Boston Uncommon, Part 2

From: an284773@anon.penet.fi

Here's Part 2 of "Boston Uncommon".

There is a little sex in one part of the story so if you are offended by
such things please go no further.

As always, any feedback, comments or suggestions are most appreciated.


*

Boston Uncommon

Part 2

Over the next few weeks, Alison continued to smoke the Carltons when with
Edith. She never changed her smoking style beyond the minimal inhales she
had taught herself, but now would more often than not have one at home in
the evenings after dinner by herself. She made plans to go out one night
with Becky, and after thinking about it for a while decided to take her
cigarettes with her. They met at the Bull & Finch pub, and after Becky had
smoked a couple of cigarettes during her first drink and was about to light
up a third as the waiter brought their second round, Alison reached into her
purse and pulled out her Carltons.

"Omigod! What the hell is that? I don't believe it!", Becky exclaimed as
Alison lit up, trying hard not to laugh. "When did you start smoking?"

Alison blew out smoke. "It's a long story," she began, and started to tell
Becky about Edith and how she had been forced to teach herself how to put up
with it. As she finished her tale, Becky shook her head in amazement.

"Oh, wow. That would be the perfect job for me. If you ever want to leave,
let me know, would you? It drives me crazy working at the nursing home. I
hate the place anyway, and not being able to smoke except on breaks makes it
impossible. So, have you started to like smoking yet?"

"I don't know... I mean I don't mind it the way I did before. But like it?
I'm not sure. I think I do like being able to smoke here, though, when I'm
bar-hopping with you. I just don't think I'd want to smoke all the time."

During their time at the pub, Alison noticed a young man glancing her way a
few times. For some reason he looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place
him. There was no doubt that he was giving her a good long once-over, but
before he had a chance to speak to her they were off to another place. She
felt a little hesitant to leave. He was a handsome fellow, well-dressed, and
with a nice-looking group of friends. Alison thought she would have liked to
meet him. 

A few days later, she was back on duty with Edith when she suddenly realized
where she had seen the young man from the Bull & Finch before. He was right
there, in a picture frame, sitting on a table. "Edith, who is this?," Alison
asked, gesturing to the picture.

"Oh, that's my grandson, Gregory, along with his sister Christine," Edith
answered. "They're my daughter Margaret's children. They're an absolute joy.
It's hard for me to believe that Chrissy is 25 now, and Greg is 23. It seems
like only yesterday that they were just babies. I suppose that's a sign I'm
getting old. Why do you ask, dear?" 

"Well, I saw him the other night when I was out with a friend of mine. I...
well, I thought I would have liked to meet him," Alison admitted, blushing
slightly and smiling. "But I never got the chance."

"Oh, my," Edith chuckled. "I think I have some good news for you, then. Greg
is coming by this afternoon to visit. I'd be pleased to introduce you. If
you still would like to, that is."

Later that afternoon Teresa answered a knock at the door and ushered Greg
into the living room where Edith and Alison were sitting. The look of
recognition on his face when he was introduced to Alison was noticeable, but
Ali was grateful that Edith didn't reveal their earlier conversation to him.
After a few minutes of small talk, he finally asked, "Didn't I see you at
the Bull & Finch the other night?"

"Could be," Alison said with a smile. "I was there with a friend."

"I thought so. Listen, would you like to join me there sometime? Or maybe we
could get a bite to eat or something first."

He's direct at least, Alison thought. She liked that - no beating around the
bush. And as they had chatted, she realized that she liked him too. "That
would be nice," she replied, realizing she was slightly nervous suddenly,
something she seldom felt when talking to a man. They made plans to meet the
following night, and after he left, Edith looked at her approvingly. 

The next night they met at the restaurant. Greg asked for a table in the
smoking section after checking with Alison to be sure that would be OK. As
they studied the menus, Greg reached into his jacket and retrieved a pack of
full-flavor B&H 100s. "Would you mind?," he asked. 

"No, not at all," Alison replied. "In fact, I think I'll have one of mine,"
she said, blushing almost imperceptibly, retrieving her Carlton 100s from
her purse. Greg quickly moved to light her up, then followed suit himself.
"I didn't realize you smoked," Ali said as she blew out a small puff.

"I'd be an exception if I didn't," Greg responded. "Everyone in our whole
family smokes. You know about Grandma, of course. Mom has always smoked too,
apparently since she was 16 or so. I think Grandma actually taught her how
to smoke for her coming-out party. And my Dad has always liked cigars. So my
sister and I were always around it, and I guess it's not surprising that we
have both been smokers for a while now. It's actually kind of funny looking
back on it. Grandma showed Chrissy, my sister, how to smoke too, when she
was 13 or so. She asked Grandma about it one day when she was there by
herself, and Gram introduced her to it. I guess she took to it right away,
and it got to be that she would go over there just so she could smoke. It
was sort of a secret between her and Grandma. But she got so that she needed
to smoke more and more, and I finally found out about it a couple of years
after she started when she couldn't hide it any more. She let me try it to
keep me quiet about it, and we'd both go to Grandma's and smoke for a while
after that until Mom finally found out. She was pretty good about it,
actually; after she found out about us, she let both of us smoke whenever we
wanted to. Chrissy really took to it in a big way. Right away she started
smoking a lot more than she had previously, and before no time at all she
had gotten the habit really bad. Was going through better than a carton a
week after a few months. Still does, too, she's really a heavy smoker,
totally hooked. People think it's funny, because when they first meet her
they never think of her as a smoker, it seems. She just doesn't look like
one somehow, and they're always surprised when they discover that she's very
nearly a chain-smoker. I never got that bad, but obviously I like to smoke
too." 

"I've started to like it myself," Alison admitted. "I only started to please
your grandmother, and I didn't like it much at first. But now I'm getting
used to it. I don't know how much longer I want to smoke, though, and I just
hope I can quit", she said, taking her usual small puff and tiny inhale. At
hearing and seeing this, Greg began to laugh. Ali looked at him quizzically,
and he answered the unspoken question.

"I'm sorry, really I am," he said apologetically. "It's just that... well,
you don't really smoke anyway, do you? I found it funny to hear you say you
worried about being able to quit, when you really haven't even started."

"What are you talking about?," Alison responded, slightly annoyed. "What do
you mean? I don't understand."

"Well, it's just that... well, take those Carltons, to start with. They
barely qualify as a cigarette. You get almost no smoke out of one of them.
And then, I've watched how you smoke. What I mean, Ali, is that you barely
inhale or anything. I imagine you could probably get more of an effect just
by standing around in a crowded bar than by smoking one of them the way you
do. So it seemed funny to hear you say you might not be able to quit,
because I was wondering when you might actually start."

Alison was a little annoyed by all of this, and began to have second
thoughts about Greg. Apparently her thoughts became shown on her face, for
as she turned away for a few moments she was surprised to find his hand
suddenly on top of hers. As she turned to look, she saw genuine regret on
his face as he said, "I'm awfully sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. I
didn't mean to belittle you. How about we forget the whole thing and start
again?"

She was struck by the sincerity in his voice, and something inside her told
her not to dismiss this fellow lightly. "Sure, that sounds fine," she said,
feeling something tingle in her hand where it touched his. As they enjoyed
some wine before dinner, and then more during and after, Ali realized she
had really found something here. She couldn't quite believe it, but she
found herself falling for him. He was everything she had always sought in a
man: good-looking, charming, intelligent, thoughtful, and funny. The fact
that he was probably exceptionally well-off never even entered her mind.

They finally left the restaurant and went to a bar for a few drinks. Alison
was already feeling a glow from her share of the wine at dinner, and
combined with the thoughts she was experiencing about this new man in her
life, she was feeling happy and free. As they sipped their drinks and looked
around at the crowd in the bar, Ali decided to redeem herself in Greg's eyes
as he retrieved his B&Hs from his jacket and extracted one from the pack.
"Listen," she said over the noise, "how about you let me try one of those
and show me how to smoke properly?," she asked mischievously, smiling at him.

"With pleasure, my dear," he replied with a grin, offering her a B&H.
Lighting her up, he did the same and said, "It's really no big deal. You
already have part of the answer by smoking a real cigarette. Try a puff and
tell me what you think."

Alison took a puff of the B&H and began her usual shallow partial inhale.
She felt the strong smoke begin to be drawn into her lungs and for a moment
was reminded of her early experiences with Edith's Mores, but these were
different since they weren't mentholated. She quickly stopped her inhale and
blew out a cloud of smoke. Even though she had barely inhaled, she noticed
that what came out was much more visible than what she had become used to.
"They're kind of strong," she said.

"That's what I like about them. They're really smooth, though. Now, we need
to do something about the way you smoke. You really should learn how to
inhale properly, Ali. Want to give it a try?" Alison nodded, slightly
hesitant but also somehow wanting to experience this sensation that others
seemed to love so much. She followed his advice as he instructed her to draw
on the B&H while exhaling through her nose, then to open her mouth and
breathe in. As she did so, she first sensed a bit of smoke slipping up her
nostrils, then a heavy, breathless sensation in her chest as her lungs
quickly became filled with smoke for the very first time. She felt a surge
race through her body as her lungs rapidly absorbed the nicotine and moved
it into her system, and as she began her exhale, was stunned to see a long,
endless stream of dense smoke escape from her lips. She grinned, both from
the physical sensation and the fact that she had finally accomplished
something that she had long wondered about.

"There, now that wasn't so bad, was it?," Greg asked. 

She giggled slightly. "No, not at all,"Alison admitted shyly. "It felt
really different, actually. And I didn't cough or anything," she said
thoughtfully.

"Probably because you've gradually gotten used to it over the last little
while. I think you'll get to like it if you keep it up. Why not try a longer
puff next time?," he encouraged her.

Alison again brought the B&H to her lips and began her first long puff as
she emptied her lungs of air. She withdrew it finally and drew the smoke
down into her lungs once more. Again, she experienced a strong but
pleasurable reaction engulf her as the smoke settled into her lungs and its
effects began to make themselves felt inside her. Alison realized that she
was actually enjoying the feeling as she exhaled. A broad grin began to
spread across her face.

"You seem to like it," Greg offered.

"Umm... well, yes, I guess I do," Alison finally admitted. "You may have had
something after all," she said jokingly. She began another drag after a few
moments, her cheeks caving in noticeably as she drew on the cigarette. She
inhaled again, this time more deeply and audibly than before, and she again
felt the wonderful sensation of having her lungs totally filled with the
rich smoke. She held it in for several seconds, not wanting to give up the
pleasure, before exhaling with a satisfied sigh. "Ohhh...," she murmured as
she breathed out the smoke, "that really is nice. I'm starting to
understand," she said, as she began to feel almost as if she was floating.
She realized she was feeling a little light-headed as she exhaled, but
wasn't sure if it was from the smoke, the alcohol, Greg, or all three.
Whatever it was she didn't care, for she was having a grand time.

Alison finished the cigarette and when Greg offered her another about 20
minutes later as he was about to have one himself, she accepted. She had
been wondering when he would have his next one ever since she had finished
the first one he had given her, since she had decided she wanted to try this
again. She needed no prompting this time to deeply inhale a series of puffs,
and no longer even thought that she shouldn't be enjoying this. She was,
totally, even the slight light-headedness that she felt as she finished it,
and no longer was listening to the part of her that was telling her this was
taboo. She had discovered to her surprise that she actually liked smoking,
very much so in fact, and began to experiment with trying to develop an
elegant, stylish manner as Edith had told her she should. Over the rest of
the evening she had another 4 cigarettes, two of his and two of her
Carltons. She was undecided which she liked best -- the B&Hs were much more
rich-feeling and had a stronger taste, but the Carltons let her smoke
without feeling quite so overwhelmed by it. But regardless, she had quickly
fallen in love with the sensations and the physical act of inhaling deeply,
and maybe with the man who had introduced her to it as well.

As they made their way to her apartment in the cab, Alison thought about
what to do next. Despite her feelings, she was a little hesitant about going
too fast and was a little relieved when he didn't insist on coming up but
instead made plans for another date a couple of days later. She readily
accepted, and she felt a little dizzy as they kissed goodnight before she
headed upstairs.

The next morning as she awoke her mouth tasted of the night before and her
head felt a little cloudy. After a long shower during which she thought
about how much she enjoyed the evening, she began to feel a little more
normal but still not quite her usual self, and she figured that it was her
body telling her she needed coffee. She put on the kettle and went to her
bedroom to blowdry her hair and get dressed. After she emerged she made a
cup of instant coffee and sat down at the small table in the kitchen. She
needed to take the bus to get to Edith's for her day's work, and she picked
up her purse to check if she had enough change for the fare. Opening it, she
saw the pack of Carltons and suddenly she felt like she wanted one, even
though she had never previously smoked first thing in the morning. Without
consciously thinking about it, she extracted a cigarette from her pack,
found a book of matches in the bottom of her purse, and lit up. She got up
and retrieved her ashtray from the living room, then returned to the
kitchen. It wasn't until she set the ashtray down on the table and sat back
down that she actually began to think about the fact that she was smoking.
The thought reminded her of the night before and she began to smile. She
placed the cigarette to her lips and took a puff, then inhaled deeply. She
held it in for several seconds before exhaling, and as she did, she began to
feel a sense of contentment that replaced the uneasy feeling she had been
experiencing. She realized that fact herself almost immediately, and decided
to see if another puff would extend that feeling even more. She took a
longer puff this time and again felt the satisfaction as she held it inside
her chest. She sipped her coffee and puffed on her cigarette until it was
finished, and felt much more normal when she was done.

Her day with Edith was much like any other, and after lunch when she
retrieved her Carltons to smoke with the older lady as she always did, she
realized that she was having the last one in her pack. When 3:30 came along
and Teresa brought the afternoon tea that they always had at that time,
Alison watched Edith light one of her More Menthols before asking, "Edith,
may I have one of those? I'm all out."

"Certainly, dear," Edith replied with a smile, offering her pack. Alison
withdrew one of the extra-long brown cigarettes and lit it. She tasted the
cool menthol on her tongue as she blew out the remnants of that first drag,
then immediately began a full puff. As she inhaled deeply, she felt herself
enjoying the effect of the strong smoke again, just as she had the night
before, and as she exhaled she sighed involuntarily. Edith had not commented
earlier, but observing Alison's smoking style now she realized that it had
changed. She waited a while until Alison took another puff and inhaled it
completely once more, before saying, "I see you've finally begun to inhale,
dear. Do you like it?"

Alison was taken a little off-guard by the question, but she answered
truthfully. "Oh... well, yes, Edith, I guess I actually do like it now. Greg
showed me how last night, and I have to admit that I've begun enjoying it,"
she said, blushing almost imperceptibly.

"Ah... I knew you would if you just gave it a chance," Edith responded.
"It's been my experience that almost everyone who smokes for a little while
eventually grows to love it. Certainly that was the case with Margaret and
Eleanor, my daughters, and their children too."

"I understand from Greg that you taught him and his sister both how to
smoke?," Alison asked. "Why?" 

"That's not totally correct, dear," Edith replied. "My granddaughter
Christine did ask me about it one day when she was in her teens, and since
her mother had failed to teach her anything at all about the subject, I
decided to give her some proper instruction rather than let her learn from
God-knows-where. Once I showed her how, and after she decided she wanted to
keep smoking, I couldn't very well forbid her from enjoying it here, could
I? And as for Gregory, well, he already knew how to smoke when I first heard
him discuss it with his sister here one day. So I simply offered him a place
where he could smoke along with the rest of us. Unlike Margaret, at least
Eleanor had the good sense to show her children how to smoke herself, and
let them decide on their own whether they wanted to continue. Of course,
they all did."

Alison's mind boggled with the thought of all of the O'Neill children
smoking at an early age with the blessing of their elders. She couldn't
quite imagine what her family's reaction would have been if they had caught
her smoking at age 13 or 14, and began to wonder what it would be even now
if she continued to smoke and decided to tell them about it. She guessed
that it would not be pleasant, but immediately put that thought out of her
mind as she took another puff from the More and felt what was becoming an
increasingly familiar and pleasing sensation.

At the end of her shift Alison walked the two blocks to the bus stop for the
ride home. As she rounded the corner nearest the stop, she was distressed to
see her bus just pulling away from the curb. That meant she would have to
wait 45 minutes for the next one, and she frowned as she sat down on the
bench to wait for it. As she scanned the surroundings, she noticed what
seemed like a sudden epidemic of people around her who were smoking. A young
lady stopped at the intersection in her car, languidly extended her arm out
the open window, flicked ash from a cigarette, then took a puff before
accelerating away. A young mother passed by her on the sidewalk pushing a
baby carriage, holding a cigarette in the fingertips of one of the hands
pushing the carriage. A pair of teenage girls walked past, probably still in
junior high, both taking quick puffs and jerky inhales from a pair of
cigarettes. A married couple in another car, both smoking leisurely, almost
casually. Finally, a tradesman heading home for the day made his way to the
bus stop and immediately lit up to pass the time while he waited.

All of these cues focused Alison's mind on the fact that she was desiring a
cigarette too. She had none in her purse, and the thought of sitting on the
bench and smoking out in the open was at first totally foreign to her. But
her mind kept returning to the thought, and she began to feel almost a
nervous tingle begin to sweep through her that seemed to tell her to go
ahead and smoke. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She rose from the
bench and crossed the street to enter a drugstore. As she stood waiting to
be served, she observed the cigarettes displayed behind the counter and
tried to decide what to purchase. Finally, it came to be her turn, and as
the clerk asked if she could help her, Alison's eyes found the section
containing the brand she had enjoyed so much last night. "A pack of Benson
and Hedges.... menthol, please," she heard herself saying.  

The clerk placed them on the counter in front of her and asked, "Will there
be anything else?"

"No... oh, well, one of these, I guess," Ali said, reaching for a display of
disposable lighters and selecting one. She paid for her purchase and stood
outside the store. She unwrapped the pack and tore it open, tossing the
cellophane and foil into a trash can on the sidewalk. Crossing the street,
she returned to the bench and sat down. She thought for a few moments more,
rationalizing that she didn't buy them to smoke right now, but would want
them for later since she was all out. But over the next 20 minutes her mind
kept returning to the pack of B&H Menthols that were secreted away in her
purse, and she felt her resolve not to smoke weakening. Finally, she could
stand it no longer before finally opening her purse and taking out her new
package of cigarettes. She slapped it against her palm to move a few out of
the opening, then selected one of them and put the pack back in her purse.
She tried her new lighter and finding that it worked flawlessly, placed the
filter of the cigarette between her lips and lit up. She puffed out some
smoke, sampling this new brand, while stowing her lighter and snapping her
purse closed. Finally, she replaced the cigarette between her lips, sealed
them tightly around the filter, and began a long, slow drag. She withdrew it
and inhaled deeply. Once again, it felt incredibly good and she quickly
concluded that these were the best of both worlds, with the rich taste she
liked last night with the menthol she had grown to appreciate through Edith.
Eventually she exhaled and was surprised to see the effect of the breeze on
the smoke exiting her nose and mouth.

Alison sat and smoked until the cigarette was about half-finished. By the
time she had done so she no longer thought that it was anything unusual or
unseemly. She was truly enjoying her first B&H menthol when the bus suddenly
appeared. She jumped up and strode to the curb, taking several quick puffs
before the door opened and, tossing the cigarette away, climbing on board.
As she made her way down the aisle, she noticed in the late-day sunlight,
thin wisps of smoke still exiting her nose as she breathed. 

At home she resisted the thought that kept creeping into her mind that she
should smoke, while she read her mail and prepared dinner. But the thought
kept returning to her mind, and she decided while dining on a light supper
that she would have a cigarette afterwards. She rushed through her meal, and
had made herself a cup of coffee as she moved onto the sofa in the living
room, stopping on the way to retrieve her purse. She felt a suddenly growing
sense of anticipation building inside of her as she withdrew a cigarette
from her new pack and quickly lit up. She puffed out some smoke before
beginning a full puff which she quickly drew deep into her lungs. Instantly,
the anxiety and anticipation disappeared, replaced by a feeling of
gratification. She began a slow exhale through both her mouth and nostrils,
savoring the cool sensation of the mentholated smoke. Even before all of the
smoke had been breathed out, she again placed the filter to her lips for
another drag. She inhaled audibly, enjoying the sensation she felt as the
cool smoke slid first into her throat, then filled her lungs. She allowed
herself a moment's thought about how much she was liking this, followed
immediately afterwards by a sense of guilt at her sudden enjoyment of it.
She quickly banished those thoughts as she knocked ash from her cigarette
and decided to take yet another puff. She held it inside her for several
seconds, absorbing as much of it as she could, before reluctantly releasing it. 

Alison finished her cigarette and cleaned up the kitchen from the effects of
preparing dinner. She returned to the living room and turned on the
television set in preparation for a quiet evening. As she watched television
for an hour or so, her thoughts returned to the pack of cigarettes on the
table next to her. She was somewhat annoyed with herself, and mentally vowed
not to smoke any more tonight. But the nagging thought refused to go away,
and if anything seemed to get worse. Finally around 8:30 she was forced to
give in and decided to smoke another cigarette, her 6th of the day. Again,
she found the experience totally enjoyable. It seemed to satisfy her for a
while, but before turning in for the evening she had one last cigarette
around 10:30 that night.

When she awoke the next morning and made coffee she again felt the same
uneasy sensation deep inside her. She lit her first cigarette of the day
after a while and soon realized after inhaling a few puffs that the feeling
had disappeared. She suddenly realized what it was that she was
experiencing, and became concerned. Alison understood from her training that
she was beginning to become dependent on nicotine, and these feelings were
her body's way of telling her she needed to smoke. The thought alarmed her
somewhat and she began to consider her options. Her logical mind told her
that she shouldn't smoke, and that if she continued she would become
addicted just like Becky. Her practical mind told her that if she wanted to
keep the job at the O'Neill residence that she would need to keep on smoking
at least a little. And her emotional side told her that she had begun to
enjoy smoking and that she should just go on and grant herself that
pleasure. She looked at the cigarette between her fingertips while she
thought about her options. Finally, she answered herself as she placed the
filter between her lips and took another puff. As she exhaled, she decided
that she would keep on smoking - just a little - and allow herself the
pleasure a few times each day while keeping her habit, if that's what it had
become, under close control.

End of Part 2

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