A Box of Newports

I used to hide my mothers cigarettes when I was a child. I did not know as much as I know now but I knew cigarettes were not good. I wanted her to stop smoking because I knew it was bad . Not sure if my 3rd grade mind could wrap around the concept of the fears that are ingrained today. I used to fake cough and complain about the smell so she wouldn’t smoke in the car . I remember when she quit that one time . If it hadn’t been for my cousin Jamaal dying I think she would have remained quit . I remember the first time I caught her buying a pack of Newport’s after allegedly quitting at a gas station in Pa as she went inside to put money on the pump . She stuck her tongue out to lighten the mood but the distraction didn’t hinder me from inquiring what was at hand . See cigarettes scare me because of the grasp they have taken on my mothers life but 2/3 of my sisters. I don’t know what it is . A part of me doesn’t understand the curiosity to try something that my sisters seen torture my mother for years . Newport shorts.