Smoking Paradise Island

"Yeah, and?" Mike said.

"Well, if you have got your credit card handy, we can take 50% of the cost of discounted trip today, and you then only need to pay the remaining 50% online a week before departure." She stated proudly and looked at naked couple in front of her.

"Oh Darling, it has been good fun, I do think we could do it all again!" Carrie-Ann stated enthusiastically and flicked her cigarette of the ash on to the floor.

Mike looked at his wife and whispered even though Tanya and Marion were right beside them "This year? We could come again next year if you wanted?" and shrugged his shoulders and then took a short drag on his cigarette.

"Why wait? I like it here!" Carrie-Ann confidently and drunkenly stated and then dragged heavily on her cigarette.

"Err, Okay, if you are sure" Mike said looking surprized at the short cigarette in his fingers before leaning forward and stubbing it out in the ashtray on the coffee table, "let me go to the toilet and find my wallet, not sure where it is, as we haven't needed it all week?" Mike asked trying to sound like he knew what was going on.

"Darling, it is in your beside cabinet, top drawer with your passport, don't lose that!" Carrie-Ann stated proving that she knew what was going on.

Within a few minutes and after all having cup of sobering up hot mug of tea and cigarette or two Mike looked at Carrie-Ann for conviction, and then punched his pin number into the credit card machine. Mike looked confused at the machine and raised his eyebrow "How does this work without Wi-Fi on the island?" He asked as it whirred and printed out the receipt.

"Who said anything about there not being Wi-Fi for those who need it?" Tanya grinned as Marion handed him the receipt as Mike looked puzzled.

"You mean?"

Tanya nodded, and Marion changed the topic "Great, we look forward to seeing you again in a couple of months' time!" she said as she stood up as her dressing gown fell open revealing that she was as usual completely naked underneath.

"I think we can let you two can go back to sleep now!" Tanya stated as she climbed up the coffee table "as I need to sleep too, don't think I will be down here too early with the food." She giggled and leaned across and pulled a cigarette out of the pack on the table and unsteadily chain lit her cigarette dropping the old one in the ashtray as she exhaled. "But I will be back in the morning with your breakfast, and then will definitely drop you to the boat for about six thirty giving you plenty of time in the afternoon to pack and shop, I mean shop and then pack." She said looking at her mom.

"Thanks, I think!" Mike said, "Good night you two!" and waved.

"Good night" Tanya and Marion said smiling as they both helped each other get up, then flicked their ash in the ashtray and then made their way across the room holding each up, and after gentle cough Marion could be heard asking Tanya "Are you sure you are okay to drive?" as Tanya shrugged her shoulders and closed the door.

"What was that all about?" Mike asked scratching his head and looking down at his wallet sitting open on the table.

Chapter 10 Sunday

"I am again sorry I was a rather late this morning with breakfast, at least I got you to the boat in time!" Tanya apologised "Think we all had a little too much fun yesterday." She grinned.

"It was understandable; we enjoyed the lie in, seeing as we are at sea for the next couple of days." Carrie-Ann replied and then hugged Tanya goodbye and after releasing they both dragged on their cigarettes and exhaled before Mike then gave Tanya the briefest of touches of a hug as if he was going to be electrocuted by her before Tanya smiled and offered Mike her recently lit cigarette.

"Go on, my treat you know you want it!" she grinned as he placed it between his lips and dragged on it.

After the short exhale "Thank you so much Tanya, I don't think we will forget this place in any hurry. Or you for that matter"

"Those leaving the island please board now!" Matthew boomed out from the top of the gang way with everyone milling around on the quay.

"Well, we know you are definitely coming back in a couple of months' time don't we!" Tanya said with a smile.

"That is true." Carrie-Ann said smiling and then dragged on her cigarette.

"Right bye-bye you two see you next time!" Tanya said waving as Mike and Carrie slowly pulled their suitcases up the gang way and on to the boat, they paused halfway up and looked back at the island and drag on their cigarettes before carrying on the climb up the ramp.

Within half an hour the ships horn was blown, and with the occupants undressed, smoking in the bar, the boat slowly headed back out to sea and back towards the mainland.

Chapter 11- The Wednesday Afternoon Following

"Darling can you take the washing out for me?" Carrie-Ann asked as emptied the washing machine of clothes into the plastic basket.

"Of course, Darling, err, but why?" Mike asked sitting at the breakfast bar looking down at his tablet screen in front of him casually flicking the ash from his cigarette and then dragging on it.

"Because I can see that the poor hedge is getting yet another good prune!" she smiled as she lifted the washing basket up and placed it in front of her husband's nose on the central island and then bent down again and retrieved one of Mikes black socks from the floor and placed it on top of the pile.

"He will only want to hear about our holiday?" Mike suggested.

"I can't be arsed to put my dress on now, and don't want to put on a show, can you go do it for me and talk to him?"

"Of course," he said stubbing the cigarette out and hopping off the stool and picking up the washing basket and heading towards the door before turning around as Carrie-Ann reminded him that he needed the pegs and handed him the bag.

"Afternoon Arnold" Mike called out as he fiddled with pushing up the rotary drier.

"Oh, you are back from your holiday then?" He called out over the hedge his pruning shears poking up above the greenery.

"Yes, Arnold it looks like we are." Mike stated calmly and rolled his eyes as he bent down and picked up one of his shirts and then pegged it on the line.

"That's good to see, you are both looking tanned. I was thinking of having a barbeque this evening seeing as the weather has been holding up, do you and Carrie-Ann want to come across and join us? It's always a bit silly lighting the gas up just for us two?" He asked.

"Err, I am sure we can, I will need to check with Caz, I think we can bring some frozen burgers with us."

"That would be great; I think the barbeque should be ready by six!"

"Excellent, but before you get any silly ideas, I am sure Caz will have put on some clothes." Mike stated as he attempted to peg up one of her pink skirts.

"Oh, okay, yes, right I will see you both later!" and after some commotion on the other side of the hedge the shears disappeared, and Mike carried on putting the clothes on the line.

***

"Didn't think you smoked Mike?" the grey haired frumpy looking Gracie with a gravelly voice asked as she picked up the wine bottle from the cooler and topped up her glass and leaned over and topped up the glass in front of Carrie-Ann in her short strapless white summer dress. Carrie-Ann tugged at the elasticated hem across her chest as she crossed over her legs and flicked her cigarette into the ashtray beside her.

"It was a bit difficult to get away from it on the island, wasn't it Caz?" Mike asked before he dragged on his cigarette.

"True, but it was really a special holiday, I am so glad that we've booked to go back!" Carrie-Ann stated and then too dragged on her cigarette.

"So, it wasn't a wife swapping hedonistic thing that you read about in the newspapers?" Arnold asked looking over his glasses.

Mike and Carrie-Ann looked at each other and giggled. "Hell, god no, we are certainly not into that!" Carrie-Ann giggled after stating it.

"It was a romantic anniversary holiday; and was relaxing I am not looking forward to going back to work next week. There is something about deciding if to sit on the sand next to the waterfall or next to the bar all day or do one in the morning and the other in the afternoon!" Mike said.

"That does sound incredible stressful!" Joked Gracie as laughed and then gently coughed at own joke, so she leaned over and pulled a cigarette out of her pack and then using the stove lighter lit it.

"Oh. it was truly exotic rather than stressful!" Carrie-Ann stated and then tugged on the top of her dress to hold it up.

Mike rummaged in his shorts pocket and pulled out the red lighter with SPIL website on it and placed it next to Gracie. "You never know you might like it too!" he grinned.

"Oh, thank you darling," Gracie said as her exhale poured out her deeply wrinkled mouth. "Arnie you can look this up later for us, can't you?" She said holding the lighter up, as Arnold smiled proudly back at his wife and then swigged on his beer. "He is good on the computer, I can't work it myself, but he is always on it."

"I think you would both get something out of the place!" Carrie-Ann stated and smiled knowingly at Mike then dragged on her cigarette.

Chapter 12- Three Months Later

Mike paused and looked up at darkening sky as the storm clouds were building as he dragged on his cigarette and dropped the butt on the driveway as he exhaled and used his shoe to make sure it was out as he then looked up at the purple 'For Sale' sign on his front lawn, smiled and then concentrated on opening his front door.

"Evening Caz, hope you have had a good day, how did it go?" He called out as he placed his lap top bag with a white cigarette pack showing in the side pocket and a large roll of paper sticking out the top, at the bottom of the stairs.

Carrie-Ann practically skipped to the hallway from the living room "Yes darling, brilliant day, firstly and importantly wonderful news," she paused and inhaled quickly on her cigarette that was ever present between her fingers, the smoke then poured out of her mouth and nose as she excitedly continued. "Marion has emailed my contract through this afternoon, yay! But Mike she was clearly drunk again, as they email didn't make much sense, but as of 12pm this afternoon I am now officially" she paused for affect and dragged on her cigarette again whilst waiting "a 'Smoking Paradise Islands Ltd' employee! I am in charge of all their digital outputs!" she grinned excitedly with her exhale and then placed her short cigarette between her lips and inhaled again.

"Congratulations, darling, all the work and time you spent with Martin and Marion last month really paid off! I know you grumbled that it was a holiday, not work, but well done! "Mike put his arms out and gave his naked wife a squeeze and then kissed her before he followed her into the living room.

Mike shook his head and smiled, "It is not long now is it darling?" he looked to the side and saw the blue jeans and red t-shirt draped over the back of the kitchen chair "Oh that's good, you did get dressed for the viewings?"

"Mike you are slowly getting there, I'm just heavily addicted to smoking; I'm not stupid; I even managed to empty and hide the ashtrays and sprayed the house with air freshener! Like the good wife I am, I popped to the petrol station to get some flowers for the vases, oh and of course some more ciggies, seem to run out quicker when we are back from Paradise!" She grinned and dragged again and picked up a pack Marlboro Reds off the table and offered it to Mike, who gratefully accepted a cigarette.

"How about you darling, how was your day?" Carrie-Ann asked as she flicked the lighter for her husband and then focused on chain lighting her own new cigarette.

"It was wonderful Caz," he said after exhaling "and if you can darling pour me a beer and I will unroll on the dining room table and show you the architects' drawings of the options for our brand-new house on the island." Mike smiled as he turned and quickly popped back and picked up his lap top bag and brought it through to the dining room.

***

That evening with darkness outside and the rain and wind beating down on the windows, under the bright dining room light with two glasses of red wine on the corner of the table, there was two streams of smoke twisting and turning together rising up from the ashtray beside Mike and Carrie-Ann as they deeply studied and poured over the drawings, thinking, determining and designing how their sunny, smoky, forever house on Smoking Paradise Islands would look.

The End