Taboo, Part 2

TABOO
by uciboy

PART II

When Stephanie walked in the door, she went straight to the bathroom to wash
the smoke away from her hands and face.  Not that anyone was going to notice
in this house.  Stephanie could see the heavy smoke hanging in the air in the
family room where her brother and parents were watching T.V.  God, Korean T.V.
again!  Stephanie's parents were from the old country but she was born in
California - which technically makes her Second Generation - or at least 1.5
according to the sociologists.  While her parents sought to hold on to their
Korean culture, Stephanie grew up an American - with American values.  She'd
take pizza over kim-chee any day and could barely even understand the Korean
language, let alone speak it.  At home she spoke only English to her parents
while they communicated in a combination of Korean and broken English.  

Her brother Chris, however, was a different story.  Adopted as an orphan child
from Korea at age 11, he held the old world values that Stephanie's parents
felt their daughter had lost - if she ever had them to begin with growing up
in America.  He respected his parents, deferred to their wishes, was active in
church with them.  He spoke English well enough to communicate with Stephanie,
but he always spoke Korean with them.  This was particularly important since
his Mom had decided to home-school him.  As a teacher back in Korea, she was
certainly qualified to teach him all he needed to know.  But her motivations
were more than just educational.  She was dismayed at how American Stephanie
had become and blamed the public school system as a primary cause of "loosing"
her daughter.  She would not make the same mistake with her son - and she
guarded him possessively.

And Chris, even though adopted, was clearly her favorite - and both she and
her husband lavished him with praise and gifts.  When Stephanie would make an
issue of the fact that such praise was not always forthcoming upon her own
achievements, her Mom would say, "Chris has had a hard life and so every
accomplishment is a miracle.  From you we expect such achievements.  For what
should you be praised?"

Stephanie felt helpless.  Though her parents provided her with all the
financial support she could need, they would not - could not - provide the
type of support she craved:  a pat on the back, a "good going" or "a job well
done."  What's the use, she'd say to herself.  Nothing I do pleases them.  And
yet she accepted her fate stoically.  Such was her lot for being born a woman
into a Korean family.

Remarkably she did not blame Chris for her fate.  They were, in fact, quite
close - almost too close.  As an immigrant to this country, Chris was in need
of guidance and assimilation.  Stephanie took him under her wing and was
amazed at the progress he had made in only four years.  Learning English was a
necessity for Chris since Stephanie's Korean was so poor - and she spent hours
teaching him words, phrases, even the literary classics.  It was one of the
duties her parents had given her as part of Chris' home schooling.  Lucky for
Stephanie, she was an English major and so actually enjoyed her lessons with
Chris.

Because Chris entered Stephanie's family at the age of 11, she could never
really see him as a brother.  It was like he was a guest in their home.  But
they became quick pals because Chris had no friends and could speak barely a
word of English; and from Stephanie's perspective, Chris was someone to talk
to when the moments of isolation from her parents became unbearable.  They
would talk for hours - though at first in his broken English and her broken
Korean.  Together they would go to the movies or to the beach - just hanging
out.  Stephanie and Chris, it seemed, would spend all their time together.
Their parents thought such activity unnatural, at first, and sought to
discourage it - especially fearing that Chris would take on the bad habits
their "American" daughter had.  But Chris grew into a model Korean son - and
this was evidence enough for them that his relationship with his new sister
was completely platonic.

And in fact it was.  But Stephanie suddenly felt different about Chris.  She
couldn't place her finger on it.  With Chris active in high school and she in
college, they now had their own friends, different interests, and different
activities.  They simply could not spend as much time together as they used
to, and so Stephanie longed to get home in the evenings from school when she
could see him.  Sometimes she'd get butterflies just thinking about him.  And
then the smoking started.  

Stephanie was not surprised when Chris started smoking - most Korean guys she
knew did; and since her father, who Chris idolized, was a smoker, she figured
it was inevitable her brother would start.  In fact she really didn't think
she'd mind one way or the other - until the night a few months ago when he
asked his father - in front of the family - if he could have a cigarette.  It
was his first, and Stephanie's father looked at him with pride, as if his son
had suddenly taken his first step towards being a man.  Stephanie tried not to
stare as Chris put the Parliament 100 into his mouth and her father brought
the flame to the tip, but she couldn't help herself.  When her brother took
his first puff, he inhaled it immediately and began coughing.  Her father
laughed and said in Korean, "Don't inhale so fast.  You have to get used to
it."  Chris, determined to learn, took a second, more shallow puff and this
time inhaled and exhaled without much trouble.  Stephanie could feel the
butterflies in her stomach flutter and watched her brother out of the corner
of her eye the rest of the night as he smoked two more cigarettes.  Every
evening when his father got home, he would smoke a cigarette with him just
before and right after dinner - and then would smoke a few more while watching
T.V. with the family.  Before long, Chris had picked up the habit, had chosen
his own brand (Marlboro Lights), and was smoking nearly a pack and a half a
day that his father proudly provided him with.

Stephanie knew something was going on with her feelings for Chris.  It was
unnatural to be attracted to one's brother - adopted or not.   But she
couldn't stop dreaming about him, thinking about him.  And she suspected he
might feel the same way.  He seemed much more shy around her lately.  And
there was that humiliating moment last Wednesday morning when she thought that
she was alone in the house.  When she stepped out of the shower, she opened
the bathroom door to let the steam out and proceeded to dry herself off.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she slowly began to caress her
breasts.  She closed her eyes and moved her hand down between her legs.  Just
as she was about to insert her fingers, she opened her eyes and saw her
brother down the hall staring at her as if in a hypnotic trance with an erect
penis ready to burst through his Levis.  She screamed and immediately slammed
the bathroom door.  "I'm sorry Sis," she heard her brother say.  "I just
forgot a book...I'm...I'm sorry.  I'm leaving now."  When her anger subsided,
her humiliation turned into keen interest at her brother's sexual arousal to
her body.  The incident was never spoken of between the two, though they could
barely look at each other for two days afterwards.

Now after this evening with Margie with whom she had smoked her first
cigarette, Stephanie felt an arousal like she had never known before.  The
tingling of that Virginia Slim was still fresh in her mind, and its taste
fresh in her mouth.  She reached for her purse and pulled out one of the slim
120s Margie had given her.  She held it between her fingers and watched her
reflection as she brought it up to her lips.  Man, she whispered with a heavy
sigh, I could use a cigarette right now.  I might as well smoke, she thought
to herself.  Everyone else does.  She opened a drawer, pulled out a bic
lighter, and was about to bring it to life when she was startled by the sound
of laughter coming from her family at a scene on television.   She dropped the
cigarette and lighter into her purse and opened the bathroom door.

Stephanie walked through the living room and into the kitchen where she sat
down at the dinner table just behind her mother's chair.   The whole family
was watching some Korean comedy about a grocer in Seoul - at least she thought
it was a grocer but she really couldn't understand what they were saying.  Her
father was just putting out his Parliament and was about to light another one
while Chris was about half-way through his Marlboro Light.  Stephanie thought
about the dream she shared with Margie at Starbucks this evening and could
feel her pussy start to drip as she watched Chris slowly take a puff, inhale
it, and then shoot the smoke up towards the ceiling.  He looked so mature at
15 - and so sexy.  She wanted a cigarette and she wanted one now.  What could
her parents say?  She was 18 and a university student, Afterall - certainly
mature enough to make her own decisions!  Stephanie looked at the ash tray
sitting on the dinner table.  Fuck it.

Stephanie grabbed her purse and pulled out a Virginia Slim and the lighter.
She carefully put the 120 in her mouth and lit it, took a deep drag, and sat
back as she blew a stream of smoke from her lips.  Her brother and father
turned and stared in disbelief as they watched Stephanie inhale another deep
puff.  When her mother looked behind her to see what they were staring at, all
Hell broke loose.

"What you doing?!" she screamed in her broken English.

"What does it look like?" Stephanie replied.  She was feeling sassy and she
took another deep puff, the orange glow reflecting the fire in her eyes.

"Put it out immediately!  You no smoke!  Very bad!  You no allowed to smoke!"

"What do you mean I can't smoke?"  Stephanie nervously flicked the ash off her
cigarette into the ash tray on the table.  "You let Chris smoke!"  

"That different.  He man - he can smoke.  You girl - you can't smoke."

"But you started at 16 and smoked for 25 years!  How can you tell me now I
can't smoke?"  Stephanie could suddenly feel that she was going to be on the
losing end of this argument and a sense of emptiness started to overwhelm her.

"I quit.  You not make same mistake I make.  You no smoke!"  

Stephanie turned to her father for support.  "Dad, you let Chris smoke - why
can't I?"  But he stared stoically at the T.V. and made no reply.  Stephanie
felt defeated.  She simply could not believe her parents would be so unfair.
She looked at Chris who had an expression of anguish on his face - but there
was nothing he could do.  Tears began to well up in her eyes and she felt
totally dejected.  As if through an out of body experience, Stephanie watched
her mother walk towards her, grab the half smoked cigarette out from between
her fingers, and put it under the faucet.  "You no smoke!" her mother yelled
as she tossed it into the garbage can and retook her seat in the living room.

Stephanie sat at the table, seething now with anger.  "I'm sick of this!" she
exploded and stood up from the table.  "Chris can do whatever he wants in this
house.  He's 15 and you let him smoke!  But when I decide to have a cigarette,
you have a shit-fit like I've just desecrated your ancestor's graves.  It's
not fair."

Her mother stared straight at the television and said coldly, "You no like,
you move out."

Stephanie could make no reply.  As she felt herself about to cry, she ran into
her room and slammed the door with a force that shook the house.

Chris was torn.  If he went to Stephanie's aid, his parents would see the act
as a betrayal.  If he didn't, Stephanie would surely never forgive him.  More
important, he would never forgive himself.  Seeing that Stephanie left her
purse on the kitchen table, Chris got up off the couch and grabbed it as he
headed towards her room.  He was sure his parents would disapprove, but he
wanted to comfort Stephanie.

"Chris...?" his mother said coolly as she continued to watch the television
screen.

"She forgot her purse," he replied meekly and he walked out of the room.

When he reached the closed door of Stephanie's room, he could hear her crying
into her pillow.  "Sis," he said after knocking, "you forgot your purse."
There was only more crying in reply.  Chris slowly opened the door.  "Can I
come in?"  Stephanie was laying on her bed and looked up at Chris with tears
streaming down her cheeks.  Suddenly Chris could feel his dick harden.  "Ohhh
man, I want you," he heard a voice say inside him.  Just seeing her in such a
helpless state sexually aroused him - and he was both excited and ashamed at
the sensation.  

He closed the door behind him and sat down next to his sister on the bed.
"Don't cry Steph," he said as he caressed her hair.  It felt smooth and silky.
"I'm sure Mom will soften up.  And if she doesn't, then you can smoke in my
room."  Playing the role of comforter to the weak excited Chris even more, and
he feared Stephanie would notice the hard-on between his legs.  Get down, get
down!  Chris put the purse on his lap to cover the bulge in his pants.

Stephanie sat up and wiped the tears away from her face.  "I don't care about
smoking.  It's just that they're so unfair."  Stephanie reached into her purse
and pulled out the second cigarette Margie had given her.  Fuck them!  I'm
gonna smoke anyway.  "They always treat me different than you."

"I know and I feel so bad," he said as he pulled a lighter out of his pocket,
quickly giving his dick a stroke in the process.  "You're probably sorry I
ever came into this family."  Chris wondered if Stephanie blamed him for her
troubles.

"No," Stephanie assured him as she accepted the flame from his lighter, "they
treat me this way because I'm a girl."  She inhaled a quick puff, holding back
a cough, and blew out a thin stream of smoke through the side of her mouth,
just as she had watched Margie do a hundred times.  "I would have to face this
crap even if you weren't here.  Believe me" - Stephanie put her hand on his
shoulder - "you're the best thing in my life." 

Chris looked closely at his sister - now a smoker - and he liked what he saw,
his dick ready to blow with the slightest touch.  For her part, Stephanie
liked having Chris this close and she kept her hand resting on his shoulder.
She wanted to kiss him - and it would be so easy.  All she had to do was move
her face a little closer until their lips touched.  She was sure he would
respond positively.  As she began to do just this, the phone rang - and both
moved back startled.  Suddenly her mother yelled, "Stephanie!!  Margie on
phone!"

"I guess I better go," Chris said with some embarrassment and took the purse
off his lap as he stood up.  Stephanie could see the hard-on ready to burst
through his zipper and felt a pang between her own legs.  "I'll talk to you
later," Chris mumbled and he was out the door in three steps.  

Stephanie leaned back on her pillow, took a deep puff, and picked up the
receiver.  "Margie," she said in a cloud of smoke, "have I got a story for
you."

END PART II

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