**** A few people wanted to know a little more about Debbie's mother. So here's a short story about her past. Hope you enjoy it. ****
A week after the almost disastrous swinger's party that we went to, Debbie was going to get together with her mother Betty for lunch. Betty was a beautiful, well-built 44 year old woman, about 5'4", with shoulder-length red hair the same color as Debbie's. She was waiting out in front of the restaurant smoking when Deb walked around the corner. She stopped for a second to gather her wits. This was the first time they were going to see each other, let alone talk, since the party. Everyone at the time agreed that it was probably best to drop it, and not make an issue of it that would make everyone uncomfortable for maybe the rest of our lives. Debbie still wanted to clear the air, just to make sure it wasn't going to be a problem, seeing as how Betty and I wound up fucking each other at that party. Long story...
Debbie took a drag of her cigarette as she watched her mom do the same. Still weird to see her smoking she thought. Debbie always thought of her mom as a straight laced, average boring housewife who would never condone smoking, let alone ever even smoke a cigarette. Someone who would never drink, swear or go out of line in any way. Turns out, Betty was quite the opposite.
Betty turned her way as they both exhaled, and gave her a small smile and a wave. Deb waved back, and walked down to meet her. They hugged each other, smiled, and both took one last drag of their cigarettes. They put them out in the ashtray outside of the front door of the restaurant.
"How are you Sweetheart?" Betty asked as she was exhaling.
"A little nervous to be honest." said Debbie, and they both chuckled a little.
"Me too. I'm glad you texted though. I wanted to all week, but..." Betty trailed off and shrugged with a little smile.
"Me too. Finally, I just said screw it. I thought to myself, if I am this nervous about it, that you probably were too." said Deb. Betty hugged her again.
They walked in, and the hostess asked if they wanted a booth or a table.
"Can we sit outside in the smoking section please?" asked Betty.
"Of course!" replied the hostess with a smile. "Follow me."
When they were seated, they both pulled out their cigarettes. Both of them smoked the same brand. Marlboro Red 100's. They each lit up in an uncomfortable silence. They were the only ones in the smoking area, which was probably a good thing. The conversation that was about to follow wasn't going to be PG.
After a moment of sitting there smoking, and avoiding each other's eyes, Debbie had enough. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. Betty looked at her, and nodded in agreement. "I'm your daughter, so we need to get past this. I thought I knew you, and you probably thought you knew me. Obviously, there are plenty of things we don't know about each other. We've always been close I thought. I feel like this is going to pull us apart. I don't want that!" Debbie paused to take a huge drag and exhaled quickly. "So... I want to know everything! How you came to be a smoker. What your life was like when you were younger. Everything! And... I'll tell you everything as well, if you'd like."
Betty took a drag, exhaled and said "I totally agree. I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you about my past, but I was trying to protect you, so you wouldn't follow my path. Turns out it didn't really matter, because you're so much like me. I should have seen it." She paused as Debbie took another huge drag, and then said with a small chuckle "Are you sure you want to know everything though? You may be shocked."
"You'll probably be shocked about me as well." Deb said with a laugh as she exhaled.
Just then, the waiter showed up, and asked if they wanted any drinks. They both looked him up and down. He was a very handsome man of Italian descent. About 5'10" with a strong muscular build, and dark brown eyes. Deb just said she wanted water, and Betty ordered a Captain and Coke. Deb's eyes went wide. "But you don't drink!" she exclaimed.
Betty looked at her and smiled. "Oh I do!" she said with a laugh, and took another huge drag of her cigarette. Deb was looking forward to this conversation.
After the waiter left, they both watched him walk away. They looked at each other and smiled. Betty then leaned forward and started her story. "I was always a bit of a wild child. Your grandparents had a pretty tough time with me. They pretty much disowned me when I turned 18. They both died before you were born, but I don't know if you would have ever met them had they lived."
She took another drag and continued "I always rebelled against them, whether it was school or home. Basically everything they wanted me to do, I would make sure to do the opposite. I was not a great daughter. 'Clean your room!' I made it messier. 'Do better in school!' I started skipping classes. 'Don't smoke!' I went bought cigarettes. I bought my first pack when I was 12." the look of shock on Debbie's face made Betty laugh out loud. "It was much easier to buy cigarettes back then. And they weren't very expensive."
The waiter came back with our drinks, and Betty downed half of it in just a few seconds. Deb stared at her as she took another drag. The waiter smiled at her, and then took our food order.
After he walked away, Betty continued "Within a few years, I was smoking 2 packs a day. Pretty hard to do considering I was in High School, but I smoked every chance I could get. When I turned 18 the first week of February, I quit school. Stupidest thing I could have done. I didn't have a job, and my parents kicked me out. I stayed at a friends house. I couldn't afford cigarettes, so..." At this point, Betty stopped and looked at Deb.