; and it felt nice, very nice indeed.  In fact, it felt wonderful.
"Yeah, but so were you," Sandy shot back defensively.

   Penny said nothing.  She was still completely confused.

   Sandy badly wanted another drag from the delicious menthol cigarette.  But
she had to give Penny an explanation for what was going on.  After taking a
deep breath, she spoke again.

   "So, Penny, I take it that you smoke now?  Is that right?  Am I correct?"

   The youngster fidgeted.  "Not exactly, Aunt Sandy," she muttered.  "I mean
?."

   "Hush," Sandy ordered.  Seeing her niece's pack of Marlboro Menthol Lights
100's on the deck a few yards away, she smiled and went on.  "Honey, don't
bullshit me.  I saw you take a truly monstrous double-pump a few moments ago.
You looked like someone desperate for a cigarette.  If that's the case, go get
your pack and light up another one.  Because I sure don't want to give you
this one back!"

   Confused, the youngster shook her head, again trying to explain away the
incident.  "No, I don't smoke, Aunt Sandy.  I was just trying it out.  Honest.
That's all.  I was just ?."

   Sandy herself picked up the half empty pack off the deck.  Shaking out
another cigarette, she grabbed the lighter beside it and abruptly lit up a
second one.  She offered the new cigarette to her little niece, at the same
time she finally exhaled a strong stream of smoke from her lips.

   "Here, Penny.  Take it.  I insist.  Come on.  You can smoke with me.  You
won't get in trouble.  I promise."

   Still dazed and confused, the teenager nevertheless instinctively took the
cigarette.  But she just held it, staring at her aunt in total disbelief.

   Sandy smiled and took another drag on hers.  She deeply inhaled.  "Listen
here, Penny, I'm sorry I yelled at you just now.  I'm just having a little
trouble with this smoking thing.  I don't expect you to understand.  You see,
I like to smoke, too, even though I know it's not good for me."  She paused to
release an endless exhale.  "So I understand.  And I can't exactly criticize
_you_ for wanting to smoke if I'm going to smoke, too, now can I?"

   "But Aunt Sandy, you hate smoking!  Is this some kind of trick?"

   The older woman shook her head.  "It's no trick, honey.  I just can't stop
myself any longer.  When I smelled your cigarette smoke a few moments ago, I
just had to have some.  I wanted it - no, that's not accurate - I _needed_ it
for myself.  I love it!"  She raised the shrinking cigarette for another drag.
Once more, she pulled smoke deep inside her lungs.  "Damn!  I definitely can't
give _this_ up," she mumbled under her breath, before releasing yet another
voluminous stream of smoke from her lips.

   Seeing that Penny still hadn't taken a puff, Sandy laughed.  "Look honey,
I've spent years and years preaching against smoking.  But I still love to
smoke.  And now, finally, despite my better judgment, I think I'm becoming a
smoker again.  So if you're not going to smoke that thing, then I will.  Look,
I'm sure you're embarrassed, but not nearly as embarrassed as I am.  So are
you going to smoke or not?"

   Finally, Penny relented.  She lifted her smoldering Marlboro Menthol to her
mouth.  Cautiously she drew on it and sucked smoke into her chest, still
awaiting words of condemnation which she expected to hear from her aunt any
minute.  But they never came.

   "How's that feel, Penny, dear?"  Sandy smiled as her niece exhaled all the
thick, rich smoke she'd pulled inside her chest.  "It's pretty nice, isn't it?
Yeah, I can see from the look on your face that you really like this.  You
must've been smoking for awhile now.  Right?"

   Finally convinced she wouldn't be eaten alive, Penny had another drag.
"Aunt Sandy, I don't understand.  What on earth has happened to you?"

   The older woman sat down on the edge of the deck.  She motioned to Penny,
and her niece sat down beside her.

   "I'm not sure, Penny," Sandy admitted.  "But maybe I can explain a little
of it for you.  Let me tell you a story.  You see, many, many years ago, I
used to smoke.  I smoked all the time.  As a matter of fact, I first began
smoking when I was about your age," she confessed, still smiling at the
youngster.  "I didn't quit until I was about twenty-five, and I did it mostly
because I was worried about the bad example I was setting for your mom.  When
Amanda started to smoke, too, I knew it was at least partly because her older
sister smoked all the time.  That was me, of course," she added with a grin.

   "Wait a minute," Penny interrupted.  "Mom used to smoke?"

   Sandy finally dropped her spent cigarette to the ground, crushing it in the
grass under her heel.  "Oh God, yes!  Your mother certainly did.  Amanda's
seven years younger than me, you know.  Spring break my last year of law
school I came home to find Amanda smoking.  She was a senior in high school at
the time, and she was already smoking a pack a day.  My mother, your
grandmother, wasn't happy.  She blamed your mom's habit on me and my
influence.  I decided to quit, mostly to keep your grandma happy.  It was
hard, but I did it.  I soon became a rabid anti-smoker, I suppose largely to
justify myself and the decision I made to quit."

   "But what about Mom?  I never knew she smoked!"

   "Oh yeah, your mom smoked for years.  She finally quit after college,
mostly because your grandma and I spent years lecturing her about the evils of
smoking."  She shot her niece a hopeful, pensive look.  "Do you think I can
have another one of those?"

   Penny smiled, finally convinced of her aunt's sincerity.  "Sure, Aunt
Sandy.  You can have as many as you want!"

   Sandy slowly took another cigarette from the pack.  "Don't say that,
Penny," she laughed.  "You don't realize what you're promising.  At this point
I'd like to smoke non-stop for quite awhile."  She lit up another Marlboro
Menthol Light 100 and took a mighty first drag.  "Oh God, these are so nice,"
she sighed happily.  "I can't believe how stupid I am.  But all I want to do
now is keep on smoking cigarettes!"

   "Aunt Sandy, what happened?  What made you suddenly change your mind about
smoking?  You still haven't told me."

   The blond woman smiled as she released a plume of smoke into the air.
"Yeah, that's right.  I didn't answer your question.  And it's a fair one,
too.  Let's just say that an old friend made me a bet.  She said if I tried
smoking again, I'd want to keep doing it.  I thought she was crazy.  But it
turned out she was right.  It just happened this weekend, and all day today
I've been fighting with myself inside.  I mean, after smoking again this
weekend, all I could think about was lighting up again.  So when I stumbled on
you smoking here behind the house, I freaked out.  I reacted the way I always
react when I see a teenager smoking, which was to scream at you.  But then, I
picked up your cigarette.  And God, as soon as I did, something snapped
inside.  I had to have it.  I mean, it was like I couldn't stop myself.  I
wanted to smoke, Penny, and when I did, it tasted and felt _so_ good!"  She
paused for another extended hit.  "My brain tells me to do one thing, but my
heart tells me to do the exact opposite, something completely different.  And
that something different is to keep smoking."

   "Wow," Penny whistled.  "Who knew?  What a shock!"

   "You think _you're_ surprised?  I'm blown away.  I still don't know exactly
what to think about this uncontrollable desire inside me.  But I'm not
fighting against it very effectively, am I?"  With that she raised the
cigarette to her lips and dragged again.  "Damn!  The fact that I love this so
much is going to really screw up my whole professional life!"

   "Do you mean because you're the president of the lung association?"

   "Yeah, exactly.  And yet here I am, smoking with my underage niece on her
back porch.  Shit!  Am I an asshole, or what?"

   "You're not an asshole, Aunt Sandy.  I think this just means you're a
smoker."

   "Yeah, you may be right about that.  But how would you know?"

   "I've talked to a friend of mine who smokes," Penny went on.  "Grace says
smokers are just regular, ordinary people, people who happen to enjoy
something that pisses off lots of other people.  But Grace says there's
nothing wrong with liking something even if it's not good for you.  The fact
that you like smoking, even though you know you shouldn't, just means you're a
smoker, Aunt Sandy.  Like me and my friend," she added proudly.

   Sandy nodded.  "That's pretty sage advice for fifteen.  And exactly how did
_you_ start smoking, Penny?  Has this been going on awhile?"

   The youngster wondered if she should tell the whole story.  She decided to
give her at least the main part.  "Actually, I only started last week," she
admitted warily.  "But I really like it.  This friend of mine at school
smokes.  Her parents let her smoke at home.  It's really cool."  Seeing
disapproval on Sandy's face, she smiled.  "I know you think that's terrible,
Aunt Sandy.  But it's not.  Her parents say it's a lot better than having
their daughter sneak around behind their backs and not communicate."

   "Well, I'll give them points for that."

   "Anyway, when I asked, my friend told me I shouldn't smoke.  She said I'd
like it too much if I tried it, and that eventually I'd get in trouble with my
parents if they caught me."

   "Your friend isn't stupid, is she?"

   "No," Penny agreed.  "But I wouldn't listen.  You see, I saw how much she
likes it.  Each time she lit up, she got this _look_ on her face.  She seemed
to be having such a good time when she smoked that I wanted to try it.  That
look on her face was something I'll never forget!  It was like, well, to be
honest, it's exactly the same look _you_ had when you first picked up my
cigarette and started smoking it.  You looked like you were in heaven!"

   Sandy laughed.  "Yeah, I guess I _did_ look pretty relieved, didn't I?"

   "Yes, but it was more than relief.  It was pure pleasure.  And that's what
I wanted.  Now that I've been smoking awhile, I finally understand.  There's
nothing better than smoking a cigarette.  Absolutely nothing!  That's what I
think."

   Penny stopped talking long enough for another drag on her cigarette, and
Sandy joined her by taking one, too.  Both women pulled smoke in their lungs,
and Penny kept talking.  "So I don't think you should be upset about it, Aunt
Sandy.  If you like to smoke, I think you should."

   "I suppose your mother doesn't know that her fifteen year old smokes, does
she?"

   "No!  And you're not going to tell her, are you?"  A sense of panic quickly
set in.

   Sandy thrust out her lower lip and exhaled.  She laughed.  "No, I suppose I
won't tell Amanda on you.  God, it's so ironic!  Now I'm not only smoking, I'm
also aiding and abetting my niece, a fifteen year old who's getting herself
hooked as badly as I am.  I don't fucking believe that I'm saying this, Penny,
but no, I guess I won't tell your mom that you smoke."

   "Gosh, thanks, Aunt Sandy.  We really appreciate that!"

   "Wait!  We?  What do you mean, we?"  Sandy paused.  "Is Prissy smoking,
too?"

   Penny went to pieces.  "Oh my God, no one's supposed to know!  She'll kill
me."

   Sandy put her hand on her niece's head.  "Don't worry, Penny.  If I'm not
telling your mom on you, I certainly won't tell her about Prissy.  And how
long has _she_ been smoking?"

   "A few months," the youngster whined.  "Oh God, Aunt Sandy.  You've got to
promise not to tell Prissy I spilled the beans.  She'll make my life miserable
if she finds out."

   Sandy had quickly finished her second cigarette.  As with the first one,
she crushed it out in the grass under her heel.  "You know what, Penny?
Perhaps this is meant to be.  I mean, maybe I was meant to run into you, and
then catch you smoking, at the same time I was fighting within myself about my
craving to smoke again.  I know it's a terrible habit, and a dangerous one,
too.  But I'm not going to be able to stop.  I _want_ to smoke.  I don't care
about anything else anymore.  And if I want that, I feel like I ought to
support you.  I wish you hadn't started smoking.  But since you have, I won't
give you any more shit about it.  And that goes for your older sister, too.
In fact, I have an idea or two about how I might actually help you out, at
least in terms of dealing with your mother."

   The youngster wrapped her arms around her.  "Aunt Sandy, thanks _so_ much!
You're the absolute best!  Thanks for understanding.  You're the last person
I'd expect to understand or want to help me.  Well, except maybe for Mom.
She'd be incredibly pissed if she knew Prissy and I smoke.  I think even Dad
would be easier to reason with about it than Mom."

   Sandy smiled.  "Speaking of your mother, when does Amanda get home?"

   Penny looked at her watch.  "Mom won't be here till six.  Forty-five
minutes or so."

   "Then let's each have one more cigarette," her blond aunt smiled.  "We've
got time.  Then we'll stop at the store and I'll buy you another pack, to pay
you back for letting me smoke some of yours.  While we drive there, let me
share my idea on how to deal with your mother and help you out."

   Penny grinned.  She was very happy.  Her aunt handed her another cigarette
from the pack and then lit her up with the lighter.  Penny sucked hard,
pulling smoke deep into her body.  God, it felt _so_ nice!  With her Aunt
Sandy as an unexpected smoking ally, a smoking buddy, she might be able to
figure out a way to be allowed to smoke at home, like Grace.  She thrust out
with lower jaw, the way her aunt did, and released a thick cloud of smoke into
the air.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Amanda Preston got home at six.  She'd had a hard day at work, and was
looking forward to having a drink.  She'd been on edge for months, burning the
candle at both ends, trying to stay on top of things at the office and things
at home.

   Her sister's car was parked in front of the house.  That was odd.  Sandy
rarely visited during the week.  She was always too busy with meetings and
public relations shit for the lung association.  As Amanda opened in the front
door, she worried something had gone wrong.

   A strong aroma hit her as she walked in.  Tobacco smoke!  That was _very_
odd, especially since Sandy was apparently visiting.  Her sister never
tolerated the presence of tobacco smoke, not since she quit smoking over
twenty five years ago.

   Amanda entered the family room to be met by a shocking sight.  Her sister
Sandy, the notorious enemy of all smokers, was sitting on the couch beside
Penny.  That wasn't strange.  Sandy loved her two nieces, not having any kids
of her own.  But the astonishing and unexpected thing was seeing her sister
smoking a cigarette!

   "Sandy, what the hell is going on?"

   "Oh, hello, Amanda.  I bet this is something of a surprise for you, isn't
it?"

   "I'm absolutely shocked.  This is unbelievable.  What on earth are you
doing with a cigarette?  Don't tell me that ??"

   Sandy nodded slyly and brought the cigarette to her lips.  "I backslid,"
she said simply.  "I started smoking again, Amanda.  And I must tell you, I'm
enjoying myself immensely doing it."  She thrust out her lower jaw and exhaled
a thick stream of smoke.

   Amanda didn't hesitate.  She walked straight to the bar to pour herself a
scotch, no water, just straight.  After a large sip, she turned back to her
sister.

   "Sandy, you may have gone off the deep end, but I do not permit anyone to
smoke in my house.  You know that.  It's a particularly bad example for Penny
here."

   Sandy nodded pleasantly.  "Ah, yes.  Penny.  Yeah, I agree, Amanda.  God,
it might even encourage Penny to become a smoker!  Just like me, and just like
her mom used to be."

   "That was a long time ago, Sis," Amanda blurted out.  "Things have changed
since then.  I'm a lot smarter than when I was a teenager.  Until just now, I
thought you were, too."

   "Oh come now, Amanda.  It wasn't only when you were a teenager.  You smoked
like a chimney throughout college.  And you loved it, too, as I recall.  Mom
blamed me for it, and I suppose she was right, to some extent.  My smoking
certainly set the tone for you, didn't it?"

   Amanda raised the glass to her lips and sipped again.  The straight scotch
burned going down, but it was more pleasant than the turn the conversation was
taking.

   "I was a stupid kid.  But thank God you finally talked me into quitting
that damn habit.  I just can't believe you relapsed, Sandy.  It is _so_ unlike
you.  And so stupid!"

   Her sister shrugged.  "I know it's bad for us, Sis.  But what the hell?  I
decided I can't live without it anymore.  I almost forgot how nice smoking can
be.  Since I started up again, I feel good, absolutely great!  And I want you
to join me."

   "What?"

   "Listen, Amanda.  I know you've got yourself hooked on booze and pills.
God, I even helped you get your current supply of pills from my buddy Walt
Donovan, the doctor who's the chairman of the lung association board.  But now
that I've seen the light, so to speak, and I'm smoking again, I'm thinking
about turning Walt in to the state medical board.  They lift doctors' licenses
for a lot less than prescribing the shit you're taking right now."

   "But you can't screw Walt like that!  Walt wrote my prescriptions as a
favor to you!"

   "Yes, he did, didn't he?"  Sandy smiled smugly.  For effect, she quit
talking long enough to take another extended drag on her cigarette.  It was a
Virginia Slim Menthol Light, the first fruits of the carton she bought herself
when she and Penny went to the store.

   "You're wrong, Amanda.  I _can_ screw Walt, and possibly I will.  You see,
I now feel somewhat differently about the lung association's mission."  She
turned her head to release a perfect mixed mouth and nostril exhale.  "It'd be
a shame if your name was associated with a state medical board disciplinary
proceeding where they considered revoking Walt's license."

   Amanda shook her head.  "What are you getting at, Sandy?"

   "Simply this.  I've had a complete change of heart about smoking.  You see,
I just bought myself a whole carton of Virginia Slims Menthols, my old
favorite, and I intend to smoke them just as fast and as furiously as I did
back in the good old days.  I also decided to talk to my board chairman at the
lung association, who happens to be Walt, about a severance arrangement after
my resignation as president.  A lot of very unsavory things have happened at
the lung association in the last fifteen years.  Walt and the board will
authorize a very nice severance package for me in exchange for a commitment
not to talk about them.  But money's not all I want.  I need to undo something
I did to you years ago.  I'm a smoker again, and now I very much want you to
rejoin me, Amanda.  I want you to start smoking again, my dear, and right
away, right now."

   Amanda nervously drained her glass and poured another.  "You're fuckin'
crazy, Sandy!"

   The older woman wore a self-assured smile.  "Crazy like a fox, baby sister!
Ever since you quit smoking, you drink too much.  Now you take pills, too.
Substance abuse is a way of life for you, darling.  You have what we at the
lung association call an addictive personality.  You become addicted to
substances at the drop of a hat.  For years I've ignored your character flaw.
But no more.  See, if you start smoking again, I think there's a chance you
can trade this bad habit for some of your other, more unsavory ones.  But in
any case, I want my sister back, the one who quit smoking years ago."

   Amanda sputtered.  "I won't do it, Sandy.  You're nuts.  It'd be a bad
influence on Penny and Prissy!"

   "Let me worry about Penny and Prissy, Sis."  She reached in her purse and
displayed an unopened pack of cigarettes.  She smiled sweetly.  "At the store
today I bought a pack of your old favorites, Parliament Lights 100's, the ones
with the recessed filter.  These cigarettes are for you, Amanda.  Why don't
you open the pack and try one with us?"

   "Look, Sandy, enough of this bullshit.  I'm not smoking, and I don't want
you smoking in my house.  Now put that cigarette out and get out of here!  You
need professional help.  It looks to me like you had some sort of personality
meltdown."

   "Yeah, maybe I did, Amanda," she casually concurred.  "But I warn you.
Unless you smoke a cigarette with me, here and now, I _will_ call the state
medical board tomorrow morning to turn in Dr. Walt Donovan.  And your name
will be my prime example of Walt's ongoing wrongdoing.  I suspect _that_ won't
help your reputation at the office, now will it?"

   Amanda gulped.  "You're dead serious, aren't you?"

   Sandy nodded.  "Sis, I am serious.  But I'm not dead, and I assure you I've
never been more earnest!"  She held out the blue and white pack of Parliament
Lights 100's.  "Don't you want to rethink your position?"

   Penny sat watching the angry exchange between her mother and aunt with
great interest.  She wondered if her presence made it harder for her mother.
"Mom, maybe I should go.  You and Aunt Sandy can sort this out without me."

   "No, Penny, I want you to witness this," Sandy barked, cutting off the
youngster's exit.  She turned to her sister.  "Well, Amanda?"

   Amanda had no option but to comply, and she knew it.  She couldn't risk
being pulled into a public scandal about the prescriptions Walt Donovan had
written for her.  She had no medical reason for taking the pills, and the
medical board would realize it.  But she needed the damn pills, and if Walt
cut her off, she'd be up shit-creek without a paddle anyway.

   "Okay, Sandy, let me have 'em."

   Sandy handed her sister the soft pack of Parliament Lights 100's.  Amanda
studied it a few moments, and then promptly ripped off the cellophane and
inner silver paper.  Tapping it on the back of her left hand several times,
she turned it over and pulled out a cigarette with her long, slender fingers.

   "That's a good girl.  Now, light it up!"  Sandy was insistent, and Amanda
knew it.

   Sandy tossed her sister a disposable lighter.  Amanda knew what to do with
it.  She put the all-white cigarette in her mouth and turned the wheel on the
lighter.  A flame rose up, and Amanda lifted it in the direction of the unlit
Parliament dangling from her lips.

   While Sandy and Penny watched, Amanda expertly lit up.  Instinct kicked in.
Without comment she hollowed her cheeks and took a relatively substantial
drag.  She inhaled, again due to long-forgotten instincts.  With smoke resting
inside her chest, a strange look appeared on her face.

   "Oh my God," she moaned prior to exhaling a long thin stream of smoke into
the air.  "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"

   "Nice, huh?" Sandy nodded.  She took out another cigarette for herself and
lit up a second Virginia Slim Menthol.  "Again, Sis.  Do it again."

   Amanda did.  She put the Parliament in her mouth for another drag.  She hit
on it a second time, this time sucking the smoke deeper into her lungs.
Despite herself, she smiled.  "I'd almost forgotten how it feels," she
admitted while holding the smoke inside.  "I haven't done this in a long, long
time."  She pursed her lips and exhaled again.  The resulting blue-gray mist
almost endlessly flowed from her mouth.

   Penny was amazed.  She knew her aunt would do this.  But still, watching
her mom smoke was something she never really expected to see.

   "Why are you doing this to me, Sandy?" Amanda finally asked, reaching to
tap some ashes into the new ashtray on the table.  "I don't get it."

   "You're my only family, Amanda.  If I'm gonna smoke again, and I sure as
hell am, then I don't want to be a pariah in my sister's home.  Besides, if
_I_ liked coming back, and I do, then I knew you'd like it, too.  And there's
one more reason I want you to smoke.  But I'll tell you that one a little
later.  Now come on, admit it.  It's really nice to be smoking again, isn't
it?"

   Amanda slowly nodded her head.  "Yeah, but smoking was _always_ nice,
Sandy.  That was never the problem.  It's not good for us.  You know that!"

   "Do you want the truth, Amanda?  I can tell you this because, believe me, I
know.  Smoking does pose health risks, no doubt.  But the extent of those
health risks is way overstated by groups like the lung association.  Sure,
it's not good for us to smoke.  But you must admit:  It is good _to_ us when
we smoke, isn't it?  Take another big puff, and then try and tell me it's not
really pleasant.  I dare you!"

   Once more Amanda nodded.  She put the cigarette in her mouth and took a
long, slow drag.  The cherry end burned bright this time as she pulled on it.
Then she inhaled, letting the smoke rest deep inside her lungs for several
seconds before finally blowing it out.  "It is good," she admitted with a
somewhat reluctant smile.  "But do you really think the health risks are
overrated?"

   Sandy grinned.  "Amanda, the last fifteen years I've worked publicizing all
the government and private industry reports on smoking and health.  We spin
this stuff all the time, to make sure it comes out the way we want.  I'm not
saying smoking's good for us.  It's not.  I'm simply saying that if we decide
to smoke anyway, because we like it so goddamn much, we won't die tomorrow."

   "I do have to admit, this is really nice," Amanda sighed wistfully.  She
gazed at the cigarette in her hand.  "God, I forgot how much I enjoyed my
Parliaments."  She sighed again.  "So, you're really going to start smoking,
Sandy?"  Seeing her sister nod, she smiled.  "Damn!  You're right; I'd like to
do that, too.  But Penny, tell me.  How would you and Prissy feel?  If I do
smoke, I'm afraid I'd need to smoke here in the house, at least sometimes.  I
can't live with going outside every time I want a cigarette.  What do you
think, Penny?"

   The youngster looked at her mom and then at her aunt.  Sandy simply smiled,
saying nothing.  So Penny cleared her throat and spoke up.  "It wouldn't
bother me, Mom," she nervously replied.  "And I don't think it'd bother
Prissy, either.  We'd be cool with it."

   Sandy cut in.  "Amanda, Penny isn't telling you the whole truth.  I told
you there's one additional reason I wanted you to smoke again.  And it's this.
Penny smokes.  So does Prissy."

   Amanda was dumbstruck.  "What in the hell are you talking about?"

   Sandy told her sister what happened that afternoon on the back deck.  Penny
was nervous listening to her aunt tell virtually everything they said.  Her
mom wasn't stupid; she'd quickly piece together where her first invitation to
smoke had come from.

   "So you see, Amanda," Sandy concluded.  "The last reason I want you to
smoke is because both your daughters are smokers, too.  You don't want them to
go through what you and I went through with Mom years ago, now do you?"

   Amanda had finished her cigarette.  She stared into space for a moment.
"Sandy, I'm astounded.  Last week on TV you were lambasting teenage smokers.
Today you're saying I should let my underage daughters smoke?  I don't get
it."

   Sandy laughed.  "It's all a matter of perspective, Amanda, and smoking
changed my whole perspective.  Penny and Prissy already smoke.  As a smoker
myself, I'm not going to tell them they can't.  You and I were their age once.
We hated Mom putting limits on us and yelling at us.  You shouldn't do to them
the same things that we hated when we were young."

   "God, you never got over Mom lecturing us and berating us for smoking, did
you?"  Amanda laughed.  "Okay, Sis, I give up."  She turned to her astonished
daughter.  "Penny, since it's okay with your Aunt Sandy, and it obviously is,
then I guess it's okay with me.  Shit!  I don't believe I'm saying this.  But
if you and your sister really want to smoke, I suppose I don't mind, because
it looks like I'll be smoking from now on as well."

   Penny couldn't believe it.  The words failed to register.  She just stared
at her mom.

   Amanda laughed.  "Didn't you hear me?  I said you can smoke, Penny.  What's
wrong?  Don't you want to?"

   "Well, yeah," Penny stammered.  "I do.  Yeah, I mean, I really do.  But do
you mean, like, right now!?"

   "Sure, why not?"  Amanda smiled.  "Go ahead, honey.  I want to see this.
I'm actually sort of curious."

   Sandy piped up.  "Penny, don't be a dumb ass.  Go get your cigarettes.
Now!  Don't you want one?"

   The teenager nodded.  She couldn't believe what was happening.  She bounded
up the stairs two at a time to her bedroom and returned with her Marlboro
Menthol Lights 100's.

   Her Aunt Sandy was in the midst of lighting up yet another VS Menthol
Light.  "Come on, Amanda, get with it.  Have another Parliament.  If Penny's
going to smoke in front of you, you should light up, too.  You know you want
to!"

   Penny sat beside her aunt, and Sandy offered her a light as the youngster
raised an unlit cigarette to her lips.  The teenager felt incredibly
self-conscious, lighting up right there in the same room with her mom and her
aunt, but she managed to catch the light from Sandy and took an initial puff.

   Amanda just watched, totally fascinated, as her daughter exhaled a thick
stream of smoke into the air.  Penny looked polished and professional with her
cigarette.  She looked like ?.  God, she looked like a smoker; probably
because she _was_ a smoker, she quickly realized.

   She was jolted back to reality by Sandy's voice.  "Hey, come on, Sis; you,
too."  She threw Amanda her disposable lighter, and Amanda caught it in mid
air.

   Amanda lit up a Parliament and drew hard on her cigarette.  As she sucked
the smoke from her first puff deep inside her lungs, she sighed happily.  Yes,
this was nice, she mused.  And it might be _really_ fun to smoke with her
sister and both her daughters.  Back when she smoked before, in the old days,
she always looked forward to sharing cigarettes with her closest friends.
Now, thanks to Sandy, she guessed she was a smoker again.

   "Penny, it looks like you like smoking," her mother wistfully acknowledged.
"Back when I was your age, I loved to smoke.  I can tell you do, too.  You
know what?  You may find it hard to believe, but I actually think I may enjoy
this, having all of us smoking in this household."

   Penny eagerly nodded.  "Mom, you're the coolest.  Grace Crawford will be
amazed when I tell her all about it."

   "So it _was_ Grace Crawford who got you started?"  Amanda laughed.  She
shook her head.  "God, I was afraid something like this would happen."  She
raised her cigarette to her lips.  "But your aunt's right.  Having a cigarette
or two has completely changed my perspective."  She blushed.  "Thanks, Sandy,"
she added.  "Thanks a lot.  I think I'm going to really enjoy this."

   "We'll _all_ enjoy it, Amanda," Sandy promised, once more raising her
cigarette to her lips.  "I'm sure of it!"

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