Smoking Addiction in Seven Lessons

Myung was still furious. "I'm listening," she said icily.

Karen took a deep breath. She had practiced all night what she was about to say by going on to Google Translate. "I wanted to bring you two together," she said in perfect Korean "because this woman is also a lesbian."

Myung didn't think she could be shocked a third time since walking through the door, but she was; not just by what Karen said, but that she said it in Korean so as to save Ms. Knowles from embarrassment. She wondered if the OCD her daughter suffered from was starting to affect her judgment. What she did to bring her teacher to this house was irrational and inexcusable. And yet, Myung was touched by the thought that her daughter cared so much for her mother's happiness that she would risk getting expelled. All of her anger suddenly deflated like air out of a balloon.

"I know who and what she is," Myung said softly to Karen. "We've met before." Then she added looking over at Clarissa, "Long ago."

Now it was Karen's turn to be shocked. "Really?" she said with wide open eyes. She then turned to Ms. Knowles who was staring longingly at Myung. "You know my mother?"

"It's time for you to leave now, Karen," Clarissa said gently but firmly.

"I'm gone," Karen said as she reached for her VS-120 pack and lighter, stood up, and walked quickly down the hallway to her bedroom and shut the door, leaving her mother and teacher to stare at each other in silence.

Clarissa was struck by the sheer beauty of this woman sitting only a few cushions away. She had not been this close to her since they were 18, and yet twenty years of time had done nothing but made Myung even more beautiful in Clarissa's eyes. She looked like asalarywoman from an office in Seoul dressed in a professional white blouse, black skirt and coat. Clarissa imagined how sexy she must look sitting at a desk holding a long cigarette between her fingers. It was only when Myung cleared her throat to break the silence that Clarissa snapped out of her fantasy.

"How you been, Rissa?" she asked with a sad smile.

"I don't speak Korean, of course" she said softly, "but I have a feeling Karen just stated why I'm really here."

Myung tapped a long ash off of her cigarette over the ashtray. "I'm guessing," Myung said after taking a full puff, "that she recently discovered your sexuality. So like any loving daughter," she added with a wry smile, "she decided to set up her bisexual mother with her homosexual teacher."

"Oh my, God," Clarissa said stifling a laugh. "That's why she did what she did in class this morning? It was all just an excuse to bring you and me together?"

"Please," Myung begged, considerably at ease now, "don't punish her. She means well, even though her actions reflect a crazy person."

Clarissa couldn't hold back, laughing freely and heartily, and Myung joined in. But in a few seconds there was nothing but uncomfortable silence again.

"I've missed you," Clarissa said.God, that must have sounded totally pathetic! But she couldn't help herself. It was true. She has missed this woman every day for the last 21 years. When Myung again gave her another sad smile, Clarissa said, "I understand why you didn't want us to see each other after you got pregnant. But..." she paused, wondering whether she should go further. She pressed on because she had to know. "How come you never contacted me after the divorce?"

Myung reached over the ashtray, stubbed her cigarette out, and immediately reached into her pack to light another. "It's complicated," she said with a touch of trepidation in her voice.How can I explain this to her after so many years? "Being alone; being a foreigner in a small town with two little girls." She took a quick puff and inhaled, letting the smoke cascade down through her nostrils. "I was just so ashamed."

"Oh, Myung," Clarissa said reaching across the couch and taking her hand, "you never have to be ashamed of who you are." It felt so good to touch her again. A tingling sensation began rippling up Clarissa's arm and swarmed through her body.

"Oh, no," Myung said with a smile, "I'm not talking about my bisexuality. I've never been ashamed of that." Then she cast her eyes downward. "I was ashamed of what I did to you; of breaking it off between us the way I did." She then looked up at her former lover. "You were so kind and loving, Rissa. You didn't deserve that. How could I ever face you again?" She tapped her cigarette over the ashtray. "I used to think that maybe, once I got my life in order..." She brought the cigarette up to her lips, paused as she was lost in thought, as if she were reviewing her life over the last two decades, and then took a puff. "But the years passed," she said after inhaling, "and life went on." She pursed her lips and exhaled a thin stream. "It was like I put that part of my life into a box, locked it, and set it aside. But I never forgot how much happiness you brought me."

Clarissa knew about locked boxes. She also knew that they could be unlocked and reopened if the desire was strong enough. Myung was using the past tense.Not a good sign. It was time to end this torture. She gently let go of her hand and stood up. "I should get going," she said. "Lots of papers to grade," she added with a weak smile. "It was good to see you, Myung." She turned towards the front door and began walking when suddenly Myung spoke up.

"Would you...," Myung said standing up quickly from the couch, "...like some coffee? I mean, we have so much to catch up on."

Clarissa smiled.Nowthis is a good sign. "Yes," she said relieved, "I'd love a cup."

"Let's take it in the kitchen." Deciding she wanted a fresh cigarette for what she hoped was about to come, she put out the mostly smoked Virginia Slims and lit a new 120.

"Still wed to Virginia, I see," Clarissa said with a smile.

"She's been a good companion," Myung replied mischievously.

When they walked into the kitchen, Myung pointed to a chair at the table and then headed towards the coffee maker. She let the cigarette dangle between her lips so that she could grab out of the cabinet a filter and a coffee can. As she spooned several tablespoons of grounds into the machine, smoke dribbled like two rivulets down through her nostrils. So many thoughts filled her mind; thoughts of love...and lust. And then she felt Clarissa's arms wrap around her waist. A warm, tingling sensation moved throughout her body. Twenty years had passed since she felt those loving arms embrace her, and yet she could remember every second of that encounter in the bathroom.

For her part, Clarissa had decided not to wait until Myung made the first move. Twenty-one years was a long enough wait. She wanted to knownow whether this relationship could be rekindled. The moans emanating from this Korean woman's mouth as her neck was kissed told Clarissa that it was green lights all the way. "I've saved these fingers just for you," she whispered while kissing her neck, and she slid both hands down into that black skirt and began stroking Myung's pubic hair, waiting for the magic words.

"Put them inside," Myung whimpered in ecstasy, followed by, "Oh,God," as Clarissa employed her magical technique of two fingers massaging the outer pussy lips while another two massaged the inner walls, focusing particular attention on the clit. Many times Myung had sought to emulate the technique while masturbating, each time without the same pleasurable success. The power moving through her body was so much more intense than what she felt with Irwin the week before. While she enjoyed the physical pleasure of every fuck, be it from male or female, what she felt now - a combination of both lustand love - was earth shattering. She wanted to be as close to Clarissa as possible; to link with her; to consume her very existence and unite their souls. It was a spiritual and carnal passion she was feeling, one fueled by two decades of fantasies that made this very moment in her kitchen something akin to a dream cum true.

"Oh, Rissa," she panted, "it's building." She took a massive puff on her 120.

"Let it build, Myung," Clarissa urged. "Inhale and be free."

"I'm flying so high," Myung cried softly with a thick, creamy exhale that engulfed her head, and Clarissa's, too. "I can't hold it," she whimpered, imagining a giant wave coming towards the shore.

"Don't hold it!"

Myung moved her pelvis back and forth, pounding it against the counter."Ohhhhhhh!!!!!!" The wave crashed against the rocks, exploding with a burst of white foam and mist. "Oh, Rissa," she cried with tears streaming down her face. She yanked Clarissa's hands out of her panties and immediately turned around to passionately kiss her. "So many years," she said between kisses. "So much wasted time." More kisses followed, until her body finally slowed with the ebbing of the dopamine levels which fueled her high. She brought Clarissa's hands up to her mouth, tasting her own pussy juices, as she begged, "Can you forgive me?"

"Myung," Clarissa responded tenderly, "I forgave you twenty years ago." The two women smiled, and then closed their eyes as they rested their foreheads upon one another.

Myung took a deep breath and then exhaled a contented sigh. She really should cook dinner for the girls. That's what a responsible mother would do.Fuck that. Dinner can wait. What she was hungry for could not be cooked on a stove or in an oven. Still holding Rissa's hands, she took her out of the kitchen and through the living room, picking up her VS-120 pack on the way, and led the teacher to her bedroom.

+++++++++++++

Ari fumbled for her keys to the front door as she returned home from her shift at the VFW Hall at 6:45. When she walked into the house, she saw Karen sitting on the couch in front of a nearly full ashtray on the coffee table. She had recently just lit a fresh 120 and was slowly exhaling a thin stream of smoke while scrolling through her phone. "Hey," she said setting her purse on the plush chair.

"Hey," Karen replied with her eyes glued to the screen of her phone.

Noticing that there was no aroma floating in the house of her mother's delicious cooking, she asked, "Is Mom home?"

"Yup." Karen brought the long white cigarette up to the center of her lips for a gentle puff, creating an orange pulse at the tip. She opened her mouth and slowly inhaled a shifting white fog over her tongue.

"So where is she?" Ari asked with a touch of exasperation.

Karen slowly lifted her head and stared down the hallway towards her mother's room. Ari followed her glance, and then heard her mother's door open. To her shock, emerging from the hall was her former psychology teacher with several loose buttons on her shirt. Myung was a few steps behind with a freshly lit cigarette.

"Ms. Knowles!" Ari exclaimed.

"Ari," Clarissa said sweetly as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "How are you? Studying hard?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Ari said as if she were back in high school.

Clarissa shook her hand. "Oh, I think we can do away with the formalities, don't you? Why don't you call me Rissa?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Ari said out of habit.

Clarissa then looked at Karen. "You, on the other hand, still have another month before you get that privilege."

"Yes, Ms. Knowles," Karen replied with a smile.

Clarissa turned towards Myung and brought the cigarette in her lover's hand up to her own mouth for a full puff. She then placed her lips against Myung's, caressing her face with her fingers, and the two shared a smoky kiss in front of Ari and Karen who looked at each other with huge grins on their faces.

"Call me," Myung whispered, stroking Rissa's cheek.

"You can count on it," Clarissa replied softly.

Ms. Knowles turned to the two girls and said with a Cheshire grin, "See you later, ladies." She then walked out the front door.

"What the...." Ari began aghast, but Myung cut her off.

"Language, Ari."

"How did this happen?" she asked in shock.

"I'll let your sister tell you all about it," she said as she picked up her purse and grabbed her wallet. "Here's a twenty for dinner. Go get something to eat." After giving Ari the bill, she walked down the hall towards her room, her cigarette swinging by her side.

"You want something?" Karen called out.

"No thanks," Myung replied heading into her bedroom. "I've already eaten."

PART 29 - PROM NIGHT

The following week, the whole town could talk of nothing else but the Prom scheduled for the coming Saturday. Veterans at the VFW were so excited that the event would be a 1940s theme that they promised to cater the affair. Fathers and grandfathers who had served in the armed forces pulled their uniforms out of mothballs for their sons to impress their dates with. A DJ specializing in Big Band music was hired by the high school, and the Senior Prom Committee, working with other volunteers from the community, dressed up the hall like a USO club from the decade, complete with a collection of old World War II posters owned by the school's History instructor. Both parents and teachers (including Clarissa and Myung) were happy to sign-up as chaperones for the event.

One aspect most of the students looked forward to was attending in the trendy styles of the era. One beauty parlor downtown on Main Street offered a discount for 1940s hairstyles. As the day grew near, young women at the high school began showing up with pompadours, wavy bangs, and "peekaboo" locks. Ari, though she had the night off from her shift at the Hall, had no intention of missing the fun. She also had the long hair that allowed her to go for the perfectly coiffed, face framing waves of a Lauren Bacall. Karen was not so lucky with her short hair, but still found a website explaining how to curl parts of the hair and use a pin to hold them. These pin-curls gave her just the look she wanted from the era that a cigarette holder would accentuate.

Mothers and aunties who knew how to work a sewing machine all did what they could to take a modern day prom dress and tailor it to the women's fashion of the War period. When Karen came across three old uniforms in a thrift shop, she asked the local tailor to modify them with skirts so that they resembled uniforms of the Women's Army Corps. When the day finally arrived and the Kwon women donned their uniforms at home, the three of them looked like the Andrews Sisters ready to belt out a "boogie-woogie" tune.

"SayBugle Boy," Clarissa said pointing her camera phone at the trio as they stood in the tiled entryway by the front door.

"Wait, wait," Karen said, picking up her pack of Virginia Slims and passing it around after pulling out a cigarette. The three of them lit their 120s and then stood in a line, holding the cigarettes aloft at shoulder length.

"Fantastic," Clarissa exclaimed as she took the pictures while puffing on her own 100 dangling at the corner of her mouth. She was dressed in a 1940s style Zoot-Suit she had tailored herself over the week, complete with the long chain, baggy slacks, and a fedora hat she found online.

Within a few minutes, Ryan arrived at the home dressed in a khaki Army uniform. "This was my grandfather's," he said, pointing out that while it was actually from the Vietnam War, he wore it proudly.

"I don't care which war it's from," Karen said wrapping her arms around him, "I just love a man in uniform." She took a puff and kissed his neck with smoke pouring out of her mouth.

Clarissa, excited to be adopted into their family so quickly, took photo after photo. Her favorite was of Ari and Karen, both holding lit cigarette holders, with Ryan looking sharp in his uniform, standing between them with his arms around their waists. When Greg (also in a family member's uniform) and Christine showed up, Clarissa took more photos before they left early for the Hall.

"Time to go!" Myung said walking out of the kitchen as she carried four large containers of homemade Korea sticky rice cakes.

"Mom," Ari said as she took two containers in her arms, "this isn't a potluck! The VFW is providing food."

"Oh, but those desserts won't be as good as thisyaksik," she said in an adorable Korean mother tone. Ari, who loved the dessert, made no further complaint and put them in her car, while Myung climbed into Clarissa's Subaru. Ryan in his Tesla led the way of this three car caravan to the VFW Hall downtown.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Hall itself was festooned with streamers and balloons. The flags hanging down from the rafters had just the intended affect Karen, Christine, and Nancy believed they would of a patriotic celebration. Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall performance ofSing, Sing, Sing was blaring when the doors opened and the students started filing in. Within minutes, the air was heavy with second-hand smoke as the teenagers lit up, including Karen and Christine (who had purchased her own cigarette holder after Greg begged her to for the event). There was plenty of food, plenty of dancing, and plenty of gossip-generating conversations around the room about who was sleeping with whom as the school year was winding down and the teens were throwing caution to the wind.

When Ryan and Karen had a few moments to themselves, he pulled her over to a table on the far side of the room where they could watch the fun. She placed a cigarette in her holder and allowed her lover to light it. Holding it up high with her elbows on the table, she looked just like a movie star. Ryan was overcome with happiness as he watched her puff on that holder and let the smoke slowly emerge from her mouth like a serpent before snapping it back. He had a massive boner in his pants, and couldn't wait to ejaculate between her legs later tonight; but at the moment he needed to tell her something important. He pulled a typed letter out of his inside coat pocket and handed it to Karen.

"What's this?" she said curiously.

"My orders," he said with a serious look. "I'm shipping out in three months."

When Karen opened the piece of paper, she immediately noticed the UCLA letterhead at the top. "Dear Mr. Powers," she read out loud.

Thank you for your patience after being placed on the university's waitlist. We are very happy to inform you that we can offer you a place in the Freshman Class of...

"Oh mygawd!!!!" Karen began screaming excitedly, and she hugged him while jumping up and down in her seat. "You're going to UCLA!!! You're going to UCLA!!!"

When she had calmed down, Ryan took her hand and said calmly, "You know that my family is in real estate. And one of the many pieces of property that my Dad's company owns is an apartment complex in Westwood."

Karen had a serious look on her face. Was he asking her to live with him when they moved to California? Or was this something more? She watched him pull a small jewelry box out of his coat pocket and opened it. It was a gold ring with two hands clasped together.

"Before my Great Grandfather was shipped off to the Pacific, he gave this ring to my Great Grandmother with a promise to love and cherish her for the rest of his life if she would have him." Tears began running down Karen's cheeks, and even Ryan choked up when he finally said, "I make that promise to you today, Karen Kwon...if you'll have me."

+++++++++++++

Of course it took no time at all for the entire hall to begin chattering about the promise ring Ryan had just given Karen. This was not a marriage proposal, of course. Neither of these teenagers at the age of 18 were ready to make that commitment...yet. But Ryan wanted to express his deep feelings, while also gauging Karen's, before they decided to move in together on the West Coast. Karen, of course, was thrilled, not just that she would be living with a man she had truly come to love, but also because of the benefit of living off campus now that she was hopelessly addicted to her VS-120s. It was for these two smokers a match made in heaven.