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I love it when my "she's a heavy smoker radar" goes off, even if it takes a long time for the sighting pay-off. Case in point. Some months ago, I noticed a grocery clerk who set it off big-time. She's one of those women who seems to be of indeterminate age. She could be 35 or 55, petite, and a bit tired looking. What set off my radar was a single glance above and below her lips--a slight bit puckered out and lined entirely across, above and below, with deep vertical creases. The upper lip creases were so prominent they formed a shadow that almost resembled a mustache. Even if she's in the upper range of my age estimate, those lip creases would be a marvel--and to me a beauty mark, of course--on a smoking lady of 70 (which she assuredly isn't).
This is not a store I was in the habit of using much, so I only occasionally saw her over the course of some months. As such, it took a while before I noticed, while in line, the top of a pack of Misty Menthol 120s peeking out of her jeans back pocket. A 120 lady! A menthol girl! So how long before a real sighting?
Turned out to be a couple more weeks, but worth the wait. I pulled into the parking lot and, out of habit, glanced over at the de facto employee smoke break place, and there she was, mostly smoked Misty in hand. By the time I got from the car to the door and glanced over, she was lighting up another. I only had one or two things to pick up so my visit was brief, and as I exited and again glanced over she was about finished with cigarette no. 2. I got to my car, and noticed that she was heading toward the lot to a car not far from mine. Her car. She reached inside an quickly emerged with what she was fetching--a third Misty Menthol already between her lips and quickly lit up with the mechanical precision of a very experienced smoker. I watched as she headed back to her break area, dangling all the way, and saw from behind the little wafts of several hands-free drags as she smoked her way back.
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