It was near freezing outside, and Rob was getting colder by the minute. His fingertips were numb, his toes felt like ice cubes inside his shoes, and he was starting to shiver. Yet, he knew what his lungs needed, so he tossed the butt of his previous cigarette aside and pulled out a fresh one from the pack. It was so cold that he struggled to spark the lighter to life, but once he managed to do so, he quickly lit his new cigarette and dragged hard and fast on it to try and make quick work of it. It had been a long journey up to his parentsâ house in the mountains, and he needed to chainsmoke a few before bed to get his nicotine fix. He felt slightly annoyed - annoyed that he had forgotten how cold it gets up at this altitude and forgotten to bring a thicker jacket, and annoyed that even after all these years his parents still didnât let him smoke inside their house.
Suddenly he heard the door open and saw his father stepping out. His dad instinctively crossed his arms and braced in the cold. âThought I might find you out here,â his dad said. âStill havenât given it up, huh?â he asked, pointing at the cigarette in his sonâs hand.
Rob said nothing, but continued hauling, not moving the cigarette from his lips but rather inhaling continuously and letting the exhales spill out of his nose.
âDamn, itâs cold out here!â his dad said, as a slight icy breeze made him shiver quickly. âI figured with it being this cold outside you might decide it wasnât worth it stepping outside to smoke every time, at least for the few days youâre here.â
Rob still said nothing, but shot his dad a resentful, sidelong stare as he continued to diligently smoke his cigarette. Did his parents really think he was going to play these games with them? Theyâd tried every trick in the book to try and get him to quit, and had failed every time. It was starting to get a little ridiculous that they wouldnât just accept defeat and let him smoke in peace. Even though this last cigarette had given him the nicotine buzz he had been craving, he was tempted to smoke another one, just to be stubborn and prove a point.
As his rapid hauling finished off the last of his cigarette, he tossed it aside and said, âthere could be a blizzard or hurricane raging outside for all I care, dad, and Iâd still be out here smoking. Just deal with it.â
His father sighed as he watched Rob exhale the residual smoke that had accumulated at the bottom of his lungs from all that relentless inhaling before reaching for his pack and pulling out another one. Robâs dad was wearing nothing but pajamas, bedroom slippers and a woolen dressing robe, and now his teeth were starting to chatter.
As Rob struggled to flick the lighter again with his numb fingers, his dad finally said, âfine.â
Rob looked up at him questioningly, one eyebrow raised. âFine what?â
His dad sighed again before replying. âFine, you can smoke inside.â
Rob stopped fumbling with the lighter. âReally?â
His dad shrugged. âWell, youâre obviously not going to stop no matter what your mom and I do, and youâre not a kid any more - if you really want to do it, then thatâs on you,â his dad said with an air of resignation. âBesides, itâs cold as fuck out here. I canât even feel my balls any more.â
Rob smiled slightly at his dadâs attempt at humor in this situation as he gathered up his pack of cigarettes and lighter, the one heâd been trying to fire up still dangling from his lips.
âFinally! Itâs about fucking time you guys let me smoke in the house,â he said, getting up and walking towards the door which his father was already opening.
âHey, donât be rude! Just be thankful,â his dad said with an affectionate pat on the back as he followed Rob back inside and shut the door behind him. âJust try to keep it to your room as much as possible and for Godâs sake donât ash all over the house!â
âYeah, yeah, I know,â Rob said as he reached for his lighter again. âWhat about mom? Wonât she lose her shit?â
âDonât worry about her,â his dad replied. âIâll talk to her. You may not know this, but I used to smoke too, before you were born. If she could put up with it back then, she can learn to put up with it now.â












