Jenny's Thanksgiving, Part 2

     JENNY'S THANKSGIVING
     PART II - AUNT GRETCHEN' SHOUSE


     The Costello's Explorer pulled into the drive at 12:08PM and
parked behind Aunt Gretchen's Caravan.  As they disembarked, Uncle
Will came out to greet them. "Hi gang, welcome back."  He shook
Zack's hand and gave Grace a big hug before looking at the kids. 
"Dammit Bruce, I think you grew another four inches--and Jennifer,
you're becoming quite the adorable young lady!"  Jenny smiled and
said, "Thank you Uncle Will."  Will is kind of square, Jenny thought,
but he's an alright guy.  She noticed he still smokes Marlboros, the
crush-proof box visible through his shirt pocket.  "Here Jenny," Grace
said, "Take this pumpkin pie into the kitchen and ask Gretchen where
to put it.  Then you can go find Christie." "OK, mom."

     Jenny glided into the kitchen with the pie and was immediately
hit with the warm aroma of roasting turkey, accentuated with cigarette
smoke.  Aunt Gretchen was stirring something on the stove with one
hand.  In her other hand was the ever-present Virginia Slim Light.  "Hi
sweetheart!" exclaimed Gretchen.  "Put that pie on the counter by the
Fridge and come give your old aunt a hug."  Jenny set the pie down and
embraced her chain smoking aunt, who rested her cigarette in the over-
flowing ashtray next to the stove.  Gretchen wasn't `old', she was only
three years older than her sister Grace, though she had a few gray hairs
and the beginnings of crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.  "Hi Aunt
Gretchen," Jenny said, "I love coming to your house for Thanksgiving. 
Where's Christie?"  "She's supposed to be straightening her room."
Gretchen replied, "If she's not there, I guess try the game room." 
"Thanks." Jenny darted out of the kitchen.

     Jenny padded down the carpeted upstairs hallway to Christie's
room.  The door was open, so she walked right in.  "Chris!" she called,
but got no response.  The room appeared to have already been
straightened up.  At least, it looked as straight as a ten year old girl's
room could be expected to look.  As she was turning to leave,
something caught Jenny's eye.  Something incongruous.  There, on the
night stand next to Christie's bed was a cheap plastic ashtray, the kind
you see in an all night diner or a laundromat.  Jenny picked it up and
saw that it was empty and spotless.  She probably keeps costume
jewelry in it, she mumbled to herself, but at the same time she felt in her
stomach a slight twinge of apprehension.  Or was it anticipation? 
"Don't be silly, Jennifer Costello," she said to herself out loud, "your
little cousin Christie does not smoke."

     Jenny had to go through the family room to get to the game
room.  Both were on the lower level of the large split level house. 
Uncle Will had a fire blazing in the wood stove, and Bruce, slurping a
can of Pepsi,  was engrossed in some kind of football pre-game show
on the large projection Zenith.  The game room has a pool table, poker
table, dart board, Nintendo system, and shelves full of board games. 
Jenny twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, calling Christie's
name again.  What she saw in the game room caused Jenny's sense of
reality to lock up.  Time stood still.

     Christie was in the game room alright.  All four foot ten inches
and eighty-five pounds of her.  She looked up from her solitaire game
with those big liquid brown eyes and exhaled twin streams of blue-gray
smoke from her petite nostrils.  "Jenneeee!  You're here!  Come on
in... Jenny?  Are you OK?"  Christie dropped her cigarette into the
crystal ashtray, leaped out of her chair and ran to where Jenny was
standing.  "Are you alright, Jen?" Christie repeated.
     Jenny was definitely not alright.  Her pulse was weak and rapid,
her face was pale, and her knees and lips were trembling.  She was in
shock.  "Come over here and sit in this chair."  Christie guided Jenny
by the elbows to a beat up leather recliner in the corner of the room. 
"Let me get you something to drink."  Christie bounded across the
room to a small bar type refrigerator and extracted a can of Jolt Cola. 
On her way back to Jenny she stopped at the poker table, picked up her
smoldering cigarette and took a hard drag.  She withdrew it from her
lips by about two inches as she inhaled--then took another hard drag
while simultaneously exhaling the first one through her nostrils.  She
inhaled the second drag and began crushing out the short butt in the
ashtray.  Christie then finally exhaled what seemed like an endless river
of smoke from her lips.  A cloud formed under the green shaded light
which hung over the pool table.
     "Here, Jenny, drink some of this."  Christie popped the tab and
handed the Jolt to Jenny.  Jenny held the can with both hands, trying to
keep it steady, and took a healthy gulp. Her brain was slowly beginning
to function, but she had been shaken to the soul.  Now that she was
starting to feel again, the predominant feeling was jealousy.  Here she
had reconciled herself to a day of not smoking, and being around adults
who were smoking.  She had expected that.  She could handle that. 
She had handled it before.  But This!  This was too much!  To walk in
here and see sweet little Christie smoking, and inhaling like a truck
driver, it was too much.  And to top it all off, Christie obviously has
permission, or she wouldn't be doing it blatantly right here in the game
room.  And that brought the other emotions.  Anger and injustice.  It
just isn't fair.  I'm more than three years older than her, jenny thought. 
I have breasts and pubic hair and I menstruate.  I'm very interested in
boys... I masturbate.  I smoke cigarettes.  This cute child with the long,
wavy brown hair doesn't do any of those things, until now.  She 
smokes cigarettes, and has permission, too.  It's not fair.
     "Jenny..."  Christy was almost whispering, "You're scaring me. 
What's the matter?"  Jenny looked at her cousin.  One year ago today
they had sat in this same room and played with Barbi Dolls.  And now 
Christie is a cigarette smoker.  That twinge I felt at the sight of the
ashtray up in the bedroom, Jenny thought, was well founded.  Jenny
started to cry.  She couldn't be angry with Christy.  Christy was trying
to grow up, too.  Maybe she just found a quicker way to do it.  "I'm
sorry Chris." Jenny wiped a tear from her cheek, "I... I didn't mean to
scare you."  She stood up and hugged little Christie, then held her
shoulders at arm length.  "You... I was completely taken aback by your
smoking.  I mean, it was totally unexpected."  Jenny picked up the can
and took a swig of Jolt.  "Oh, that." Christie said, "I started smoking
last March."  "Me too," said Jenny.

     Seated at the poker table, Christie reached for her pack of
cigarettes, and for the first time since the earthquake, Jenny saw what
brand Christie was smoking.  The tremors were returning.  "Oh my
God," Jenny cried, "you actually smoke un-filtered cigarettes!" 
Christie shook the red pack of Pall Mall Kings, retrieving two with her
small fingers.  "Yep.  Becky, this baby sitter I used to have, smoked
Camel regulars.  She's the one who got me started, so I started on
Camels."  Christie tapped one of the cigarettes six times on the poker
table, then put the opposite end between her lips.  Jenny, mesmerized,
picked up the pack of matches, tore one out, struck it and held the
flame to the tip of Christies cigarette.  Christie drew in with her cheeks
and the Pall Mall was aglow.  She inhaled, smiled, and held the
cigarette out to Jenny, who took it without thinking.  Christy exhaled
through her nostrils while tapping the other cigarette.  "Anyway,"
Christie continued, "once my parents found out that I was a smoker,
just like they are, it didn't take too long to get permission.  Becky got
fired."  Jenny had only one emotion now.  She was astonished.  Christie
went on, "I tried mom's Virginia Slims Lights, but they're like sucking
on an empty straw.  Then I tried dad's Marlboros, and they just didn't
taste very good.  I smoke Pall Malls because they taste good, they give
me a good kick in the chest, and they're king sized."  Christie struck a
match and lit the other cigarette.
     Jenny was so astonished that she had forgotten  she had a lit
cigarette between her fingers.  Now she brought it to her lips and took
a small puff without inhaling, just to test the taste.   It was a strong and
sweet taste, and so strange not to have a filter there.  Then she thought
what the heck, and decided to smoke it like she had smoked the
Newport at Amy's last week.  Besides, if a ten year old girl could
smoke Pall Malls, so could she.  Anything else would be too
embarrassing.  Jenny brought the un-filtered tip to her lips and drew on
it hard for about a second and a half, filling her adolescent mouth with
a previously unheard of quantity of smoke.  She held the smoke in her
mouth for a moment, then opened her mouth and quickly inhaled
deeply.  Yow! Her body screamed at her.  The urge to cough was
overwhelming, but through sheer will power she held the smoke in her
still developing lungs--the tightness and pressure was incredible.  She
cocked her head to one side, to avoid Christie's face, and exhaled the
longest, thickest stream of smoke that had ever passed her young lips.
     Jenny tapped her ash off in the ashtray.  "Jesus, Christie, these
are strong, and you're right about the taste, although I think I prefer
menthol.  How many of these do you smoke in a day?"  Christie was
taking a hit while Jenny asked this question, the tip of her cigarette
burning fiery orange for a full two seconds.  She inhaled the thick
smoke deeply, her tiny chest expanding under her blouse, and then held
it in while forming an answer to Jenny's question in her mind.  "Mom
buys a carton for me every Wednesday at the super market."  As she
spoke, small puffs of smoke exited Christie's mouth and nostrils in
cadence with the words, her voice a little thicker than usual.  "That's
supposed to last me all week, but I usually bum a couple packs from
Dad by Monday."  Christie tried to blow out the rest of the smoke, but
on each succeeding breath, Jenny could still see faint streams coming
out of her young cousin's nostrils.  Jenny's jealously returned.  This
little munchkin was smoking almost two packs a day of un-filtered
cigarettes with full parental support.  Unbelievable!
     Jenny took a longer drag and inhaled more deeply.  She was
trying to keep up with Christie, drag for drag, but it was a losing battle. 
Her head was buzzing and her heart was palpitating from the overload
of nicotine and other chemicals coursing through her bloodstream. 
Christie, with her two pack a day habit, was conditioned for this kind of
power smoking.  Jenny had a lot of catching up to do.

     Unbeknownst to either young girl, the door to the game room
had cracked open slightly, and a pair of eyes were peering through.  On
the other side of the door, Bruce took his turn at astonishment.  But his
was not out of jealousy.  He was outraged at the sight of his little sister
and cousin smoking those disgusting things.  He quietly closed the door
and headed for the stairs.  He was going to tell Mom, right now.
     Inside the game room, the girls were still talking.  Christie had
just lit another Pall Mall, while Jenny, her face a little green, was trying
to regain her equilibrium.

     END OF PART II

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