The Video, Part 2

The Video
Part 2 of 2

Shelly sat on the patio and extracted a long cigarette.  The camera zoomed in
on her face as she lit up.  What happened next caught me by surprise. While
the frame was zooming out, Shelly began to extend the flame to someone seated
next to her.  To my amazement it was Nicole, my daughter.  I wasn't quite sure
how to react to what I was seeing.  As I was regaining my composure Linda
entered the picture.

Linda introduced my daughter and began to tell the story of how she started.
The conversation then turned to me, and the fact that I was unaware of
Nicole's smoking. Apparently Linda had felt sorry for my daughter and took it
upon herself to teach Nicole.  They talked about the fact that I smoked, but
had never taken the initiative to introduce it to my daughter.   Nicole said
she was trying to get up the nerve to tell me that she had started.  Shelly
began to explain that both their grades had increased since they could smoke
and study together.  Looking very closely at my daughter I noticed she took to
smoking very well and had a lot of style, obviously due to Linda's teaching.

The remainder of the video consisted of the girls trying different brands.
Linda would enter the picture, name the brand, and give each girl a pack.  I
was unaware that so many brands existed.  Everything from cloves, menthols,
and imports were reviewed.  Sometimes the same day, others the next (I could
tell by their clothing), the girls would give a review of the cigarette.
Linda often sat in giving her own "adult" perspective.  The girls would grade
cigarettes based upon if they were good for a learning or advanced smoker, or
if they were just a plainly horrible cigarette.

After watching the video I decided to have a talk with Linda about my
discovery.  I was very nervous and smoked several cigarettes on the way.
Linda answered the door and looked her usual glamorous self (she was often
said to resemble Rita Hayworth).  She asked me in and told me the girls were at
a movie.  Before I could begin discussing what I had found, burst into
uncontrolled crying.  Through my sobs I began to describe myself as a horrible
parent.  Where had I been while my child started smoking, was I that removed
from her life?  I thanked her for filling in for my parental misgivings.  I
couldn't help but continuing to cry as I explained my admiration for her.

Linda was very consoling, and offered me a cigarette to relax.  She explained
how I wasn't a bad parent.  She had made the video so kids could see that
there were adults who encouraged them smoking.  She was very upset about the
current ant-smoking environment, especially toward kids. 

As Linda continued, I looked deeply into her eyes. There was something
wonderful about this woman.  I felt a sense of love I had never felt for a
person before.  Not because of anything physical, but the person inside.  She
had perfect ethics and a knowing of what was right and wrong.  Mother Theresa
had nothing on this woman; she truly cared about people, as she had
demonstrated with my daughter.  Her conversation never turned to herself, but
instead concentrated on the happiness of others.  Perhaps I had always looked
too much at the exterior of a person.  Beauty on the inside is what I found in
Linda.  Suddenly gender meant nothing to me.  In a purely natural gesture I
leaned forward and kissed her.  Love can be so superficial sometimes, but this
was real.  Our kiss became very passionate, with each of us feeling the
electricity.  We found our way to the bedroom where things progressed.  For
the first time in my life I felt I had made true love.

Our lives soon melted into one.  I don't know that I am actually a lesbian;
that sounds so dependant on gender.  If the same scenario were to have
occurred with a man, I'm sure the result would be the same.   I have fallen in
love with a person, and the soul within.  We have continued making videos with
the girls.  The advancement of teen smoking rights has become a major cause to
us. Although I may have been a bad parent before I hope I have made up for it
by filling in other parents shortfalls.  To think that all of this learning
and personal growth came from a two dollar video has shown me you can't put a
price on doing the right thing.

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