Joanne and her Cigars Pt. 01

I don't know why this crazy notion had seized my imagination. And I certainly don't know why I decided to act on it. After all, I have always been a rather goodie-goodie type of girl. And I am known to be shy. But, what the heck, I thought. It's my birthday and I am definitely going to do this. So I did it. I tried a cigar. And I liked it. And now I'm going to keep smoking them for the rest of my life.

The decision had been made, but I didn't as yet know anything about the subject. I had no real idea what to do. How does one properly smoke a cigar? It was time to find out. I said goodbye to my mother and left on my mission.

After arriving via taxi at my local tobacconist, I sought help. A young lady named Maria offered to show me the ropes. She seemed to know a lot about cigars so I asked her if she smoked them.

"Yes," she laughed. "It's kind of hard to have a job at a place like this without sampling the product once in a while. What's your name Miss?"

"Joanne," I told her.

"I'll need to see some ID, Joanna."

"That's fine Maria. I turned 18 today." I showed Maria my driver's license.

"Oh, in that case, your cigar will be on the house. Happy birthday!"

I told Maria that I was a complete novice and that I was nervous about smoking a cigar in public.

"Oh, it's OK," said Maria. It's not a real steep learning curve. And, as for smoking in public, women do it all the time now. This is the twenty-first century, dear. Let's find a good beginner smoke for you and I'll join you in the lounge to smoke with you."

We walked through the shop and entered a large walk-in humidor. The smell immediately enticed me. In fact, I loved it.

Maria explained the different types of cigars, ring gauges, cigar strengths, and so forth. She suggested that I try a Macanudo Portofino, a long, slim, and mild cigar. I agreed. Maria chose a Padron, a cigar that was not quite as long, but much thicker. It was a "Toro" size, Maria told me. She then led me into the lounge.

"The first thing to remember is not to inhale," said Maria. "Maybe later you can inhale little puffs, but definitely not your first time. Just take it in, roll the smoke around in your mouth so you can appreciate the taste, and then blow it out."

She explained the basics and then showed me the proper way to light a fine cigar and then came the moment of truth. Maria helped me slowly ignite the cigar and I tentatively took my first puff. To my surprise, it was not nasty. It was, in fact, wonderful. I knew at that first moment that I would always be a cigar smoker.

"What do you think," asked Maria.

"I think it's the greatest feeling I have ever had," I replied.

She laughed and lit her own cigar.

We spent the next 45 minutes or so enjoying our cigars, and then it was almost time for me to go. I just had one request. Could I try Maria's cigar?

Maria told me that her cigar was a bit more full-bodied and that it might take some getting used to before I would be able to enjoy a cigar like that, but, after I insisted, she handed over the Padron. It was a revelation. As much as I liked the Porotfino, the Padron was on another level. It was pure sensuousness, a dark, delicious flavor. It actually made me wet. I never wanted this feeling to go away. Maria and I smoked and smoked, and I enjoyed every second. We finished our cigars and I thanked Maria for her help.

"You're quite welcome Joanne."

I decided to buy a box of those wonderful Padron cigars in the biggest size available and Maria waited on me at the counter. I couldn't wait to let the world know that little Joanne Shiner was now all grown up and a cigar smoker, to boot!

After making my purchase and saying goodbye, I decided to stroll home and to have a cigar as I walked. I took out one of my new beauties, removed the cellophane and cut it, as Maria had showed me, and then lit the cigar. I felt quite powerful as I blew plumes of smoke toward the ceiling and felt that wonderful taste in my mouth. I planted the cigar in my mouth and walked out of the store.

I had gotten no further than one block when I noticed that people were furtively looking at me. The old me would have been mortified with embarrassment, but somehow the cigar made me feel invincible and even sexy. Then the real fun began. At the first corner a sixty-esh woman actually walked up to me and said "You are a disgrace, young lady. You look like a trollop. Take that out of your mouth." Her face was red with anger.

"Placing the cigar between my lips, I clenched and puffed it, and then blew smoke at the old bitch's face. "Eat me you old bag."

"Trollop," I thought, amused. Who uses a word like that these days?

I silently laughed as her face contorted with shock and I continued smoking as I walked the rest of the way home. I had lots of fun watching the reactions of people as they watched me, a young, innocent-looking girl strutting down the street with a man-sized cigar between my lips. I felt absolutely giddy with the feeling of power that the cigar gave me. "This is the new me," I thought. And I really like this person.

I continued slowly walking, enjoying every minute of this new experience. It was special fun when I realized that some of the men could not take their eyes off of me, and it suddenly hit me that this was turning them on! I wondered, with a shock, how many hard-ons I was responsible for today. The wetness that I had felt earlier returned. With a vengeance.

After a very enjoyable half-hour, I arrived home, the cigar now three-quarters gone. I knew that now was another moment of truth. Should I continue smoking the cigar as I entered my home or not? The day before I would have been actually scared to even smoke a cigarette in front of anyone whom I knew, and here I was, contemplating brazenly smoking a cigar in front of my own family! I knew quickly what I would do. I returned the cigar to my mouth, and opened the front door and walked in.

My mother was sitting on the sofa reading a book, and turned to greet me as I took a long drag on my cigar. Without looking up she said "Hello, honey, how was your afternoon?" She then glanced at me and her mouth dropped open.

"My afternoon was great." I let another puff of smoke slowly seep out of my mouth. " By the way, I smoke cigars now Mom."