Stairs, Part 3

Stairs

Part 3 - First Training

"Now I want to write on your first packet of cigarettes so you don't swipe my
Player's, and we both know where we're up to," mum said. She took Suzy's
packet and a biro and wrote:

S.  1st Training

"There you are, love. We'll put `Training' on your first ten packs till
you've finished a whole carton by yourself. Then it'll just be an `S' to tell
yours from mine." Suzy had just inhaled a long booster drag, and sat up
straight, beaming with pride for her own cigarettes and lighter. Mum went on,
"When we've finished our cigarettes, I think you should get some fresh air
then do some practising in your room in front of a mirror. You'll want to
concentrate on your smoking style, for example, when you draw on your ciggy,
some people open their fingers below, others to the side of their face - both
look good, I'll show you. Now you try both ways. Yes, that's it. Well done
Suze. When you're practising, why not smoke one whole cigarette one way, then
another whole cigarette the other way, to see which you prefer, then come
down and show me how you've done," implicitly suggesting she smoke several
cigarettes in close succession. 

"Oh, and here's another little tip. When you're getting to the end of a puff
and just want a little bit more, try fiddling these two fingers a few times
before lifting your ciggy away, like this." She showed Suzy, who promptly
inhaled a fifteen-count draw. 

"Mmm, that is a good idea, Mum." 

"And it works for either style," mum continued, demonstrating again with Suzy
following suit.

With all their extra-long draws, their cigarettes were finished in no time.
Suzy went out to have a stroll round the garden and refresh her smoke-laden
lungs. She felt on top of the world, so lucky to be smoking cigarettes from
her own packet, lighting them with her own lighter. Her first ten packets of
Player's would only be training packs, but she resolved to try and smoke them
as well as her mummy. Before long, she knew she could not wait any more to
start practising in front of the mirror, so she returned to the house,
collecting her marked training pack from the table on her way upstairs. 

She positioned herself in front of her little dressing table mirror, sitting
proudly on the stool. Player's and lighter still in hand, she soon put them
to work and watched herself drawing hard on her freshly lit cigarette,
parting her fingers just below it. When she finally inhaled, she gasped the
smoke right back when she saw a cute young lady enjoying her grown-up
cigarette. "Wow! That's me!" she thought. She cut off her fine cone exhale to
pull on her Player's again, letting her fingers spread. She could hardly
believe how competently she was smoking already and drew herself upright when
taking her smoke right down. A pretty nose exhale followed and she thrilled
to see the sunlight catch residual exhales from her very deep drags.

Soon her cigarette was gone. She put it out carefully and well. She knew she
wanted to compare the other technique mum recommended, with her fingers to
the side as she drew, and wondered how long to wait before lighting up again.
Suzy realised  she had had several cigarettes quite close together by now,
and enjoyed them all. Mum, of course, rarely had one cigarette without
lighting another straight afterwards; in fact mum nearly always had a lit
cigarette in her hand or lips: she just seemed to reach for her cigarettes
again without hesitation right after putting one out in the ashtray.

After all that musing Suzy looked down to see her hand had already covered
her Player's packet! She took that as a yes and briskly lit another Player's,
this time bringing her fingers away to the side as she drew. "So nice," she
thought as she inhaled deeply. "Oh, I do like that look too." Suzy drew
again, more enthusiastically, as she watched her fingers make a pretty
feminine gesture near her cheek. Her strong direct inhale from the freshly
lit Player's was giving her such pleasure that she had to wiggle her fingers
to suck in an extra long draw. Taking it back again and again made her feel
fabulous inside; she was almost sad to finally exhale. She decided to hone
her side-style technique with a double pump, and twitched her fingers on the
booster too. Her next double finished off the cigarette so she stood up to
inhale deeply and ground it out.

Suzy picked up her packet and lighter from the dressing table. Such was the
depth of her inhale that her smile still brought tendrils of smoke from her
nostrils as she went downstairs, keen to show off to mum with the smoking
style she preferred.

"You're back Suzy. How did you get on?" mum asked. "I'm dying to know how
you've chosen. Come and sit down in the lounge and show me." 

"Well, Mum," Suzy replied while pulling out a fresh Player's and tapping the
end, "you won't be terribly surprised." Suzy lit up with now-practised ease,
bringing her fingers to the side of her face during her full first draws, and
inhaled deeply, smiling. Pamela smiled too and reached for a cigarette for
herself.

"It seems to be a family tradition then to smoke a certain way. I wish I'd
placed a bet you'd be just the same as me." Suzy felt she had got the right
answer and beamed during every inhale for the rest of her cigarette.

Once the ladies had finished their cigarettes, Pamela said they should get
out for a while in the good weather. "Why don't we go for a walk through the
spinney and up to the top of the ridge? We'll get a good view on a day like
today, and it's not too far - we should get Sunday lunch under way fairly
soon."

They donned light jackets and walking shoes and strode off through the back
garden gate, continuing on to the path leading to the spinney. The ground
rose gently at first then more steeply the nearer they got to the hillock;
then they were out of the trees and it was scrub and hedgerows for the last
part of the climb. Mum had got a few paces ahead of Suzy when she suddenly
said, "Race you to the top, Suze," making sure her daughter put in maximum
effort to win. They were both quite out of breath, mum panting more, when
they got to the clearing at the top, and were glad of the wooden benches to
sit down for a breather.

Pamela rummaged in a jacket pocket for her type of breather. "I bet you
didn't bring your ciggies with you," she said with a wry smile. Suzy shook
her head. "Well it's a good job someone remembers important things," she
added and produced her packet of Player's with a lighter. "Here you are,
darling." Mother and daughter lit up hungrily and took deep drag after deep
drag while their breathing gradually relaxed. 

"There's nothing like a cigarette in the open air on a fine day, is there?"

"Mmm," Suzy responded after inhaling an extra-long puff. Though they glanced
at the beautiful view, they were much more intent on satisfying their love of
cigarettes.

Pamela finished her Player's slightly ahead of Suzy. "What a pity we don't
have time for another one here," she lamented. Seeing Suzy stubbing out her
cigarette, she added brightly, "But if we light one now, we can have it as we
start out back. Here you are, love." Suzy accepted the offered cigarette
without hesitation before realising she was about to smoke two cigarettes
right after each other. Mum had lit hers already and stood up, holding a
light for Suzy. "Take your time," she whispered. Suzy was thrilled as she
took a long first draw, inhaled, then took her time to take in a second long
draw. Mum beckoned her to stand up too, so she felt her smoke go all the way
down to the extremities of her lungs. What a feeling of fulness and
satisfaction!

As they set off down the path again, they drew on their ciggies as they
strolled along. "I love smoking and walking at the same time," mum said. "I
find I can just keep drawing for ages and my inhales feel deeper than ever if
I take my time. There's no hurry to exhale either, so you're really getting
the best from every puff you take. You try, Suzy, and see if I'm right." By
now Suzy had forgotten this was her second cigarette in a row. She sucked
strongly as she walked, managing to go way over her previous longest drag.
Her inhale, too, seemed to go on and on, and deeper and deeper. Mum was
right, it felt just wonderful, so she only let her smoke out gradually over
many breaths. She practised her walking-and-smoking skills in the same way
for the rest of the cigarette, feeling the new style had become natural by
the end. Mum mentioned too that it was good practice for when Suzy helped her
round the house while smoking a cigarette, planting the idea for later on.
She certainly did not want her to think you could only smoke during a special
cigarette break: you can either do things while you are smoking, or smoke
while doing other things. Either way, the thing was to light a cigarette
whenever the fancy took you.

About a quarter of an hour later they got back to the house, coming in
through the front hall and across a corner of the dining room into the
kitchen. Pamela pulled her Player's out and lit up without delay, setting an
example for her daughter. "Cup of tea, Suzy?" she asked before exhaling and
sucking in another big drag. 

"Please, Mum."

"Well why not take your jacket and shoes off then come and help me with the
tea things? Perhaps we could run to a scone or two to put us on." 

"Sounds good to me, thanks Mum," Suzy replied before heading off.

Suzy started to cross the dining room again when she spied her own Player's
packet on the table. "Yes," she thought, "what a good idea." She took her
time lighting up her cigarette and inhaled deeply. Setting off towards the
hall, she automatically slipped into walking-and-smoking style again, ending
up with a very long drag by the time she reached the coat stand. A double
pump came before taking off her coat; Suzy noticed how nice and deeply her
smoke went  down when she pulled her shoulders back to shrug the coat off. So
she followed with a good booster to hold her while sitting down to change
shoes. She drew deeply again, stood up, and took a final double drag while
walking back. 

Putting out her cig in the dining room, she just reached for her Player's
packet next to it and took her time lighting another. She glanced across to
mum and smiled, for mum was well into her own second cigarette by then. Once
back in the kitchen, she enjoyed taking long pulls off her Player's at the
same time as fetching and carrying the afternoon tea things into the living
room.

Mum and Suzy sat down together on the sofa and mum poured. After a sip of the
golden brew, Pamela offered cigarettes, which were gratefully lit. During
Suzy's double pump, she asked "Did you leave your packet on the table? You
should go and get it so you won't be smoking all mine." Suzy stood up while
inhaling. That felt so good. 

"Sorry Mum," she said sitting down again on return. 

"It's a good idea to carry your cigs and lighter round with you most of the
time, unless you're coming straight back to where they are. Oh, and very
important, when you have about ten left, that's the time to fetch a new
packet and keep them together so you don't suddenly find you're on your last
one."  

A scone had been eaten in between and a fresh cup of tea poured. Suzy felt
she ought to repay mum with one of her cigarettes, and the ladies lit up
again. "A fresh cup of tea deserves a fresh cigarette," mum said. Suzy sucked
harder on her Player's and inhaled with a smile. Too quickly their cigarettes
were gone. Mum lit another before getting up and had them clear everything
into the kitchen so they could make a start on dinner. 

Along the way, Pamela smoked a further five Player's before they ate. Suzy
eased her pace a little to only two Player's though she did smoke them
straight after each other when stirring the gravy and setting the table. And
now that Suzy's first training pack was down to only ten cigarettes, she
popped upstairs to collect her next pack before they sat down to eat, proudly
placing the new pack under the one she had already half-finished.

They both ate heartily, having had such an active day (or at least smoking
cigarettes very actively). Napkins folded, the after-dinner Player's came
out, which were thoroughly enjoyed. Reinforcing the habit of two cigarettes
after a meal, Pamela suggested "Let's light one to take through with us to
the living room. There's a good thriller on TV." The ladies inhaled, gathered
up their packets of Player's and lighters and settled in the armchairs to
smoke in front of the television. 

It was not long before the film lived up to its billing as a thriller. As the
soundtrack got more threatening, Pamela opened her packet and pulled hard on
a newly lit Player's. She seemed to visibly relax with her deep inhales.

"Nothing like a cigarette to help you through those tense moments," she
laughed, though knew the association would not be lost on Suzy. Sure enough,
the next time tension mounted, Pamela's Player's went into action ...
followed moments later by Suzy lighting one of her own. Mum noticed how
Suzy's cheeks were hollowing nicely when she took a really strong pull, and
she too visibly relaxed once she had sucked enough smoke from her strong
unfiltered cigarette deep into her chest. The taste was especially good, she
found, if she held her smoke in except for gentle nose exhales. 

Oh dear. They had just finished their ciggies when the hero got captured.
Nothing for it but to reach for their packets again, and they laughed at
their like-mindedness before greedily sucking the lighter flame into the tips
of fresh cigarettes. Suzy managed a further cigarette during the rest of the
film. When it ended, mum pointed out that it was Sunday night before school
in the morning, and if she wanted a last cigarette before bed, she had better
have it now. While Suzy enjoyed her last cigarette of the day, mum talked
about it being a big day for her at school tomorrow, seeing all her friends
with her new hairstyle and look, though tempered somewhat by a school
uniform. She knew she would not be allowed to smoke at school, or take her
cigarettes out of the house, so mum thought she might want a cigarette or two
before leaving the house. "If you want to come down for a cup of tea with me
first thing, you'd better set your alarm a bit earlier." "Night, night," they
both said and kissed.

As Suzy headed up the stairs, Pamela lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. Her
daughter had performed superbly, as well as she could possibly have imagined.
And in only her second day of smoking cigarettes, Suzy had actually smoked no
fewer than 22 Player's, apparently with a natural ease and increasing
satisfaction from her lengthening draws and deepening inhales. From mum's and
her own packets, that was over a whole packet of cigarettes she had smoked
all by herself in one day. Pamela knew full well that after today's nicotine
intake, Suzy's many hours at school were bound to bring on real cravings for
her cigarettes, and she would be striving to regain Sunday's high count for
the rest of the week. Yes, her lovely Suzy was definitely on track.  



First School Week

School Monday mornings were never Suzy's favourite and this Monday she felt a
little disorientated when her alarm went off. It felt earlier than usual:
suddenly Suzy realised why. She got straight out of bed, slipped into her
dressing gown, went to the loo, then came downstairs to greet mum, who had
already filled the kitchen with several cigarettes' worth of morning-size
exhales. "Good morning, love. You must have smelt the tea. I've just poured
as I heard you on the way. Let's take them over to the snug." Mum finished
her cigarette and they settled in and got comfy, taking first sips of the
delicious hot tea. When mum reached for her Player's again, Suzy did
likewise, noticing with a smile that she had just four left in her first
packet. How glad she was that her reserve packet was at the ready.

They lit up eagerly. They spoke little while relishing their ciggies - for
Suzy, her first of the day. She made sure her draws, inhales and holds were
well up to the mark as it began to dawn on her that she would get scant
chance to smoke again till after school. Finishing her first Player's
quickly, Suzy felt ready to go for another, but mum wanted her to get dressed
and come down again for breakfast, which she hastened to do.

Breakfast was orange juice, a bowl of cereal, and two rounds of toast washed
down with more tea. Mum had less to eat and was lighting her second Player's
afterwards when Suzy finished her toast, took a swig of tea and folded her
napkin after dabbing her lips dry. Looking very smart in her white shirt and
school tie - and newly restyled hair - she confidently extracted a Player's
from her pack and lit it with a strong double pump, which she inhaled deeply.
Every puff she took was long and full, every inhale deep and held; every
moment of smoking a pleasure. She held in her last double drag as if it were
her last for hours and hours, and was a little sad when there was no more.
Suzy went back upstairs for her blazer and school bag before hurrying down to
the car with her mum.

Seat belt buckled, Suzy watched mum light a Player's straight away, dangled
while backing out of the drive, taking direct-inhale after direct-inhale
instead of breathing in air. Suzy smelt the fragrant Player's aroma inside
the car and was quite unhappy she was not inhaling off one too. Mum came to
the rescue: "Suze, it's such a long time till you get out of school. Why not
have one of my cigarettes in the car to hold you a bit longer?" Suzy's face
lit up with relief. She felt even better when she sucked down her first
drags, and smoked the rest of her Player's with due concentration toward
extracting as much as possible from her last ciggy for ages. She was less
bothered now when mum lit another cigarette before they arrived at the
school. 

The rest of the morning went quickly enough for Suzy. She appreciated her
friends' compliments on her new hair, and felt a confidence and maturity
thanks to her new-found smoking skills. Having a naughty secret somehow made
her feel especially happy. But after seeing the older girls sucking on
cigarettes at lunchtime, she did not dare go near enough to catch the
wonderful smell of their smoke. In fact Suzy was very surprised at how
difficult it was to endure the afternoon, her thoughts increasingly wandering
to the sensation of inhaling full flavour unfiltered smoke from a Player's.

Never had Suzy packed up after class so quickly. With a "Bye, must dash" to
her friends, she walked the mile and a half back home at a brisk pace. She
was approaching the house now, and could picture her pack of Player's with
two left in itand the whole of her second pack ready to be smoked during the
evening. Oh, she had to get home! Finally Suzy opened the front door, a
little short of breath, and beamed at her packets of Player's and her lighter
that mum, bless her, had put ready and waiting for her on the hall table. Mum
heard the front door close and called "Hello Suzy. Take your time." 

"Hello Mum. Thanks," Suzy replied whilst hurriedly opening her Player's,
tapping, and sucking the flame into the tip for all she was worth. Her next
hard drag was avidly sucked down and relief started to wash through her.
Taking a heavy double pump, Suzy went to find mum in the living room, adding
her booster on the move. She and mum kissed hello during her extended hold.
She pulled a further inhale off her Player's as she sat down next to mum.

"You must be so glad to be home, darling. I know what first days like that
can be like. Just enjoy your cigarette in peace and we can talk after." That
suited Suzy: all she could think of just now was escaping to her room and
inhaling cigarette after cigarette till she felt she had caught up. But mum
was such a star. She said, "Why not go straight up and relax for a while.
Change or not, however you feel, then come and tell me all about it."

"Sounds good to me," said Suzy, pleased by the suggestion, and she finished
her cigarette. Mum was already offering her open packet to her daughter.

"Light one for the stairs to take up with you," she continued, gently
cementing the follow-on cigarette and the stairs association at the same
time. Suzy drew twice and stood up, gathering her packets and lighter. It was
nice to take a double drag when she bent over for her school bag at the foot
of the stairs, and feel it go down more deeply with every step she ascended.

Oh, yes. That was definitely what she needed. It seemed easy to take a really
long booster as she stepped on to the landing. Being a little out of breath
from the climb and all the cigarette smoke she had inhaled, Suzy wanted a
further strong draw, which felt wonderful. The sunlight picked up her deepest
residual exhales when she entered her room, making her feel grown up and
pleased with her smoking skills. That cigarette was finished now. She
extinguished it and took the remaining Player's from her first packet. She
lit it straight away and took off her blazer, spreading her shoulders for a
nice deep inhale. She lay on her bed and let herself really enjoy every iota
of Player's smoke that she could suck deep inside her.

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