Late..., Part 2

"Late...Part 2"
(`Early-'  Part 3) by love_2_smoke@hotmail.com

[DISCLAIMER: Don't lose faith in this story...it'll get around it's clunky 
beginnings...I swear!!!  Thanks love_2_smoke@hotmail.com]

   The two of them finished dinner and, after a few minutes of discussion of 
the quality of the food, Jenny proceeded to pickup where she left off.

   "When I was 6 years old, I started smoking regularly."
   "Really?"
   "Yeah."
   "Gross."
   "I know you don't like it, but I did."
   "How could you?"
   "I can't explain it.  It was something I didn't ever think I'd give up."
   "So?"
   "Well, by the time I was twelve, I was smoking 2 packs a day, 
sometimes-whenever I could, I'd smoke even more."
   "Damn."
   "Enough from the peanut gallery, eh?"
   "Sorry."
   "That same year, I got into cigars and, uh, how can I put it-smoking more 
than one cigarette at a time."
   Derek's look was one of confusion and surprise.
   "It's not something you see in public, for the most part, but there are 
people who do it."
   "Don't get mad at me for talking again but, what's the point of it?  
`Smoking more than one cigarette' at a time', that is."
   "The smoke is more thick or, uh, dense.  It's stronger."
   "Oh."
   "So, I smoked pretty much whenever I could.  I started college classes that 
year, after I finished my G.E.D., and that atmosphere actually made it 
easier to smoke more."
   "More?," Derek interjected again, incredulously.
   "Yes, more.  This interrupting thing, are you always like this when someone 
is telling you their, um, secret past type stuff?"
   "No, but-"
   "Forget it.  Anyway, as I was saying, I was able to smoke more once I 
started college classes.  As soon as I turned 14 I got a part time job to 
support the habit.  Between mom and I, we went through 2 cartons every three 
days.  With the job, I slowed down a bit on the cigarettes and picked up on 
the cigars which I got from Sabrina.  She started classes at the University 
of Washington that year though and once we were both taking classes in 
different places, that dropped off.  Then I went back to smoking more 
cigarettes."
   Derek shrugged.  He was trying hard to keep his mouth shut.
   "Go ahead, say something if you have to."
   "I'm just amazed.  At that age, smoking for that long and that much."
   "I loved it.  I used to dream of turning 18 and smoking every waking moment 
of the day."
   "Wow."
   "Yeah.  So, fast forward to 16.  I was taking classes at U of W too.  
Sabrina was in her senior year and I was in my junior.  My age mad things 
awkward, to put it mildly, but I got by.  I was smoking about three packs of 
cigarettes a day and a half dozen cigars a week," Jenny paused, seeming to 
dread what was next.
   "And?"
   "And then mom got sick.  She insisted that I stay in school and keep my 
newest part time job at the time.  I would come home and I could see the 
cancer eating her up."
   "Oh, that's-"
   "Shhh!  I started to get a little worried about the same thing happening to 
her happening to me.  So, I started to cut back.  Oh, I had such a hard time 
with that."
   Jenny paused.
   "Mom kept on smoking.  The doctors said it would probably speed up the 
cancer.  She said she didn't care since there was nothing they could do 
anyway."
   Jenny put her hand over he eyes, it was obvious she was trying not to cry.
   "I took off a semester of school.  We worked it out with school and the 
doctors so that I wouldn't throw away my progress toward my degree.  
Basically we told them I had to take care of her.  That's when we did all of 
our vacationing and took our trips.  Every free day we got we went somewhere 
and did something.  I was down to a half pack of cigarettes a day by the 
time I went back to school.  Not long after that, mom went into the 
hospital.  I went to stay with Sabrina."
   "Hey, you look upset.  You don't have to go any further if-"
   "It's okay.  You wanted to know, right?"
   He nodded.
   "Mom died just after I finished my degree.  She couldn't come to the 
ceremony but she got to watch it on video tape.  We had a long talk about 
her smoking then.  I had quit by this time.  She said that she didn't regret 
smoking as much or as long as she did, she was just disappointed she'd miss 
out on everything the I would experience.  She said that she was proud of me 
for quitting, although she probably wouldn't have quit if she'd been in my 
shoes."
   "Really?"
   "Yep.  The last few days she was in and out of consciousness.  She was 
hallucinating, asking me to get her cigarettes, to give her some of mine, 
thinking I was my aunt or any one of dozens of other things.  When she died, 
in a sense, it was a blessing."
   "I'm sorry, Jen."
   "It's done now.  I haven't smoked since the day she died."
   "You're pretty pleased about that, I assume?"
   "I don't know.  A lot of reformed smokers are the most devoted anti-smoking 
types but I can't say it's something I'm absolutely against."
   "After your mom died of cancer?"
   "Yes, after my mom died of cancer."
   "Well, 6 years is a good streak anyway."
   "Yeah," Jenny said unconvincingly.

More to come-

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Previous part | Next part