Jamie, Part 2 | |
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Subject: Jamie - Part Two (Revised) Date: 11/21 Time: 01:45 AM Jamie's Secret I'd neglected to pick up one of the keys to our stateroom so we decided to go hang out for a while in Talia's room. We swung by the bar and saw our moms talking away so we just left them alone. The first thing I noticed when we reached their room was that it was substantially larger than ours. That didn't really bother me though 'cause I knew even coming at all was pretty much a stretch for us. Talia asked if I wanted something to drink and I said sure. The next thing I knew she'd opened their bar and produced this big wine bottle. Magnum? She poured out two glasses of clear sparkly something. "Mom and I had a quick glass of this champagne before we came out to meet you. Kind of to toast our trip" she quipped. And that's how I learned that this stuff I was drinking was champagne. It was sort of bitter but I loved the feel of the fizz in my mouth. Kind of Seven Up with an attitude. She, of course, lit yet another cigarette and in doing so offhanded "I absolutely hated champagne until the first time I had a cigarette along with it. Then suddenly I loved it. They just seem to be made for each other." And then underscored her contention with a puff, a sip, and a look of genuine bliss. "Well maybe I should try that too" I responded and continued "May I?" reaching for the earlier offered pack. With her indifferent but affirmative bob, I took one, brought it to my lips rather gingerly, flicked her also offered lighter, igniting the tip of this long, unfamiliar all white cigarette. A tentative first puff was followed by a more confident second. I inhaled the smoke uneventfully but experienced a strange coolness as it rushed down my throat. "What's that weird taste?" I blurted out amid a conversationally staccato'd exhale. Haven't you ever had a menthol before?" she queried not stopping for an answer. "This obviously isn't exactly your first cigarette." The answers of course were 'no' and 'you're right'. I wasn't certain how to take her observation. Whether to be pleased that I didn't look like a total dork smoking or disturbed at forfeiting my non-amateur status. I guessed it might as well be the former since I'd already blown the latter. Coming clean, "Ya , you're right. I've been smoking some for a while but if my mom finds out she'll fry my ass. For years I've been a total bitch about smoking. Even a few weeks ago, I was hard on her case. I even tried to make her go outside to smoke. I really laid into her good. Even made her cry. But a lot has happened since then. Now I could just kick myself. Care to hear about it?" She signaled interest, so I continued. "The very Monday after my last really big blowout with mom, I was walking home after school as usual with my two best friends, Jen and Tricia. Suddenly Jen says let's cut through the Harrington place. We'd always been kind of leery of that rotting old place but it was a shorter route and thinking maybe she was in a hurry to get home, we both said okay. Just when we got to the back of the house ... between it and what's left of the barn .. . Jen pulls a pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket, shakes out one for herself, and then offers the pack to us. They were Winston Lights that her mother was unwittingly supplying. Tricia takes one, but I don't. Not that day. The next afternoon the same thing happens but this time Jen says to me a little distantly "Don't mind us. You can just go on home if you want" as they open the gate. They both head down the stone path kind of giggling and I'm left on the street by myself. Without giving much thought to it I say "No. I'm coming with you. Wait for me." And that's about all it took. I was either one of them or I wasn't. And so I was. That day I accepted a cigarette from the pack Jen had ditched there the day before. It tasted terrible but I forced myself to smoke it. Neither Tricia nor I knew how to inhale at all so Jen kind of taught us. She'd say draw a mouthful of smoke and then open your mouth and swallow quickly. Initially we we're both kind of shocked that Jen even knew how to smoke but apparently she'd been watching her mother for years. Her mom had started working in September and Jen confessed she'd been indulging in an ever increasing number of cigarettes daily after school. Watching the ease with which Jen smoked was more than enough corroboration for the story she told us. What she said at the time was 'I don't even know why I started. Kind of thrill seeking I guess. Forbidden fruit. Mom has always been unconscious about her smoking so there wasn't much risk in taking a few. She was way too busy and pre-occupied to even notice. At first it was one after school a couple of times a week if it occurred to me. After a month or so however there wasn't an afternoon that it didn't occur to me. I even started thinking about it around lunch time and was really anxious to get home as soon as the bell rang.' We both interrupted her there to comment that we'd wondered about her rushing home this year rather than hanging out. 'Well' she continued, 'by that second month it wasn't just one anymore so in order to have time for a couple or three and not get caught, I had to get home pronto. I didn't exactly know what it was that I liked about smoking but it became continuously more appealing. I was growing to enjoy the taste and felt super relief whenever I'd gone along time without. It kind of made me feel all grown up and sophisticated. I even spent time in front of the bathroom mirror practicing and pretending that I was sharing a breakfast cigarette over coffee with mom. It was over Thanksgiving weekend however that things really started to change. I'd had pretty much free reign of the house up until then but suddenly we had a house full of people and no opportunity for me to smoke. I managed Thanksgiving day okay with only some gnawing discomfort but by noon on Friday I was climbing walls. This kitty wasn't just playing around any longer. It was damn hungry and needed to be fed. I joined mom at the kitchen table and managed to slip three cigarettes out of her pack right under her nose as she fussed over that evening's dinner. Happy with that quota, I needed a hideout and that's when I thought of this old place. By Christmas it was even worse when I couldn't smoke and I nearly had to live in that filthy old barn. At school I'm even sneaking out at lunch. Miss Avery caught me in the girl's room last week, but she just gave me detention. No call to my mom. Last weekend I decided that I just had to tell you guys. I can't not smoke anymore. What's worse is that I'm taking so many cigarettes from mom now that I'm afraid she's starting to suspect. In a way though I almost hope she is. I'm not going to stop now. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. She might not like it when she finds out but given how much she smokes, there's not much she can do about it. I'm pretty sure she'll just get pissed off then give in. I can handle that. It's better than this hell of sneaking around.' I wasn't quite done with that historical aside when Tal said "I'm really more interested in you than your friend. That kind of mother- daughter antagonism bullshit bores me." "Okay. Sorry. So let's see. Oh yeah. So for Tricia and me, you can guess just how much we both coughed to start with but by the next week not nearly so much. By the following week ... now about a month ago I think ... I was actually kind of excited about the afternoon ritual and I even contributed by lifting a pack of mom's Marlboro's. Tricia's folks don't smoke and as I said, Jen was afraid that her mom was starting to get suspicious. That's how it all started. I'm not hooked or anything but I'm sure not in a position any more to nag my mom. Frankly, if I could wipe the slate clean I'd have it like you and your mom do in a second." Talia replied "So why don't you just tell your mom and she'll probably let you smoke? She knows that I smoke and that doesn't bother her. What can it hurt?" You don't understand how horrible I've been to her about smoking. She'll never let me live it down if she ever discovers that things have changed. I've tried real hard to be as obnoxious as before the past few weeks but I doubt that I have been. It's not so easy to diss her when what I'd really rather do is join her. I'm not so much afraid that she'd forbid it. I just don't want all the crap she'll give me even if I do deserve it. Both of us had a third, yet unlit cigarette in our hands as we heard the cabin door opening. Talia lit hers as I slipped mine under my robe. Both moms walked in and were clearly feeling little pain. Sober they'd be unlikely to notice that only two of the white butts were lipstick stained. Both fairly looped, in a way I'd seldom seen mom, not a chance. A quick cigarette and a splash of champagne later for everyone but me, mom said something about going back to the stateroom to rest before dinner and did I want to come along. Since it didn't really sound like a question, I said "sure". Mom's walking was a little stumbly which she credited to bad sea legs. This was more amusing than argumentative to me. This was a new side of mom. It suddenly hit me how little fun she must of had since dad left. So then for her too, this trip was a good thing. I let mom sleep off the booze for more than an hour and was almost tempted to smoke the cigarette I was caching right there in the room. These Benson and Hedges of Jamie's were so much nicer to smoke than the others I'd had. What'd she call them? Menthols? Smoking only a month and I was already a brand switcher. Hiding the cigarette carefully under the pillow, good sense won out and I too took a nap. As we dressed for dinner I suggested to mom a second time that maybe it would be better if Talia and I took our cabin and the moms shared the other. "That's an interesting thought" she responded again, as if hearing it for the first time. "Maybe we should discuss it at dinner. You do realize by now, of course, that Talia's a smoker too so you won't be getting away from that" she finished with just a trace of smugness that I chose to ignore. "Of course I do" I replied. "I've been with her all afternoon. Don't take me for an idiot. But she doesn't hold a candle to you chimneys" I derogatively asserted, fingers crossed, "so I guess she's the least of all evils." I could tell that the total insincerity of every word I had just uttered had evaded mom completely. That expressed, I pulled an outfit out of the closet and eyed it for a while. Mom asked "Is anything wrong?" and I replied "It just looks a little juvenile, don't you thing?" "Maybe a touch" she responded as if on cue while opening up an unfamiliar and mysterious suitcase. "Let's see what else we've got here" she muttered. It was full of clothes that I'd never seen before. "Are these for me? " I blurted out in blatant greed and she replied "More like for us." It was true that we were now pretty close to the same size. Unlike Talia who was already bustier than her mom, I hadn't reached that point yet but on the other hand I didn't look like a boy either. And everyone said I had legs. Our laps around the deck today certainly didn't refute that. "On this trip everything is fair game for either one us. How does that suit you?" she quipped, no pun intended. Dressing took longer than usual because not only did mom share her wardrobe, she chose this moment to give makeup lessons. I entered the process with a pre-pubescent look and headed down to dinner with a markedly post one. My God this stuff does wonders. What I saw in the mirror was no longer a little girl. I admitted to myself that I actually looked hot. Oh what fun we're going to have. Hell, what am I saying. What fun I'm already having! Jamie's Adventure This time Tal and her mom were quicker. I guess Jaz didn't have to sleep off her daiquiris. I took the seat next to Talia and mom sat at the other end next to Jaz. The table was set for eight and I suppose that it was no accident that the other four were guys. A kid a couple of years older than us sat next to me along with his father. The other two were older types. Probably close to thirty. They were looking us all over pretty hard. Mostly the moms but Talia and maybe even me too. Shame on them. This evening nobody asked us what we wanted to drink. They just started filling our glasses. The dad was pouring wine for everyone and one of the other guys was filling these big glasses with what I found out soon were margaritas. I wasn't sure quite what to do. We'd never had a lot of liquor around so I really hadn't ever drunk before and mom and I didn't talk about it before the trip. It never occurred to me that age didn't matter much shipboard. Whee. Eventually I caught mom's eye and sort of gave her one of those "huh? " looks. She just gave me a smile and a whatever shrug of her shoulders. I took that to be a green light. What the hell. I tried first the wine and then the much more awkward margarita glass. Yum. Forget the wine. Talia and I clinked the margarita glasses and we were off and running. By now most everyone was smoking. All of the adults lit up and Talia was fetching her expensive looking lighter out of her cigarette purse as well. Like earlier in the day, she offered and I declined. "Not now" I whispered as she gave me a little 'aren't we a chicken shit' grin. Obviously I'd much rather have been part of the crowd, but not badly enough yet to deal with mom. I was working on a plan for that. There was one immediate, albeit marginal benefit to my refusal which was the voiced approval of the guy sitting next to me. "At least somebody around here's got good sense" he chimed. That began a conversation first between the two of us and then joined by Talia. His smoking critique however didn't seem to interfere with his obvious lust for her. Rory talked mostly to me but looked mostly at her. That was okay. He was way too big for my taste and way too dull for hers. Dinner vacillated between heaven and hell. The margaritas were divine but God did I want a cigarette. I didn't think of it as needing one exactly but rather how perfect it would be in this sublime setting. It was just like Tally said about the champagne. Alcohol and cigarettes made a nice pair. By the end of my third margarita I was dying. I elbowed Talia to sneak me a cigarette and with raised eyebrows she complied. She slipped me two and her lighter. I couldn't get to the women's room quick enough. I was wrong. I did need that cigarette. It was the first time this craving had happened to me but I sat in the stall and smoked it zealously. Long drags, tasting good. Deep inhales, feeling good. Firm exhales, looking good. Sidestream smoke, even smelling good. How long had Jen said she was smoking before it took over? Just two months? I think I'm beginning to understand what she means. Day one of a trip where smoking would be wonderful, more likely even necessary, and I'd painted myself into a corner. How the hell to escape? I'd figure it out. I'd have to! So deep in thought had I fallen, that I was half way back to the table before I realized that I'd apparently inadvertently smoked the second cigarette as well. Spooky how that could happen. With all the attention being lavished by the males upon my companions, my absence hadn't been missed or maybe even noticed. This too was a good thing. I could probably handle one more margarita before getting Tally out of this place. Then I suddenly remembered about changing roommates. I asked Talia if she'd mentioned it and she said that she hadn't. "Mom" I shouted down the table "what about trading roommates?" "Just a second she said" whispering something to Jasmine. "Excellent idea. Let's do it" she shouted back and I could see both moms with ear-to-ear grins. I noted that I should think about that later. These waiters were just great. I asked one to get me a couple of paper cups and he was back in a flash with huge, oversized ones. "Allow me" he said obviously reading my mind as he filled them both from the rapidly depleting pitcher of margaritas. I smiled back easily but now hoping that maybe he couldn't read my mind. What was I thinking anyhow? He must have been at least eighteen. Leaving, he quietly slipped a note into my hand and said "Call this number in case you need refills." Whew! Fever! I finally got Talia moving. One of the older guys had been talking to her non-stop for the past half hour. Actually it was really more her mom that got her going when she said to us "Why don't you girls run along and see what's going on around here? We'll catch up with you in a bit." This whole scene was getting weirder and funnier by the minute and by the margarita. Rory's dad had been hitting on mom and she wasn't brushing him off. Meanwhile the two other guys were hitting on Talia and Jaz, probably thinking they were sisters or something. For some reason, Jaz hadn't earlier introduced Tally as her daughter and seemed reticent to do so. With this guy coming on like gangbusters however, I guess her maternal instincts kicked in and hence now we were 'you girls'. So we did. Talia was in hysterics as we left. "Was my mother protective or jealous? What do you think? Was that a good thing she did, ushering us out?" "Definitely a good thing and what I think" I responded "is that I need a cigarette PDQ. Give me one and then I'll answer your question. " We reached the deck and found an uncrowded railing. Quickly becoming adept, I snapped her lighter to life which in turn did the same favor for my cigarette. The cool rush was no longer unexpected and as such was perhaps even more welcome. Menthol had moved smoking up a big notch on my ladder. Still focused mostly upon my cigarette, I said "What was your question again?" "Protective or jealous?" she responded. "Mostly protective, I think. She wasn't interested in Joe nearly so much as Peter. She just didn't want him following her little girl around. After all my dear, you look like your leaving your teens, not entering them." Satisfied with my profound analytical abilities, I returned my attention to my freshly lit Benson and Hedges. I marveled at its soothing coolness on my throat and trippy tingle in my lungs as she reflected on my cool and trippy comments. "Okay. You're probably right" and that was that. "I've got something else to tell you though that you might find particularly interesting" she continued. "Do you know why you're on this cruise in the first place?" Me responding with a blank stare, she went on. "Let me tell you. After you and your mom left this afternoon, mom and I sat down and polished off the champagne. She noted that we must have been drinking it too but she didn't seem to care." "Mom had to be pretty zonked to tell me all this but here goes. Your mom is trying, actually trying, to have you become a smoker. It seems that you really have been as much of a bitch as you told me earlier. Seeing you sitting there smoking a cigarette however didn't make your story sound very credible. It seems that when you tried to kick her out of the house, she came unglued. She figured that you'd start eventually anyhow so why not expedite things a little. She wants you to smoke so that's it. Have at it girl." "Wow." I replied. "Are you serious? Is that really what your mom told you?" "Pretty much verbatim" she responded "and, oh of course, not to share this with you. But of course she knows that I will. She's just covering her tracks as far as your mom is concerned. End of story. Your problem is solved." "Not so fast" I began. "Let's grab a little table up top and think about it." As we walked I asked Talia "So what do you think I ought to do?" "Daaaa, that's a no brainer. Smoke, dummy" she retorted as we found a secluded little table overlooking the main deck and the fogeys below fox-trotting or something. Planting our still half full drinks on the table, we scavenged up a couple of ashtrays. Tally shook a cigarette partially loose from the pack and pushed it toward me. Withdrawing it, I began to push the pack back but she put her hand out and said "No keep them. I've got a second pack in my purse and two cartons in the room. You've got the supply problem. Not me." Her advice had seemed right. Coming out quick and clean would be an easy solution. A day or two with a diet of crow and maybe the ridicule would pass by sufferably. I could then smoke openly and not worry about sneaking and stealing. There was no question in my mind that that's where we'd end up but I wasn't quite ready yet to submit. I was being played like a piano and I wasn't altogether pleased. The only question now was whether to include Tally in my retaliation or use her as an unwitting setup. Not sure yet then boom. "Tally, how well do you act?" I asked not waiting for an answer. "Here's what I'd like to do.” And step by step I unfolded a plan for dealing with my mother's backhandedness. I wasn't angry. Actually I was kind of amused. Cigarette in hand, the evidence was overwhelmingly in that she'd already won. Clearly, I was even glad that she had. I just didn't want to hand her the victory on a silver platter. "What do you think? Can you do that?" I concluded. I didn't need to hear her answer because she was falling out of her chair laughing. "You bad, girl" was all she could get out. It was only eleven o'clock but we were both dead. It had been a long day already and with eight days ahead it didn't seem like we needed to stay out much longer. We were also both pretty tipsy. I certainly wouldn't need the "margarita doctor's" phone number tonight. We cruised through the lounge to say our "goodnights" and not surprisingly only Rory was gone. With the odds three to two, neither mom was particularly chatty, with us that is. They acknowledged our good sense for ending the evening at a rational hour and were back quickly to their male admirers. Jaz did however have to stare down Joe as his eyes, if not his feet, again appeared to be following us out of the bar. Once back in the room we chatted, giggled, and smoked 'til probably one. Our drinking however was confined to coke. We'd push the limit on alcohol tonight and we both knew it. The main focus was the devious plan for tomorrow and making certain that it was finely honed. Hopefully neither of us would blow it when the time came. Morning came unwelcomely early and was accompanied by an uncommon headache. It took Talia to explain to me that this was no ordinary headache but rather the self-imposed variety known as a hangover. I made a mental note to precautionarily remember in the future the cause and effect here. You can guess about often that happens. After a quick cigarette ... as bad as my mouth felt it still tasted nice, relieving ... we separated to meet our moms for breakfast. Jaz and Tally were 'spa-ing' and we'd opted not to ... at least not for today. Mom was still fussing over the money stuff. I'd never seen her quite like this before. She looked terrible and wonderful all at one time. She was so clearly dead tired yet she had an unusual cheeriness to her that I hadn't seen in years. I kind of knew what sort of questions I wanted to ask, but didn't have the guts to do so. Maybe later. Sylvie's Dilemma "Aren't the girls joining us for lunch? I asked Jaz as she approached alone. They'd been down by the pool a little earlier and I'd thought they'd be coming with her. I'd gone back to bed for most of the morning. For the first time in years I'd spent a long night in bed that didn't involve sleeping. Now I needed to catch up. Looked like I'd have another "date" again tonight. "No" she responded "I told them that they could pass on this one and grab something at the hamburger bar. They were cool with that. I kind of wanted to see you alone anyhow. "What are you having?" she asked without pausing. "Personally I'm committed to ice tea for the rest of the day" she continued gingerly touching the crown of her head. "Sounds right" I replied. Then with substantial curiosity I inquired as to what the luncheon topic was to be. "I'm not telling you about my mattress toy unless you tell me about yours" I teased. Surprisingly she seemed unamused. "Okay, what's up" I responded in stoic kind. "I'm not sure quite what to make of this but, with all we'd had to drink yesterday afternoon I kind of slipped before dinner and confided in Talia about the smoking issue between you and Jamie. She didn't say much at the time. But this morning at the spa she was unusually sullen. I seldom need to pry things out of her but she was peculiarly reticent. Finally I got her to open up but I had to absolutely swear not to tell you. So of course I did. I even intended to keep that promise until I heard what she had to say. Then I decided I just couldn't. Oh shit. I left my cigarettes in the room. Can I bum?" she inquired already lit and drawing in deeply, her normal courtroom bred unflappability in question. Slowly she exhaled and looked at me with concern. "Talia says Jamie's totally got your number. It's true that she really doesn't care much for smoking, cigarettes at least, but to some extent that's a smoke screen. She offered Tally a toke last night and stoked one up herself. Tally was appalled. She says that that's just the tip of the iceberg. She thinks she's got some loaded sugar cubes with her as well. Your baby is way past cigarettes. She's playing with serious stuff." "Say what? What are you telling me? My kid's a junkie. Get serious Jaz. That doesn't make any sense at all. I've never had even a single clue. I don't buy it" I rebutted. "Look Sylvie, if you told me something like this about Talia, I'd probably want to call you a liar too. I'm not trying to upset you. I just felt that this was one confidence I couldn't maintain, even sober. I'd want no less from you." she replied. "It just doesn't compute" I muttered. "I know what you mean Sylvie, but why would Talia lie about something this serious?" Jaz replied. "It doesn't make any sense to me. I've certainly never known her to. Maybe you should talk to Talia yourself before saying anything to Jamie. It'll damage my confidentiality with her a bit, but that's a small price. I honestly don't think you have any choice but to do something about this?" For a moment I just stared, transfixed by my lighter's dancing flame still disassociated from the unlit Marlboro dangling loosely from my lips. Eventually, almost unconsciously, they intersected and then it was the smoldering tip that hypnotized. Thoughts ran crazy through my head. How could this be happening? I wasn't trying to hurt her or anything. All I'd wanted to do was to get her off my case about smoking. If I honestly thought that she wouldn't be smoking on her own soon enough anyway, I wouldn't be trying to expedite it. At least I can tell myself that. But now instead of a little innocuous smoking, I'm told that my baby's a druggie. "I'm totally baffled" I said resuming the conversation. "I just had no idea. What a great little actress. She makes me feel like dirt over my cigarettes while she's out sniffing and snorting. I'm blown away. I'll have to think about this for a while. Do you have any ideas? Forget the ice tea. Now I need a drink." |
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