Lisa's Quest, Part 3

    3. Saturday - the Process Continues.

    When Lisa awoke in the morning, she didn't feel so good. Her mouth and
throat were dry from smoking last night, and her lungs felt sore, as if
someone had punched her. She also had a splitting headache. Stumbling out of
bed, she looked at her clock. It was 8:30. God, Lisa thought as she staggered
into the bathroom, I need some aspirin. She got a bottle from the medicine
cabinet and took two. Then she wandered into the kitchen. God, she decided, I
feel stressed, too!

    Rubbing her head, Lisa instinctively reached for her purse on the kitchen
table. She knew she had some Tic-Tacs, and sucking on them always made her
feel better. She opened her purse, and Lisa saw the unopened pack of Marlboro
Menthol Light 100's Patti gave her at the end of the evening. "You'll need
these tomorrow," Patti promised her. But God, Lisa thought, the last thing I
want now is a cigarette. She continued to search for her Tic-Tacs, but next
she found the list Patti prepared. Unfolding it, Lisa put it down on the table
to read, popping several Tic-Tacs into her mouth. Sucking on them, she began
to read.

    YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE A REAL SMOKER WHEN:

    1. you know how to light your own cigarettes.
    2. you can exhale smoke through your nose as well as your mouth.
    3. you need to have a cigarette with your coffee to start the morning.
    4. you're smoking an entire pack of cigarettes each day.
    5. you're taking smoke breaks at work each day.
    6. you can't go for more than an hour or two without wanting a cigarette.
    7. you find yourself saying, "I'm sure there's time to smoke just one more
cigarette!"
    8. the first thing you want after eating a meal is a cigarette.
    9. you find yourself smoking in your car.
    10. you start buying them by the carton.
    11. you find yourself thinking, "God, what I really need right now is a
cigarette!"
    12. you realize you've just lit a cigarette without even thinking about
it.
    13. you learn how to french-inhale.
    14. you want to smoke two cigarettes in a row without stopping.
    15 you want to smoke after having sex.
    16. the first thing you do in the morning, and the last thing you do at
night, is smoke a cigarette.


    CONGRATULATIONS, LISA
    WHEN YOU'VE COMPLETED THIS LIST, YOU'LL BE A REAL SMOKER!

    Lisa smiled as she read the list. Damn them, she thought, they're making
it tough. But, she reasoned, this does give me some goals to work toward. She
particularly grinned at number 15. Yeah, right, she moaned, where am I going
to have sex before Tuesday morning? Then Lisa focused on item number 16. Oh
well, she sighed, if I'm going to be a real smoker, I'd better have one now.
She looked at item number 3. Coffee, Lisa thought! That sounds good, whether
or not I have a cigarette!

    Lisa put on a pot of coffee and returned to the kitchen table. Taking the
pack of Marlboro Menthol Light 100's, Lisa carefully unwrapped the cellophane
and opened the box. Pulling the foil off, she put the pack under her nose and
smelled. Mmm, she realized, it actually smells pretty good. Pulling out a
cigarette, Lisa reached into her purse for the lighter she used the night
before, the one Brian gave her. Lisa placed the cigarette between her lips and
clicked the lighter. The flame came to life instantly. Very deliberately, she
moved the flame towards the tip of the cigarette and lit up.

    Almost instantly, the same sensation of pleasure Lisa experienced the
previous night engulfed her while smoke filled her mouth. Right away she
forgot about the dryness in her throat, the soreness in her chest and the
aching in her head. All she could think about was inhaling! Quickly Lisa drew
all the smoke she could inhale deep into her lungs. Right away, a wave of
relaxation and pleasure washed over Lisa. It intensified while the smoke
remained in her lungs. God, she said to herself, Patti was right! I love the
way the smoke feels down there! Slowly, almost reluctantly, Lisa began to
exhale, first through her mouth, then through her nose. She found herself
breathing the smoke back in before she'd exhaled it all and was delighted to
see it reappear in twin tendrils streaming from her nose. This was great!

    Lisa smiled. I want another puff now, she decided, and she returned the
cigarette to her lips for an even longer drag, this time leaving the cigarette
in her mouth. To her great surprise, this drag tasted and felt just as good,
maybe better, than the first one she'd inhaled. Her sense of well-being and
pleasure continued to increase as the smoke soaked into her lungs. Shit, Lisa
mused, smoking is almost as good as sex! As she let the smoke drift out of her
nostrils, almost without thinking Lisa's hand began to move toward her
panties. Slowly she began to play with herself, ever so gently. Yeah, she
moaned, puffing again, the burning cigarette still dangling from her lips as
she pleased herself with her fingers, this is all right!

    Suddenly Lisa noticed the ash at the end of her cigarette. It was
dangerously close to falling! She pulled her hand from her panties and
carefully removed the cigarette from her mouth. She stood up and walked the to
kitchen sink, tapping the long ash into it. Damn, Lisa thought, I need an
ashtray! She took another drag on her cigarette while looking through the
cupboard. Finding a glass bowl, she decided it would do fine. Tapping the
cigarette once again, Lisa turned to finish making coffee. She finally sat
down with her cup of coffee and her Marlboro Menthol, by now almost down to
the filter. She took a sip of the coffee and then a final drag on the
cigarette. There, Lisa thought, I can cross number 3 off my list!

    Lisa had to be at work at 11:00 a.m. It was almost 9:00. She thought about
calling Heather, but it was too early. Lisa was eager to tell someone her
news, but she realized only a few would view it as positively as she did.
Patti was already at work, since she had to work today. Damn, thought Lisa.
Instead, she decided to get ready for work herself.

    After she showered and blew her hair dry, Lisa stopped to stare at herself
in the mirror. "Hey, you!" Lisa said out loud. "Yeah, you! The girl there in
the mirror wrapped in a towel! You're going to be a smoker!" She laughed and
smiled as she admired her herself for a moment. Turning sideways, Lisa looked
with approval at her profile, the long blond hair falling attractively over
her shoulders and the shape of her breasts and her hips showing through the
towel. Patti's got nothing on me, she decided. I can turn the head of any guy
as well as Patti can! But, she thought, Patti is much sexier than I am when
she smokes.

    I'll have to work on that, Lisa decided. Suddenly she felt the urge to
light up another cigarette right away! Laughing at this desire, she put on her
bathrobe, ran downstairs, grabbed her pack of Marlboro Menthols, the lighter
and her makeshift ashtray, and slowly walked back upstairs. Standing in the
bathroom, watching her reflection again in the mirror, Lisa decided to watch
herself smoke a cigarette. "Let me see if I can smoke as sexy as Patti does,"
she announced. First, she thought, I'll put on my bra and panties. She did,
and then picking up her cigarettes she carefully placed one in her mouth. Lisa
turned toward the mirror. "Need a light?" she said to herself. "Yes, please,"
she answered. Clicking her lighter, she watched herself light a cigarette the
way Patti's did, leaving the lit cigarette in her mouth while she set her
lighter down. The smoke felt good when Lisa inhaled. She watched in the mirror
as the cigarette dangled from her lips and smoke surrounded her. "Thanks for
the light," she said to her reflection, watching the cigarette move up and
down as she spoke. "You're welcome, you fox!" she replied.

    Lisa puffed and inhaled again, this time exhaling through her nose with
the cigarette remaining in her mouth. "God," she told the image before her,
"you look absolutely great when you smoke, Lisa!" Turning sideways, she took
another drag, inhaled, and then exhaled toward the ceiling, carefully watching
her profile in the mirror. "Thank you, Lisa," she replied with a smile, "you
look good, too!" Lisa continued to experiment with techniques for puffing,
inhaling and exhaling. Lisa settled on a style similar to Patti's, wherein
Lisa opened her mouth to inhale (so you could see the smoke ball up and then
disappear), sucked the smoke deep into her lungs, and then exhaled only part
of it through her mouth before inhaling it again and then exhaling the balance
of the same puff, alternating between nose exhales and mouth exhales. A whole
new image was being born, she decided, one of Lisa Robinson, the smoker!

    Lisa finished the cigarette and got dressed. She knew she was doing well.
She felt no adverse effects from smoking, and the light-headedness of last
night did not seem to be a problem this morning. After seeing herself smoke in
the mirror, Lisa decided she had no reason to be embarrassed about her style.
She did not look like a novice!

    After dressing, Lisa called Heather but got her answering machine. So Lisa
left a message. "Heather, I've started smoking," she announced proudly, "and
I'd love to get together with you! So far," she went on, "I really like it!
Maybe we can get together. Hey, we could smoke together and you could give me
some pointers. Give me a call."

    Lisa smoked two more cigarettes before leaving for work. With each
additional cigarette, she found smoking increasingly enjoyable, she realized.
She considered trying to smoke in her car on the way to work. She cleaned all
the gum wrappers and paper out of the ashtray and experimented with the car's
cigarette lighter. But finally Lisa deciding to wait until a time when she
wasn't rushed. "I've got plenty of time this weekend to work on that," Lisa
told herself.

    Arriving at work a bit early, Lisa put her Marlboro's and her lighter in
the apron pocket of her waitress uniform. "I've got to try smoking at work
today," she admonished herself. Walking into the back room, Lisa saw Matt, the
shift supervisor. She had an idea. "Hey, Matt," Lisa asked, "can I work the
smoking section today?" "Sure, Lise," Matt answered, a bit perplexed, "but I
thought you preferred the other side. What's up?" Lisa smiled. "Dunno," she
shrugged, "I'd just like to work the smoking side."

    The restaurant was busy and Lisa quickly fell into the routine of taking
orders, delivering food, and distributing checks. The smoking section was
full, and Lisa noticed the variety of people seated there, men and women
alike. Some were older, in their fifties and sixties, others were middle aged,
but a large number were Generation X'ers. Lisa noticed the variety of smoking
styles and the differing number of cigarettes which people smoked over lunch.
Some smoked only one cigarette, either before or after lunch, but most smoked
a couple before the meal and a couple after. Lisa decided to ask her people
about their smoking habits, things like, when did they start smoking, did they
still enjoy it, and had they ever thought about quitting? She prefaced her
questions by telling them she herself was a smoker, to put them at ease. In
almost each case, Lisa discovered her customers started at a younger age than
Lisa, still enjoyed it and (except when giving in to family or friends)
neither planned on quitting nor (more importantly) wanted to.

    At about 2:00 Matt told Lisa she could take a short break. Usually Lisa
avoided the "breakroom," which was really nothing more than a "smokeroom"
where the waitresses, busboys and other help were permitted to smoke. Today,
however, Lisa decided she too was going to smoke a cigarette in there. It had
been several hours since her last one. Lisa wished she would start to feel the
"cravings" which Patti described. She wasn't exactly sure what a "craving"
felt like. Anyway, she decided, it would still be nice to have a cigarette.
After all, smoking at work was a mark of a real smoker. And, she smiled, I've
got to work from the list.

    The smokeroom was empty. Lisa walked in, sat down next to an ashtray,
pulled out her cigarettes and bravely lit one up. She took a long, leisurely,
first puff, pleased to be enjoying the increasingly familiar and welcome
feeling of smoke soaking into her lungs. God, Lisa sighed, exhaling and taking
a second hit, this does feel good! After a few moments, her thoughts were
interrupted when Gina, one of the other waitresses, came into the smokeroom.
Gina was a smoker, a tall, thin, dark-complexioned girl of Italian descent
with long black hair pulled behind her head. "Oh my God," Gina exclaimed,
seeing Lisa with the cigarette in her hand and smoke slowly escaping from her
mouth and nose, "what are you doing in here, Lisa?" Lisa smiled in response,
trying to act nonchalant. "What does it look like, Gina?" Lisa asked. "I'm
smoking."

    Gina rolled her eyes and pulled a gold pack of Marlboro 100's and a
lighter from her apron. Hmm, Lisa noticed, Gina smokes those strong
cigarettes. Lisa'd forgotten she had an unopened pack of those in her purse.
Before saying anything else to Lisa, Gina took a monster drag, pulling the
smoke way down into her lungs. "I can see you're smoking," Gina answered her
with a grin, holding the smoke inside, "but when did this happen?" As soon as
these words were out of her mouth, Gina forcefully exhaled a big cloud of
smoke toward the ceiling.

    God, Lisa thought, this girl smokes with style! Passionate style! She
grinned back at Gina. Lisa purposefully took a heavy drag herself and inhaled
the smoke deeply, as if to show Gina that she was a legitimate smoker. "I
started yesterday," Lisa finally answered, "and I love it." Just as Gina had
done, Lisa now exhaled a long plume of blue-gray smoke into the air. But Lisa
stopped in mid-exhale, breathed in again, just as she'd practiced in front of
the mirror, and then let the balance escape from her nostrils like Patti did.
Gina watched her the whole way.

    "You don't smoke like a beginner, Lisa," Gina observed, taking a second
drag and still watching her. Gina sat down across the table from Lisa and
tapped some ashes into the ashtray. "Thank you," Lisa smiled, "I'll take that
as a compliment!" Lisa continued to watch Gina smoke; her style was different
from Patti's. Gina's puffs, inhales and exhales were more abrupt and less
leisurely. She smoked quickly, almost ferociously, in a way that communicated
energy and passion. Must be the European upbringing, Lisa mused.

    Lisa asked Gina the same questions she'd asked her customers. "Why did I
start smoking?" Gina repeated. "Well, I'll tell you. I was sixteen, in high
school, and I started going out with this real cute guy who smoked. I decided
to start smoking to impress him. I guess he wasn't very impressed," Gina went
on, taking another puff, "because he dumped me after a month. He left me,"
Gina sighed, "but the habit didn't. I was hooked." Gina shrugged her shoulders
and tapped some more ashes. Neither of them spoke as they simultaneously hit
their smokes. "That was awhile ago," Lisa queried. "You're still smoking. Are
you sorry you started? Did you ever try to quit?" Gina thought for a moment.
"No," she answered as she exhaled, "to tell you the truth, I love smoking. I
love the feeling of being desperate for a smoke and then finally being able to
satisfy myself by lighting up. I know people say smoking is bad for you, but
honestly I think it's a lot of bullshit!" Gina took another drag. "I'm not
planning on quitting. Does that answer your question?" :Lisa watched Gina
exhale forcefully once again. "Yeah, it does," Lisa replied as she hit again
on her own cigarette.

    After a few minutes Lisa and Gina both crushed their cigarettes out in the
ashtray. Gina lit up after I did, Lisa realized, but we finished at the same
time. She must be puffing harder than I am; I guess I've got to work on that,
too, she decided. As they walked out, Gina gave Lisa a little hug. "Good luck,
Lisa," Gina smiled, "it's nice to have more smokers around!"

    The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Lisa took another break before
the dinner crowd arrived. This time she actually felt something that resembled
a craving for a cigarette. Lisa noticed she felt a certain nervousness and
irritability. She tried sucking on Tic-Tacs, but it didn't seem to help. But
instead of being concerned, Lisa was excited. This is progress, she decided.

    Entering the smokeroom, Nancy the manager was having a cigarette. Lisa
noticed the pack on the table was Virginia Slims 120's. The cigarette in
Nancy's hand was definitely longer and slimmer. Lisa sat down and pulled out
her Marlboro Menthols. Nancy watched carefully but said nothing as Lisa placed
a cigarette in her mouth and clicked her lighter. "Oh God," Nancy said
irritably, "not you too?" Lisa didn't respond, but instead took a big drag and
inhaled the smoke deeply. It felt good, Lisa thought, and almost immediately
she felt the mixed sensation of pleasure and relaxation she'd come to expect
from smoking. "Yeah," Lisa replied, "me too." She exhaled forcefully through
her nose, consciously enjoying the tingly feeling of smoke escaping in twin
streams from her nostrils. "What about it? Obviously you smoke, Nancy!"

    Nancy frowned. "Yeah," she sighed, taking a hit on her long, slim
cigarette. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I thought you were an
anti-smoker." Lisa noticed Nancy held her smoke inside her lungs for a long
time, exhaling almost reluctantly. "Well, do you think I shouldn't smoke,
Nancy?" Lisa asked. "I just started, but I really like it." Nancy finally
smiled. "I understand that," she replied, "believe me." Nancy puffed again.
"No, it's just that I found out last night that my daughter's been smoking
behind my back." Nancy let some smoke escape as she talked. "Megan's only
fourteen," she went on, "and she wouldn't be smoking if I didn't smoke so damn
much." "How old were you when you started, Nancy?" Lisa asked. Nancy said
nothing for a moment. "About fourteen," she replied. "And are you sorry you
started?" Lisa asked.

    Nancy frowned again. "No," she answered," that's the problem, I'm not
sorry. Oh, I wish smoking wasn't bad for you, and I wish people would quit
giving me shit about it. But the truth is, no, I don't want to stop." Nancy
tapped some ashes into the ashtray, and took another drag. "So," Lisa went on,
"what did you tell Megan when you found out she'd been smoking?" Nancy smiled
a wry smile. "I told her we'd talk about it tonight. I didn't know what to
say." Lisa took a hit on her cigarette and thought for a moment. "Put yourself
in Megan's shoes, Nancy," Lisa finally suggested. "What would you want to hear
if you were her age?" Nancy thought for a minute while she puffed again, and
then answered. "What I wish I'd heard from my mother at fourteen? Go for it,
kid! Smoke to your heart's content! I'll treat you like an adult." Nancy
paused again. "I had to sneak around behind my mother's back. It was terrible.
I'd like to tell Megan I understand, that I did exactly what you're doing when
I was your age. I'd like to tell Megan she can smoke if she wants to." Nancy
smiled bitterly as she said it. "Well, then," Lisa suggested after a long puff
of her own, "why don't you just tell her that? I would if I were you. At least
it's honest." Nancy looked at Lisa. "God, maybe I will," Nancy replied.
"Whether or not people disapprove of you, as a person or as a mother, I guess
you've got to be true to yourself, huh?" Lisa took a final hit on her
cigarette and crushed it out in the ashtray. "To thine own self be true," Lisa
quoted, "and you'll never go very far wrong."

    Exhaling, Lisa stood up to return to her station. Nancy quickly took a
big. final drag on her cigarette but she didn't stand. As she crushed hers
out, she called out to Lisa. "Hey, Lisa, you want to stay and smoke one more
with me? We're not that busy yet. I'd like the company." Lisa stopped in her
tracks. Two cigarettes in a row? she thought to herself. Well, what the hell,
she smiled, why not? Especially if the boss says it's okay. "Sure," Lisa
replied, "I'd love to have another one, Nancy." She sat back down and smoked a
second cigarette with Nancy. It seemed like the most natural thing in the
world to smoke two cigarettes in a row, Lisa decided, and she found she
enjoyed the second one as much as the first.

    Business was heavy during the dinner hour, and Lisa was tired when she
finished her shift. Leaving the restaurant and walking to her car, she decided
to smoke a cigarette on the way home. "Another mark of a smoker," she said
aloud as she opened the car door. Buckling her seatbelt and starting the
engine, Lisa removed her cigarettes from her apron pocket. She pushed in the
car's cigarette lighter and opened the ashtray. She cracked the window on the
driver's side an inch or so, as she'd seen Patti do hundreds of times. When
the lighter clicked to say it was ready, the cigarette was waiting in Lisa's
mouth. She held the bright red element close to the cigarette and got an even
light. Lisa returned the lighter carefully to the dashboard. She took a puff,
and then a second one, before putting the car in gear. God, Lisa thought, this
tastes good. She smiled to herself. I really am starting to like this! Lisa
pulled on the cigarette a third time before removing it from her mouth and
beginning an exhale. She saw Gina walking to her car. Lisa waved with the
cigarette in her hand. Gina smiled and gave her a thumbs up. As Lisa pulled
into traffic, she took another drag and tapped some ashes into the car's
ashtray. "I think you're going to get some use," she said to her ashtray. "I
think I'm going to smoke in the car a lot from now on!"

    Lisa stopped at the store and made several purchases. Several were routine
items, but others related to Lisa's new and growing habit. First, she bought a
carton of Marlboro Menthol Light 100's. Second, she purchased four different
ashtrays of varying sizes and styles. Third, Lisa bought several disposable
lighters in different colors. "I need to be able to color coordinate with my
outfits," Lisa decided.

    Arriving home, Lisa noticed the light blinking on her answering machine.
She clicked the machine as she put down her shopping bag. The first message
was Kristen's, and Lisa wrote it down. The rest were for Lisa.

    "Lisa, this is Heather Summer. I was delighted to get your message. You
won't regret this decision. Judy Johnson will be happy to hear about this. You
should get the job for sure. Hey, I'd love to get together, but Steve and I
will be out of town tomorrow. But you know, we'd love to have you over on
Monday for a Memorial Day cookout. A few other secretaries from the office are
coming over around 11:30. All smokers, of course. Just leave a message on the
machine if you can come. And feel free to bring a friend if you want. Male or
female, whatever. Hope to see ya, bye."

    "Hey, Lisa, it's Patti. Sounds like you're doing great! We had a ball last
night. Keep up the good work. If you have problems or need encouragement, give
me a call or stop over. But whatever you do, keep smoking! I'll be in and out
all weekend, but I'll be thinking about you. Take care. Love ya. Bye."

    "Lisa, this is Brian, Rich's roommate. I got your number from Patti. Hey,
I really enjoyed our time together last night. If you're not doing anything
this weekend, I'd love to get together. You know, to work on smoking and
whatever. You're a real nice person, and.... I mean, if you'd like to, I'd
love to get together to talk. Give me a call if you want. I'd love to hear
from you."

    Almost without thinking, Lisa opened her purse, got out her cigarettes and
lit up while listening to the messages. God, she realized when she thought
about it for a moment, I'm smoking. Taking a second drag, she sighed. This
tastes really good. Taking a third drag, even harder and more powerful than
her first two, Lisa inhaled the smoke deeply into her lungs. God almighty, she
thought as smoke escaped from her lungs slowly and reluctantly, I guess I
really needed this one. Lisa smiled and puffed again, this time more
delicately. I really do like what nicotine does for me, she sighed. Patti's
right; it's magic!

    Lisa was particularly interested in Brian's message. He seemed nice. Maybe
he doesn't have a girlfriend. God knows, Lisa thought, taking another hit on
her cigarette and getting one of the ashtrays she'd purchased out of the
shopping bag, I haven't had time for romance too long, between the demands of
school and work. But now, if I get the job at Johnson & Myers, things might
change. Lisa pulled her cigarette back to her lips and took a long drag.
Slowly she pulled smoke into her lungs again. A smile emerged on her face; she
held the smoke inside for a long time. Brian's cute, she giggled to herself as
she finally allowed the smoke to escape from her expanded lungs. And, maybe
best of all, he smokes! Just like I'm doing!

    Lisa was about to crush her cigarette in the ashtray when Patti's list
caught her eye on the kitchen table. She noticed item 14, which said, "you'll
know you're a real smoker when you want to smoke two cigarettes in a row
without stopping." Lisa stopped crushing her cigarette in mid-motion. Instead,
she carefully set the almost finished cigarette in the ashtray. Taking another
fresh one from the pack, Lisa placed it between her lips. "I want this," Lisa
announced to herself. Picking up the lit butt from the ashtray, Lisa placed
its red tip against the unlit end of the cigarette in her mouth. As the first
cigarette ignited the second, Lisa took a big drag and inhaled. The second
cigarette remained in her mouth as she took another drag without having
exhaled the first. With it still dangling between her lips, Lisa took a third
drag and crushed the spent cigarette in the ashtray, finally exhaling smoke
from the three consecutive drags slowly from her nose. Lisa knew what she was
doing; she was chain-smoking! And it felt good!

    With a big smile, Lisa said aloud, "this cigarette's for Nancy," and she
exhaled. "For Nancy, who loves to smoke and who this evening is telling her
fourteen year old daughter, Megan, that she should go for it, that she will be
allowed to smoke as much as she wants!" Lisa took another hit on her
cigarette. She'd never met Megan, but she imagined Megan's delight in being
told by her mother that she could enjoy the pleasures of lighting up, inhaling
and exhaling as much and as often as she wanted. Lisa imagined the two of
them, Nancy and little Megan, lighting up and smoking those long, slim, white
cigarettes together, bonding as mother and daughter while sharing an
experience which gave them both such pleasure. She knew it would be special.
"Lisa, that was good advice you gave Nancy," she said to herself.

    She finished her second consecutive cigarette and then cleaned up the
townhouse. In the process Lisa strategically placed her four new ashtrays
throughout the apartment; one in her bedroom, one in the living room, one on
the kitchen table, and the last one in her bathroom. Mindful of the need to
maintain as high a level of consumption as possible, Lisa smoked four more
cigarettes before getting ready for bed. Counting the cigarettes left in her
pack, Lisa realized she'd smoked fifteen cigarettes today. Pretty good, she
thought. And she felt no adverse effects from smoking. If anything, she mused,
I feel better than usual after a long day at work. As she got into bed, Lisa
suddenly remembered item number 16 on Patti's list. "The last thing I have to
do before going to sleep," Lisa told herself, "is smoke another cigarette."
Getting her pack, she took one last cigarette out and lit it up. Then Lisa
turned out the lights, laid down on her bed and smoked in the dark, using the
ashtray she'd placed on her nightstand. The only light in the room was
moonlight through the window. As smoke ascended from her lit cigarette, it
caught in the moonlight and looked almost surreal. Lisa smiled and took a last
big drag. This has been a great day, she decided. Lisa crushed out the
cigarette and exhaled the last of the smoke toward the window where it once
again caught in the moonlight. As smoke hung in the air, Lisa put her head on
the pillow. "A really great day," she repeated. And she went to sleep.

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