Smoke Out, Part 1

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SMOKE OUT
by AsianSmoke

(Continuation of Amy's Story, Trying to quit, Amy's off to Hong Kong, this 
is the 4th story)

Part 1: The Move

     As soon as I got home from the airport after my trip to Hong Kong, I 
checked my phone messages. The first one was from my ex-husband Jack. He 
said our house had to be sold (The house I was living in) due to the divorce 
and that I would have to move out in about 3 or 4 weeks. Oh my goodness! The 
problem was that I'd been in Hong Kong for over 3 weeks and the message was 
about 3 weeks old. I had to find a place to live in 3 days! Another message 
was from my boss. He wanted to have a meeting with me when I came back to 
work. What the heck for? I called Jack and yelled at him for giving me no 
notice to move out. What an ass! I informed him I was in Hong Kong and 
everything. At least he was nice enough and made arrangements for my 
furniture and clothes to be put in storage until I found a place to live. 
Those guys were coming over in 2 days to pick up my stuff. Shit!

     After I hung up with Jack, I had to light a cigarette. I was so 
stressed out. I delivered some good smoke into my pounding lungs. I had to 
think of where I was going to live. There was no way I could find a place of 
my own so quickly. I had to live somewhere, but where? I called my old 
friends and asked if I could stay with them for a few weeks until I found 
place of my own. I phoned my best friend Cora first, but the line was busy. 
Then I called another friend, Emma.

     Emma didn't want me to stay at her place because I smoke now and her 
whole house would smell. I understood where she came from, I wasn't angry at 
that point. I was twenty minutes later after I called 3 more old friends and 
they all gave me the same answer, that they didn't want a smoker living in 
their house, getting their house all smelly. Shit. Am I a friggin criminal 
or something?

     One last chance. I would try Cora once more. She had to take me in. 
I've known Cora Leung since I was about 9 years old. We went to school 
together. We were best friends. We went to the same church in Hong Kong 
(when I used to attend church.) I was maid of honor at her wedding in Hong 
Kong in 1986. Jack and I met Cora and her husband at the airport when they 
immigrated in 1993, with their 3-year old daughter Jenny. I stayed with Cora 
when she cried for days after her husband left her, and they got divorced in 
1995. He went back to Hong Kong. That was the first marriage I ever saw 
break up. Cora has always been my best friend. Even though she has 
criticized my smoking, she still calls me every few weeks. She had to take 
me in. When I dialed this time, the line wasn't busy anymore. It was 
ringing! Cora picked up the phone.

    "Hi Cora, It's me!" I said.

    "Amy! You're back from Hong Kong! How was Cindy's wedding?" Cora asked.

    "It was wonderful, I had a great time. But Cora, I need to ask you 
something." I said.

    "Sure, what's up?" Cora responded. I told her what had occurred and that 
I needed a place to stay for a few weeks, I knew she would say yes.

    "Oh, Amy. I'm so sorry to hear that. Oh boy. You really put me in a 
difficult position here." Cora said.

    "What do you mean?" I asked.

    "Well Amy. I'd really like to stay. I really would, but...I can't. 
You're my best friend, but oh it's really hard for me to say this." Cora 
responded. I figured she was like all the rest. She didn't want me to smoke 
in her house. "The thing is Amy, I don't want my clothes, my hair, stinking 
of smoke. I just can't have that. I can't have my house smelling of smoke. 
Maybe you can quit smoking and stay with me." Cora added. I was shocked. I 
had nowhere else to stay.

    "Cora, I won't quit smoking. I love it too much. Please Cora. I've tried 
everyone. I have nowhere else to go. What am I going to do, live on the 
street?" I said. I took another puff from my cigarette and inhaled it deep 
into my lungs. Cora paused, mumbled some things and then sighed.

    "OK Amy. There is one way you can stay with us, for a week or two, but 
only if you smoke outside on the front or back porch, not inside. That way 
you can keep smoking and my house won't smell of cigarette smoke." Cora 
said.

    "You mean I can't smoke in the house at all? I have to go out each time 
I want to smoke?" I asked. I guess I could do that for a week or so, but 
what if it rained? Or it was too cold? Oh shit, I had to take this offer; I 
had nowhere else to go. "Sure Cora, I can do that. I'll smoke outside. 
Thanks so much. See you the day after tomorrow!" I added.

    Great! I have a place to stay now. I needed to celebrate with a cigar. I 
haven't smoked one for a few days, since Cindy's wedding, and I knew I 
couldn't smoke one at Cora's. Cigarettes are one thing, but she wouldn't 
understand cigars. I better smoke one more tomorrow before I go over too, 
and I really need to start packing soon.

     The next day at work things got worse. The meeting with my boss was a 
total disaster! The company I work for was downsizing and I was one of the 
people let go. Shit! Shit! I can't believe what was going on here. No place 
to live, now no job! Things were getting worse and worse. (I swore about 10 
times, but I cannot print it here, I would have shame.) At least they gave 
me a 6-month paid salary package, and a small bonus. I had to pack up my 
stuff right away and had to leave work on that day. I went to the smoking 
room and said goodbye to my friends. We went to a bar that night and I got 
plastered.

    On the day I moved, someone from Cora's church rented a van and picked 
up my essentials to take to Cora's. I told Cora I lost my job and she said I 
could stay a bit longer if I couldn't find a job right away. She showed me 
to my room, where the washroom was, etc...and I unpacked my clothes in the 
drawer. By accident I almost lit a cigarette right there in the bedroom but 
then I remembered where I was. Damn! I had to go outside to smoke. I 
finished my unpacking quickly and took a pack of cigarettes with my lighter 
and went to smoke in the back yard. I realized this would be a place I would 
frequent often over the next few weeks. I smoked a couple of more cigarettes 
during the afternoon on the front porch until I saw Jenny, Cora's daughter, 
come home from school. Her black hair was so long now! When Jenny recognized 
who I was she wanted to give me a hug, but then she saw the cigarette in my 
hand and froze in her steps. I placed my cigarette in the ashtray and she 
gave me a hug.

    "Wow, auntie Amy. You are here already!" Jenny said.

    "Yes, I got here a few hours ago. How are you Jenny, how was school 
today?" I asked. I left my cigarette in the ashtray while I spoke with her. 
Jenny called me auntie Amy even though I wasn't her real aunt, it was a term 
of respect. I've known Jenny since she was born.

    "School was OK, you know, boring." Jenny said. She looked like a carbon 
copy of her mom when Cora was 11. She walked up the steps and sat at the 
other end of the bench I was sitting on. She focused on my cigarette.

    "How old are you now, Jenny?" I asked her. I think she was 11 or 12.

    "I'm going to be 12 in two weeks, auntie Amy." Jenny replied.

    "So what does a 12 year old want for her birthday?" I asked her.

    "I don't know." Jenny said and was embarrassed. I looked at my cigarette 
and noticed that I could only get 1 or 2 more drags from it. I picked it up.

    "So, It's really true. You do smoke!" Jenny remarked when she saw me 
holding the cigarette.

    "Yes I do Jenny. I guess you must think I'm a bad person now because I 
smoke." I said. I took a deep drag and blew the smoke away from Jenny. I 
didn't want to cause a problem with Cora. I knew Cora was always against 
smoking and that Jenny must be against it too.

    "No, not really, it's just strange seeing you smoke, that's all. It's 
like seeing my teacher smoke. It's just weird." Jenny said.

    "Do many people at your school smoke?" I asked, since she brought up the 
subject of smoking.

    "Naw, not really, some do, I guess. I saw one of my classmates smoke, 
once." Jenny said.

    "And what did you think of that?" I asked. I wanted to know where she 
stood on smoking.

    "Well, It's OK for them I guess. It's their life." Jenny replied and 
shrugged her shoulders.

    "How about you, Jenny. Have you ever thought about smoking before. Do 
you think you ever want to try it?" I asked. I am so bad!

    "Me? I don't think so, auntie Amy. I think it's Gross. I doubt I'll ever 
try it." Jenny answered.

(End of part 1)

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