Cold Turkey, Part 7

All characters in this story are purely fictional.  Any resemblence 
of these characters to real life people are conicidence only, and are 
not meant to cause offence to anyone.  All place names and locations 
in this story are intentionally fictional.  

COLD TURKEY
by Blackbladder

Part 7

Denise loaded the money into the telephone receiver and dialled the black
numbers, representing home.  Once she heard her husband's voice on the other
end, she sighed..

"Hi Paul.  How are things?"

"Everything is ok.  The kids are missing you a lot.  They keep asking 'When is
Mommy coming back?'"

"Aww it won't be long now, just a few days left and I'll be on my way home.
Are they behaving themselves?"

"Yeah, no problems.  Oh, your work phoned, theyre wanting you to start back a
day earlier."

"No way Paul.  I am entitled to this holiday and nothing will stop me enjoying
myself."

"Is your mother there?"

Denise froze as she forgot Irene would not be joining her this morning.

"No.  She has met a guy up here.  I think they are in love." Denise laughed.

"Good for Irene.  It is about time.  I was wanting to apologise to Irene.  I
am assuming she is still not smoking?"

"Nope."

"I wanted to say sorry for all the harsh things I said to her.  Tell your
mother that she is welcome in our house anytime now."

Denise almost felt a tear of joy ripple down her cheek at Paul's change of
attitude.  She could almost feel the tension cut by a knife.

"That is great Paul!  You won't regret it.  Things will be different when we
come back."

Leo took out two cigarettes from his pack and lit them both, handing one to
Irene.  She accepted gratefully by taking a deep puff, cheeks collapsing as
the smoke swirled in the wind.   Leo then inhaled on his own cigarette as they
continued their conversation.

"So this Paul guy has always been a right bastard to you?  I would like to
kick his ass - there is nothing wrong with smoking.  Why should people like
you and me be outlawed because we enjoy a vice?  Is your daughter just as
bad?"

"Yeah, if not worse.  I smoked during her childhood and she grew up hating me
for it.  From that moment, she took a real offensive to smoking overall.  You
see, what made things worse was that I was a nurse back then.  She would avoid
her friends, who would begin to smoke, when she was at school.  Denise simply
avoided all contact with smokers during her teenage days.  She was definately
not your typical rebel at that age.  You know she hasn't even drunk alcohol in
her life?  She completely disagrees with it as my husband was a bit of an
alcoholic."

"That is pretty sad, Irene.  At the end of the day, Denise should accept you
for who you are.  You are her mother for crying out loud!" Leo stated, his
tone growing more angry.

"Calm down Leo.  Smoking kills anyway.  She is probably best steering away
from those habits anyway.  I do care about her health." Irene said, one hand
caressing Leo's hand - the other holding a lit cigarette.

"Your daughter shouldn't be making you feel bad though." Leo suggested as
Irene raised the shrinking cigarette to her lips for another inhale.  Seconds
later, Irene tilted her head to the side, exhaling sensuously into the
carrying wind.  

"I should be getting back to the cabin now, Leo.  I have been here with you
all day." Irene realised, grinding out her cigarette with her shoe.  

Leo retorted "You complaining?"

They both embraced each other with another kiss before Irene made her way
home.

"Anyone home?" Irene shouted as she entered the cabin.

The silence was deafening - suddenly, she saw her daughter frowning at her.
Denise's arms were folded, her shoulders tense and her eyebrows arched.  She
was clearly not happy about something.

"You been smoking behind my back?" Denise inquired.

Irene realised the game was eventually up.  How did her daughter find out
though? She would play this game calm.

"Why would you say that?" Irene feigned innocence.

"Because of those damn butts I found on the back porch of the cabin!  Don't
you dare play fucking dumb with me!" Denise shouted, clearly annoyed.

"I wonder why you avoided me this morning.......It is not like you to have
slept in this morning either.  What made you start back up? How could you be
so weak after doing so well? You know Paul called today to try and apologise
to you....." Denise rambled on, her fury unrelentless in her scathing verbal
attack.

Irene became frustrated at her daughter's foul language against her.  What was
the big crime? She wondered.  Suddenly, Irene saw red.

"Shut up you bitch! For all I have done for you, I get this shit.  I don't
deserve this.  Yes, I have started smoking again - stop treating me like I
have murdered someone!" Irene broke down, tears freefalling down her cheeks as
she ran outside and drove away in the Vauxhall Cavalier.

Denise, heartbroken that her mother had given in to the evil weed again,
crawled up in the chair and cried.  The tension that had been missing for days
had returned with a vengence..

"Here, have another cigarette" Leo pleaded.

Irene shrugged her shoulders as they both sat in a small bar.  She took the
offered cigarette from the pack and lit up - soon her smoke was mingling with
the other smoke floating around them.  Through each inhale, her tension was
washing away.  

"I should really kill you Leo for getting me smoking again." Irene shot Leo a
dirty look whilst inhaling deeply.

"But you won't.  You love me at heart, just like you do with your cigarettes.
Tell me to my face you regret starting back up again." Leo smiled.

Irene looked at the burning cigarette between her fingers, then her expression
turned to confusion as she returned her glance to Leo.

"I can't say I regret it." Irene muttered.

Leo leaned over to kiss Irene on the cheek, whilst slipping his hand over her
shoulder.

"Everything will work itself out.  If her family don't accept you then fuck
them.  You have did enough helping them in the past."

Irene took a final deep puff from her cigarette and ground it out violently in
the ashtray.  As she exhaled a long cone of smoke, she relaxed back into the
bar chair and snugged up to Leo...

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