The day I tried my first cigarette, I left for work 15 minutes early to stop by a gas station off my usual route. Even though I had just moved to Virginia from Iowa and hardly knew anybody, I suppose I didn't want to risk running into anybody who might recognize me from work, my apartment or even the grocery store. After all I had always been a good girl who played by the rules, got good grades, and did what her parents told her to.
I parked the car and knew I was acting ridiculous. Anybody would think I was buying crack if they knew how jumpy I felt. Certainly not cigarettes, a mass produced product that brought in billions of dollars every year. Something perfectly legal at the ripe old age of 25. I was being stupid.
I took a deep breath and reassured myself. Besides, just because I was going to buy a pack of cigarettes didn't mean I would have to smoke them. I could always throw them out if I changed my mind. Easy as that.
I walked in and heard the familiar sound of the doorbell ringing to alert the clerk he had a customer. He looked bored and tired, but when he saw me wearing my vintage 1940's skirt and ballet flats along with my long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, he perked up a bit and gave me a half smile.
I smiled back, worried my asking for cigarettes would cause his face to fall in disapproval, then reassured myself that he probably bought and sold hundreds of packs every day. He likely wouldn't care about my purchase. He would forget about me as soon as I left, I reasoned.
I walked to where he was standing and examined the top row of sweets under the counter. I then picked up a pack of gum and set it down so he could ring it up. I almost let that be it, but knew I would be disappointed in myself if I failed my mission. I had already driven several miles out of my way to be there, so I said far more confidently than I felt, "I'll get a pack of light menthols too please." and took a deep breath.
In my typical fashion, I had researched smoking a great deal, and after sifting through all the "don't do it" articles, I determined menthols were the most recommended kind for beginners. I was told they would be smooth and minty and lights would be the best way to try them out. Besides, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a dedicated smoker, or if I just wanted to see what it was like. I just wanted to try them to see what all the fuss was about. To see if they did help people relax and feel focused. God, I hoped they would with my job.
"No problem." the clerk smiled, then seemed to take forever hunting up what I had asked for. The seconds felt like hours, and finally, he placed a pack in front of me. I tried to act confident, like I bought cigarettes all the time, handed him a 20 and shoved my new pack into my purse. I then turned towards the exit to hightail it out of there.
"Ma'am?" the clerk called right as I started to open the door. I turned, thinking for some reason he would give me some kind of anti-smoking talk. Instead he asked, "Don't you want your change?"
I placed my palm to my forehead and laughed. "Yeah, thanks." I mumbled, and headed back so he could hand me a few bills and coins.
As I drove to work, I couldn't stop thinking about the cigarettes I had in my possession. My heart was racing, and I felt an exhilaration just having them in my purse. It almost seemed like a kind of sexual arousal, and I realized my pussy was pulsing at the thought of trying one. I would finally understand why smokers always looked so calm coming back from lunch and breaks. I was hopeful to look that way myself, as I had a stressful job, and hoped smoking would help alleviate the pent up pressure my job had created. I also wanted to see what attracted people to it back in the 40's and 50's when smoking was glamorous and even romantic.
I had thought about vaping of course, but it seemed like too much of a fad for me. Like it would be more like that fat free, cholesterol free garbage people bought in place of real ice cream. I wanted to experience the real original way people got nicotine into their systems. Plus, there was nothing romantic about a device you have to plug in to smoke. No, I would try the old fashioned way first. If I liked it, maybe I would try vaping, but I had high hopes to look as elegant as Audry Hepburn or Rita Hayworth with a cigarette waving in the air and punctuating my sentences.
I probably would have tried my first cigarette in the park behind the law offices, but it was too close to my start time, and I had been so focused on the taboo of buying cigarettes I had forgotten one key thing: buying a lighter.
I remembered I had seen a lighter in the break room at work, in a drawer. If I was right, I could sneak it out at lunch and have my first cigarette. I was so excited.
I made my way to my desk and answered a few emails. I then made a few calls to stressed out clients. Some who faced hefty jail time if convicted. Then, when I was sure nobody was in the break room, I took the opportunity to go in feeling like a criminal myself to look in one of the drawers. I opened the top one and didn't find anything but a few stray plastic spoons, but underneath it, in the second drawer, there it was. It was a blue bic, probably left after somebody's birthday candles were lit. I discreetly placed it in my pocket, feeling a jolt of sexual excitement and went back to my desk.
Mr. Pendergast, a handsome business-like man (who routinely spent two hours a day at the gym and who I was sure would look down on smokers) came out of his office and gave me some direction for the day. He wanted me to get the sign in sheet and payment records from some daycare to prove a client was a fit parent, sift through another client's phone records, and chase down a few payments along with a mountain of other things he wanted done by the end of the day. I inwardly rolled my eyes and said "yes, I'll be sure to get right on it," and got to work.
By 1:15, I had escorted Mr. Pendergast's client to his office for his meeting and was finally able to get away for lunch. I felt tightly wound as I ate a simple sandwich, and then decided to take a stroll along the trail behind the law office to slip away and smoke my first cigarette.
I was pretty sure by 1:30, most everybody would be back inside the office after lunch. Not many people would be walking or eating lunch by this time, so I felt fairly certain I wouldn't get caught. I found a picnic table off the beaten path, and followed some silly directions I had found online about how to properly smoke.
First I "packed" the cigarettes, tapping them firmly against my leg. Somehow that was supposed to make for a better smoke, but I didn't know how.
I then opened the pack with my hands shaking. "Here it goes," I thought, and pulled out my first ever cigarette. It was long and had a stripe of green where the filter was, and I was glad it didn't have an ugly cork at the bottom. I really liked the look of a white cigarette. I felt it was more classy and vintage.
I put the roll of tobacco to my lips and faked a few puffs. It tasted pretty good. Sort of smooth and minty. I then lit the lighter (which took a few tries since it was old and my hands were shaking), and brought it to the tip of the cigarette. I inhaled a little, just until the tip glowed, and stopped. I held a small amount of smoke in my mouth and exhaled.
Oh my God, I was smoking! I had watched so many people do it over the years, and now I was doing it too. I looked at the cigarette for a long time, watching it burn, then I took another hit. Again I just held the smoke in my mouth and blew it out.