Surrounded, Part 1

This fictional account contains adult language and themes. If such 
language and themes offend you, please do not read further. The persons and 
events described in this work are purely fictional. Any similarity to 
actual persons or events is strictly coincidental. Copyright 2003 by 
SSTORYMAN. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce 
this story in any form and for any purpose as long as this notice is 
reproduced and no financial remuneration is received, directly or 
indirectly, by the person reproducing or using it. 
   
SURROUNDED 
   
1. Back in Town But Not Back Home. 
   
   Janine walked through the airport pulling her carryon. Finally she was 
home for the holidays! She took a deep breath and let it out. That was only 
her second time on a plane. Flying home was scary, much scarier than 
driving out east to college with her mom last August. 
   
   At the baggage carousel she saw Diana. She shrieked and picked up her 
pace. Her mom saw her and shrieked, too. Mother and daughter were soon 
caught up in an affectionate embrace. 
   
   Janine's luggage appeared on the carousel. Getting it they left the 
baggage area and moved toward the parking garage. As they walked Janine 
broached a subject she felt had to be addressed sooner rather than later. 
   
   "Mom, you smell like smoke," she said crossly. "Are you smoking again?" 
   
   Diana nodded somberly. "Yes, honey, I am. Sorry." 
   
   "So, it it's not just Grant's smoke I smell on your hair and clothes? 
You gave in, didn't you?" 
   
   Diana sighed. "Honey, it was a godsend when Grant asked me to move in. 
Don't be so mean. I could never afford to fly you home for the holidays 
without his help. It would've taken three days off work to go out and get 
you and drive you back here. It's hard for me to take time off work. So it 
was very kind of Grant to offer to pay for your plane ticket. Anyway, I 
love Grant. So what if he smokes? Don't hate him for it; and don't hate me 
because I finally gave in and joined him. I didn't exactly mean for it to 
happen," she fibbed. "But when your sister and I moved in with Grant back 
in September, my smoking again just kinda happened. Before I knew it I 
found myself smoking with Grant. Sorry, Janine. I know you're 
disappointed." 
   
   The blond girl nodded. "I figured. You smell like you smoke. But I just 
had to check. God, so you're really doing it again? Just like the old 
days?" 
   
   "Please don't be upset, honey." 
   
   "How much, Mom? How much do you smoke? As much as Grant does?" 
   
   Diana replied with a subdued nod. "Yeah, 'fraid so. I'm up to a pack a 
day, just like before Daddy died." 
   
   "What about Ellie? Is she as upset about it as I am?" 
   
   Diana smiled a little. "No, actually, your sister doesn't seem to mind." 
She paused as if she wanted to say more. But she didn't. "Nope," she said 
simply. "I don't think Ellie's at all upset. Now, let's go home!" 
   
   Janine glumly stared out the window as they rode to Grant's. It wasn't 
'home' even though her mom called it that. It wasn't _her_ home. It was 
someone else's. Meanwhile the stench inside the car immediately confirmed 
that Diana was indeed smoking again. The ashtray was full of butts and the 
car stunk. It pissed Janine off. 
   
   Ever since Dad died things had been hard. Her mother was a pleasant 
affable woman, but her dad's death plunged Diana into despair. She quit 
smoking when he first got sick. Diana often said it was the only good thing 
to come out of his long illness. When he finally died she became a single 
mom to two teenage girls. Diana's secretarial job didn't pay much. After 
the insurance money ran out and Dad's severance payments ended they had 
tough times financially. Only Janine's full ride scholarship made college 
at an east coast school possible. 
   
   Everything began to change when her mom met Grant. He was outgoing, 
personable and loaded. Grant fell head over heels in love with Diana and 
she with him. As Janine prepared to leave for college she watched her mom 
bond with Grant. He changed Diana. He was the first guy Diana dated since 
her dad died. Janine didn't dislike Grant. But she did resent his intrusion 
into the life they made for themselves. Soon after Janine left to go to 
college Grant invited Diana and Ellie to move in with him. They did. Her 
mom was delighted. She was crazy about Grant. But he was a smoker. From the 
start Janine had worried her mom would weaken being around him and return 
to her old smoking habit. Obviously that's precisely what happened! 
   
   Like her daughter, Diana, too was thinking about smoking during the 
drive home. She purposely didn't smoke in the car though she badly wanted 
to. She wanted to appear sensitive to Janine's feelings. But soon, she 
hoped, those feelings would change! 
   
   As far as Diana was concerned her new relationship with Grant was a 
classic Prince Charming tale. Grant was handsome, gregarious and fun. He 
had financial stability, something she hadn't had since Bill died. After 
years of scraping by and skimping on things she and the girls needed, 
finally she could indulge again. Now she bought frivolous things without 
worrying how to make ends meet. She loved that. Grant was a dream come 
true. And best of all, Grant smoked! 
   
   Diana quit smoking when Bill got sick five years earlier. She was proud 
of herself. After all, she smoked since she was 15 and never thought she'd 
be able to quit. Bill being sick at home gave her extra incentive. But even 
after he died Diana stayed quit; till she met Grant,, that is. Grant smoked 
often, openly and shamelessly. Being around him revived her cravings. 
Seeing Grant smoke made her want to smoke with him. Unbeknownst to Janine, 
Diana began to smoke with Grant from the start, though secretly at first. 
God, she loved it so incredibly! It felt like being reunited with a long 
lost close friend. When Janine left for college Diana finally went public 
and resumed buying cigarettes after her five year hiatus. Then after moving 
in with Grant she threw in the towel completely. Soon Diana was smoking all 
the time again. Till Grant, she never quite realized just how much she 
missed it! 
   
   Diana's pack a day statement to Janine was misleading. It was true 
during the week. But on weekends it was closer to two packs. It was as if 
she was making up for lost time. Diana now smoked as much as possible and 
loved it. Knowing Janine wouldn't be happy, she'd waited till her daughter 
left for college to come out of the closet. Ellie, her other daughter, 
proved to be no trouble. Diana smiled as she thought about it. No trouble? 
That was an understatement, as Janine would learn! 
   
   They pulled up in front of Grant's huge home. Diana was frantic for a 
cigarette by now, though she wouldn't admit it. She carried Janine's bags 
in. For the first time Janine saw Grant's place. It was exquisitely 
decorated, very spacious and above all comfortable. Walking through it the 
college girl noticed a 36 inch, big screen TV in the family room with a DVD 
player and stereo speakers. She smiled wryly. Her mom sure improved her lot 
hooking up with old Grant! 
   
   But Janine also saw ashtrays everywhere. One sat on each table and 
countertop, and often there was more than just one. An unmistakable, 
pungent aroma of stale tobacco smoke permeated the whole house. Janine 
sighed. She had to put up with that her entire vacation! 
   
   "You can stay in one of the two guest rooms," her mother was saying. "At 
the end of the hall is our bedroom; it's the master suite. Over there's 
Ellie's." 
   
   She and her mom walked into the guest room. Janine gasped. It was 
beautiful, very big. A queen size bed sat in the center of the room and big 
windows overlooked the rear of the house. Janine smiled. "This will do just 
fine, Mom. Only I feel a little like I'm in a hotel." 
   
   Diana laughed. "Compared to our old apartment it's pure luxury, isn't 
it? Ellie has sure gotten used to it, though. It won't feel like your room 
at first but Grant says it can be yours. There are two remaining guest 
rooms. The bathroom's across the hall. You share it with Ellie. Grant and I 
have our own attached to the master suite." 
   
   Janine glanced at her watch. It was late. She put her bags down and 
asked if she could change before getting something to eat in the kitchen 
and going to bed. 
   
   "That's fine. I'll be downstairs. Grant's not home. He had a late 
meeting. Ellie's out with some of her high school friends. I can fix you a 
sandwich if you want." 
   
   The pretty blond smiled. "That's great. A sandwich and glass of milk 
will hit the spot!" 
   
   Ten minutes later Janine descended the stairs and walked into the 
kitchen. The smell of secondhand smoke almost overwhelmed her. Her mom had 
a freshly lit cigarette between her fingers. Judging from the hazy air it 
wasn't her first since coming home. 
   
   "What's wrong, honey?" Diana asked. She already knew the answer. 
   
   "Oh, nothing," the youngster sighed. "It's just that it's the first time 
I've seen you smoke since Dad got sick. That's over five years. Hard to get 
used to. That's all." 
   
   Diana shrugged. "I'm sorry. But you'll adjust. After all, you survived 
me smoking for over thirteen years till I quit last time. Just pretend that 
it's a return to happier times." 
   
   Janine sat down and picked up her sandwich. "Mom, let's get this 
straight. These aren't happy times. Maybe for you but not for me! I liked 
our old life and I was glad you quit smoking. I'm happy for you that you're 
finally getting laid again. But otherwise I'm not happy about a thing." 
   
   Diana glared. "Watch your tongue, young lady! Look, I was miserable when 
Daddy died. You know that. But Grant's given me a whole new life." She saw 
her daughter glower at her cigarette. "It's not just the smoking thing. 
With Grant I feel empowered. He thinks I'm special. Every woman needs that, 
Janine. I loved your father; I still miss him. But Grant's letting me live 
again. Not just exist, but live. It's not just about the sex, either," she 
added caustically. 
   
   Janine was unrepentant. "Yeah, well, good for you, Mom! I hope you kill 
yourself with your stupid cigarettes. At least then I won't have to put up 
with the stinking smell anymore!" 
   
   Diana frowned. "Janine, you don't mean that. You're upset. Relax. You'll 
feel better after you see some of your old friends like Suzanne Martin over 
holiday break. You'll fit right in with the new life Ellie and I have with 
Grant. You'll see. It'll be nice." 
   
   She shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not happy about you smoking. I don't like 
it. And it makes me mad that Ellie just rolled over and didn't give you any 
static. I would've thought she'd let me know what was happening by email." 
   
   Diana defiantly raised her cigarette to her lips for a long, purposeful 
drag. "You'll have to talk to your little sister about that," she smiled 
after pulling smoke inside. "But trust me, honey. This will be a great 
vacation. You'll see." 
   
   Janine left for bed. Diana lit up her third consecutive cigarette. 
   
   Janine shook her head. She didn't get it and she didn't like it. She 
made a mental note to talk to Ellie in the morning. Perhaps together the 
two of them could figure out a way to pressure their mother to quit, Grant 
or no Grant. 
   
   
   
   Suzanne couldn't help it. She couldn't stop laughing. "Oh my God," she 
gasped between hysterical giggles. "Crystal, you're _so_ incredibly gutsy. 
That's such a great story!" 
   
   The pretty redhead smiled. "It's completely true. I did it. For a second 
I thought Dr. Simpson would die when I lit up that cigarette right in his 
classroom as soon as our fuckin' exam was over!" 
   
   The campus coffee house was crowded. Exam week was nearly over. Many 
community college students were celebrating their freedom from studies. 
   
   "You actually lit up inside the building?" Suzanne shook her head in 
disbelief. "God, I can't imagine it! You're lucky they didn't do something 
to you!" 
   
   "Like what? Call my mom and tell her I'm smoking?" Crystal laughed at 
the ridiculous thought. "My mom would yawn and say, 'Yeah, my daughter's 
smoking; what else is new?'" 
   
   Crystal reached for her Marlboro Lights 100s, put one in her mouth and 
offered one to Suzanne. 
   
   "No, I shouldn't," the brunette said diffidently. "I really shouldn't." 
   
   Crystal lit up hers. "Afraid?" she challenged. "Afraid your mommy will 
be mad?" 
   
   Suzanne blushed. "Actually, yes. My mom will die if she ever finds out I 
smoke with you sometimes. She does _not_ approve, you know." 
   
   Crystal groaned, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Yeah, I know. You don't 
fool me one bit, Suzanne Martin. You want one. I know you do. You really 
want a cigarette." She stared. "I see it in your eyes. You're becoming one 
of us. You're no longer just playing with smoking. You like it now. Come 
on, admit it, girl." 
   
   Reluctantly the brunette took one of her friend's Marlboros. "Yeah, 
you're right," she sighed resignedly. "God, I never thought it'd come to 
this. I never thought I'd actually want to smoke. But I do." She accepted a 
light from Crystal. She smiled. "Thank you, dear. But this doesn't mean 
anything. I'm not a smoker like you are. I'm just celebrating the end of 
exams." 
   
   Crystal nodded sarcastically. "Oh yeah, of course. Uh-huh. Sure. No, 
you're definitely not a smoker." She grinned. "At least not yet. Not like 
me," she added wickedly. "But a day's coming. Trust me. Like I said, now 
you feel a little different about smoking. This is already your third 
cigarette of the night and we're nowhere near done. You'll be fully on 
board before long. Believe me, it's only a matter of time, my dear. It's 
just a matter of time." 
   
   Suzanne hit on her cigarette and pulled smoke into her chest. She hated 
to admit it but Crystal was right; dead on, in fact. She _did_ like to 
smoke, more than she cared to admit. She tipped her head, pursed her lips 
and exhaled an endless stream of thick smoke while involuntarily smiling. 
"God, I don't know, Crystal. It'll be different over break. I won't hang 
out with you guys all the time for one thing. If I'm not surrounded by 
smokers I won't smoke." 
   
   The redhead shrugged. "Sometimes things surprise us, Suzanne. You were 
telling me about your old high school friend. She's been gone three months. 
Maybe she'll come back a smoker." 
   
   Suzanne laughed. "You mean Janine? God, I doubt it. If she starts 
smoking I'll light up a cigarette in one of Dr. Simpson's classes myself." 
   
   Crystal grinned. "So tell me about your friend. What's her name again?" 
   
   
   
   Janine rubbed her eyes and looked. She didn't remember where she was. 
Then it hit her. She was at Grant's house! 
   
   The clock by the bed said nine thirty. She must've been more exhausted 
than she thought from flying home! Or maybe her comfortable new bed was the 
real culprit. She smiled. She slept well; very well! Ordinarily a morning 
person, she never slept so late! 
   
   She looked around. The room was nicer than her bedroom in the apartment 
where they lived pre-Grant. She felt a familiar pressure in her bladder; 
she had to pee! 
   
   Getting out of bed she threw on a bathrobe. She never wore one in the 
apartment. But this wasn't the apartment; it was Grant's house. He probably 
wasn't around but she didn't want to be seen in a skimpy nightgown. She put 
on a bathrobe just to be sure. 
   
   She opened the door and crossed the hall to the bathroom. She smelled 
the odor again - tobacco smoke! It was fresh, very fresh. Someone 
downstairs was smoking. It was Friday so her mom was at work. Grant was, 
too, she assumed. She frowned. They both must have smoked like chimneys at 
breakfast to generate that much smelly smoke. She groaned. 
   
   She locked herself in the bathroom. She hadn't noticed before but an 
ashtray sat on the counter, one with butts in it. Odd, she thought. But her 
bladder urged her on to the toilet where she gratefully relieved herself. 
Then she washed her hands and combed her hair. She didn't want to look like 
a witch! She didn't give the butts in the ashtray another thought right 
then. 
   
   Padding down the stairs she heard noise in the kitchen. A CD was 
playing. Then she saw it. Her little sister Ellie, sitting at the kitchen 
table, drinking coffee, reading the morning paper. She gasped. Ellie, her 
16 year old sister, had a burning cigarette in her hand! 
   
   "Ellie," she gasped breathlessly. "What in the hell are you doing?" 
   
   Her little sister looked up with a big smile. "Oh, hi, Janine! God, it's 
good to have you back! How was the flight home?" 
   
   Janine was in shock. "Does Mom know about this?" she mumbled almost 
incoherently. 
   
   Ellie stared blankly, not understanding. Then it hit her. "Oh, this," 
she exclaimed, nodding at the cigarette between her fingers. "Yeah, sure. 
Mom knows. I smoke now, too." 
   
   Seeing her sister smoking, her baby sister, for God's sake, was too 
much. With unsteady hands she forced herself down into a chair at the 
kitchen table. She looked at her little sister in disbelief. "Oh my God, 
Ellie. Are you serious? Mom knows about this? I don't believe it!" 
   
   Ellie laughed. "Don't be dumb, Janine. I'm in high school. I'm 16. Lots 
of kids my age and even younger smoke. Why so surprised?" 
   
   "Because," Janine stammered helplessly. "It's bad for you. It's a nasty 
habit. Plus, you're just 16. You're not old enough!" 
   
   "Oh yeah? I beg to differ. I'm plenty old enough. Watch this!" Ellie 
confidently raised the burning cigarette and put it in her mouth. Wrapping 
her lips around the filter she dragged assertively. The tobacco crackled as 
she drew smoke into her mouth. She removed the cigarette and inhaled a 
creamy white substance deep into her lungs, gazing placidly at her 
stupefied sister. "Does _that_ look like someone who isn't old enough?" 
With a wicked laugh she released an endless exhale of the thick, rich smoke 
from her lips. 
   
   Janine was still in shock. "Oh my God! How long has this been going on?" 
   
   Ellie shrugged. "How long? Well, believe it or not I've been a smoker 
for two years if that's what you're asking." She announced it in a 
startlingly unperturbed manner. She carefully manicured her cigarette in 
the ashtray on the table. "I started in eighth grade with Kara, one of my 
girlfriends," she went on. "I came out of the closet when Mom did, right 
after you left for college." She gave a condescending smile. "Mom smoked 
with Grant before you left," she said contemptuously. "But she knew you'd 
be pissed. You've always been so prissy about smoking. So Mom waited till 
you left to go public. As soon as she did, and I saw that it was a 
permanent move on Mom's part, I told her my little secret, too." 
   
   Janine just looked at her sister but said nothing. 
   
   "You see, Janine, Mom loves to smoke. It's obvious. And all of a sudden 
she smoked like a chimney, all the time, just like the good old days. God, 
it was great. I figured it'd be damn hard for her to say I couldn't since 
she was lighting up all the time again. Did you know Mom started smoking 
when she was 15?" 
   
   Janine shook her head. 
   
   "Well, she did. Your mother and mine, the teenage smoker," she laughed. 
"I beat her by a year. I was 14 when I began my life as a smoker. But 
that's beside the point. Anyway, I came clean. I told Mom I'd been smoking 
for a couple years and that if she was going to smoke all the time then so 
was I. I thought she'd be pissed. But she wasn't. She was okay with it and 
it's okay with Grant, too. She and Grant and I smoke together all the time. 
It's extremely cool!" 
   
   Janine tried to process this unexpected revelation. "So, Ellie, you're 
saying Mom and Grant both know? And they're okay with it? They let you 
smoke?" 
   
   Ellie nodded energetically. "Yep. Pretty cool, huh? My friends are so 
jealous! Most of them can't smoke at home. I'm lucky." She took a final hit 
on her cigarette and crushed it in the ashtray. "Janine, you should try it. 
I bet you'd quickly learn to like smoking as much as the rest of us." 
   
   Rage had been building up inside since she first saw Ellie smoking. 
Janine exploded. "You little asshole! I can't believe it! You're so stupid. 
I was glad Mom quit smoking when Dad got sick. Maybe our life was hard 
after he died. But we had each other and we didn't have to live in the 
smoky, smelly haze of her awful cigarette smoke anymore. When Mom began to 
date Grant I was afraid she might start again. But I never dreamed you'd 
approve. I was hoping you and I could figure out some way to convince her 
to quit. For her own sake as well as ours." 
   
   "You're barking up the wrong tree," Ellie laughed. "I'm delighted Mom's 
smoking. It's fabulous. It's made it possible for me to smoke, too. And I 
love to smoke," she added with a smile, reaching for her cigarettes and 
removing another one from her pack. 
   
   Horrified, Janine watched Ellie light up. It wasn't the hesitant light 
up of a novice. Her little sister demonstrated the sure certain movements 
of a veteran smoker, someone totally accustomed to indulging herself in a 
deeply ingrained, chronic habit. 
   
   "I'll tell you something else, Janine," she went on, exhaling a torrent 
of smoke from smiling lips. "Mom may kill me for this but I have to tell 
you. We've been talking about how to get you to try it. She and I'd like 
you to start smoking, too." 
   
   "What?" 
   
   Ellie nodded with a wanton grin. "That's right. It's nice living in a 
house with only smokers. There's no hassle; no one gives you shit when you 
want a cigarette; which is, like, all the time!" She laughed maliciously. 
"Mom and I want you to try it, Janine. We're going to nag the hell out of 
you this vacation. We don't want your self-righteous, self-satisfied, 
non-smoking bullshit. We want you to be one of us. We want you to smoke!" 
   
   "You can't be serious." 
   
   "Oh yeah. I'm as serious as a heart attack! Why not make it easy on 
yourself? Let me show you how; right here, right now. Mom will be delighted 
if you're already smoking by the time she gets home tonight. So will Grant. 
He's very liberal about teenage smoking. I almost think he likes the fact 
that I smoke. He encourages both of us to light up. He gets some perverse 
pleasure or satisfaction or something seeing the two of us incessantly 
puffing away on cigarettes every night here at home." 
   
   Janine's head was spinning. "You're insane, Ellie. Absolutely insane! I 
will _not_ start smoking. And I can't believe Mom wants me to. She'd have 
to be crazy to think that. You're making this up." 
   
   Ellie shook her head from side to side. "Like I said I'm serious as a 
heart attack. You're a big girl. Decide for yourself. But Mom and I like to 
smoke! At a minimum I advise you to keep your trap shut when it comes to 
spewing out shit about smoking. You're a guest in Grant's house and he 
doesn't take kindly to people criticizing his lifestyle as a smoker." 
   
   Janine wandered back to her bedroom in a daze. Her little sister Ellie 
was smoking! She hardly believed it. Worse, her mom knew and approved! If 
she believed Ellie she and her mom were conspiring to get her to take up 
the terrible habit. It was more than she could bear. She laid down on her 
bed and sobbed. Soon she fell asleep. 
   
   
   
   Suzanne sat at the breakfast table eating a bagel. She'd slept late 
since final exams were now over. Her mother wandered into the room. 
   
   "So, exams are done?" 
   
   "Yeah, Mom." She looked at the book her mother was carrying. "Oh no! 
Again, Mom?" 
   
   Linda Martin was in her mid forties but her graying hair and nervous 
manner made her look more like sixty. She smiled apprehensively and sat 
down. "Now, Suzanne, don't start. I like these books." 
   
   "But Mom! This must be, like, the fourth time you've read through those 
stupid Tim LaHaye novels, the ones that are supposedly about the end of the 
world!" 
   
   "No, this is only my third time," she corrected her. "Honey, you should 
read them. It's going to happen, you know. We're living in the end times 
right now!" 
   
   Suzanne sighed. "Mom, come on, we're Catholic. That LaHaye guy isn't. 
He's a Protestant for God's sake. I can't believe you believe that stuff. 
He's not even Catholic. Talk to Father McConnell. He'll tell you not to 
worry about that. You'd be better off going to mass or saying an Our Father 
instead of reading that crap!" 
   
   "Hush! Don't talk like that. Mr. LaHaye's a Bible scholar. I know he's 
not Catholic. But he's writing about important things, what it's like in 
the last days. Evil will become more powerful; it's already happening." She 
paused. "You know, dear, speaking of evil, I worry about some of the 
friends you hang around with. Like that girl Crystal. She's a bad seed!" 
   
   Suzanne groaned. "Mom, let's not get into this again. Just because I go 
to a few parties with Crystal doesn't mean she's an agent of the 
Antichrist." 
   
   "I'm not a fool, dear. Smoking and drinking go on at the parties you and 
Crystal frequent." She went on in hushed tones. "Many of those kids are 
thugs; they're out of control. You know how I feel about such things, 
Suzanne. A nice Irish-Catholic girl like you mustn't get mixed up with 
people like that. I don't want you to hang around kids with who smoke and 
drink It's the spirit of Antichrist!" 
   
   The youngster sighed. "Mom, it's not evil. Come on, you were young once. 
At least, I thought you were. Let me get out and live a little. Jesus 
Christ! Crystal doesn't worship Satan or anything, for God's sake. It's not 
like that, not at all." 
   
   "Suzanne! Don't use the Lord's name in vain. I'll not stand for it." She 
pulled her copy of LaHaye's book to her breast. "I prefer you spend your 
time with your old high school friends, like that nice Janine Stevenson. 
Whatever happened to her?" 
   
   "Actually, Janine is supposed to be back in town," she frowned. "I hope 
she'll call me to get together. You're right, Mom. I _would_ like to see 
Janine again." 
   
   "Spending time with Janine would make me happier than that Crystal girl. 
At least with Janine you won't come home with your clothes smelling like 
cigarette smoke!" 
   
   

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