The Vacation (1996), Part 5

    This story, a sequel to "Lisa's Quest," contains adult language and sexual
themes. If you find such language or themes offensive, please do not continue
to read.


    THE VACATION

    5. No Secrets.

    Lisa and Rene sat at a table in the hotel bar. It was 4:30 on Thursday
afternoon. Lisa was nervous. "God," she muttered, "I hope this works.
Otherwise, I'm going to leave three people in deep shit!" Lisa nervously took
a deep drag on her cigarette and inhaled deeply. She needed all the help she
could get to keep herself calm right now.

    Rene leaned over and touched her arm. "Relax, Lisa," she smiled, "it'll be
fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

    "The worst that could happen?" Lisa responded. "God, I don't even want to
think about that! We'd all be fucked!"

    Rene laughed. "But you've got everything lined up in terms of timing. What
can go wrong?"

    "I think it's all arranged," Lisa replied, quickly taking another big
drag. "I sure hope so. But I guess we're going to find out. Oh my God! Here
comes my dad!" Lisa hurriedly crushed her cigarette in the ashtray.

    Lisa's father walked into the room. He was dressed in a coat and tie,
having come from his office. He looked as nervous as Lisa felt. "Hi, sweetie,"
he said, greeting her with a hug. Then he turned and smiled at Rene. "And nice
to see you again, Rene," he said quietly. Don then looked around the bar and
back at Lisa. "You know," he sighed, "I'm not sure this is a good idea. I
mean, me smoking with you two here."

    Lisa put on a brave countenance, though inside she felt less certain.
"Sure it is, Dad," she replied cheerfully as she crushed out her cigarette.
"There's no one you know here, at least not now. And I thought you wanted to
come out of the closet a little bit and smoke a cigarette with two beautiful
women?" She smiled at him. "You said you wanted to do this. You're not getting
cold feet, are you?" For her own sake, Lisa thought, she hoped he was not.

    "No," Don replied, still looking around the room as he sat down, "I guess
not. It's just that I've always been careful about smoking in public. What if
someone saw me?"

    Lisa decided to force the issue. She picked up her Salem Light 100's.
"Look at it this way, Dad," Lisa began. "It's a long-time fantasy of yours to
smoke with women in a public place. Well, we're here today to fulfill your
fantasy." She shook out a Salem and placed it between her lips. "Do you prefer
regular or menthol? My Salems, or one of Rene's Marlboros? Or do you have your
own?"

    Rene simultaneously placed a fresh cigarette between her lips. She laid
her pack of Marlboro Light 100's on the table beside Don.

    Don stammered. "I'll have one of yours, Rene." He started to reach for her
pack sitting on the table.

    "Oh no, Don," Rene smiled, with the unlit cigarette still in her mouth,
"let me." She picked up her pack, removed a cigarette, and handed it to him.
"Let me light it for you, too, sweetheart," Rene purred, with her raspy voice
containing more than a hint of sensuality. "If you're going to live out your
fantasy, let's do it right!" She clicked her lighter and held the flame for
him. Don drew the cigarette to his lips and leaned over to catch the flame.

    "Thank you, Rene," Don said softly.

    Lisa watched with wonder as her father took an initial puff on his
cigarette. He smoked like a veteran. He exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.
As he did, Rene clicked her lighter again and lit her own cigarette with a
long inhale, holding the smoke deep in her lungs. Don's eyes were fixed on
Rene as she exhaled a thin stream of smoke. He took another drag and inhaled.
Don allowed the smoke to escape while he watched Rene pull again on her
Marlboro, long and slow this time. His discomfort had disappeared.

    Lisa watched him closely. God, she thought to herself, I'm sitting here
watching my dad smoke a cigarette. He's good at it! This is too weird!

    "Lisa," Rene interrupted in mid-exhale, "aren't you going to join us?
C'mon, let's smoke, girl!"

    Rene was right. Lisa realized her unlit Salem still rested in her mouth.
With an embarrassed smile, she flicked her own lighter and lit up. She took a
big drag and inhaled the smoke way down into her lungs. She'd been nervous,
but the relief given by the nicotine entering her system was almost immediate.
That's better, Lisa thought. She was sure her father wasn't more nervous than
she was.

    Rene looked at Don taking a third drag on his cigarette. "There, Don," she
said soothingly, "it's not so bad, is it? You like smoking, don't you?"

    Don smiled as he exhaled. "Yeah," he answered sheepishly, "I guess I do."
He paused for a moment. "Actually," he admitted, "this is fun." He watched
Rene inhale a big ball of smoke and slowly begin a nose exhale. Rene knew he
was watching her, but she didn't seem to care. She enjoyed tantalizing him
while she smoked.

    "Are you enjoying yourself, Don?" Rene teased as the smoke escaped
endlessly from her nostrils. "I hope so, because I am. I get a kick out of
watching you watching me smoke." Rene spoke with a naughty tone, and Don
smiled as she completed her exhale.

    "Yes, I am enjoying myself," Don replied, taking another drag of his own.
"You know," he went on, "it's more fun to smoke when others are smoking with
you." He tapped some ashes into the ashtray while he exhaled. He was becoming
more comfortable with each moment. "I mean, I've smoked in secret because of
my.... You know...." Lisa and Rene nodded so he didn't have to speak aloud
about his fetish. "But I've always wanted to smoke with women. This is great.
I appreciate it." Don smiled. "I can't believe you're both so open-minded."

    Lisa laughed. "Dad," she said, "we're smokers. We're happy to do whatever
we can to make others feel more comfortable smoking with us. I think this is
good for you. You need to get in touch with your real feelings about smoking.
Not just your fascination with others smoking. I mean facing your own desires
to smoke."

    Don nodded as he puffed again. "I guess so, honey," he said. "It's just
that I'm afraid. Afraid of what other people might think or say. Afraid of
what your mother would say if she knew."

    Suddenly, a cry rang out from the other end of the room. "Oh my God!" a
voice exclaimed. Simultaneously, all three of them looked around. Sharon stood
in the doorway to the hotel bar. As she walked into the room, Lisa saw her
expression. A look of astonishment and shock was plastered all over her face.

    "My God," Sharon gasped as she approached the table. "Don, what are you
doing here? And what are you doing? God, are you smoking?" Don froze the
moment he'd seen his wife. Smoke rose from the cigarette between his fingers.
He sat motionless, as if he hoped that by refusing to either answer or move he
would be invisible to Sharon. She stood and stared at him in disbelief.

    Lisa broke the silence. "Hi, Mom," she said cheerfully, "why don't you sit
down and join us?" Without speaking, Sharon pulled up a chair and sat. Her
eyes never left the cigarette burning between her husband's fingers. Don sat
dumbstruck, as if unable to move. "Don't be too hard on him, Mom," Lisa
continued, "you wouldn't be critical if you found out Dad liked to smoke, too,
would you?"

    Sharon turned to respond to Lisa. But Don interrupted before she could
speak. He crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "Sharon, listen, I can
explain. It's not what you think...."

    This time it was Lisa's turn to interrupt. Having just taken a deep drag
on her own cigarette, she interjected. "Dad, how can you say that? Of course
it is. You're just smoking a cigarette with us. That's not a crime, is it?"
She smiled at her mother. "And it's not immoral or illegal, is it?" Lisa
looked at her father. "Dad, you don't have anything to be ashamed about." She
paused. "And Mom," she continued, "don't you have something to say to Dad? Why
did you come here today?"

    Sharon's eyes were blazing. Her anger began to simmer down as she gave
Lisa a knowing look. "You set this up, didn't you, young lady?" Sharon accused
slowly. "You got your father to come here ahead of me. Somehow you got him to
smoke a cigarette so I'd see him when I arrived." She then looked accusingly
at Rene, who continued to smoke in silence.

    "What do you mean?" Don asked. "Lisa, you invited your mother here to see
this?" His voice reflected shock and disbelief.

    "No, Dad," Lisa answered. "I invited Mom here to do something else." She
looked at her mother. "Maybe you'd better tell him, Mom. You might as well.
He's obviously not going to be upset, is he?"

    Sharon again looked daggers at Lisa. Then she turned to Don and, for the
first time, her mouth showed a bit of a smile. "Don," she said quietly, "I
thought I was coming here to meet Lisa and Rene for drinks at 4:45 this
afternoon. Drinks," she continued, "and a cigarette or two."

    This time it was Don's turn to look surprised. "What?" he replied.

    "That's right," Sharon admitted. "Lisa, Rene and I met for lunch on
Monday. When I saw how much she enjoyed smoking it reminded me of when I was a
teenager and I used to smoke myself." Don looked even more surprised. "Don't
worry, it was before I met you, dear," she went on. "I never told you about my
years as a teenage smoker, because I thought you'd disapprove." She looked at
the ashtray on the table. "Maybe I was wrong," she mused.

    "Anyway," Sharon went on, "I broke down and smoked a cigarette with Lisa
on Monday over lunch. God, I'd forgotten how much I liked smoking. Actually, I
smoked several cigarettes over lunch with the girls...." She opened her purse
and took out a pack of Salem Light 100's. "So then I bought these, and I've
been sneaking cigarettes ever since," she said quietly. "I thought I was
coming here to sneak a quick smoke with Lisa and Rene before dinner." She
fired a look across the table. "But someone here had other ideas."

    Don took Sharon's hand. "Sharon, honey, why didn't you tell me about this?
I'd have understood."

    "I had no reason to believe you would," Sharon replied. "You've always
been a rabid anti-smoker. Always. What changed? Why were you sitting her
smoking a cigarette when I came in?"

    "Well," Don answered, "it's like this." Now it was his turn to glare at
his daughter. "I guess I've always had sort of a love-hate relationship with
smoking. I can explain it to you in detail some time later. But suffice to
say, I've think I've always put on a public show of disapproval because I
didn't know how to deal with my own desire to smoke."

    "But how did you find out about it, Lisa?" her mom asked.

    "I'll explain that later, Sharon," Don quickly interrupted before Lisa
could speak. "For now, let's just say that, if you want to smoke, that's just
fine with me."

    Sharon smiled. "Don, I'm so surprised." Slowly she picked up her pack of
cigarettes. "But, I'm pleased, too." Sharon paused. "So, do you want to join
me?" she asked teasingly.

    Don looked embarrassed for a moment. He glanced at Lisa, who gave him an
innocent look in response. "You little vixen," he muttered. Turning back
toward Sharon, Don nodded his head. "I guess I would, actually," he replied.
Sharon pulled two cigarettes from her pack and gave one to her husband. Don
took her lighter and lit first Sharon's and then his own cigarette. Lisa and
Rene lit up again also, with Rene giving Lisa a little wink as they did so.

    Don watched as Sharon took a big drag and inhaled. His eyes were riveted
to her as she slowly began to exhale the smoke toward the ceiling, finishing
up with a nose exhale. "You know, Sharon," he said quietly, "you look really
good smoking."

    Sharon blushed. "You think so?" she asked sweetly. Suddenly she shook her
head. "Gosh, I can't believe you're telling me that you approve of my smoking,
Don! It is so surreal, so unexpected, so...." Sharon stopped and smiled. "Such
a welcome relief," she concluded. "Thank you."

    Don looked at his daughter. "We ought to spank you for setting us up like
this, Lisa," he began. "You misled both of us into coming here this afternoon.
But," he went on, "it's probably good to get our secrets out in the open. To
deal with each other in reality, not out of fear or ignorance." He smiled. "So
we won't spank you this time," he kidded, "but don't ever try anything like
this again!"

    Before Lisa could answer, another voice rang out from across the room. "Oh
my God," it began, "what the hell's going on here?"

    All four heads turned. This time Cathy and her friend Libby stood in the
doorway. Cathy stared in disbelief at the scene before her eyes. Both her
parents were actually smoking! And they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Cathy was speechless, but Libby finally spoke up. "Hey, that's your mom and
dad. And the other two must be your sister and her friend, huh?" Libby asked.
"Hey, this looks pretty cool!"

    Before her parents could say anything, Lisa spoke. "Mom and Dad, don't
panic," she started out. "I invited Cathy and Libby to join us at five
o'clock, and they're right on time. Assuming everything worked out as I
planned, and it has so far, I wanted Cathy to see you two smoking first.
Because Cathy's got something to tell you, too. Don't you, Cathy?"

    Cathy looked stunned. She and Libby pulled up two more chairs and sat
down. Libby seemed quite at ease, quickly introducing herself to Rene and
Lisa. Cathy remained speechless. "Cathy," Lisa asked, is there any reason not
to join us here?" She waited. Cathy still did not speak. "What I mean is,
don't you have anything to say to Mom and Dad?"

    Neither Don nor Sharon had spoken since seeing their younger daughter.
Suddenly Sharon realized what was going on. "Oh, Cathy," she asked
incredulously, "not you, too?" Cathy looked at the cigarette her mother was
holding and, in response, nodded her head slowly.

    "Uh-huh," Cathy muttered. "Yeah, me, too." She glared at Lisa. "Sis, I
thought you were going to keep it a secret," Cathy fumed.

    "I didn't say anything to anybody, Cath," Lisa smiled sweetly in reply. "I
only created an atmosphere in which you could tell them about wanting to be
able to smoke. And you just did. But I think Mom had already guessed."

    Libby removed her Marlboro 100's from her purse. "Mr. and Mrs. Robinson,"
she smiled, "if you don't mind - and from the looks of it I'm guessing you
don't - I'm dying for a cigarette here." Libby pulled out a lighter and
quickly lit a cigarette. Lisa noticed her father watching closely the Marlboro
hanging from Libby's lips. As the cigarette hung in her mouth, Libby looked at
Cathy. "C'mon, Cath," she urged with smoke escaping from her nostrils, "don't
make me walk the plank alone here."

    Very deliberately, Cathy opened her purse to reveal a pack of Salem Light
100's. As Libby continued to smoke her cigarette, Don and Sharon each
purposely took a drag, too. Cathy shook her head. "I can't begin to guess
what's happened here," she finally remarked. "But I'm sure somehow Lisa is
behind it. She told me she didn't think you guys would be upset if you found
out I'm smoking. But I never would have guessed, not in a million years, it
would be because you're both smoking, too." With that, Cathy lit up a
cigarette, too. All six of them sat around the table smoking in silence for a
moment.

    Don decided someone needed to say something. "Listen, everyone," he
announced, "Lisa's visit, and Rene's," he added, looking over at her, "has
resulted in some long-kept secret desires being discovered in this family." He
looked at Sharon. "Your mother started smoking again earlier this week. She
apparently intends to keep smoking. Am I right?" Sharon nodded in agreement as
she took another drag on her Salem. Don watched her inhale the smoke and
smiled. She looked good smoking! "Cathy," he went on, "I presume you and Libby
have been smoking together secretly for awhile. Is that right?"

    "Actually, Dad," Cathy interrupted, "only Libby's been smoking for awhile.
And please don't tell her parents. They don't know anything about it. I only
started this week after I saw how much Lisa enjoyed it. I told Libby I wanted
to learn how. She taught me. Lisa really didn't have anything to do with it."

    "Right," Don replied, "although I notice that Libby's smoking Marlboros
and you're smoking Salems which, coincidentally, is the same brand as your
sister's." He looked at Cathy. "I suppose you're going to ask us if you can
smoke now, too, just like your sister."

    "Well," Cathy interjected, "Lisa had almost nothing to do with me
smoking." She smiled at Lisa, who grinned back at her. She was trying to
protect Lisa, but she saw that Lisa felt quite safe. Even if her parents
suspected the truth, they had little higher ground upon which to stand if they
wanted to criticize. "Anyway, Dad," Cathy went on, "the answer is yes. I'm
asking for permission to smoke out in the open, just like Lisa. I'm almost 18
years old, you know."

    "I know," Don sighed. "And at this point it wouldn't do much good to
refuse. You'll be going away to college soon anyway." He paused. "And as for
me," he continued, "I guess I should confess I've been smoking in secret from
time to time for years. No one ever knew. I didn't think anyone ever
suspected." Sharon and Cathy both shook their head in the negative. "I always
enjoyed it," he went on, "but I was afraid to let anyone know. But now,
because of Lisa and her friend Rene, I guess I can afford to admit that I
enjoy smoking, too. Unlike you, Sharon, and you, Cathy, I'm not sure I want to
be an everyday smoker. But I'll enjoy an occasional cigarette, too, from now
on." He stared at Lisa. "And as for you," he continued sternly, "this was an
absolutely crazy stunt you pulled off! This whole thing could have blown up in
your face! What would you have done if one or more of us hadn't reacted the
way you expected?"

    Lisa took a drag and inhaled while she thought. She saw her father watch
her exhale, and she smiled. "Dad," she answered, "I'm not sure. I know each of
you pretty well. I knew Mom was scared of you; you were afraid of Mom; and
Cathy was terrified of both of you. But I also knew that if everyone knew what
I knew, that you were all smoking in your own way for your own reasons, then
you'd be able to work it out. Because we all love each other. Right? Wasn't
that a pretty good working assumption?"

    Don nodded. "It was a pretty good working assumption, honey. I can't
believe I'm saying this, but what do you say we all move into the dining room
and have dinner together? And Libby, why don't you join us, too? Call your
folks and tell 'em you're our guest tonight."

    Libby took a final drag on her Marlboro and crushed it out in the ashtray.
"Gee, thanks, Mr. Robinson," she answered. "I'd love to. Especially if I can
smoke!"

    Don watched while she gracefully exhaled through her mouth and her nose.
"Of course you can, Libby." He looked at his remaining female companions, all
of whom were also smoking. "I suspect we'll all be smoking at dinner tonight."

    Libby stood up. "I didn't expect this," she went on, "but I just want to
say that your family is really cool, Cathy. You're a lucky girl." Cathy smiled
at her. "And," Libby concluded as she walked to the pay phones, "if you ever
want to talk to my parents about giving them lessons on how to be cool, you're
more than welcome to! They could use it, believe me."

    "Thanks, Libby, dear," Sharon smiled as she crushed out her own cigarette.
"We've all learned a lot this week, haven't we? About ourselves, about our
fears, about our relationships." Sharon stood up and put her cigarettes in her
purse. "Let's go to dinner," she announced.

    While the group walked toward the hotel dining room, Sharon deliberately
moved closer to her husband. "Don, I've got only one question for you," she
asked quietly. "I understand what happened with Cathy. She told Lisa she
wanted to smoke. And I know what happened with me. I admitted I was jealous of
Lisa smoking. But what about you? How on earth did Lisa find out about you
smoking? You said you smoked only in secret until now. What is she, a
mind-reader? Something else is going on here, I'll bet!"

    Don smiled as he leaned over to whisper in his wife's ear. "Sharon, baby,"
he said, "I'll explain that part of the story to you later tonight. Much
later; in the bedroom, when we're alone. We'll smoke together and I'll tell
you all about it!" He gave Sharon a little pinch on the ass. "Then I'm going
to fuck your brains out!"

    Sharon pretended to be shocked. "Why, Don," she replied with a smile,
"what's gotten into you? You've never talked to me like that before!" But on
her face was a wicked grin. "But whatever the hell it is," Sharon continued,
"I think I like it! It sounds like fun to me, baby!"

    "It will be fun, honey, I promise," Don answered, putting the palm of his
hand on her ass again. "We're entering a whole new phase together. And I think
you'll enjoy it as much as I will!"

    Lisa smiled to herself. She overheard the entire conversation. Good for
them, she thought. For a moment she tried to imagine her mother and father
smoking together in the bedroom before having sex. She shook her head and
smiled.

    Quite an usual vacation. Quite an usual family. Lisa smiled to herself
again.

    They sat down in the smoking section of the restaurant's dining room.
Libby rejoined them after confirming she could join them for dinner. Lisa was
the first to speak. "Well," she smiled as she announced to no one in
particular, "I guess I'm responsible for this gathering tonight, aren't I? Let
me just say this: I don't know about anyone else, but before we look at the
menu, I'm ready for another cigarette...."

    THE END

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