Smoke And Mirrors, Part 19

This fictional story contains adult themes and descriptions. If such offends
you, read no further.  All persons and situations depicted are fictional, any
similarities to real persons or events is purely coincidental. All rights
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of the author. You can notify the author at del999@yahoo.com.

Smoke & Mirrors
Part 19: A Solution to the Dilemma

Giselle Leblanc had hung up the phone deliberately. She would show her
daughter that this was not acceptable behavior. She would not bend on this.
As she sat there nearly in tears, her husband Serge entered the room. "Mon
Dieu. Giselle? What is wrong?" he asked.

"It's Suzanne, you're not going to believe this," she said, nearly sobbing.

As was the tradition in French culture, the husband was always the patriarch
of the family. Generally when there was a major decision to be made, it was
Serge who made it. Of the two parents he had always been the more permissive.
Giselle had always been very high strung. She was always tense. Every little
detail seemed to be so important to her. He could never understand why she
had been so hard on Suzanne. She had always been far too critical of Suzanne.
His daughter had always been a good child. She had been obedient and had
never gotten into any trouble. He had no idea what kind of trouble his
daughter might be in.

All through their lives, Serge had adopted the role of peacemaker between his
girls. After all Suzanne was his only child. He also knew his wife could be
relentless once she got something into her head. He would always work to find
a solution that was acceptable to both women, trying to regain the peace in
the household. Serge had always adhered to the philosophy that the most
important thing was to keep his family together. Despite the strict and
inflexible upbringing that Suzanne had experienced, she was still very close
to her mother. He was worried and wondered what had happened to leave Giselle
in such a state.

"Tell me about it. What has happened?" he said compassionately.

"Well, Serge, I don't know how to put it gently, so I'll just tell you. Our
Suzanne has started smoking." Giselle said with a great sigh.

Serge tried not to smile. Thoughts of drugs or pregnancy, and quitting
college exited his mind with relief. His voice softened, trying to calm his
agitated wife. "Well, I guess that's not good news, but after all she is 19
and away from home for the first time. I'm guessing that she is just
spreading her wings a bit, experimenting, trying things, and being
rebellious. It's to be expected, don't you think?"

"How can you be so calm about this? It's absolutely terrible. Behavior like
this is just not acceptable."

He could see that she was in one of her states. He would have to get this
situation under control as soon as possible.

"How do you know this?" he questioned.

"I found out that her roommate smokes. She actually lit a cigarette while I
as talking to her on the phone this morning. I had no idea that Suzanne's
roommate smoked. She never said a word about it. When I talked to Suzanne
this morning her voice sounded funny, sort of scratchy. Her voice had a
twinge of guilt in it."

Serge smiled. Giselle had always had a sixth sense about things like that.
"So what did she say?" he asked calmly.

"She said almost all her college friends smoke. She said it relaxes her. She
said she didn't smoke a lot, but wasn't about to quit. She likes it and
doesn't want to stop. I just can't believe this. Where did we go wrong?"

"Now, now, stay calm Giselle. I guess it makes sense, given all the pressure
the kids have these days." Serge said solemnly.

"I can't believe you're taking her side on this," she said as she sobbed. Her
face reddened. "She has always had you wrapped around her little finger. I
have always had to be the bad guy. You've never had the courage to say no.
You're totally spineless!" she said as her sobs turned to anger.

Serge was taken aback by his wife's tone of voice. She had never spoken to
him like that before.

"Giselle you know that's not true." he said sincerely. "Please try to calm
down- we'll figure this out. So what did you say to her, after that?"

"I told her in no certain words that I forbid her to smoke!" she said
proudly. Serge cringed, knowing that his little girl had a mind of her own.

"And how did she react?" he said calmly.

"She lit a cigarette; I heard her, right there while I was talking to her."
Giselle said with an exasperated voice. "Can you believe that? What has
happened to my sweet little Suzanne?" she said with tears welling up in her
eyes.

"Giselle, I want you to gather yourself. Crying won't help to solve this
problem." he said quietly.

"Yes, I'll try," she said, still feeling dejected.

"Here is the way I see it. As I said before, she is young and is just trying
to stretch her boundaries. When you challenge her by telling her that you
forbid her to smoke, what do you think the normal reaction would be?"

She paused. "Well, I guess she would resist." She paused. Then stuttered
"Maybe-.. Become more committed to her decision."

"Exactly-" he said pausing. "Did she say anything else?" he continued.

Giselle became embarrassed. She realized that she had not handled the
situation properly, in fact may have made it worse. "Well, she said the more
that I harassed her about her smoking the more she was going to smoke. She
said something about going out and buying a carton of cigarettes. And smoking
until --uhhhh," she paused not wanting to tell Serge the whole story.

"I see," Serge said with concern. "How did you end your conversation?"

"I made it clear to her that her smoking was entirely unacceptable and that
when she was thinking more clearly, that she should call me. Then I hung up
on her," she said with regret in her voice.

A concerned look appeared on Serge's face. The unity of the entire family was
now at risk. He had to find a solution. He did not want Suzanne's
experimentation with smoking to drive a wedge between his wife and his
daughter. He had to think fast. What were the options? He smiled as it came
to him. It was a bit unorthodox, but it seemed to be the perfect solution to
all the conflict.

"I don't think she'll call, Giselle. You have her boxed into a corner now.
And when someone is trapped, they don't make good decisions. I think the main
reason she has decided to smoke is that you are so against it. Do you think
that's right?"

Giselle's mind started to absorb the facts of the situation. "Well, yes,
maybe a bit I guess," she said defensively. "Maybe I could just not mention
it again," she said, realizing that she would have to constantly bite her
tongue, which would be difficult.

"Well, that might work, but Suzanne would still know that you were still
resentful of her decision. You made your position fairly clear to her. I
think we need to do something a bit more drastic. Something more symbolic. I
know this sounds a bit dispassionate, but this is really more your problem
than hers."

Serge's words hurt. She knew she had made a mistake in how she had handled
the situation. She hoped that Serge could find a solution. "What have you got
in mind, Serge?" she said curiously, not expecting what she was about to
hear.

"I know you are going to think that I'm quite crazy, but I want you to learn
to smoke," he said seriously.

Giselle was absolutely taken aback. "What did you say? You couldn't have said
what I just thought I heard you say. Did you?" she said incredulously.

"Well the way I see it, if you start smoking, it will show Suzanne that you
have accepted her decision to smoke. After all, once she realizes that you
smoke, and then there will be nothing to rebel against. She'll probably lose
interest and quit. I know Suzanne; she's a smart girl. She's just doing this
as a form of rebellion against you. If you smoke, there is nothing to rebel
against. She'll realize that you are not against her decision to smoke. It
makes sense doesn't it?"

"Oh, Serge, I'm not sure if your idea would work. I just don't think I could
do it. It's disgusting. I hate the smell. It stinks. I've never ever smoked.
What would people think?" she said rattling off her concerns with
trepidation.

"Giselle, you would be doing something for the unity of this family. If all
it takes is for you to smoke a few cigarettes, then I think it's worth the
slight discomfort that you may have to go through. After all, it can't be
that bad. A lot of people smoke. And we will keep it our secret. You know
Suzanne will be coming home for Thanksgiving in about 8 weeks. You'll have
time to learn how by then. When Suzanne comes home, you can show her that you
smoke. You'll have to learn how to really smoke, as it won't make an
impression if you don't do it properly. In fact, you can even tell her that
you decided to give it a try after you had talked to her. You can tell her
that you were curious to see what Suzanne liked about smoking. When she sees
you smoking, I'm sure she'll realize that it was a mistake for her to start,
and that she'll want the both of you to quit. It will be her idea. You can do
it together. It will give you a common bond to bring you back together. If
you smoke, you'll be doing it for her, and for me. I think it's worth it.
Don't you think?"

Giselle again remembered the tone of Suzanne's voice. Her anger. Her
resentment. She was her only daughter. She did not want to destroy her
relationship. She realized that Serge's plan, although outlandish, had some
merit. It seemed ridiculous to even consider. But it did seem to be a
solution to her dilemma. She knew how stubborn Suzanne could get. She was,
after all, her mother's daughter.

She wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue. She would do it for Suzanne,
she thought to herself. She had nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
After all, learning to smoke during the next eight weeks couldn't be that
bad. Yes, that was what she would do. Just 8 weeks and she would soon have
her sweet Suzanne back.

After pausing for what seemed an indefinite time, she finally spoke. "Serge,
I've thought it over. I'll do this for you and more importantly, I'll do it
for Suzanne. It's worth a try," she said, with commitment in her voice.

"Great!" Serge said. "I'm sure you won't regret this. I think it's the right
thing to do." Serge said feeling pleased that she had come to this decision.
"So when do you want to start?"

"Well, I guess today is as good a day as any." She said sheepishly. It was
the Lord's Day, but she hoped that he would forgive her for what she was
about to do.

"Okay, we'll stop in at the grocery store to pick you up some cigarettes,
before we go to mass. Okay?" he said quickly, hoping that she would not think
this out too carefully and change her mind.

"I'm not sure if I can do this, but I promise you I'll try" Giselle said
nervously.

"I just thought of something! Danielle, our neighbor, smokes. Doesn't she?"
Serge said. Danielle was Giselle's neighbor. She had lost her husband in a
tragic car accident a few of years ago. She had received a very large life
insurance settlement, and did not have to work. Serge had seen her smoking in
her car a few times. She was an attractive woman for 35, well dressed, and
she was a member of their church.

"I'm sure she would help you if you asked," Serge said, smiling. "And after
all, it might be good for you if you developed a new friend in the process.
She's only a few years younger than you. We'll see her at church today. Why
don't you invite her over for coffee after mass? I have a golf game, so
you'll be on your own for a few hours. This might work, if she helped."

Giselle was a bit nervous about having a stranger share her secret. But
Danielle seemed to be a good person, even if she did smoke. She had always
been friendly to Giselle. "I'll see, Serge-. I'm just not sure," she said
nervously.

"How would I broach the subject with her?" she said.

Serge paused a moment. "You could ask her why she liked smoking. Tell her you
were curious to see what's it was like. You can even say that you have been
feeling very stressed lately, and did she think that smoking might help?"
Serge said, realizing there was more truth to his comment than he realized.
"Well it's just an idea. You think about it." Serge said, not wanting to
pressure her. "We had better get changed for church. Don't forget, we have to
do some shopping before."

"Yes, I guess you're right. Serge. You realize that I'm not going in to buy
those cigarettes. What if someone saw me? I just couldn't. Will you get them
for me?"

"Sure, I understand," Serge said, wanting to be supportive. "I'm sure I won't
run into anyone in the store. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Thanks Serge, you know how nervous I am about this."

"Yes I know. I appreciate that you are willing to do this for your daughter.
I'm sure it's the right decision."

They dressed quickly, and were soon on their way to the supermarket. Serge
quickly went in and asked one of the boys stacking shopping carts where he
might buy some cigarettes. He was surprisingly nervous, as he never thought
he would hear himself say those words. The boy motioned to a counter where
the service desk was located. Behind the counter was an attractive blonde
clerk in her early twenties.

Hmmm-he had no idea what brand to buy. He would have to ask the clerk behind
the counter, he thought. She would know. After all, she worked in the
cigarette department. He started to quietly recite his script.

"Excuse me?" he said. "I wonder if you could help me. My wife has decided she
wants to try smoking and she asked me to buy her some cigarettes. I haven't
got a clue what she might like. Could you suggest a brand?" The young girl
was a bit taken aback by his request.

"Well, let me see. How old is she?" she questioned

"She's 38, but looks like she's 30," he said smiling.

"Well I smoke VS 100's menthol and I like them. They're also minty. They are
just for women and very sexy," she said as she winked.

Serge blushed. "Well, okay, I guess those will do." Serge said, realizing
that this had been easier than he had thought. Before he could stop her, the
girl had gone to the back to the storage room and returned with an entire
carton. She nonchalantly scanned them before placing them on the counter in
front of him.

Serge laughed to himself. A whole carton!  It was too late to change his
mind, not wanting to make the girl reverse the transaction. He didn't want to
appear foolish. It was a small cost to pay. After all, he then wouldn't have
to make another embarrassing trip to the store.

"Will she need a lighter?" she said seeming to speak with experience.

"Yes. I guess she will. Please pick one that you think she might like."
Serge said.

"What price range?" she said unlocking the cabinet.

"Oh I don't know. My wife has likes nice things. Those gold ones look good."

The young girl picked a sleek Colibri electronic lighter from the rack. "This
one is nice, don't you think?" as she clicked it a few times to show the
sleek reliable flame. She then passed it to him carefully putting it in his
hand.

Serge felt its weight in his hand, and admired its design. He clicked it
once, and admired its ease of use and solid feel. Oh well, he thought, I can
use it to light the barbecue. "Yes, that one will do nicely." Serge said
nervously, not even thinking to ask how much it was.

The clerk rang up the purchases.

"Will there be anything else?" she said coyly.

"No I think that's all," he said meekly.

"Well, I hope your wife enjoys these, I know I certainly do. Next time you're
in, tell me what she thought. Okay?" she said as she gave him another
flirtatious wink.

"Yeah, sure," Serge said, smiling. He just couldn't imagine Giselle actually
enjoying smoking. It was an image beyond his comprehension. As he exited the
store, he held the bag containing the cigarettes and lighter closely to his
chest, as his eyes fearfully scanning the horizon for any familiar face.

When he got to the car, he quickly passed the bag to Giselle.

As she looked inside she exclaimed nearly screamed out loud, "A whole
carton?"

"Well, it's a long story. You don't have to smoke all these. You can give
whatever is left over to Danielle when you are done. I'm sure she'd
appreciate them." He said defensively.

"How did you come to choose these?" Giselle said curiously.

"The clerk picked them out. They are her brand. She said they were minty and
good, whatever that means. She even said they would make you sexy, or
something like that." Serge smiled.

Giselle glared back at him in disgust.

Being afraid that some passerby might see the carton, she held it carefully
on her lap, examining the elegant packaging. They sure know how to package
them to look pretty, even feminine. But 200 cigarettes! This would be a
year's supply, she thought. Oh well, she would give the remainder to
Danielle. It would be a nice gesture.

"What's this?" She said, holding the lighter box.

"Open it, it's for you."

As she opened the black shiny box, she saw the gold lighter nestled in the
black velvet. "Serge, why did you buy me a lighter? And such an expensive
one."

Serge squirmed. "Well, I guess I just got carried away a bit. The clerk was
so helpful. I thought it looked nice. It wasn't that expensive. You can use
it to light candles after you have finished your smoking."

Giselle felt the weight of the elegant lighter in her hand. She clicked the
button. A perfect precise flame quietly emerged from the instrument.
Surprisingly, it somehow felt glamorous in her hand. It was like a fine piece
of jewelry, gold and expensive looking. She didn't want to admit it, but she
really liked the feel and look of the lighter. She placed it carefully into
the side pocket of her purse.

As Serge pulled into the parking lot of the church, he smiled and pointed
towards the entrance of the church. There was Danielle standing there.

Well the ball is in your court now Giselle, it's up to you. She grimaced, as
she looked down into the bag on the car floor. She saw the words near the top
of the carton and slowly read to herself. "200 filter cigarettes." Oh well,
she would do her best, she thought.

It had been quite a day for both the Leblanc women. That Sunday, they had
both purchased their first carton of cigarettes. Saint Nicotine was poised.
How long would it take? Eight weeks of course. It would only take eight
weeks.

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