The next day, the two women readied themselves to spend the day shopping at the mall. Denise wanted to be back early because she had made plans to go out with Jen that night."All set sweetie?" Her mom asked.
"Yep....let's go!"
"Got your cigarettes?"
"Mom! I don't need them...besides I can't smoke in public!"
"Sure you can! We'll need to have them when we take breaks."
"Well, I don't think I'm gonna want one any way....we'll be back by this afternoon."
"Honey, you're a smoker now, and something that smokers do is take their cigarettes with them where ever they go. You never know when you're going to want one, and when you do, you'll have them with you. Besides, you are going to want one. Trust me."
With that, Denise grabbed her pack of cigarettes and put them in her purse. Denise's mother chain smoked on weekends, and had several on the way to the mall. At the mall, the two women started going from store to store look for new outfits so that Denise would look nice to fit her new image. In one of the high end department stores, Denise's mother had arranged for a make over for her daughter. After they had everything set up, her mother told Denise that she was going to step outside while the women behind the counter attended Denise. Denise selected several lipsticks and matching nail polishes as well as some make up for her to experiment with. The women then gave Denise the make over using some of the products and showed her how to properly apply them. They also gave her a manicure polishing up her nails in a crimson red. This was Denise's first time wearing real nail polish and she couldn't help but stare at her finger tips.
Her mother returned and paid for Denise's selections. They walked to the other side of the mall were the restaurant section was. They sat of course in the smoking section. Denise's mom quickly lit up again and noticed that her daughter was not smoking.
"You look so hot now Denise!!" She said.
"Thanks....I do feel a lot prettier"
"How come you don't want to show off your sexy nails and make up with a cigarette?"
"'cause I don't o.k.?" She sputtered.
"Don't have a sissy fit with me missy!! I just spent $150 on you!! Its not my fault you're having a nicotine fit and don't want to smoke in public!"
"All right then.....I'm not afraid....I just want to know that I can go with out one until we get home"
"Fine...be that way.....you're missing out!"
Denise sat back and tried to control her self, but she felt very uncomfortable and fidgety. Sitting in the smoking section of the restaurant and in front of her mother taking long drags and blowing her smoke towards her was making her extremely uncomfortable. She had a slight sweat, her mouth was sucking like she was smoking a cigarette, and her hands were shaking. It was the first time that she had an uncontrollable urge to smoke.
"You're only gonna feel better if you smoke honey." her mother said.
"I really want one mom, but I'm afraid someone that doesn't know I smoke will see me." Denise added
"Even if they do, you're a smoker now, and that's the way it is"
"I guess you're right" Denise nervously extracted her pack from her purse and pulled out a fresh cigarette. she placed it in her lips and noticed that the lipstick she was wearing gave her a better grip on the cigarette. She lit up the cigarette, getting it going and blew out the uninhaled smoke. She then raised her hand to her cigarette and drew heavily on in it and took a nice deep inhale. "Ahhh..." she thought, and exhaled the smoke after holding it in for a second or two. She immediately raised the cigarette back to her lips and dragged again, just as deeply. She repeated this process about 4 or 5 times.
"Don't you feel better now sweetheart?" her mother asked.
"Damn straight I do....Wow. Is that what its like to have a nicotine fit?"
"pretty much....it can get worse, but the best thing to do is to smoke when you feel it coming on, that way it doesn't get any worse. That's why I told you to bring your cigarettes dear. You never know when you're going to need one."
Denise was pausing and taking yet another large drag. "You might want to try a double pump sweetie" her mother said.
"how do I do that?" Denise asked.
"Just like this" Denise mother raised her cigarette to her lips and dragged a full 4 seconds then left the cigarette sit about a half inch from her lips as she inhaled. She then reinserted the cigarette and dragged again while letting the smoke blow out her nose.
"Wow mom!" Denise said as she attempted to do the same thing.
"You might want to try holding in the smoke from your first drag instead of exhaling it out your nose on the second." Her mother suggested.
Denise did that, but was starting to feel light headed from all the smoke that she had been inhaling over the past few minutes. She slowed down her pattern and finished her cigarette in her normal way. Denise was feeling very composed now and it was like she could feel the nicotine swirling around her system.
After eating, her mother pulled out her lipstick and freshened her lips.
"you had better freshen yours up too honey. After smoking and eating we can use a touch up." She said.
Denise pulled out her new tube and began to apply like her mother. She liked the way it swirled around her lips and made them feel moist.
Her mother grabbed her cigarettes and pulled out a fresh one.
"Care to join me?" she asked.
"Don't mind if I do!" Denise added as she extracted a cigarette of her own. After lighting it, she left it cocked by the side of her head with her elbow resting on the table. This made for an easy motion to take a drag or lower it to de-ash her cigarette. It was the same setup her mother was using.
"You look so sexy with your nice make up and nails honey" Her mother said.
"Thanks Mom!" Denise for the first time noticed that her lipstick mark was left on the filter and that her nails seemed to compliment the look of the long all white slim cigarette in her hands. Between drags she would wave it around a bit and admire the way it looked in her hand. Her mother looked similar and she would exchange glances at her mothers hands and lips as she was smoking. Denise looked around and noted other women in the restaurant as well. "I'm in good company" she thought.
"I think its funny, but I think the lipstick actually makes the cigarette taste better, don't you think?" Denise questioned.
"mmmmm" her mother moaned in mid drag. "Yea, they do. I always freshen up before I go out for a smoke at work, and you see me sometimes wearing some in the evening at home."
"I guess so....never thought of it before."
The two women extinguished their cigarettes in the ashtray and Denise noted that it contained about half a dozen or so lipstick stained butts. It put a smile on her face.
