Boston Uncommon, Part 4

From: an284773@anon.penet.fi

Here's Part 4. Hope you enjoyed it!

**

Over the next few months leading up to the wedding, Alison found herself
caught up in a frenzy of activity. Thankfully, she was able to resume her
duties back with Edith after she returned from Florida, and Edith was
thrilled with the news that Alison and her grandson were to marry. Ali began
to spend some time with Chrissy, Greg's sister, and quickly found her an
absolute riot to be with, a delightful contrast between her
professional-businesswoman look and her playful, for-the-moment personality.
Chrissy was still very much the girl-around-town, a regular at most of the
trendy nightspots in town, and she hit it off with Alison almost
immediately. Ali decided that she would like Chrissy to be a bridesmaid
along with Becky and Amy, and the four soon began to spend time together
regularly making preparations. On those occasions the room was quickly
filled with dense smoke as the two chainsmokers, Chrissy and Becky, and the
increasingly heavier-smoking Alison indulged their habits.

This was becoming hard on Alison's sister Amy. At 18, she had never smoked
and like her parents she had been sure she never wanted to. Unlike Alison,
she was tall - nearly 5'10" - and wore her brunette hair in a long, loose
perm. She shared her sister's dark eyes and good looks, finally shedding the
gangly look that had plagued her earlier, and had an effervescent
personality. She found herself gravitating towards Chrissy, for Chrissy
seemed so much like what she would like to be someday. For her part, Chrissy
found herself really enjoying the idea of having Amy act like her kid
sister, something she hadn't experienced previously, and as they got to know
each other, she began to take an interest in the girl, coaching her on how
to dress, manage her hair, deal with guys, all of the things that someone
Amy's age liked to talk about. 

One day Chrissy offered to take Amy shopping and help her pick out a few
things for her wardrobe. They decided to make a day of it, and after a few
hours of shopping they adjourned to a trendy cafe that Chrissy frequented
for lunch. As soon as they sat down, Chrissy pulled out her VS 120s and lit
up. Amy watched as she puffed contentedly and exhaled through her nose,
while she reviewed the menu, and wondered what it was like to smoke. As she
had gotten to know Chrissy, and as she came to realize that Alison's smoking
was not a mere whim but had become a part of her being, Amy had begun to
wonder what she was missing out on. 

"I think I'll have the tabouleh salad," Chrissy said, looking up. "What
about you? It's on me, by the way," she added, taking another puff. 

"I'm thinking about the cajun chicken caesar," Amy replied. After pausing
for a moment, she asked hesitantly, "Chrissy, I've been wondering... what's
it like to smoke?"

Chrissy laughed out loud. "Jesus, what kind of question is that? I don't
know... how high is up? That's hard to answer, Ames," she laughed. She had
taken to calling Amy "Ames" early on in their relationship. At first it was
a bit of a put-down because of the way she dressed - Chrissy figured Amy
bought most of her wardrobe at the Ames discount department store - but as
she got to know her, it soon totally reversed itself and became a term of
friendship. "You ever smoke, Amy?"

"No, never. But geez, I'm starting to wonder. I mean, when I get together
with you and Ali and Becky, I smell like an ashtray when I leave. I figure I
may as well smoke, because I'm probably breathing in just as much by being
in the same room as you guys. But I've never actually tried it."  

"You want to try it?"

"Only if it won't make me sick. Will it?"

"Depends. Tell you what. After we eat, I'll let you try it if you want.
Smoking's best done on a full stomach. Then, if you decide you really want
to smoke, we can go back to my place later on and I'll indoctrinate you in
it. OK?"

"OK," Amy giggled, blushing. She couldn't believe she'd actually asked
Chrissy about smoking, and was even more surprised by the direct nature of
Chrissy's offer to her. The conversation moved on to other things, and they
enjoyed their lunch. As soon as the waitress had cleared their plates from
the table, Chrissy reached for her pack of 120s and snapped her lighter to
life. Puffing out smoke, she began a long drag and inhaled. Blowing out
smoke, she said, "OK, Ames, you ready? Still want to try?"

Amy thought for a few seconds. She didn't want to make a fool of herself,
but watching Chrissy and her sister smoke over the last month or two she
knew she would have to give it a try sooner or later to satisfy herself.
Might as well do it with Chrissy, she thought. "Yeah, I think so. What do I do?"

"Don't worry about it, to start with," Chrissy said. "I won't let you go too
far. Here. Take it," she said, offering Amy her cigarette. Amy looked at it
curiously, watching the smoke curl off the end. She positioned it between
her fingers the way Chrissy did. "OK. Take a puff. Just draw on it a little
and blow it out," Chrissy offered. "I want you to get used to the taste
first. Go ahead and give it a try."

Amy cautiously moved the long cigarette to her lips and applied some
suction. Her mouth filled with a bitter, pungent taste, and she quickly blew
it out. It made her mouth water, and she swallowed to eliminate it. "Tastes
kind of funny," she offered.

"I suppose. I'm so used to it by now I don't really notice it anymore. You
won't mind after a while. Try another puff."

Amy did as she was told, and again tasted the flavor of the smoke. She tried
tapping ashes off the end and succeeded at that at least. Now, Chrissy asked
her if she wanted to take the next step. Amy looked befuddled for a moment,
and Chrissy clarified for her benefit. "Inhaling, Ames. You ready to give
that a try?" She guessed she might as well try that too, and she nodded in
the affirmative.

"OK. I have to tell you Amy, that once you learn how to inhale, a couple of
things are probably going to happen to you. First, you'll probably find that
you really like to inhale once you get used to it. Second, because you'll
like it, you'll keep on doing it. When you do, each time you inhale you're
injecting nicotine directly into your system. That's what gets you hooked,
and so if you keep it up I can just about guarantee you won't want to stop.
It feels great, but you have to understand what the whole picture is. You
prepared for that?"

Amy appreciated the advice, but it wasn't anything she didn't already know.
Chrissy was telling her that she could get hooked, and she realized that was
what she was curious about when she watched the other girls smoke so much.
She nodded.

"All right, here we go. Get ready for your first inhale, Amy, and remember
this moment, because you'll never experience this again." Chrissy instructed
Amy on how to exhale while puffing slightly, then to breathe in. Amy started
to draw on the cigarette as she followed Chrissy's directions. Then, she
opened her mouth and breathed in. She felt the smoke travel suddenly down
her throat and sensed it enter her lungs. She felt her system jolt to life
as it adjusted to the new sensation. Chrissy instructed her to blow out ever
so slowly, and as she did she saw a stream of smoke exiting her mouth. She
was amazed. She didn't even feel like coughing, which was what she was
afraid of. Thanks to Chrissy's instructions, she had been able to manage her
first inhale just fine.

"Wow, that was neat," Amy said with a grin.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? Want to try it again?," Chrissy asked, and Amy
nodded. "OK, try a bit more of a puff this time. Just draw on it a little
longer before you inhale," Chrissy advised. Amy followed suit, and as she
inhaled she felt the greater volume of smoke enter her lungs. Again her
system reacted to the smoke entering her body, and she felt herself becoming
a little light-headed. She blew out a thin stream and again tapped off ash
from the VS 120.

"How did that feel?," Chrissy asked.

"Absolutely incredible," Amy replied with a broad smile. "Do you always feel
that?"

"No, unfortunately. After you smoke for a while you get used to it and it
becomes almost as normal as breathing. That's why I told you to remember
what this felt like. Those first few inhales are something special. You're
not feeling dizzy or anything yet, are you?"

"A little buzzed, but not too bad. Could I try it again?" Chrissy nodded as
Amy quickly brought the cigarette back to her lips and began another, longer
drag and inhaled again. As she held it in for a few seconds, she began to
feel the effect of the nicotine and did indeed begin to feel a little dizzy,
just as Chrissy had predicted. "Whoa," she said, reaching for the table to
steady herself.

"OK, that's enough for now," Chrissy said, taking the cigarette away. "I
don't want you to OD here in public. And besides, I need a puff myself," she
said, taking a deep drag. "Have some water and you'll start to feel better
in a minute. You did great for your first time."

Amy sipped from her glass and suddenly wondered, "How did you know what to
tell me just now? It's almost like you've done this before or something."

Chrissy laughed self-consciously. "Well, yeah, I guess I have. What you just
did is exactly how my grandmama taught me way back when, and how I taught
Greg a few years later. I'm an old hand at this business, I suppose," she
said, taking another long pull on what was left of the cigarette.

After a time they resumed their shopping for a few more hours before heading
back to Chrissy's condo. She made them some coffee and they settled down on
the leather sofa in the living room with their mugs. Chrissy pulled her pack
of cigarettes from her purse and took one out, then surprised Amy by handing
her the pack. "Time to get serious about trying this. You still game?"

Amy nodded, and as if to emphasize her answer, took one of the cigarettes
for herself without being prompted. "OK, great," Chrissy said, flicking her
lighter. She held the flame for Amy as the girl brought the cigarette to her
lips and leaned into the flame, lighting it only a little awkwardly. Chrissy
lit hers expertly, took a long first drag, and inhaled. She blew a long
plume of smoke towards the ceiling

"Well you already know what to do, Ames. Go ahead, smoke away."

Amy carefully placed the cigarette to her lips and took a modest puff. She
inhaled, and felt the wonderful sensation she had first experienced earlier
in the day. She blew out a thin stream of smoke and relaxed slightly. She
still found herself somewhat unbelieving of what she was doing, but her
first impression was that it wasn't as bad as she used to think. She took
another puff and repeated the process. She realized she was starting to
enjoy the feeling this was giving her. Tapping ash from her cigarette, she
looked at Chrissy and smiled.

"You like it, don't you?," Chrissy asked. 

"Yeah, I think I do," Amy replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's
rather amazing, actually. I never, ever thought I'd even try smoking, let
alone like it." 

"Glad you do. Now it's time to go for it, kid. Try taking a good-sized puff,
like this," Chrissy challenged, demonstrating as she took her usual long,
deep drag. Amy decided to give it a try. The end of the cigarette glowed
bright as she took her first long puff. She inhaled and felt the smoke grab
at the back of her throat before it released its grip and filled her lungs.
She felt herself react as the nicotine rushed into her system. She realized
she liked what she was feeling, and a smile broke out on her face as she
began her exhale.  

"Omigod...," she murmured as she blew out an endless stream. "Oh, Chrissy,
that is so great... I think I'm gonna love it. This is so cool."

"Just enjoy it, Ames. Try doing it a few different ways and see what you
like best."

Amy smoked her first full cigarette all the way down, and by the time it was
finished she felt only slightly light-headed. She realized that the thing
she liked best was the sensation she felt at the back of her throat just as
she started each inhale. It felt so good, and she loved being able to
control the smoke she exhaled for several breaths. She sipped her coffee as
she chatted with Chrissy for the next 10 minutes or so before Chrissy again
reached for her pack. "Want another one?," Chrissy asked, pulling one out
for herself. Amy nodded with a self-conscious smile, and smoked another
complete cigarette with Chrissy. She learned that she could alter the
sensations she experienced by changing the length and strength of her puffs
and the way in which she inhaled. She discovered that she preferred exhaling
though both her nose and mouth, and that she liked to take enough of a puff
to let her feel the smoke in her throat and lungs when she inhaled it.


"Well, what's the verdict," Chrissy asked as she finished. "You going to
smoke, or not?"

Amy felt buzzed once more after two cigarettes in such a short time, but it
wasn't a negative feeling for her. It took almost no time for her to find an
answer to Chrissy's question. "Going to, I think. I really did like it,
Chrissy. Thanks for teaching me, especially about the inhaling, that is just
fantastic. Shit, how did I miss out on that for all these years? Yeah, I
definitely think I'm going to want to smoke from now on. But if I do, I
don't have a clue how I'm going to tell mom and dad."

"You'll just have to cross that bridge when you come to it. They seemed not
to mind when Alison told them. Of course, she's not living there... In the
meantime, you can certainly smoke whenever you're with me. And next week,
when we get together with Becky and your sister, you might want to come
clean with them so you can smoke with us too."

"I think I can manage that," Amy allowed. "I think I'll have to stop at a
store on the way home and buy some for myself. I like these... what are they
again? Virginia Slims 120s Luxury Lights?"

"First of all, no one calls them that. They're VS 120s, everyone knows what
that means. And second, there's no need for you to stop at a store. I have a
couple of cartons here and I'll give you a few packs before you leave. A
lighter, too. If you're going to smoke, you'll need one of those. Let me go
get them for you right now."

Once Chrissy gave Amy her supply of cigarettes, she opened a pack and smoked
several more before heading home. She couldn't quite believe what had gone
on that day as she lay on her bed in her room that night after dinner, and
tried to think of ways she could smoke in secret until she had enough
backbone to tell her parents that she smoked now too. She felt like she
wanted to smoke that night, and made up an excuse to go out on her own just
so she could light up a couple of times. 

The next week the four women got together to review some progress for the
wedding. Amy watched as Chrissy, then Becky, then Alison all lit up and
began to smoke. Amy had smoked on a daily basis for the last five days,
either while with Chrissy or on her own, had finished the three packs
Chrissy had given her, and had to buy a new supply of VS 120s of her own.
She had quickly adjusted to smoking at a fairly high level, and now wanted
nothing more now than to be able to smoke along with her companions. She
caught Chrissy's eye. Chrissy winked at her and smiled, as if to say do it,
it's OK, and nervously Amy reached for her shoulder bag. She pulled out her
pack of VS 120s and withdrew one, then picked up her lighter. Alison's head
snapped around.

Becky was the first to speak. "Amy, you've started smoking too? Cool! Good
for you."

"Yeah, well, I guess I have. I just started, actually. Ali, please don't
tell mom and dad just yet, OK? I have no idea how I'm going to let them
know, and I just know they're going to go ballistic when they find out."

Alison watched as her baby sister placed the cigarette between her lips and
lit up. Amy puffed out a little smoke, then began a long puff. She inhaled
it smoothly, held it in for a few seconds, and slowly exhaled from her mouth
and nose. She had already developed a veteran's style, and Alison was
impressed. "Well, if you've only just started, somebody sure did a job of
teaching you, kid. You look like you've been doing that for years. How are
you managing to smoke with mom and dad around?"

"It isn't easy, let me tell you. I have to go out to sneak a few at night,
and during the day I have one only if I'm sure they won't find out. Like,
I've even hidden out at Chrissy's a few times to smoke there during the day.
But I know I'm going to have to tell them soon. It's getting too hard to
hide it," Amy conceded, taking another puff. "Maybe because you smoke now,
they won't make such a big deal of it with me," she said before exhaling
another stream.

"God, I don't know about that," Alison answered. "I figure they still think
I'm only doing this because of Greg, and that I'll give it up as soon as the
novelty wears off. You know how anti-smoking they've always been. I think
it's only because I told them about it at the same time I told them about my
getting engaged that they didn't give me a hard time about it. If you tell
them, you better wait till they're in a really good mood."

"Well, I can think of a day 3 weeks from now when I'm sure they'll be in a
fabulous mood, girls," Chrissy chimed in. "If you think it's going to be
such a big deal -," she said as she looked at Amy, "Why not spring it on
them at the wedding?"

Over the next three weeks everyone was preoccupied with the wedding plans.
For Amy this meant that she had an excuse to be out of the house often,
which gave her more opportunities to smoke. She had even taken to smoking in
the family's second car when she drove, attributing the crime - somewhat
guiltily - to Chrissy when she was asked about it by her mom. By the time of
the wedding day Amy was smoking most of a pack each day and she looked
forward to revealing her secret so that she could smoke freely at home. Like
her sister, she had let herself get completely hooked on cigarettes, and she
knew that she now needed to smoke whenever she could.

The day of Alison's wedding the bridesmaids joined her at Chrissy's condo -
the place closest to the church where the ceremony was to be held - to get
each other ready. Jeanne Kelly joined them for a while but left to join her
husband after a couple of hours. It had driven Amy nearly insane to be with
the other girls while they smoked constantly, with her not able to join in.
The cravings were terrible, and as soon as her mom departed she lit up
herself, taking a lot of good-natured ribbing from the other girls about her
shyness, and smoked three in about 30 minutes. While all of this was going
on, Greg's cousin Chuck arrived to drive them to the church, accompanied by
the photographer who wanted to take a few shots of the preparations. He had
the girls pose for some standard pictures, then wanted to take some more
unconventional shots. This appealed to Chrissy's sense of the theatrical,
and she took charge of posing all of them. In addition to all sorts of
candid shots, she insisted on one "tough" shot of the four of them in full
regalia, but with their hands on their hips, pouty looks on their faces and
cigarettes dangling from their lips. At least she thought it was hilarious.

Finally the hour was at hand and they arrived in the church. Alison's
nervousness had kicked in full-time and she turned the small room where they
were waiting into another nurse's lounge as she turned herself into a
chain-smoker. The girls naturally joined her, including Amy, and her
carefully thought-out plans finally went awry when Jeanne walked in
unexpectedly and caught her in mid-drag. "Amy! Dear god, you too?," she
exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Why doesn't that surprise me?  I knew you
were smoking too, I just knew it. I could smell it on you. Oh, honey... I
suppose this means you're like the rest of them now?" Amy nodded, red-faced,
but with a smile of relief. "Oh, those damn cigarettes...," Jeanne said in
an exasperated tone. "I wish I could understand..."

"Mom, I'm not sure I do either. I just know I like it. Please, don't be too
disappointed in me. I think I'm going to want to smoke at home from now on,
if it's OK. Is It?" Jeanne nodded in resignation, holding up her hands.
"Great, thanks, mom. Besides, I think I need you to do me a favor. Can you
handle breaking the news to dad for me?," Amy asked. "I'm not sure I can
handle that." 

"I don't know if I can either, dear," Jeanne replied. "I'll do what I can,
but I think it's something you really need to do yourself. You know how he
feels about smoking, although now with both you and your sister... good
lord! Yes, I think you really should tell him yourself. No more secrets."
Amy was a little dismayed by that, and wondered anew exactly how she could
do it.

The wedding ceremony went flawlessly, and the entire party moved out to
Drake's country club for the reception. It was a beautiful June day, and the
backdrop of the manicured fairways and artificial ponds made a perfect
setting for the photographer. The champagne was flowing, everyone was in a
festive mood, and as usual when he was in that frame of mind, Drake was
handing out cigars to everyone in sight. He approached Mike Kelly with a
hearty greeting and offered him one of his Montecristos. Mike demurred,
saying, "Thanks, Drake but I don't think so. I don't smoke."

"C'mon Mike, this is an occasion for God's sake," Drake argued. "These are
some of the best cigars made. Have one, even if you don't smoke much of it.
It suits the day. This is a celebration! What do you say?"   

Mike hesitated for a moment, but finally decided, "Oh, what the hell. Since
you put it like that, sure. Let me have one." Drake was only too glad to
comply, and Mike stuffed the cigar into the corner of his mouth as Drake
produced a light. Mike had smoked a few times over the years, unbeknownst to
Jeanne and the rest of the family, usually when he was with his fellow
police officers at their regular rambunctious drink-up sessions where they
would all blow off a little steam. He really never liked it much, but as he
tasted the Montecristo he had to admit that nothing he had in the past
tasted like these. He figured when he accepted Drake's offer that he'd just
go through the motions, but this wasn't so bad. He decided to head outside
to watch the picture-taking, and Drake joined him with fresh glasses of
champagne for both of them. 

The wedding party was being posed in various combinations and right now the
men in the group were being photographed while the women hung on the
periphery. Amy and Alison looked to see their father approaching them and
were astounded when they noticed the cigar in his mouth. "Look at that, will
you?," Ali said to her sister. "I never thought I'd see the day. I think
this is your chance to let him know about your news, don't you think?" she
said, winking.

Amy realized she was right, and they both reached into their clutch purses
for their cigarettes. Alison lit up her sister, then herself, as their dad
approached. He walked into speaking range as Amy decided to reveal all and
brought her VS 120 to her lips for a long puff. "Hi daddy," she said,
blowing smoke through a smile. "Having a good time?"

"Jesus Christ, what are you doing? Holy shit, Amy... Why the hell are you
smoking?," he exclaimed.

"I guess for the same reason you are, daddy," she responded, still smiling.
"It just seemed the thing to do, I guess, don't you think? I don't mind if
you don't." Mike was unable to respond, and finally just shook his head in
resignation, even managing a laugh.

"Damn, Mike, I never knew both your girls smoked," Drake jumped in. "Same as
my family. Should reduce friction at family get-togethers, since everyone
smokes. That's one less thing to be concerned about, at least. I think we're
going to get along just great."

"Daddy! Come here, I have an idea," Chrissy suddenly called out to Drake,
and the two of them chatted briefly before he nodded his head
enthusiastically and headed into the parking lot. He returned a few moments
later with a box tucked under his arm, and opened it to reveal a new supply
of his favorite Montecristos. Chrissy took one, then he went to everyone in
the party, both male and female, and had them take one too as Chrissy spoke
to the photographer. Drake handed around his clipper and everyone prepared
their cigars, and all lit up in preparation for a series of what Chrissy
called "our cigar-wedding photographs".  The photographer started snapping
away, getting shots of Alison and her bridesmaids with thick cigars clenched
between their teeth, along with all of the men doing the same, and finally
some shots of Greg and Alison together, sharing their cigars with each other. 

During all of this Edith was standing on the edge of the proceedings, just
watching. She was truly happy to see Greg marry Alison, for she knew when
she first met her that she was a rare sort of woman, and she felt that she
was a perfect match for her grandson. She wiped a small tear from her eye
with a handkerchief and, replacing it in her purse, saw her pack of More
menthols and decided to indulge. Just as she was retrieving one, Jeanne
Kelly walked over to her side. "Edith, are you doing alright? Is there
anything I can do for you?," she asked helpfully.

"Oh, thank you, dear, I'm fine. Look at that. Everyone is smoking a cigar!
Isn't that funny? In that case I think I shall have to smoke myself. Would
you like one?"

"Oh, no thank you Edith, I don't smoke," Jeanne replied. "It appears now
that I'm the only one here who doesn't, from what I see out there. I can't
quite believe this. No one in our family has ever smoked, and in the last
six months first Alison, then Amy, and now even my husband are smoking. Look
at them! I don't know what to think."

"Really? You've never smoked?," Edith responded. "Well, Jeanne, that won't
do now, will it? Especially now that you'll be living in the same house with
at least one person who does. Amy looks wonderful with a cigarette, don't
you think? She's such a sweet girl, and you're so fortunate to have such a
lovely pair of daughters. It reminds me of when I was your age, and how I
loved to share a cigarette with my girls. It seems to me the answer is quite
obvious, Jeanne, don't you think? Here, my dear, permit me to show you..." 

The End

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