May 28, 2010

Just Smoke One Cigarette and Hush

I came across the following video and I was just stunned. This 2-year-old boy from Indonesia smokes 40 cigarettes a day - 40 - a day! His father also claims that he gave his son his first cigarette at 18 months of age. Absolutely unreal!


I'll admit that I have bummed a cigarette here and there, but I don't think I've even come close to smoking 20 cigarettes total, let alone 40. I think I was 12 or 13 years old at the time (maybe even younger), but I remember asking my father to try one of his cigarettes. My mother, ever so cautious, tried to warn me and just trust her word that it was a bad idea. My father, on the other hand, wanted me to learn my lesson the hard way. So, he lit up a cigarette and handed it over. I puffed on it, held the smoke in my mouth for a bit and gently exhaled. I did it! Or so I thought. My father explained that I had to inhale the smoke and then exhale. Ok, so I tried again, this time inhaling the smoke. As you can imagine, it didn't go so well. I choked, coughed, wheezed, gagged, gasped...you name it. I'm sure my face was beet red. I remember my mother bringing me a glass of water and as I regained my composure, I looked at my father who had a smirk on his face. He knew that I had just learned my lesson.

Yes, my first cigarette was a Kent. Does that brand still exist?