Lisa's Quest, Part 6

    6. Tuesday - The Quest Realized.

    Lisa sat nervously in the reception area at Johnson & Myers. This time,
however, instead of eating Tic-Tacs, she smoked. In fact, she chain-smoked but
didn't care. The highlight of the morning occurred when Rene Williams walked
in. Lisa knew Rene nixed Lisa's candidacy on Friday after learning during her
interview that Lisa didn't smoke. Rene's eyes almost popped out of her head
when she entered the office and saw Lisa Robinson smoking! Rene was delighted,
and she said so. She would tell Judy that she had no problem hiring Lisa.

    Bonnie came into the reception area. She was holding a VS 120 between her
fingers. Smoke was coming out of her mouth. "Go on in, Lisa," Bonnie smiled.
"She's ready for you." Lisa crushed out her fourth consecutive cigarette in
the ashtray and stood up. "Don't worry about a thing, kid," Bonnie said. "Just
be yourself; you're a smoker!"

    Lisa walked into Judy Johnson's office. She remembered the sick feeling
she'd had on Friday. Judy smiled and asked her to sit down. Immediately, Judy
pulled out a cigarette and lit up. Lisa noticed she smoked full-flavor Winston
100's. "So, Lisa," Judy began, exhaling some smoke, "I understand a few things
have changed since Friday." Lisa smiled. "Yes, they have," she replied.
Remembering what Bonnie said, Lisa instinctively reached into her purse for
her cigarettes. She was nervous, but she also wanted to show Judy that she was
a real smoker. With horror, however, Lisa saw that her pack of Marlboro
Menthol Light 100's was empty! Shit, she thought, what'll I do? But then she
remembered. Reaching deeper into her purse, she found that the pack of
Marlboro 100's was still there. Without pausing, Lisa pulled out the gold pack
and extracted one of the cigarettes. "Oh," Judy noticed, "Marlboro 100's? Very
good." Lisa smiled and pulled out her gold lighter. Judy noticed the lighter,
too, and seemed impressed. As Lisa lit up, she did so in her usual fashion,
taking two consecutive puffs and then inhaling deeply. Finally, Lisa exhaled
some smoke toward the ceiling and stopped. Breathing in again, she let the
balance of the smoke escape from her mouth as she talked.

    "Judy," she began, "when I interviewed on Friday I wasn't a smoker. I
wouldn't have fit in here. You were right not to hire me." Lisa took another
drag. The full-flavor, non-mentholated smoke from her Marlboro tasted rich and
good. "But now," she added, "things have changed. I guess you can see that."

    Judy looked at her carefully. "You seem to be telling the truth, Lisa. And
you look like someone who smokes not just because she wants a job, but because
she likes to smoke." Judy paused and smiled. "Because she has to." Judy
stopped again, this time to take a drag off her own cigarette. "The job is
yours, Lisa, and you'll fit in fine, as long as you're telling me the truth.
For your sake and ours, I hope you're not just trying to put on an act for
me."

    Lisa paused. She took a cheek-hollowing drag on her Marlboro and felt the
smoke soak into her lungs as she inhaled deeply. God, she loved the way it
tasted. She loved the way it felt. As she exhaled, she realized she also loved
the way the smoke looked when it finally escaped from her lungs where it had
given her so much pleasure. I love smoking, I love being with other smokers,
Lisa mused, and I love smoking with them.

    As she thought, Lisa realized one other thing had changed. Last Friday she
wanted to learn to smoke because she could get the job she wanted. But now her
priorities had shifted. Today, on Tuesday morning, Lisa knew she now wanted
this job because she could smoke as much as she wanted. Johnson & Myers was a
good firm, but if it were a non-smoking office, she wouldn't consider
accepting a position. By now the idea of working in a job, any job, where she
couldn't smoke seemed repugnant. She smiled and took another hit on her
cigarette. "Judy," Lisa answered confidently, "I can tell you beyond any
doubt. I'm a real smoker! And that's the truth!"

    THE END

Previous part | Next part