Ancil“So, she dumped you.”
“Like stale Doubles boi.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah buddy,” Kyle said before lighting a cigarette and placing it in between his lips. “These girls out here would believe anything a man with a big house and fancy car say. So you see this swank you have here …. don’t lose it. She smart, she loyal you know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean,” I said glancing over at Kate who was with Juliet, still swinging.
“And based on what I seeing she’ll make a good mother too,” Kyle said. “I think it okay that she spending more time with Juliet. They both went through a lot in their lives and could really relate to each other’s struggle you know what I mean.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Want one?” Kyle asked, offering me a cigarette from his pack labeled Du Maurier.
“I never smoked before.”
“Well, you never too young to start.”
“I can’t do it.”
“Okay, here what? You take a whiff. One whiff and I’ll give you and Kate some alone time. You two could go up Fort George and see the sights and I’ll go with Juliet to buy something nice. I’ll just say that is a surprise or something so.”
I looked at the cigarette in his mouth then at the pack then said, “Why do you want me to smoke?”
“Because I want you to relax man. Free up yourself! You too tense. You living in the shelter for weeks now and you don’t even socialize with any of the others. You need to loosen up.”
“I didn’t know cigarettes were a relaxer. I thought that was weed’s job.”
“Is the fumes. Is the fumes,” Kyle said blowing smoke in my face.
I coughed a bit then grabbed a cigarette from the pack. Maybe Kyle was right. I did need to relax. “Light me up.”
“That’s what we talking bout!!!”
Kyle lit the cigarette in my hand with the lighter but before I “took a whiff” I said, “Don’t say anything about this.”
“Don’t hurt up your head nah man.”I placed the cigarette in between my lips and inhaled deeply but clearly too deep because an array of coughs ensued. There was absolutely nothing relaxing about it.
“How you liking the good stuff?” Kyle asked.
I wasn’t too sure if I liked it or didn’t like it but all I knew was that I took another whiff right after.
“When you get used to this you could move on to weed. I know a couple drug dealers in the neighborhood that could fix you up good and proper,” Kyle said.
I threw the cigarette on the ground and smashed it below my feet, attempting to quickly bypass the thought of drug dealers and weed which made me slightly uncomfortable. “I did my part.”
“Yeah yeah.”
Kyle and I both walked up to Kate and Juliet.
“Juliet, Tanty Mavis tell me to go with you to pick up some Christmas gifts for the shelter,” Kyle said. “It will only take 10 minutes.”
“Can Kate come?” Juliet asked, jumping off the swing along with Kate.
“Nah. Is a surprise. We’ll meet back up at Fort George later.”
“Okay,” Juliet said before leaving with Kyle.
Kate and I were now alone and the first thing she said was, “Since when did you start smoking?”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I’m wearing an eye patch but I’m not blind,” Kate laughed.
