Karlo and I surveyed the room to look for our friend, Danny. We couldn't find him on the dance floor. Not even in the dark corners of the room where he might be secretly checking out the babes just like what we were doing a while back.
We decided to look for him outside. He might be in the open area having his yosi break. And we were correct. He was there, together with our other smoker-friends.
"Can I have one stick?" Karlo asked Danny.
"One stick of what?" said Danny as he upwardly blew smoke like the veteran smoker that he is.
"Yosi," Karlo tried to say as naturally as possible.
"You don't smoke. What are you gonna do with it?" inquired Danny as he took another puff.
"We just wanna try it." I butted in, trying to back up Karlo.
"Hahaha! You, too?" Danny shook his head, smiling, as if there was something hilarious with what we told him.
Karlo and I were just in our early teens. Danny was a year or two older. But in terms of vices, Karlo and I were practically virgins as compared to the likes of Danny. We didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't do anything stupid to merit a grounding sentence from our parents. And tonight was gonna be one bold step towards the rebellious direction.
"If your Moms know about this...." warned Danny, not finishing his sentence, as he reached for his cigarette pack from his pocket.
"Don't worry, dude. Nobody here would tell on us." We assured Danny.
"Here. Just share with one stick." said Danny as he handed out one Marlboro stick to Karlo.
Karlo got the cigarette from Danny's hand and placed it straight into his mouth.
"Pasindi na rin," he added.
Danny took a long puff before handing it to Karlo who immediately lit up our cigarette stick.
"Thanks, dude," we said to Danny as we took off.
Karlo and I looked for the perfect spot where we could savor our first taste of nicotine-in-a-stick. This was gonna be a cool initiation for us but we wanted to make sure we don't make a fool of ourselves by coughing our lungs out by inhaling smoke. That would be uncool. Just like that girl who banged her head by the glass wall earlier.
When we found the perfect spot, Karlo took another puff before handing the stick to me. As I got it from Karlo, I made sure that I positioned it correctly in between my fingers. I didn't wanna act awkwardly about this but I sure felt uneasy with what I was doing.
Oh hell, just do it.
And I took my first puff of cigarette smoke.
As I blew out the smoke, I also blew away the thrill of the unforbidden. I exhaled the coolness of being a rebel without a cause. And I finally let out the pressures of doing what the other kids my age were trying out.
The cigarette stick exchanged hands between me and Karlo a few more times. And before we could finish that one whole stick of Marlboro, I decided to stop.
"Ayoko na. You can finish it if you want," I told Karlo.
Karlo dropped the cigarrette on the floor and stepped on it with his shoe. Just as we see the smokers do to their cigarette embers.
"Ayoko na rin. Pwe!" said Karlo, now wondering what all those smokers get to like with smoking.
"I know. Tastes awful," I added as I licked my lips, hoping to brush away the after-taste of Marlboro.
The after-taste did go away after a while. And together with it was the curiosity which led us into trying it out in the first place. And how glad we were that we didn't really enjoy smoking. So that first taste of nicotine for us, also became the last puff of cigarette for our lifetime. I'm pretty positive about it.
So, how about trying juts next week?
8 comments:
it sure is so COOL "not-to" SMOKE.. glad to know u didn't join the bandwagon of puffers and belchers in town.. :)
p.s.
from a girl irksomely annoyed with smokers...ta-da-da!(no offense meant to those who do, though)
my asthma would exacerbate everytime i try a stick. and my rhintitis worsens when i smell smoke. but secretly i wish i could smoke. hahahaha. to fill up the awkward silence when in the company of people you hardly know.
@embz
Apparently, 'coolness' changes meaning as you grow older. I'm just glad now that I don't have the problem some of my peers are facing -- and that is kicking the smoking habit.
@duke
Hikain din ako nung bata. Maybe that's also one reason why I tried to avoid smoking.
just wanted to point out that I can't see your banner or your name at the top of your blog, unless I highlight it with a mouse. :) Good for you that you avoid smoking. Any tips on how to quit? :) Have a nice day.
@willgarcia
I dunno why you couldn't see the title and banner. But this template is up for a major makeover anyways. So, that may be fixed pretty soon.
On tips on quitting, I really have no idea. But I do know how to make a kid quit thumb-sucking though. =)
i tried smoking also when i was in college...maybe bcoz of peers. but i didn't like it especially the taste...like what u've said. but it's good that u don't like it and also u & karlo discovered the taste of a cigarette. good luck to the smokers!
My father was a heavy smoker; he started at age 13. At 52, he decided to quit smoking and did it pronto. I mean, it was not gradual, but abrupt. He just decided one day to quit and stopped right there and then. Maybe to ease the longings for a puff, he would eat menthol candies, but he never took a puff again. He is now 78 years old.
On the other hand, mother never did quit smoking, no matter how much she tried. She started smoking at 19. She died from a massive and very sudden cardiac arrest last year (she had no prior heart ailment). She was 71.
I guess quitting smoking depends to a large extent on the person's determination.
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