I don't know why this crazy notion had seized my imagination. And I certainly don't know why I decided to act on it. After all, I have always been a rather goodie-goodie type of girl. And I am known to be shy. But, what the heck, I thought. It's my birthday and I am definitely going to do this. So I did it. I tried a cigar. And I liked it. And now I'm going to keep smoking them for the rest of my life.
The decision had been made, but I didn't as yet know anything about the subject. I had no real idea what to do. How does one properly smoke a cigar? It was time to find out. I said goodbye to my mother and left on my mission.
After arriving via taxi at my local tobacconist, I sought help. A young lady named Maria offered to show me the ropes. She seemed to know a lot about cigars so I asked her if she smoked them.
"Yes," she laughed. "It's kind of hard to have a job at a place like this without sampling the product once in a while. What's your name Miss?"
"Joanne," I told her.
"I'll need to see some ID, Joanna."
"That's fine Maria. I turned 18 today." I showed Maria my driver's license.
"Oh, in that case, your cigar will be on the house. Happy birthday!"
I told Maria that I was a complete novice and that I was nervous about smoking a cigar in public.
"Oh, it's OK," said Maria. It's not a real steep learning curve. And, as for smoking in public, women do it all the time now. This is the twenty-first century, dear. Let's find a good beginner smoke for you and I'll join you in the lounge to smoke with you."