She Makes Her Choice, Part 1

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This is the continuation of Amy's Story, Trying to quit, Amy's off to Hong 
Kong, Smoke out & Amy's Adventures. This is the sixth and final story. I 
would encourage you to at least read the last two stories prior to looking 
at this one. It will surely help! We begin this story just four months after 
Amy gave birth to her daughter, Amanda.

She makes her choice.
by Asiansmoker

Part 1. Room for rent

    Hi! This is Amy Ho once again, and when I left you last, I had given 
birth to a healthy daughter. Furthermore, I have smoked all through my 
pregnancy. Any doctor that tells you to quit smoking while you are pregnant 
or you'll have a deformed or sickly daughter is full of shit. So keep on 
smoking girls!!

   I was thrilled and so in love with my daughter. Things were going so well 
for me, until William (my damn common law) decided to return back to his 
first wife. What a bitch she is! She'd been sleeping with him all this time 
he was with me! I became very angry and demanded to keep the house William & 
I bought together. I knew William wouldn't have contested anyways since his 
wife kept his first house and he wasn't going to live in two different 
houses!

    I've had a few relationships now, my first husband Jack, and then I 
slept with Ben (My best friend Cora's husband...it's a long story), William, 
and that thing with Cora. Yep, that one keeps coming back to me in my mind. 
I enjoyed doing it with her! She can open her mouth so wide when I exhale my 
cigarette smoke into it. Just thinking about it makes me want to feel myself 
up and...Oh shit where was I? The point is that I'm adjusting to people 
leaving me; people come and people go, that's life. But cigarettes are here 
forever!

     My daughter Amanda & I were living in this grand house, and you know 
what, it kinda looked empty after awhile, just the two of us living in a 
three room house. So I decided to look for a roommate and also earn some 
extra money. I was only going to be on maternity leave for the next five 
months so money might become an issue to me, and I didn't want to return to 
that smoking nazi company. I'll still milk'em for every last day of 
maternity leave and use up every possible benefit, like purchasing new eye 
glasses, getting extra medication I don't really need right now, going to 
the dentist, etc...

    I knew the College was just down the street and I placed an add for a 
room to rent on the school's bulletin board, both in English and Chinese. I 
knew some new kids needed a place to live while they studied. Who knows, 
maybe a young man might answer the add and I can fuck his brains out. Just 
thinking of it makes me want to smoke another cigarette. Yah, that's the 
thing I need right now. To suck some delicious smoke powerfully into my 
body, making it tingle inside, like it's having a party, revving up my 
motor, but also relaxing me. I love smoking all the time (except when I feed 
my daughter, you know what I mean.)

     To my surprise, not even two hours after I posted my add, a young Asian 
sounding lady phoned me and she came knocking on my door fifteen minutes 
later. I opened the door as I usually did, cigarette hanging from my left 
hand.

  "Yes? " I asked, holding the cigarette in my hand like a stuck up bitch.

  "Good morning, I just called you a few minutes ago. I'm here to inquire 
about the add you placed regarding the room. Is it still available?" This 
young lady asked, and you know what? She didn't even look at my cigarette. I 
guessed she was a smoker coz my cigarette didn't shock her to death and she 
didn't run away.

   "Yes, in fact you're the first one to see it. My name's Amy, and yours 
is?..."

   "I'm Sandy, Sandy Wu." She said and we shook hands.

   "Where are you from, Sandy?" I asked. I gathered she came from overseas.

   "I'm from Beijing, China. I've come here as a visiting scholar. I'll be 
here for six months. I just arrived two days ago and am currently staying at 
a hotel downtown. I really need a place to live." Sandy responded. Hmm, she 
stayed at a hotel? She must have money then. I put my cigarette out and 
brought Sandy upstairs and she saw the room that was available. She liked it 
right away and wanted to take it.

    "May I have the room, Mrs. Amy?" Sandy asked.

    "Let me ask you a few questions first." I replied. "Are you single or 
married?"

    "Oh, I am married Mrs. Amy. My husband's in Beijing. I came here alone 
to observe as a visiting scholar. I'm grateful my country had given me this 
opportunity. I've always wanted to visit your country." Sandy responded. 
While she did that I lit a cigarette and offered her one. She declined. 
Damn!

    "You mentioned earlier you will be here for only six months?" I asked.

    "Yes, I'll be here six months then I must return to my country. I can 
pay you the whole six months in cash in you prefer. Can we make such an 
agreement?" Sandy said and pulled out this thick wad of cash for her 
oversized purse. Yep, I think the room was hers. She wasn't Goo hon (that's 
the word for 'cheap' in Cantonese.)

    "Paying in advance will be just fine. I guess we have come to an 
agreement and you can have the room right away!" I responded. I looked at my 
cigarette and tapped some ashes off. I needed a drink to celebrate! I never 
thought the room would go so quickly!

    "Oh great! Thank you Mrs. Amy. I'm pretty quiet and won't cause you any 
trouble. I have some things in the hotel and my furniture will arrive in a 
few days. May I ask you some questions?" Sandy said. I nodded and went to 
get a bottle of wine and two glasses. I knew it. She was going to inquire 
about my awful, filthy smoking habit. Another smoking nazi for my list.

     "Do you live here alone?" Sandy asked.

     "No, I live here with my four month old daughter. Did you want some red 
wine or do you prefer white?" I asked.

     "Oh, thank you Mrs. Amy. I don't drink...but...you can if you want to. 
I don't mind!" Sandy replied. She didn't look like she smoked and didn't 
drink. Sounds like a typical girl from China.

    "Well, I will have a drink. Did you want a cigarette Sandy, and please 
just call me Amy." I said and handed her my pack with a cigarette sticking 
out halfway.

     "I don't smoke either, Mrs...I mean, Amy. But you can go ahead, I am 
used to it." Sandy responded.

     "Someone in your family smokes?" I asked.

    "Oh yes, my husband smokes...sometimes...Most men do in China, but I'm 
sure you know that. Are you from China too?" Sandy asked, she always had 
this smile on her face.

    "No, I'm from Hong Kong. Hey, have you ever tried smoking one of your 
husband's cigarettes?" I asked. I just had to know.

    "Oh no, Amy. I have never smoked before. Women from our area don't do 
that kind of thing. Are you married, Amy?" Sandy asked. She was sharp, she 
realized I hadn't mentioned anything about a man in my life.

     "No, I'm divorced actually." I replied. She had this smile on her face, 
a type of blank smile, like there was no one home.

     "Your husband divorced you and left you this kid? I read that this 
happens often in your western society." Sandy replied. She was looking 
around my living room, probably counting all the ashtrays.

     "Actually this kid belongs to someone else. The father just left me and 
returned to his wife. I was divorced almost two years ago." Come to think of 
it, it was more than two years ago now. I'm sure this response gave her more 
ammunition to rip apart our society, but she changed the subject.

   "Do you speak any Mandarin?" She asked. I decided to change the subject 
too

    "I only speak Cantonese." I responded while exhaling. "I never learned 
Mandarin." I said after letting out a second exhale. "I suppose, since your 
husband smokes, you must not hate smoking then." I asked her. I waited for 
her response.

    "I don't mind it. He can do what he wants. I don't hate smoking, or 
people who smoke, I just never wanted to try it. I never have, and we women 
from China don't smoke." Sandy said with that same smile, like she didn't 
have a thought in the world.

    "So then my smoking won't tempt you to try it?" I was hoping she at 
least flinched a little.

    "No! Not even a little. You can drink, smoke, and enjoy yourself! I read 
that many women from your western culture enjoy smoking, and I can see that 
for myself! I heard that by the time most young girls reach grade nine, 85% 
of them have smoked a cigarette. This is your society. I am only visiting 
and do not plan to integrate, nor assimilate." Sandy said. I was getting 
angry.

    "Hey, you put down this culture, but yet you want to visit here, it's 
been a dream of yours, right? That doesn't make sense." I remarked.

    "Amy. I have been curious to observe your society. We in China look and 
laugh at North America, with all your prostitution, teenage pregnancies, the 
drug problem, pornography, these kids with green or blue hair, twelve year 
old girls smoking, drinking, everybody owns a handgun, the swearing, an also 
the."

    "What's you point?" I said, cutting her off in mid-setence."Listen 
Sandy, I wasn't born here. I was born in Hong Kong. I grew up there in a 
well to do family, just like you, I was that good girl, looking down on 
others. But I was so self-righteous, so silly. This cigarette I have in my 
hand." I was pointing to my cigarette, waving it well in front of my face to 
show her, within two feet of her face. I continued. "I started smoking after 
I moved here. One day I tried it, I liked it, and so I kept on smoking. 
Whether I was here, or in Hong Kong, or Beijing, or Timbuktu, it didn't 
matter. The point is: I enjoyed smoking that first cigarette and I'm a 
smoker now!" I shouted out and took a huge drag, I think even Sandy could 
hear that sucking sound. She just stood there in silence, then continued.

    "Amy, you have misunderstood me. I am not criticizing you, or your 
country. Perhaps the word "laugh" was not carefully chosen. My English is 
not that good." Sandy said and I interrupted her.

    "Your English is pretty good Sandy, you must have studied it for a long 
period." I said.

    "Yes, I've been studying it for years. I'm sorry to insult your culture, 
but I'm sure if you never left Hong Kong, you wouldn't be smoking." Sandy 
said and smiled. That was a good point. Sandy spoke again.

   "I came to your country for several reasons. One is having the 
opportunity to travel somewhere, one is to practice my English more in front 
of native speakers and learn. Thank you for complimenting my English. Thanks 
for the encouragement. Since I was a child, I've wanted to experience North 
America, finding out what makes it tick. Is...this a correct expression?" 
Sandy asked.

     "Yes." I responded. I noticed my cigarette's ash was getting long, so I 
tapped some out.

    "I want to experience your country, not because I want to move here, but 
just to experience the differences in culture, your society, the difference 
in morals between here in China." Sandy said.

     "Morals? What about the freedom? If somebody here doesn't like the 
president, he or she can run outside in the middle of the street and yell 
out "George Bush sucks!" one hundred times. If you say one word against your 
leader, you get thrown in jail. What about human rights? I've heard and read 
about so many stories where"

     "Amy:" Now it was her turn to cut me off." Do not discuss human rights, 
none of that has ever been proven. Perhaps we should end this discussion. 
Amy, I want to be friends with you, and I want you to be friends with me. I 
apologize if my comments hurt you in any way. Please accept my apology." 
Sandy said and bowed her head down.

     "That's OK Sandy, we were just having a discussion, don't worry, we 
just met each other, I'm sure we'll be good friends." I replied and put out 
my cigarette. I stood up. Where was my pack of cigarettes, I needed another 
one.

   "Thank you Amy. I don't think I will have time to discuss those issues 
anymore.  I will spend most of my time studying anyways. I must go soon and 
contact my family that I have found a place to stay. May I ask you, do you 
have...an Internet connection at home?" She asked and I nodded.

   "Go ahead and use my computer, it's in my room. I never use it, it's my 
ex's, and he hasn't picked it up yet!" I said.

    "I will only e-mail my husband and my parents that I found a place, and 
will give them this mailing address." Sandy responded and we went upstairs 
to use the computer. I don't think I've turned it on since William left. But 
Sandy knew about computers and did turn it on, and to my embarrassment, my 
ex common law's screen came up and it was a topless photo of a Japanese 
woman smoking a cigarette, it looked like a 'More'. Yup, sounds like 
William's touch!

   "Oh my!" Sandy shouted out. Her face turned a shade of red, mostly her 
cheeks. She was blushing. She obviously had never seen anything like that 
before.

   "Sorry about that. My ex has a thing for naked women who smoke." I 
replied. But Sandy was motionless and kept her eyes focused on the screen. I 
tapped her on her shoulder and she jumped back. She paused, cleared her 
throat and she eventually logged on to the net, and so I left her in that 
room alone and checked up on Amanda who was sleeping.

End of part 1

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