Smoke and Defiance

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The woman stirred at last, her movements deliberate. She reached beneath the thin mattress and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. With practiced ease, she lit one, her hands steady as she inhaled deeply. The smoke curled around her, filling the small room with its bitter aroma.

The young man frowned. "Smoking is a sin, a shame for any woman," he chastised. "How can you seek forgiveness while clinging to your vices?"

The old woman exhaled slowly, the smoke forming a veil between them. She didn't flick the growing ash, as though she had forgotten—or didn't care.

"Sitting silently won't heal your pain," the man pressed on. "Get up, pray, and ask for forgiveness. God will absolve your sins if you truly repent."

The woman finally looked at him. Her eyes, weary yet piercing, locked onto his. She flicked the ash from her cigarette with a casual flick of her wrist and spoke, her voice low and unyielding.

"If God forgives me," she said, her words hanging in the air like a challenge, "I won't forgive God."

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⏰ Last updated: Nov 19, 2024 ⏰

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