The Vacation (1996), Part 4

    This story, a sequel to "Lisa's Quest," contains adult language and sexual
themes. If you find such language or themes offensive, please do not continue
to read.


    THE VACATION

    4. It Runs in the Family

    On Wednesday afternoon Lisa and Rene again drove to the Robinson home.
Neither Don nor Sharon would be there, but Cathy had called last night asking
whether Lisa and Rene could come over during the afternoon after school. It
was important, Cathy said, but refused to disclose any details. Lisa wondered
what required such private attention? Perhaps something relating to boys, sex
or Cathy's social life. Although as far as Lisa could tell Cathy's social life
was doing quite well without any help or advice from her older sister.

    "Thanks, guys, for coming," Cathy said as they arrived. "Let's go sit on
the porch." There was no need to explain the reason for sitting on the patio.
Lisa and Rene couldn't visit for any length of time without being able to
smoke.

    Cathy had prepared iced tea and cookies. Lisa and Rene each lit a
cigarette and waited for Cathy to explain the reason for the visit. Cathy
wasted no time.

    "Lisa," she began, "remember on Saturday when you told me I should try
smoking sometime?" Lisa nodded her head. "Well," Cathy went on, "I want to
talk about that."

    "Wait, Cathy," Lisa interrupted, "I was only kidding. Live your own life.
Don't try smoking just because I like to smoke." She paused to take a hit on
her Salem. "Of course," Lisa smiled wryly, "I really do enjoy it."

    "I know," Cathy answered. "That's what started me thinking about it again.
See, one of my best friends from school, Libby, she smokes. She's been smoking
for almost a year now. Her parents don't know, but Libby smokes at least a
half a pack a day. You know, before school, after school, at parties. That
sort of thing."

    Lisa nodded and smiled to herself. Many people started smoking exactly
that way. It starts with just a few cigarettes here and there, mostly smoking
socially. You think you're in control of your smoking and then, bang! Before
you know it, you're hooked and can't quit. Lisa took a drag and inhaled the
smoke. "So what's your point, Cath?" she asked, knowing full well what was
coming.

    "Well," Cathy answered hesitantly, "I'd never thought much about it until
I saw you smoking. Lisa, when you smoke, you seem like you're having so much
fun. Look how you puff on those things!" As Cathy spoke, Lisa was taking
another big drag and pulling the smoke deeply into her lungs. "And I thought
about Libby. She's always trying to figure out how to get opportunities to
smoke more cigarettes. Because she can't smoke at home, you know."

    Rene interrupted Cathy's story. "So Libby enjoys smoking, too, Cathy? We
know Lisa does. But what's the significance of all this?"

    Cathy nodded. "Yeah, Libby loves to smoke. She has the same look of
delight when she lights up that you guys do." Cathy looked at Rene and Lisa.
"Anyway, I started wondering whether I was missing something. You know,
despite what everyone says about smoking being bad for you."

    "Do you want to try smoking, Cath?" Lisa asked. Once again, she was
certain she knew the answer.

    "I'm coming to that," Cathy explained. "On Monday Libby and I went out for
coffee after school. Libby lit up, and again I saw that look of anticipation
and delight on her face. She pumped and pumped on her first cigarette." Cathy
looked at the ground. Lisa noticed Cathy's hands were shaking. "So I asked
Libby if I could try a cigarette, too."

    Lisa smiled, gazing at her sister with an understanding look. "So, did
you? Did you smoke, I mean?" Lisa took another drag. This was getting
interesting!

    "Yes," Libby whispered, "I did. Libby was excited about helping me. She
said it was past time I learned how to smoke. She promised I'd love it. Well,
I didn't like it much at first, but by the end of my second cigarette I
started to enjoy it."

    "Two cigarettes, huh?" Rene asked with a mischievous grin. "Pretty good!
Did you cough or feel sick, Cathy?"

    "No, not exactly," Cathy responded. "Oh, I felt a little dizzy at first,
but that passed pretty quickly. I choked a little on the first few puffs but
after awhile I got the hang of it. I think I liked it, though."

    Lisa decided to ask the next question directly. "Cathy," she queried, "do
you want to try smoking a cigarette with us? Right now? Is that why you wanted
us to come over this afternoon?"

    Cathy looked embarrassed. "Yeah," she admitted. "That's exactly what I
want. See, it's pretty hard to learn to smoke in public. I mean, Libby and I
were sitting in the restaurant in front of all those people. I figured you
guys could show me what to do. In private. I'd like to try it again."

    Lisa asked the next question. "What brand was Libby smoking, Cath? I've
got menthol and Rene's got regular cigarettes. Which do you want?"

    Cathy looked confused. "I'm not sure," she replied. "I think Libby smokes
Marlboros, the long ones in the gold pack."

    "Probably Marlboro 100's," Rene decided. "They're pretty strong. You might
like these better to start out with." She motioned to her pack of Marlboro
Light 100's on the table beside her. "They're lighter and not as harsh." She
winked at Lisa. "Better for beginners."

    "Rene," Lisa interrupted, "let her try one of my Salems. These are
menthol, Cathy," she explained, "and they're light, too. They're easy to learn
to smoke."

    Lisa extended a cigarette to her sister. Cathy accepted it from the pack
gingerly and put it between her lips. Lisa leaned over and held her gold
lighter to the tip of Cathy's cigarette as Cathy put it in her mouth. "Here
you go, kid!" As the flame caught the tip, Cathy took a small puff and
immediately exhaled.

    "Thank you," Cathy said sheepishly. "I'm still not sure what I'm doing."
She looked at the burning cigarette. "You're right," she continued. "These
taste better to me than Libby's cigarettes." Cathy took a second small drag
and once again immediately exhaled the smoke, without inhaling.

    Lisa was impressed, but in reality Cathy was barely smoking. Lisa knew how
to fix that. "Cathy," she asked, "did Libby teach you how to inhale? That's
the best part of smoking, you know." She watched Cathy's reaction with
interest. Until Cathy learned to inhale she wouldn't really enjoy smoking.

    Cathy shook her head. "No," she said, "because I was afraid I'd start
coughing. I didn't want to embarrass myself in the restaurant. But Libby
inhales. All the time." Cathy smiled. "Just like you guys. It looks fun! I
mean, it's cool the way you get the smoke to come out of your mouth like
that!"

    "It is," Rene agreed. "And this is a perfect place for you to learn how to
inhale. You're already doing great, Cathy, considering that this is only your
third cigarette ever. Don't worry. You're a natural."

    Cathy blushed. "Thanks, Rene," she answered. "But I'd really like to learn
how to inhale. Can you teach me?" Cathy took another quick, shallow drag on
her cigarette.

    "Sure," Lisa answered. She crushed out her own cigarette and immediately
lit up another. Talking about it like this made Lisa want to chain-smoke.
"Cathy," she began, "before we start, I'll warn you. When you inhale, your
appreciation for cigarettes and your desire for nicotine increases
dramatically. Your body gets used to nicotine and it wants more and more of
it. Yeah, you'll enjoy it, but there's a price. You may find that you can't
quit, even if you later want to."

    Cathy smiled. "I'm not afraid of that," she stated boldly, holding her
cigarette erect between her index and middle fingers. "I've seen how you guys
and Libby enjoy smoking. I want to learn, too. I'm not afraid of getting
hooked, if that's what you mean."

    "That's exactly what I mean," Lisa answered. "Okay, then, if you're sure.
Here's what you do. You put the cigarette in your mouth. But while you puff,
breathe out through your nose. That creates a vacuum in your lungs. Like
this." Lisa took a puff and demonstrated the technique. "Then open your mouth,
to mix air with the smoke, and breathe in slowly down your windpipe. After
holding it inside for a few seconds, slowly begin to blow the smoke back out.
That's it. Try it and see what happens!"

    Cathy did as instructed. She put the cigarette in her mouth and took a
longer drag, carefully exhaling through her nose while she did. She removed
the cigarette, opened her mouth, and breathed in. Rene and Lisa saw a ball of
smoke disappear down Cathy's windpipe. No adverse reaction. "Now," Lisa
coached, "slowly try blowing the smoke back out."

    Cathy began to exhale. She saw a stream of smoke appear in front of her
face. The smoke's density increased and the plume lengthened before her eyes.
Then, slowly but surely, the stream thinned out as the last of the smoke
escaped from her lips. Cathy smiled.

    "Wow," Cathy exclaimed, "that was way cool!" She giggled. "Lisa, it
worked! I never felt like coughing. Actually, I liked the way it feels. It
feels so cool, so.... I don't know, so GOOD!" Cathy looked at the cigarette in
her hand and then at Lisa. "Can I try it again?" she asked eagerly as she
tapped some ashes into the ashtray.

    "Sure," Lisa grinned. "Go ahead! From the looks of it, this won't be the
last time you try it." While they watched, Cathy slowly took a much longer
drag off the Salem. In addition to longer, Cathy sucked much harder this time.
After several moments, Cathy reluctantly pulled the cigarette away from her
lips and opened her mouth. With a greedy inhale she pulled the smoke into her
body. Her breasts rose up visibly, as if to make room for the smoke inside.
Cathy's eyes were open wide. She felt the pleasant sensation of smoke soaking
into her lungs. The nicotine gave a slight but pleasant buzz. Finally, Cathy
exhaled a steady stream of smoke into the air. A look of satisfaction covered
her face.

    "God," Cathy gushed, "it tastes so good! Now I understand why you guys
like smoking so much! This is great!" She tapped more ashes into the ashtray
and quickly took another hit. "It doesn't taste bitter anymore, either. It
tastes good," she went on after inhaling, as she held the smoke inside. "That
means I'm getting used to smoking, right?"

    Rene smiled as she watched Cathy exhale again. "That's right, Cathy," she
answered with obvious approval. "That's what it means. Your body's quickly
getting used to the nicotine. If you feel yourself getting light-headed, rest
for awhile. Otherwise, just enjoy it!"

    "Okay," Cathy answered with a smile. "But I'm not stopping now." She took
another long puff and inhaled deeply.

    The look on Cathy's face demonstrated the extent of her pleasure. She
decided she loved the way smoking made her feel. With each inhale, Cathy
imagined herself getting hooked on nicotine. And she didn't care. She only
wanted more smoke. Nothing else mattered. God, she thought, I could get used
to this. Cathy smiled and laughed. "Shit," she exclaimed as she exhaled once
more, "I love smoking cigarettes! What a rush!"

    "God," Rene sighed, in a deep tone of voice, "watching you get off smoking
makes me want another cigarette, too." Without hesitation, Rene picked up her
pack, shook out a cigarette, and lit up another Marlboro. Lisa followed with
another as well. All three of them smoked together quietly until Cathy'd
finished hers and crushed it out.

    Lisa was the first to break the silence. "So, Cathy," she began, "what the
hell are going to do now? Are you going to start smoking all the time? You
look like you want to!"

    Cathy frowned. "I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know how Mom and Dad
would feel about me smoking." She frowned. "Dad would shit a brick!" She
paused. "Can I have another one? I think I'd like to smoke again."

    "Sure," Lisa answered cheerfully, "be my guest!" Cathy took another Salem
from her sister and quickly put it in her mouth. Lisa lit it for her, and
Cathy took a big first drag.

    "God, this is great," Cathy whispered as she held the smoke inside.
Slowly, reluctantly, she exhaled through her nose, just as she'd seen Lisa and
Rene do.

    Lisa and Rene smiled at each other. Cathy took another long drag off her
second cigarette. She's hooked already, thought Lisa as Cathy inhaled deeply.
I can tell from the look on her face.

    After exhaling again, Cathy looked thoughtfully at Lisa. "I'm gonna start
smoking, too, Lisa," she said with determination. "I've decided. I definitely
want to smoke. Whatever it takes. Fuck it, I'm not giving this up!" She smiled
and took another drag. "Libby and I will just have to sneak off together and
smoke in secret from now on," Cathy said while smoke escaped from her mouth
and nose. Then Cathy sighed. "I just wish there were some I way I could get
Mom and Dad to accept it, and let me smoke at home, too."

    Lisa smiled. "Actually, Sis, you might be surprised. I've got an idea how
we might get you permission to smoke whenever you want." Cathy looked at Lisa
as if she were crazy. "I'm not kidding," Lisa went on, "listen to this...."

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