Vice

        After a long day at work, Jason was relieved to finally escape from his office until the next day. His job at the power plant always left him completely drained. He usually had to take a nap on the worn out leather couch in the living room before dinner just so he wouldn’t be more irritable than a wolverine when he finally got the chance to be around his family. Today had been especially rough: Jason had been forced to layoff a dozen employees since a machine the company had recently installed could do their jobs for less money.

        Standing alone in the parking lot, Jason still looked around to make sure nobody could see him. Then he pulled out a box of Marlboro cigarettes before removing one of the temptation filled cylinders and sticking it between his lips. Putting the box back in his pocket, Jason took out  his lighter. He flicked its metallic wheel with his finger, summoning a tiny flame. Once he had lit his cigarette, Jason extinguished the lighter’s flame and put it away. 

        Jason took a long drag before puffing out a stream of sickly smelling smoke that would have made even a dragon proud. The cigarette was completely used up within minutes, but its effects on Jason wouldn’t fade away for quite a while. At least these sinful sticks of nicotine didn’t have a very strong hold on Jason. In fact, this was his first cigarette in over a month. If it weren’t for the enormous amount of stress he had been facing, he wouldn’t have caved in to the lung damaging urge. Well, at least this was better than turning to alcohol. He’d rather have his brain than his lungs any day.

        Driving home with the constant patter of raindrops splashing down on his windshield from a gloomy gray sky, Jason felt guilt gnawing at his bones like a starving dog. He had almost managed to quit. For the first time in over twenty years, he had nearly managed to free himself from the crushing grip of his addiction. Then he had screwed everything up again, dangling a cigarette from his lips as if his mouth were waving a white flag to the irresistible temptation. Jason had been smoking for such a large portion of his life that the terrible habit almost seemed like and abusive family member to him.

        Hundreds of cigarettes had been delicately gripped between Jason’s lips, yet he still remembered the first day he had caved in to them. He had been 18, fresh out of high school, full of hopes and dreams. His friends had decided to throw one last party before they all went off to college. They had blared rock music and danced in front of glaringly bright strobe lights until the neighbors had threatened to call the cops.

        As if the atmosphere of the place hadn’t been intoxicating enough, one of Jason’s friends had somehow managed to sneak them plenty of ice cold beer. When Jason was offered his first cigarette at one in the morning, his judgement had long since left the building without him. That single moment of weakness had led to a massive downward spiral. By the time Jason was 21, he had started smoking at least half a pack a day.

        Fortunately for Jason’s lungs, his heart was strong enough to resist his habit even if his mind wasn’t. When Margaret entered Jason’s life, she helped clear the clouds of smoke from his vision. She made him see the dangers that his current path held in store for him. Slowly but surely, she had helped him stop smoking for the most part. Whenever he fell back to smoking, she always tried her best to help him get back on the path to quitting for good.

        Hoping his wife wouldn’t be too disappointed with him today, Jason parked in the garage before heading in through the front door. Margaret was waiting for him, biting her lip and shifting from one foot to the other. Something was definitely bugging her. Still, Jason had to complete his usual weeknight ritual before axing her about it. He wrapped her in a warm embrace only for her to stiffen in his arms. Jason pulled back, raising a questioning eyebrow at his wife.

        She cut right to the chase. “You’ve been smoking again, haven’t you?” Seeing her husband’s gaze drift to the floor as his shoulders sagged, she actually seemed to relax slightly. “You know better than to hide that from me, especially when your breath smells like something crawled into your mouth and died. With that awful smell in Fredrick’s room, I thought he might have been taking after you. No wonder he’s been sulking!”

        Jason felt as if he had just become a surprise participant of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge as a chill shot up his spine. He tried his best to look calm so as not to scare his wife. The last thing she needed was to hear that both her husband and her son were partaking in one of the activities she despised above all others. “Thank heavens he hasn’t. I’d better go check on him to make sure he isn’t to irritated with us.” 

        The revolting odor of cigarette smoke permeated the air around Fredrick’s room. Jason coughed slightly as he neared the door. Hearing no response from within, Jason eased the door open as quietly as he could. The room had been vacated; perhaps Frederick had gone elsewhere in search of some clean air. Jason rummaged through his son’s belongings until he located a half empty pile of cigarettes hidden at the bottom of his sock drawer. 

        Jason sucked in a breath before letting it hiss out from between his teeth. He couldn’t just yell at his son; that would make him a massive hypocrite. Besides, the rebellious soon to be college student would probably just ignore him. He had to be calm and rational about this. Jason took his son’s cigarettes threw them in the trash along with his own. He’d give his lighter to someone else when he got the chance. Then he scribbled a brief note to his son on a sticky note and left it on his son’s nightstand.

        “Dear Fredrick,

        It has recently come to my attention that you have picked up my terrible smoking habit. Trust me, this will do you more harm than good. Your health, your looks, everything will suffer if you keep smoking. I have thrown my own cigarettes away. You will not have to quit alone if you take my advice and stop this habit before it gets too strong of a hold on your life. Please know that this is YOUR decision, not mine. I promise that I will still love and support you whichever route you chose to take. 

        - Dad”