Elle Jones

Chapter 5: Waiting

Honk!

Honk!

My delicate ears cringed at the blaring sounds of angry horns echoing among the sea of restless vehicles.

The air conditioning in the car begins to falter, as Austin and I spent most of our stuffy hours, lighting cigarettes and blowing smoke through the cracks of an opened window.

Although New York's cool breeze rushed into the car, Austin, Kristy, and I have been sweating fluids down on our faces, necks, and undergarments.

Believe it or not, Kristy's once great air conditioner stopped working minutes after we stumbled across an extensive line of impatient Chevys, Hondas, and Toyotas.

Inspecting the sky, I anticipated the once beautiful sea blue atmosphere becoming the color of my dark indigo highlights. As the sun had plunged into darkness, small, white stars sprinkled across the clouds like Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Small, innocent clouds became enormous as giants, as the cold, blistering wind harassed miniature trees and lazy puffs of air.

Speaking of puffed clouds, Austin decides to pass the time by giving me an unused cigarette stick and offered to light it for me.

Thanking Austin dearly, I removed the cigarette from my mouth, rolled down the window beside me, and blew out a cloud of smoke, which squeezed itself through the cold air.

Smelling the stench of overcooked hamburger meat in behind her, Kristy adjusted her mirror to see me and Austin smoking our cigarettes.

Witnessing her eyes glaring at us in the mirror, at first, I thought we were going to be in serious trouble. Never in Kristy's life has she seen me being disobedient.

To her, she thinks I am a perfect example of how a girl should behave. Kristy never saw me drank beer, swear, or smoke a cigarette, until now.

"Damn it," I think to myself, putting down my cigarette.

Maybe I shouldn't be abusing Kristy's trust. After all, she and Olivia were like the mothers I have always wanted.

But ironically, as her squinted eyes captured the torched cigarette in my hand, Kristy lets out a tired moan, takes the fresh cigarette stick from her mouth, then asks Austin if she can have a light.

"Wait, what?!" I cried in pure shock.

Normally Moms wouldn't let their sons go one centimeter near a cigarette.

Looking at my surprised reaction through her mirror, Kristy sighed, "look, I know I am not a good role model, and Olivia is on my ass about my smoking habits, but I just want to get through today. Okay?"

Austin nodded as he fumbled in the dark, grabbing the small, silvery gray container in his right black pocket, stretches his arm over to Kristy, then gives it to her.

In the meantime, I watched the traffic as it begins to move very slowly. Between a few puffs of smoke, my dark brown eyes glanced in Austin's direction, who had finally retrieved his silver lighter from his jacket pocket.

As he opened the device, Austin placed his thumb on the gray lever, hovered the lighter underneath Kristy's cigarette, then watched as the small flame emerged from the candle, and onto the cigarette's butt.

Sizzle! the orange flame hissed sinking into the chalk. In front of me, I can see the fading stream of gray smoke rising from Kristy's burnt cigarette.

Then as she finally switched on the lights, Kristy put it into her mouth, takes a deep breath, lowers, her window then exhales into the chilly New York atmosphere.