Happy Hour, Part 3

HAPPY HOUR
===========
By Blackbladder

PART THREE - JUST SAY NO

"Is this such a good idea?" Kirsten said as they walked into the Drôle Bar.
As they entered the bar area, they were assaulted by the abundance of fresh
cigarette smoke hovering all around the room.  

"Come on, this is part of your quitting.  It's a challenge. Go find
yourselves a seat and I'll order the drinks." Rosemary shouted as music from
a jukebox blasted in the corner.  

As Rosemary approached the bar, dodging the many people dancing on the
dancefloor, the couple found a vacant table and chairs nearby.  

"Can I have two Martinis and a pint please?" Rosemary said to the woman
behind the bar counter, as she rummaged her bag for her purse.

"The smoke in here is driving me nuts!" Andy exclaimed, looking at all the
smoking customers having fun.  Kirsten silently nodded as she looked towards
a cigarette machine sitting beside the jukebox.  Andy noticed the machine as
both of their cravings enticed them to cave in to their habit.

"I'm gonna go put on a song!" Andy said nervously, whose real intention was
to purchase a pack from the machine.  As he stood up from the table, Kirsten
grabbed his arm.

"Look at me! We can get through this.  We've done great so far - let's not
blow it now. If we can pass this test, then we should be home and dry."
Kirsten commanded.

At the bar, Rosemary payed for her drinks.

"I think the bar looks really nice.  Very lovely decor.  I also noticed your
prices are pretty good as well." Rosemary said, replying to a question.

"You know we also have a happy hour promotion.  If you buy your drinks
between 10pm and 11pm, they are all half-price."

"Yeah, I know - we've got one of your promotion cards this morning.  Don't
take this personally, but the only thing I am a bit overwhelmed with is the
amount of people smoking in here.  I've taken my friends out here tonight,
whom are trying to quit smoking.  I work at the local health clinic as a
Smoking Cessation Therapist.  I knew a bar would be a challenge for them but
I never anticipated this atmosphere.  It is almost as if everyone in here is
smoking.  Anyway, I'm best getting back to them before their cravings get the
better of them.  It was nice to meet you, Monique!" Rosemary walked off back
to her friends' table, armed with a tray of the ordered drinks.

"Nice to meet you Rosemary...I don't think we've seen the last of you tonight
though." Monique thought to herself as a blonde-haired woman approached the
counter.

Monique recognised the woman whom she served drinks to earlier on that night.
From conversation, she discovered that the woman was called Lesley...and
worked as the Rector's secretary at the local Pride College.

"Can I have another gin and tonic please?" Lesley asked as she struggled to
fight off strange cravings that dominated her thoughts.  

As Monique prepared the confused customer's drink, she also withdrew a pack
of cigarettes from behind the counter, with a lighter.

"What is this?" Lesley said as she looked at the pack of cigarettes sitting
in front of her.

"They will help clear your head." Monique replied.

"No thanks, I don't smoke.  Never have, never will." Lesley declared
half-heartedly as the cravings became more intense as she viewed the pack in
front of her.  Ever since her first drink at the bar, she had become more
aware of the cigarette smoke lingering in the bar.  She had been breathing in
second-hand smoke for half an hour since her arrival.  These cravings were
strange, as cigarette smoke made her feel sick in the past.  However, the
queasiness from breathing in the smoke wasn't present amongst her symptoms
currently.  

"Maybe you need a bit of help." Monique stated as she picked up the pack and
flipped back its lid, revealing the cork-tipped filters.  Doing so, she saw
Lesley's eyes glare at the pack.

That looks so good, a voice inside Lesley whispered.

No, what am I doing? I should finish my drink and get out of here for some
fresh air, Lesley argued with the voice.

Monique removed a cylinder from the pack and held it out towards Lesley, the
filter inches away from her mouth.  

Come on Lesley - just try one, the voice enticed.

With the cravings peaking, and the second-hand smoke smelling inviting,
Lesley buckled to the mental pressure.  

Lesley leaned over the bar counter and accepted the cigarette, her lips
sealing themselves around the filter.  With a half-dazed look, she accepted
the flame from Monique's lighter without hesitation.  Smoke seeped from her
lips as the end glowed red.  Lesley took the cigarette out of her mouth and
stared at it.

What the hell am I doing?, This is disgusting, Lesley thought as she could
still taste the filter in her mouth.

Despite her thoughts, the cravings increased once more urging her to take a
drag.

She complied with the mental demand, raised the cigarette to her lips and
took a deep pull.  As the tip glowed red once more, she stared at Monique,
whom smiled back at her.  Lesley instinctively inhaled the smoke, and her
lungs immediately accepted the alien toxins greedily.  The surge of pleasure
and dip in her anxiety was immense as the smoke satisfied the intense
cravings she had endured.  Pursing her lips with her head tilted back, Lesley
lazily exhaled a controlled stream of smoke towards the air fans.

"Feeling better?" Monique asked rhetorically, as Lesley smiled at the bar
mistress.

"Definitely.  My head seems to be much clearer now." Lesley replied happily,
raising the cigarette towards her lips once more for another deep drag.  

Monique watched as Rosemary and her friends consumed their drinks as they
talked.

"Kirsten! How are you?" a voice shouted across the room.

Kirsten smiled as her friend, Elizabeth, approached their table with a glass
of wine in her hand.  Kirsten ushered Elizabeth to sit down with her husband
and Rosemary.  

"I'm fine Elizabeth - fancy seeing you here.  Isn't Kurt not with you
tonight?"

"No. He's at home with the kids.  I just nipped in here tonight for a quick
drink.  I wanted to check out how good this bar is.  I think its fantastic!"
Elizabeth said enthusiastically.

Rosemary introduced herself to Elizabeth as she took another sip of martini.  

Kirsten was puzzled.  Elizabeth was an ex-smoker herself, and had always
opposed smoking in public places since quitting.  

"Doesn't the smoke bother you tonight?  It's driving me and Andy nuts."
Kirsten enquired.

"Not anymore, I've got a confession to make..." Elizabeth whispered as she
extracted a pack of cigarettes with a Zippo Lighter from her handbag.

Elizabeth's unspoken statement was met with frowns from Rosemary and the
couple.  However, this didn't discourage Elizabeth from lighting up in front
of them.

"You do realize we are still trying to give up?" Andy said as he sensed the
cravings for nicotine increase with the smoke originating from Elizabeth's
lit cigarette.

"Yeah, I know..." Elizabeth replied, exhaling above their heads.  While
Rosemary sat enraged at this smoker, Kirsten and Andy's cravings now raged at
the presence of fresh second-hand smoke around their table.

"...but I just couldn't help it.  When I saw other people smoking in here, I
then felt I was missing out.  I began to regret my decision to quit smoking
in the first place.  God, looking back now, I went through total hell to give
up these..." Elizabeth explained, admiring the burning cylinder between her
fingers.

Kirsten and Andy were entranced by the cigarette between Elizabeth's fingers
as the smoke rose from the tip.  They watched with intrigue as the smoke
floated towards the constant cloud of smoke in the room.  The cravings
ratcheted up the pressure as they both found themselves questioning their
bids to give up the habit.  Internally, they both analysed the habit they
were supposed to be giving up as Elizabeth returned the cigarette to her
lips.  They watched with envy and jealousy as Elizabeth's cheeks caved in as
she inhaled with enthusiasm, lost in pleasure towards her affair with
nicotine once more.

"Let's go Kirsten.  It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth." Rosemary urged as
she wanted to save the couple from conceding defeat to their cravings.  By
now, Andy and Kirsten were oblivious to Rosemary as they breathed in
Elizabeth's exhaled smoke, letting it bathe their faces like an old friend.  

"...not again though.  I'll never quit smoking.  I forgot how much fun it is
to do this." Elizabeth finished her statement as she looked towards the dazed
couple.

"How rude of me - Would anyone like a cigarette?" Elizabeth asked as she held
up the pack of cigarettes in front of the couple, with Rosemary an onlooker.

"I don't think they..." Rosemary instinctively said in vain as Kirsten and
Andy both accepted cigarettes from the pack.

"Think about what you're doing.  Think about all that good work you're
wasting by lighting that!" Rosemary said in desperation, agitated as Kirsten
took the offered lighter from Elizabeth.

With her cigarette dangling, she listened to Rosemary's last plea.

"Please don't do this - remember why you are both quitting the habit - for
your daughters.  You both said to me weeks ago about not wanting to subject
your daughters to your smoke anymore!" Rosemary begged.

"Yes....we did say that - but that's in the past!" Kirsten reasoned as she
flicked the wheel of the lighter and lit up.

As Kirsten inhaled, she passed the lighter over towards her husband.  

Rosemary was angry - here she was sitting at a table between Kirsten and
Andy, whom were hell-bent on resuming their nicotine habit.  Her support to
them had now been a waste of time, plus a negative result for her Smoking
Cessation Services.  As they smoked and drank, Rosemary continued to berate
the couple for being reckless and inconsiderate.  She also had to fan away
the smoke from the table.

"So Rosemary - you can't give Kirsten and Andy a hard time.  Smoking is
addictive.  Once an addict, always an addict.  Unless you've smoked yourself,
how could you understand how hard it is?" Elizabeth defended her friends.

"For your information, Elizabeth, every Smoking Cessation therapist is an
ex-smoker.  We are there to support people who want to give up smoking.
Health Services will only employ former smokers to do this job as it gives
the positions credibility, as well as its clients confidence that the habit
can be kicked." Rosemary replied as she began to notice Kirsten dragging
unapologetically on her cigarette.

"Didn't you find it hard to quit?" Elizabeth asked

"Yes, it was very hard.  It was the most difficult period of my
life...juggling my job at the time as a school nurse and with the smoking
habit." Rosemary continued as she glanced briefly at Kirsten and Andy
embracing their smoking habits.

"But it has been the best thing for me...I've not felt healthier in years."
Rosemary stated, now barely convinced of the words she had just spoken.  

Suddenly, the old nicotine cravings returned to harass Rosemary as she
watched her colleagues bask in their smoking habits.  Rosemary felt
alienated, as the only non smoker at the table.  Her anger at Kirsten and
Andy smoking disappeared and was replaced with curiosity as the smoke
continued to surround the group.  By now, Rosemary had stopped fanning away
the smoke from the table - now breathing in the second-hand smoke slowly.
Her heartbeat raced with excitement as thoughts of smoking with her
colleagues filled her mind.  

Kirsten, Andy and Elizabeth ground out their cigarettes in the over-flowing
ashtray on the small table.  They all sighed contentedly, relaxing and
enjoying the surge of nicotine flow through them.

"I'm going to get cigarettes from the machine over there." Kirsten stated
confidently as she stood up from the table.

Overcome with the cravings, Rosemary grabbed her friend's arm.

"Kirsten..."

"What...?" Kirsten sighed, expecting another lecture against smoking.

"Get me a pack as well." Rosemary said as the cravings won their battle.

Andy and Elizabeth smiled as Kirsten retrieved two packs of cigarettes from
the cigarette machine in the corner.  Upon returning to the table, she placed
a pack in front of Rosemary.

Rosemary observed silently as Kirsten and Andy ripped open the seal on the
pack like animals and removed a cigarette for each other.  Elizabeth obliged,
lighting up her friends before lighting up her own dangling cigarette without
hesitation.  As Elizabeth went to the bar for another round of drinks,
Kirsten and Andy continued to smoke happily while Rosemary just stared at the
fresh pack of cigarettes in front of her.

"Are you just going to look at them all night?" Kirsten taunted, exhaling a
tight stream of smoke.

Rosemary responded to that statement by picking up the pack, unpeeling the
cellophane.  She felt excited as she removed the foil and took out a
cigarette with two fingers.

The cravings increased and the tension worsened.

Placing the cigarette between her lips, Rosemary picked up Elizabeth's gold
Zippo lighter, and produced a flame as she contemplated her next move.

If I smoke, what does that mean for my job?, Rosemary thought as she watched
the flame dance.

So what, I can get a job elsewhere in the health centre, another voice from
within her reasoned.

Rosemary succumbed to the mental pressure of the cravings and lit up her
first cigarette in years.  As the smoke filled her mouth, she greeted the
nicotine with open arms.  As she placed the lighter on top of Elizabeth's
pack, she inhaled deeply, letting the smoke caress her once-trained lungs to
the nicotine.  Her posture relaxed instantly as the nicotine worked it's
magic, providing her with a massive feeling of pleasure which washed over
her.  

"What is this?" Monique shouted as she approached the group with Elizabeth.

"I don't know what has come over me...I should be mad as hell." Rosemary
replied as smoke punctuated her words.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over this." Elizabeth said, defending the
habit she had just re-acquired herself.

"Do you think you will come back, Rosemary?" Monique asked as she exhaled her
own smoke from her burning cigarette.

"Yeah.  I'll maybe ask around the clinic tomorrow and see who else fancies a
drink here." Rosemary smiled, as the nicotine buzz was surging through her
body.  

"How do you think your work colleagues will react when they see you smoking
again?" Elizabeth asked.

"I think I'm a bit embarrassed to tell them I'm smoking again at the moment.
Eventually, I will though...they'll just have to deal with it.  After all,
it's just like what you say, Elizabeth, once a smoker - always a smoker!"
Rosemary said as she raised her cigarette towards her waiting lips for
another drag...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have you got any plans for your birthday tomorrow?" Darren asked as Hazel
returned the half-empty vodka bottle.

They were all sitting around the play chute area of the desolated play park,
with the street lights illuminating the area like a spotlight.  Hazel and her
friends were paired off with Darren's other smoking friends, sharing the
stolen alcohol amongst themselves.  At first, the boys’ continuous smoking
was a mental barrier between themselves and the cheerleaders.  However, as
the alcohol was consumed, they began to lose their inhibitions.  

"Yep - just to get pissed!" Hazel replied, feeling the effects of the vodka.
Her prior intentions of cheerleading practice had been forgotten by all her
friends as heavy metal blasted from the CD player.  Everyone burst out
laughing at Hazel's uncharacteristic statement.  

"I'm going to have another smoke..." Darren said as he removed a pack of
cigarettes from his jacket pocket.  Hazel instinctively slid away from Darren
as he lit up.  This provoked a similar reaction from his other friends, as
one by one, they all lit up with their own packs.  A cloud of smoke began to
ascend into the night sky as the boys puffed furiously as the girls sipped
from the vodka bottles.  

"What's wrong babe? You wanting one?" Darren asked as he caught Hazel
watching him take a deep drag.

The girls all laughed as they thought this was just another joke Darren was
telling, however, the atmosphere fell silent as he extended the pack towards
Hazel.

"I don't smoke remember!" Hazel stated, despite her continuous stare at the
filters sitting seductively towards her.

"Come on, live a little - it's not like you ain't done it before!" Darren
exclaimed as the girls gasped at his statement.  

After a moment of stunned silence from everyone, Sasha spoke up for the
girls.

"You smoked, Hazel?" 

Suddenly, Hazel stared at the ground in slight embarrassment.  The memories
of her brief smoking experience flooded her brain.

"Just once when Darren hassled me to try it."

"So what happened?" Christine said as she took another swig from the vodka
bottle.

"It came about when me and Darren first started going out.  For weeks, Darren
had been daring me to try a cigarette and I always told him never as I didn't
want kicked off the cheerleader squad.  This was just before I met all of
you.  Anyway, Darren and me were hangin around the back of the college when
he asked me to hold his cig so he could run to the toilet.  I couldn't stand
the smell of it, so I held it out at arms length.  I waited for ages, having
to flick the ash from the cig like an idiot.  I was so shitting myself in
case someone came and saw me do it.  Eventually, Darren came back - having
already lit another cig on the way.  I suppose curiosity got the better of me
that day - standing there with my own cig.  Darren told me not to waste it,
so I tried a few puffs.  It was wretched - I told Darren so, and put it out."
Hazel explained as she drunk from the near-empty vodka bottle.

Along with her memories of the smoking experience, that curious feeling had
returned as Darren laid the open pack of cigarettes next to her.  Hazel was
confused as she began having a deep urge within herself to smoke a cigarette.
All night, the girls had been forced to breathe in the second-hand smoke from
Darren's friends.  

"Thank goodness you never took up that habit..."  Mandy laughed momentarily
as Hazel removed a cylinder from the pack and put it between her lips.

Hazel couldn't understand why she had picked up the cigarette, but a feeling
inside urged her on.  Intoxicated with the alcohol, the curiosity won over as
she picked up Darren's lighter to the shock of her female peers.

It took two spins of the wheel to produce a flame, but when it roared to
life, she raised it towards the cigarette end and sucked.

"What the fuck are you doing....?!" Christine said monosyllabically as Hazel
instinctively inhaled after a small drag.

A feeling of pure bliss overcame Hazel as the smoke coated her near-virgin
lungs with the nicotine she couldn't handle on her first smoking experience.
But what made this occasion so different, Hazel thought as she basked in the
buzz flowing through her body.  Hazel tilted her head back towards the sky,
pursed her lips, and allowed a stream of smoke to escape in the calm breeze.

"You're crazy!" Sasha roared as her friend smiled and returned the cigarette
to her lips.

"It's cool Sasha - Don't knock it til you've tried it!" Hazel replied after
another pleasurable drag.  As she slid back towards Darren, other nostalgic
feelings began to re-emerge.  Hazel looked longily in Darren's eyes as she
exhaled another tight stream of smoke upwards to Darren's stunned delight.  

"I never thought I would see the day." Darren said, pleasantly surprised.

"You're not fucking kidding!" Christine angrily retorted.

As the girls watched the head cheerleader smoke her cigarette with vigour,
they began to become more curious about the dirty habit they had all preached
against.  Although they had never smoked themselves, the sight of their
friend now smoking like a pro, lost in a smoky haze with Darren, made
feelings of jealousy arise in each of them.

"But what about the cheerleading?" Mandy weakly asked as she, like the other
girls, tried to fend off the curiosity burning within her.

"I'll make sure they won't find out!" Hazel replied as she took another deep
drag.

As the other boys lit up new cigarettes, the girls now struggled to recapture
the relaxed state they were enjoying until Hazel started smoking.  The buzz
from the alcohol began to wear off as anxiety unsettled their nerves from
Hazel smoking.  

Gradually, the girls began taking more notice of the boys puffing away
contentedly, and the curiosity became too much for Sasha to bare.

"If Hazel can smoke, surely I can try a cig too?" Sasha sneered angrily,
confused about these cravings she was experiencing.

As one of the boys passed the pack to Sasha who took a cigarette, a similar
request followed from Christine.  As Sasha's cigarette was lit, the pack was
passed along to Christine who also removed a cylinder from the pack.  As
Christine received a light for her cigarette, Sasha inhaled tentatively on
the cigarette - the end glowing bright red.  

Suddenly, Mandy found herself as the only person not smoking as she watched
her friends become smokers within a matter of minutes.  While Mandy was
concerned and worried about this, she couldn't help feel curious about the
new common pleasure her friends shared with Darren's.  

"What about you, Mandy? Want to give it a go?" Hazel laughed behind a cloud
of smoke.

Before Mandy could contemplate her reaction, her body seemed to take control
of the situation.

"Yes - can I have one?" Mandy couldn't believe what she had just said.

As Christine inhaled on her cigarette, she passed the pack to the other
cheerleader.

Feeling a hunger deep inside, she took a cigarette from the pack as Christine
flicked the lighter to life for her friend.  With the cigarette dangling,
Mandy leaned over to receive a light eagerly, submitting fully to her new
cravings.  As the end glowed red, Mandy sucked on the cigarette as if she had
smoked all her life.  Somehow, when inhaling, she found her lungs eagerly
awaiting the arrival of the smoke with anticipation.  A wave of pleasure
surged through her body, making every nerve tingle with excitement as she
held the smoke inside her lungs for ten seconds.  Soon, the nicotine buzz
joined the alcoholic effects working within her system as she reluctantly
exhaled in novice fashion, having no control over direction, nor style.

As she leaned back on the playchute stair, she looked at the burning cylinder
between her fingers with mixed emotions.  She definitely loved its taste, and
now understood why people do smoke, but the mystery as to why SHE was smoking
all of a sudden puzzled her.  

Maybe another drag will clear my thoughts, Mandy wondered as she raised the
cigarette to her mouth for another steady puff.

"Way to go girls!" Darren smiled as the whole group now smoked with vigour.

"Smoking tastes fantastic!  We should have all tried this years ago when
Darren first tried to get you to smoke!" Sasha considered as her prior views
on the habit had evaporated from her mind like the fog of cigarette smoke
around them all.  

Hazel just sat and continued to smoke freely as she tried to emulate Darren's
style of exhaling.  After another practiced exhale, she looked towards Darren
for approval.

"What do you think?" Hazel asked as she took another deep pull on her
cigarette.

"I can maybe tell you in private..." Darren indicated as they both recalled
of their past relationship.  

Hazel smiled as Darren stood up and she followed him away from the smoking
group out of the spotlight.  

Laughing at Hazel and Darren walking off together for a 'private session',
the girls, pumped full of nicotine, decided to give the boys a rendition of
their dance routine as they smoked...

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