Stairs, Part 10

Stairs

Part 10 - Second School Week

Her first two morning cigarettes felt very good to Suzy. She was now awake
and lit a third one to get up, when she realised it was quite early and she
had to go to mum's room. They kissed good morning and mum explained that if
you smoke a lot, it is so important to eat properly and take regular
exercise. Suzy looked a bit stunned to be told she would be on the treadmill
for ten minutes each weekday morning until her audition. "You'd better put
some shorts on and a vest," said mum cheerily and lit a new cigarette. By the
time Suzy returned they had both finished smoking and Suzy set off on the
treadmill at what she thought mum had set to a cracking pace. After all those
cigarettes, and little exercise besides running home from school to smoke,
her lungs were panting and heaving by the five minute mark. Pamela added
encouragingly, "First time is toughest, I know. You'll find it lots easier
day by day," though Suzy was very sceptical. However, mum then lit a fresh
Player's which smelt gorgeous despite Suzy's breathing difficulty. Mum took
pity on the athlete by blowing her Player's smoke towards her daughter, who
seemed to complete the ten minutes more happily.

Her lungs still panting and heaving, Suzy stepped off the belt and drew fully
on the freshly lit cigarette mum passed her, relieved to get back to
`normality.' She showered and enjoyed her dressing cigarette and went down to
breakfast, then into the car to school as usual. When she came back from
school, her mum had news for her. Pamela waited till Suzy had come through to
the lounge and lit her second cigarette on the sofa. 

"I rang the model agency doing the casting for Player's. You're booked for an
audition on Thursday next week at ten-thirty, the very day after your
birthday!" 

"Fabulous, Mum. Thanks so much," and she gave mum a kiss with wisps of smoke
still coming from her nose. 

"So next week we'll be doing special rehearsals; you only get one chance to
get the job. This week I want you to smoke normally and naturally,
concentrating on each light up and draw so you smoke at your best. Practise
in front of the mirror every day. You'll find your own style and level,
what's right for you. And just think, you'll even be able to smoke at school
the week after because you'll be fourteen." 

Tuesday started similarly to Monday. As mum predicted, it was a little easier
on the treadmill. Suzy was not panting as hard as yesterday, and when Pamela
lit a cigarette after a few minutes, Suzy wiggled her fingers to say she was
ready for another cigarette now. Mum handed it over and lit one for herself.
Because she was jogging, Suzy took a slightly tentative draw at first, which
her body absorbed immediately. She barely exhaled at all.  So Suzy went to a
full-size  draw as she jogged, not unlike when she walked and smoked, and
inhaled while striding along. She really loved these very deep inhales; mum
looked on knowingly. Suzy easily finished her Player's by the time the
treadmill slowed, and she jumped off to start a fresh cigarette before  her
shower. She cleared her throat before lighting, just like Gaynor, and found
to her delight she could give a small loose cough. 

"Congratulations, darling! It sounds as if you have a little smoker's cough
coming along nicely there. The run must have helped clear your chest, which
of course means you'll be able to inhale more smoke." 

"Thanks Mum, I'm sure it'll help my training programme too.," said Suzy
proudly. "Gaynor told me I'd have a smoker's cough of my own soon, and here
it is." She coughed again as if to test it. "I bet all my school friends will
be impressed how far I've come, when I'm finally allowed to tell them." Suzy
took an extended double pump to fill her clearer lungs with high tar Player's
smoke and sighed in satisfaction, smoke gradually escaping from her nose as
she held it inside over many breaths.

Suzy sensed something different the moment she walked through the front door
from school. After lighting up a much needed Player's, she walked to mum in
the lounge where there was a lot of cigarette smoke in the air, but it smelt
different from usual. There was mum on the sofa, smoking a long white
cigarette, looking as pleased as punch with herself. While Suzy smoked her
first Player's, she noticed mum's ashtray was much fuller than usual and,
instead of the familiar blue and white Player's packet, was a soft maroon
packet holding longer cigarettes. 

"A parcel arrived this morning from Aunty Jane in America," Pamela announced.
"She sent me a whole carton of these wonderful Pall Mall cigarettes. They're
longer and stronger and have a unique taste. I bet you'll love them."

"Ooh, yes please, Mum, let's try one," said Suzy, now eager for a second
cigarette after school. 

"Certainly not," said mum. "The best way to enjoy Pall Malls is to finish off
your packet of Player's, wait half an hour or so, then go on to your Pall
Malls continuously till we've finished the carton. And it's not a race to see
who can smoke more Pall Malls - I'm way ahead of you already because the
parcel arrived first thing today!" Pamela added emphatically, knowing full
well that Suzy would race through the carton as soon as she had tried one
Pall Mall. 

"Okay Mum, from what you say they must be really great."

Luckily for Suzy, she only had three Player's left in her packet. She
demolished those in a little over thirty minutes and began clock-watching.
Mum had certainly made Pall Malls sound extra special, and she felt a
pressure to make sure of her share of the carton before mum sucked most of
them down, especially as mum could smoke through the day instead of being at
school. Suzy could not wait to light up her first Pall Mall.

Suzy came downstairs at long last to rejoin mum, who had already fetched
Suzy's first packet of Pall Malls. Pamela demonstrated how to open a soft
pack and extract the first cigarette. She tapped it smartly as usual, and
gave the longer cigarette to her daughter. 

"They feel nice and firm and long between my fingers," remarked Suzy. 

"Yes," mum agreed, "they are more firmly packed than Player's, so you should
take longer to light them properly, and you'll need to draw more strongly
too. There you go, darling," mum murmured, holding a light for as long as
Suzy wanted. Her first draw was long, her second longer and stronger.
Inhaling both deeply, her eyes lit up in awe when the much stronger smoke
filled her lungs. She was about to say something as she exhaled, but instead
came back for another draw, and did she pull and pull. With all that strong
smoke safely inside her, she beamed with joy.

"Wow. Mum. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful," she finally said.

"I know, darling. Now try a double pump." Suzy was going to anyway, and
sucked in with greater gusto than ever. Her booster drag was much longer than
usual too. "With the extra length," mum offered, "I can usually fit in
another double drag along the way," ensuring that Suzy would try the same.
Soon enough she finished her first ever Pall Mall

"They're at least as good as my first cigarettes of the day," Suzy concluded
Mum answered by offering her own Pall Mall pack for a follow on, banishing
any silly notion of fewer Pall Malls owing to their strength and length. But
when Suzy eventually returned to her Player's, that would be a different
matter.

They both lit up again, sucking in the lighter flame that little bit longer
to get a really good light. Mum wanted to add a technical tip to help Suzy's
smoking proficiency. "With these Pall Malls being so well packed, it helps to
get a good pumping action going. It's as simple as one, two, three. First,
lean forward a little so the smoke can go deep down easily as you
direct-inhale. Second, subtlely move your lower lip outwards as you draw;
overdo it and it looks gross. Third, suck hard on your Pall Mall till the
smoke suddenly comes through with a rush, then carry on to the end of your
draw. You'll notice the difference all right." Suzy found the new technique
easy to master and as a result finished her Pall Mall no more slowly than she
sucked down a Player's, plus her satisfaction from cigarette smoke had
reached new levels.

As it turned out, Suzy managed to smoke four packs from the Pall Mall carton
to her mum's six. Her Pall Malls lasted her until Thursday night, when she
ruefully smoked the last two in bed and remembered Gaynor's tip of tweaking
her nipples to make the best of her last draws. Her unopened packet of
Player's on the bedside table ready for morning, Suzy slept soundly after her
three days of delicious strong fragrant Pall Mall smoke. 

Friday morning was to be her last before half term, and Suzy woke up looking
forward to a shorter day at school without doing much work. She seemed to
suck down her first two Player's since Tuesday more quickly than she
remembered, and so treated herself to a third before rising. Much as she
enjoyed the special flavour and headiness of the Pall Malls, it was like
coming back to a best friend to direct-inhale long draws from her Player's
sweet Virginia tobacco. She managed her pre-school ration with ease, and she
even fit in a second car ciggy in Friday morning's heavy traffic.

Even a shorter school day dragged on without the usual intense lessons and
Suzy looked forward to starting the weekend and half term - she would be able
to smoke all day every day whenever she wanted. Suzy spent more time than
usual with her school friends, for she would not be permitted to see them
during the holiday while smoking before her fourteenth birthday. She told
them she had been grounded for a really serious reason; she would love to
reveal all when they got back to school but no hints at all would be
forthcoming meanwhile. But her smile and wink naturally aroused huge
curiosity. Mum had come for her in the car, and she took extra care not to be
seen as she sucked greedily off the Player's mum had ready and waiting for
her.

Friday night was breaking-up night, veg-out night,
slob-out-in-front-of-the-telly night - and catching up on her Player's after
a week of constrained smoking, not to mention all those Pall Malls. The more
she smoked, the more naturally she drew long and inhaled deep, relishing her
new-found pleasure. While they shared a pizza, mum asked Suzy if she was
looking forward to her big day next week. 

"You mean my birthday?" she pretended. 

"No, silly, audition day on Thursday." 

"You bet, Mum. But of course I'm a bit anxious about doing everything well
enough." 

"By the time you go into the agency on Thursday morning," Pamela soothed,
"you'll have all the confidence you need. That comes from thorough
preparation and rehearsal. With you off school next week we'll make sure
you're good and ready. We'll go through the rest of your programme over
breakfast tomorrow morning. Just trust your mum to get you there." Suzy felt
very happy and lit another Player's.

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