Life Decisions - Laura 4 Years Later

Karen had been the tall athletic one at school, and early on ran for the county when she was 14 and 15 but found cigarettes when she was about 16 which put that on hold, so clothes always looked good on her. Laura had been better at the stationary sports like shotput. Laura always thought Karen looked like a model. Zoe was shorter and slimmer than Laura and was always blamed for getting the three of them to smoke, she was a lovely bubbly character, even if sometimes a little crazy.

As the world was still swaying slightly every time she moved her head, Laura thought it wise to catch the bus into town, rather than driving, as she didn't want the complication of crashing the car. The bus stop was next to little Tesco's at the end of the road, which was extremely useful as she had, as usual, smoked most of the cigarettes she had bought just yesterday.

Laura decided it wise to have a shower before going out. Firstly, her nighty was cold and wet and as she was also feeling a little sticky between her thighs from last night's Brian Cox fun. Plus, it would be an opportunity to wash her hair, shave her legs and pits so she was presentable for the girls. Zoe and Karen were always, in Laura's eyes, perfectly turned out. She slowly padded up the stairs grabbing the handrail and lighting her pre-shower cigarette with the other hand as she went.

Forty minutes later she was drying her legs down dangling her post shower cigarette with her rather chunky right leg perched on the edge of the bed. It was a difficult attempt to try to multitask of not to getting ash on her bed sheets or fall over. One or the other was to happen. Between drags on her cigarette Laura got dressed in her comfortable loose fitted semi sheer Primark flowery top which she thought accentuated her large breasts with her white lace bra, and as she had shaved her legs, and was going shopping, she pulled on her shorter denim skirt over her sexy blue lace panties. Then sprayed herself in her perfume and body spray headed for the bathroom to wash her teeth as her mouth, and as licked her teeth felt awful and to throw on some war paint.

A couple of makeup cigarettes later, and a pre -leaving the house wee on the toilet. She got together her mobile, purse and the remains of her last pack of cigarettes were thrown in her brown oversized handbag, sunglasses were put over eyes to hide the bloodshot and as Laura stood in the hallway, she retrieved and lit another cigarette as she headed for the door, leaving the house in her usual cloud of smoke.

The walk to Tesco's wasn't far, it was incredibly short thankfully, for Laura, she hated the effort it actually required. However, it was sunny and getting extremely warm, summer had started well. She stubbed the cigarette using her shoe as she arrived at the entrance of Tesco. She bought two packs of her 20 lights and a bottle of water to drink on the bus as she needed to wash her throat again. Then and threw them in her bag.

She had just missed the bus as she came out of Tesco, so had 10 minutes to kill, so balanced her soft bottom on the uncomfortable solid bar at the back of bus shelter and proceeded to light and smoke another of her cigarette, with several sarcastic coughs from those in the shelter with her.

While she waited, Laura WhatsApped Zoe and Karen to say she was finally at the bus stop and will be on her way into town shortly, and to see where they were. Zoe replied to say they had arrived in town and heading into Primark. Laura messaged back to say she would meet them there.

A long 30 minutes later she stepped off the bus much to her relief, threw the empty bottle of water in bin by the bus stop and lit her ready cigarette with a cheek hollowing drag and strode off towards Primark in a cloud of exhaled smoke.

As she came around the corner, she could see Karen and Zoe outside Primark they were having a smoke break from shopping. Karen was showing off her long legs in slim fit jeans a red t-shirt and heels, whereas Zoe was in black leggings and blouse. It was evident the 40 minutes or so of browsing was clearly too long for them too.

"Hey Lauz, how is it going?" The talk slim blonde Karen said as she gave Laura a sort of neck hug, their cigarette loaded hands going wide of each other to avoid burning themselves with each other's cigarettes,

"Not too bad Kaz, quiet night in front of the telly relaxing with a glass of wine..." replied Laura with her sub truth.

"Nice to relax, we went out to spoons again last night, but I was home by 11" replied Zoe, as she also gave Laura a hug.

"After Zo left, I ended up with Chris again till 1" said Karen "but didn't get anywhere with him as he buggered off with his mates"

The three women laughed, and subsequently quietly and politely coughed.

"Maybe next week you will be successful Kaz?" asked Laura,

"Sounds like a plan." Replied Karen,

"But Kaz, didn't you plan that last week?" Cheekily asked Zoe

"Well next week I will be successful!" Karen said with pride. "I know it!"

"So, what is the plan for us girls now? Primark?" Asked Laura

"Yer Lauz, I found a couple of items I liked in there but couldn't face the queue for the changing room without a ciggy, we ought to go back in and try them on and get them," replied Zoe.

"We can then go on to NewLook and then find some food?" Suggested Karen.

"Great!" Replied Laura, "saw a couple of tops in Newlook there I liked the other day."

"We could go to spoons afterwards for some wine and a catch up?" Zoe asked.

"Great, shall we go into Primark?" Laura suggested as she dropped and stubbed out her cigarette with her shoe, thinking wine was not high on her priorities right now.

***

By four thirty the girls were sitting outside in the smoking section of Wetherspoons with their Primark and Newlook shopping bags under the table. Their phones, Marlboro lights packs, three empty large wine glasses, two empty bottles of wine and a full ashtray on top. The pub was busy as it was sunny Saturday afternoon, the bar staff hadn't got around to clearing up the empties.

Shopping had been slow progress with but with successful purchases of some new cheap knickers from Primark, a couple of new work tops and trousers in Newlook Laura was happy. By 3 they had given up with the idea walking to M&S at the other end of town to look at their clothes and so had headed to 'spoons for wine instead.

Laura's head was feeling much better for two glasses of wine. She smiled at the thought of 'Hair of the dog'.

"Does anyone want another drink?" Laura asked, waving the closest empty wine bottle around in small circle in the air to the group as a suggestion. She had another freshly lit cigarette in the other hand. "It's definitely my round, and I am gasping again for a drink!" she announced before putting the bottle down and yet again inhaling her cigarette. "I will get the new bottle on the way back from the bog?" she suggested talking through her exhale "I really could do with another piss!" she giggled. Laura noted again that after a couple of glasses of wine, her language was definitely cruder.

"No, sorry Lauz, I better get home," said Zoe. "Got to meet my mum for dinner later, so can't be too drunk beforehand and I am feeling the wine now!"

Karen replied, "If you are walking your way Zo, I will walk with you for company as your house is on the way."

A slightly dejected Laura shrugged, "Oh, no problem, I will see you girls in the office bright and early on Monday morning or at least on the bench for our ciggy break. I really should get there this time, darn customers depending."

"Definitely Lauz!" Zoe grinned. "Looking forward to it."

Laura grinned back, "But like you two, however I ought to get home and do some tiding, the house is a tip, and with being so busy at work I haven't had time to clean the house!" Laura stated, and then chuckled tipsily to herself, she had no intention of completing this task. Especially after two glasses of wine and as she sat there, wanting to have a third as soon as she got home.

"That sounds like a great Saturday night, tipsy house cleaning, don't get too excited with a broom handle!" teased Karen bringing Laura's drifting focus back on her.

"True, but I am not as lucky as you, I don't have a Chris or a prospect of a Chris to chase at the weekends a broom handle is the next best thing!" Replied Laura, exhaling smoke as she spoke, and then sticking her tongue out at Karen.

"But Lauz, you will find your right fish at some point." A supportive Zoe suggested, "I'm sure I have seen Sean from technical staring at you!" Suggested Zoe with a wink.

"Thanks Zo!" said Laura, "Probably in horror of the fat lump that I am. Didn't you have Steve from accounts recently?" she asked changing the topic.

"Yeah..." replied Zoe sheepishly, "but that didn't work out so well". The girls fell awkwardly silent for a second.

"Right shall we go girls; I am getting overly desperate for a wee!" Laura stated, hoping it was not too late, having an accident in public was not as fun without Adam to watch. "I've got to get home for my date with the sexy Dettol!"

The girls cackled and coughed. Laura gave Zoe that knowing oh you have that cough too look as they went for a second round of coughs.

"Yes, I also need to visit the ladies before I start the walk home!" Exclaimed Karen, "I don't want to piss myself like I did a few weeks ago, forgot to go before leaving, got to the end of my street and well..." Karen continued, "It was embarrassing, I was wearing my white jeans that night!"

The three laughed deeply, then coughed again, with the talk of peeing Laura zoned out again from the girls. She suddenly had another flashback to last night. She had stumbled to the kitchen pour herself the second and definitely very much final gin with-out tonic as she had run out. She had the feeling she desperately needed to piss again, she now remembered looking and then deciding her secluded back door was closer than the upstairs loo. Laura had her ciggy in the corner her mouth, as she hoiked up her nightie, so that she was sitting on the cold back doorstep, as it was easier than falling over whilst squatting. She sat there having a smoke, drinking her gin, whilst her bladder emptied as her pee jetted splashing legs and hitting the patio garden. She smiled, at least it was only the nightie and knickers that got wet last night. Laura zoned back in with Karen smiling looking at her, she looked confused across the table at her friends.

"Law, you're all for wetting, aren't you?" Teased Karen. Laura blinked and looked confused.

Laura shook her head. "I don't know what you are talking about." She defended herself.

Karen looked quizzically across the table as the three girls all had a synchronised last inhale and exhaled to produce a large cloud above the table, which the breeze swiftly took away, stubbed their finished cigarettes in the overflowing ashtray, picked up their collection of bags, cigarettes, and phones and hurriedly made for inside and for the toilets.

***

Laura was sitting on the bus home trying to stay awake to find her stop and with her bags on her lap to hide that her far too short skirt that was not behaving and riding high up her far too chubby thighs with every speed bump that it went over. She was in danger with every bump of flashing herself to all and sundry. The traipsing around town and the lunchtime glasses of wine always had made her sleepy especially as she had only eaten a slice of pizza for breakfast. But it had been a great catch up with the girls out of work time.

She got off by the Tesco and stopped to have a cigarette because the long boring thirty or so minutes on the bus were far too long. Within two minutes of deep drags, it crushed below her feet. She went to buy another pack of her Marlboros as ever she had smoked more than she intended- she hadn't really planned for afternoon wine with the girls. It almost always involved chatting, drinking and chainsmoking. Laura also got a couple of bottles of wine from the chilled section to replace what she drank last night.

Laura smoked another cigarette on the go as she slowly dawdled up the street from Tesco and enjoyed that lightheaded happy tipsy feeling. She got to her front door, she attempted the drunken careful balance the shopping bags on the wall, dangle her cigarette, find the keys at the bottom of the bag, and open the door manoeuvre.

After couple attempts, of focusing whilst slowly lining what seemed huge key and narrow slot up, on the fourth attempt she managed to get the key into the lock. Laura opened it and then dumped her clothes shopping and handbags at the bottom of the stairs, put the wine in the fridge and then flumped on the sofa. Wishing she had the energy to have gone upstairs to the bathroom, as her knickers and skirt had predictably now got a little beyond damp again.

After a few minutes of quietly sitting doing nothing other than smoking, she got up far too quickly and fell back before slowly getting up yet again. She wobbled around for a second before making her way to the hallway. She grabbed her phone from her handbag at the bottom of the stairs and leaning her shoulder supportively against the wall she Whatsapped the girl's group to say she was safely home. Then finally hoping that the cold trickle that had flowed between her thighs meant it was really not too late, plodded up the stairs to the toilet.

After a few minutes both Zoe and Karen pinged her back to acknowledge they were safely home too. Yes, they are all in their early 30s and Laura lives quite happily on her own in her own home- her mum had helped her with a nice deposit, but it's still nice to let your friends know you are home safe. She came back down, flicked on the telly, it was yet another Pointless repeat.

She looked at her mobile phone and noted the time as ten past six and called her local Chinese Takeaway. It was literally two minutes' walk up the road, which was convenient when Laura didn't want cook.

"Hi, hello, telephone order for Laura, Hi, yes me again. Could I have a number 8, 58, and prawn crackers for 630, Please?" Laura requested her usual, she didn't need to look at the menu, she ordered these a little too frequently. The staff even recognised her on the phone.

"Ah ok 645 will be fine."

"Great thanks," and with a smile, Laura hung up.

As she hadn't any lunch, and as a lady with a large stomach and an appetite to match she was starving. She was surprised that both Karen and Zoe survived on much lower food intake than Laura ever could. Laura determined that she was also thirsty, the recent cigarettes had dried up her throat somewhat.

Laura went to the fridge dangling her most recently lit cigarette as she went, opened the door for hunt for something to drink whilst waiting for her Chinese.

It then dawned on Laura that she really hasn't done any shopping other than for wine and cigarettes for the last couple of days. The fridge was empty with the exception of margarine, nearly gone off milk, a couple of Corona beers bottles and the earlier purchased wine.

Whist still dangling her cigarette, she opened the wine, rinsed last night's wine glass under the tap as yet again, there were no clean glasses. She then carefully attempted to pour half a glass which ended up full to the brim. Then grabbed her last pack of Pringles from the cupboard beside the fridge and returned to the comfortable sanctuary of sofa.

***

It was 9 o'clock and Laura's mobile bounced and jiggled its way along the armrest of the sofa as rang on silent. Without focusing on the screen, she managed to swipe and answer it, her eyes couldn't determine on the screen as to who it was.

She was just sitting on the sofa in her very wet blue panties, her clothes had been discarded into the corner of the room in frustration after the naughty chow mein that had decided to spill its self-down her whilst she was attempting to eat it.

"Hey woo it's me." Laura answered, glad it was not a video call.

"Laura, its' your mum, just ringing to see you are, how is your Saturday night?"

"Heeeey Mumm I'm god." Laura slurred trying to think of the right words and sound as sober as possible, after which she had another cheek caving inhale on her latest ever-present cigarette thinking that would help her brain straighten her muddy answers.

"I should have called earlier before you had more wine, but I was busy with my friends?" Her mum said "Are you ok? Or are you just drunk again?" Enquired her all-knowing mum.

"Nah mum, I'm merry good. Went smoking with my grills for munch" Laura confidently slurred with her exhaled smoke. Laura took lost focus on the phone and took a large swig which nearly emptied her wine glass dribbling lots down her chest. Her thoughts where it was clearly going to help her talk to her mum properly.

"Was that fun? By the sounds of it you went to the pub afterwards!?!" Asked the mum

Laura giggled. "I may be had some dinks mummy." She replied truthfully putting the empty glass down. 'It's only been a couple of glasses since I got home from the Chinese' she thought.

"As long as you are ok sweetie, that's great."

"Yup mummy I'm good!" Replied Laura as her finger picked up a dribbled of wine on her breast. She soon sucked it off her finger.

"I was thinking of popping over tomorrow to say hello, as it's been a couple of weeks or so since I last saw you?" Suggested her mum. "Will you be in?!" she asked. Bringing Laura's drifting focus back to the phone.

Laura paused as she inhaled her cigarette, looked around her living room. The exhaling smoke followed her head. She waited a second or two for the room to catch up with her, to enable her to see the piles of dirty clothes, takeaway boxes, empty wine bottles and cigarette packets strewn around the living room.

"That would be ness mummy, tink I need some helps tiddling my house." Laura said very proudly. "I be in!" Laura said her mum having a thoughtful inhale, thinking if she had any plans to go out, and couldn't really concentrate on thinking on anything much, except she could see her wine glass was nearly empty, her current cigarette was at the filter and her bladder was full, she exhaled and stubbed the cigarette on the occasional table, as that was as close as she got to the darn moving ashtray.

"Byeee mum" Laura giggled as she hung up on her mum dropping the phone down the side of the chair.

She dealt with the issues in priority and ease order, she lit her new cigarette, coughed, then dangled it and slowly got up by sliding on to the floor, turning around to hug the sofa and climbing back up pushing against the chair, she retrieved her cigarette pack and lighter squishing these between her belly and front of blue panties, whilst untucking her arse wedgie achieved from sliding on to the floor.

It took a couple grabs to pick up her 1/4 full glass. With great concentration she turned and made a move in the direction of the living room doorway and, her mostly naked body, meandered in a determined way to the doorway. She grabbed hold of the frame for comfort when she got there. As she leant against the frame Laura took a deep drag on her dangled cigarette with the orange ball of her cigarette bouncing as she did. The remaining wine was necked with some dribbling down the side of her mouth. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She then had to focus.

Whilst leaning against the living room door frame she gently put her finger to the gusset of her knickers, they were damp, she slowly slid her finger up along her moist crack to her mound and rubbed a couple of times, and then put her finger in her mouth and sucked.

"Ugh, more wees!" She said out loud to no one, frowning at the taste. She looked across to the kitchen, and to the fridge, and back to her empty wine glass in her hand and then to the back door and the dusk light coming through and then up to the stairs and the bathroom light at above her.